Dumpster Diver II

Gallery: WildlifePosted July 9, 2013253 views3 comments

Seeing a Black Bear around my home area in Northeastern Pennsylvania is not very rare anymore, but their interaction with humans is certainly on the rise.

I had heard reports of a single bear being seen locally, and finally got to see it for myself--in the dumpster of a local convenient market. I made the 15-20 minute trip to get my camera, and it was still there when I got back. Under heavy tree cover, it was hard to get a decent shot of it until I upped the ISO. D90, ISO-640, 1/160th, f-6.3, 500mm. I posted a different version in EPJ. Your C&C welcomed.

NOTE--The PA Game Commission was called in, and there is now a bear trap in place. Hopefully it can be taken safely, and moved to another area. For example, in this instance one "brave" individual walked up to within 15 feet with his cell phone camera from the other side.

Comments

3 comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on July 10, 2013 at 1:19 AM

Yea, looks like this bear is definitely getting himself into trouble. Time for the authorities to implement bear-proof garbage receptacles. You have composed this image quite well. The bear could be a bit sharper, I think the one at EPJ is better in this regard, 1/160 is a bit slow for a feeding bear with this sort of focal length. I can understand you not wanting to increase your iso much more though. Thanks for posting this image, it demonstrates well what intelligent mammals, bears, will do when they are hungry and have an opportunity to get a free meal.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on July 10, 2013 at 11:20 AM

Hi Bill, although from an artistic point of view the garbage bin is not ideal to say the least, you did make the most out of it by choosing a good composition and. Luckily the color scheme (blue/green) also works well and sets the subject off nicely. The two catch lights in the eyes help in making them the focal points of the image. In the larger version there is a hint of noise that can easily be removed from the OOF areas. As for the sharpness comment made, I think the eyes seems sharp, but there seems to be some movement blur on the muzzle due to the slow shutter speed.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Maile on July 10, 2013 at 11:43 AM

Thanks Gary and Vincent, I think your critiques are spot on! All excellent and accurate points.

And yes, the 1/160th was unfortunate, but my shutter release was locking up, the bear in the shadow, and I was trying to get some kind of photo before the bear ran away with people gathering about. I missed him/her with a mouthful of lettuce for example. And I also like the comp in EPJ better as well.

Registered on March 2, 2009, 984 Posts, 2518 Comments