Black Bear

The light is rather contrasty Ralph but I like the setting with some nice greenery and rocky outcrops. On my monitor looks like it could use some adjustment to the shadows. You raise an interesting question on the composition, I referred to my "Book of Photography Rules" but that page seems to be missing... , I think it works well as posted, but I would have probably placed the bear in the lower left and allowed more room for him to enter the frame. Sorry, unless someone else has a copy of the book with that critical page can't give a definitive answer Ralph.

I looked at your photo again Ralph and realized that a definite advantage to your composition is that you get to include the entirety of his shadow in the frame, I like that.

Ralph,

The composition is good for me, the look back is excellent , but I might consider taking a little off the bottom.
Is it possible to tease just a little more detail from the blacks, without making them look unnatural?

I agree with Gary's POV about the inclusion of the shadow. Comp well chosen.The light is a little on the harsh side creating a heavy shadow on the face, which is not ideal.

Nice exposure work on this bear Ralph, I always seem to have hard getting good shots of black bears in side light. I like this composition also, but I agree with taking a little off the bottom and maybe adding some space in front of the bear.