Awkward Light

Gallery: WildlifePosted October 24, 2013149 views7 comments

As can be seen there was not a lot of snow or ice in Svalbard this year, it had apparently been swept far north by the prevailing winds. We did find plenty later around 200 miles north.
Hand held from a very bouncy Zodiac
EOS 1SX
200-400mm F4 EX 1.4 at 560mm
F5.6,
ISO 400,
1/800, EV-0.33

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on October 24, 2013 at 8:30 AM

IMHO your treatment of the backlit bear is great! It certainly is a different image than most of the polar bear photos I've seen. I like the rim light, the water drops, and most of all the bears expression. May be if anything a slight boost of the contrast of the bear. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on October 24, 2013 at 11:22 AM

You have to look at the larger image to truly appreciate this one. The water droplets and the backlighting are super.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on October 24, 2013 at 3:52 PM

Yon polar bear has a lean and hungry look!

John has hit all the pluses I thought of. I wholeheartedly agree!

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Andrews on October 24, 2013 at 4:44 PM

A great shot under challenging conditions Ken, well done!

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

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on October 25, 2013 at 1:20 AM

Thanks very much everybody for your kind comments, much appreciated

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on October 25, 2013 at 11:28 PM

Catchy title...

Can I use it for my photography website? Ok, I'll try and be a little more serious now. As John indicated this is very different, the lighting is particularly unique and reminds me of a Robert Bateman painting. The golden splash of water in the lower left is a very nice touch. I do find the bear to be slightly centered, and if I ever get to Svalbard, and if I ever take to a zodiac and see a polar...I might give the bear a bit more room all around.

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on October 27, 2013 at 1:51 PM

The pose and splash combine to make this quite nice. I find the amount of hot light on the back leg a bit distracting. I agree with others that the mood is different enough to make it special.

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