Salmon Parade

Gallery: WildlifePosted April 18, 2013451 views6 comments

Work has kept me away from any new pictures since December so I've been going through some older stuff in my limited free time. This is one I've always liked that was taken a few years ago in Katmai NP, Alaska. This sow brown bear and her yearling cub were intently watching a seemingly endless parade of salmon swim by and I liked how their heads seemed to move in unison, like watching spectators at a tennis match. Hope you all like it and thanks in advance for any comments and suggestions.

Canon EOS 40D
Canon 100-400 @400
ISO 500, F7.1, 1/640 sec
Crop = 70% of original

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Claude Dagenais on April 19, 2013 at 12:43 PM

You captured a great moment with the head turns. Good one.

Registered on April 10, 2013, 56 Posts, 571 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on April 19, 2013 at 3:08 PM

LOL! Looks as if they think the reeds are hidng them!

Nice poses from both. IMO, seems a little unbalanced - I'd suggest less room at the bottom and more at the top.
The eyes of bears are often a problem, as they are small, dark, and the bear often has it's head down.
Here, the eyes are dead and flat. A little work with levels and brightness/contrst might bring out a bit of detail.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Steven Svalina on April 19, 2013 at 4:05 PM

I always have problems with the eyes of bison and bears. Your eyes don't stand out but the image supports the title so well that I don't really miss that feature. Congratulations.

I would have preferred the image to be a tad sharper. Did you use a tripod or have IS on the lens?

Registered on March 19, 2013, 5 Posts, 23 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on April 21, 2013 at 7:55 PM

You have already received some good suggestions for tweaking this to make it even better. I agree that it is a fine pose, nicely captured. I would want to move the subjects a little closer to the left side of the frame for optimal impact.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Andrews on April 23, 2013 at 9:21 AM

A beautiful shot of a special moment Joe. I echo Sandy's and Lon's comments re composition and feel a little more room at the top and placing the subjects a little further to the left in the frame would really strengthen this image.

cheers
Rick

Registered on December 31, 2011, 45 Posts, 222 Comments

Comment posted by Joe James on May 1, 2013 at 10:27 PM

Thanks folks! Sorry I'm a tad tardy with the response but I've been tied up again. I do have some room to move the bears a bit to the left, giving a bit more room for them to "look" into the photo so I appreciate the advice.

Registered on November 20, 2009, 89 Posts, 808 Comments