Honey Coloured Grizzly

Gallery: WildlifePosted December 17, 2013348 views22 comments

The Khutzeymateen grizzly bear sanctuary is a very special place to me.
The mountains were still covered in the deep winter snow. The valleys were magnificent sites with waterfalls of snow melt cascading down the slopes. I was presented with this Spectacular Wild Female Grizzly. The tide is out and she stands above me with her mouth full of the much needed sedge grass. She is Very close to me, and I watched her move around, relaxed and unthreatened by my closeness !

Subject: Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos),
Location: Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, Northern BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR @ 70mm- hand-held from floating Zodiac. VR on and in "Normal" mode.
Exposure: 1/250s @ f9.0; ISO 450, -.330 stop compensation compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.
Crop: Very minimal- this is about 90% of full frame, No Cloning

Wild Grizzly ,Not Baited, Not Lured in

Comments

22 comments

Comment posted by Ronald Murphy on December 17, 2013 at 2:05 PM

Great fur detail and background and a beautiful animal.

Registered on March 13, 2012, 279 Posts, 975 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on December 17, 2013 at 3:56 PM

Few things beat being this close to a wild apex predator, Bill...especially if you were on foot.
Lovely shot, killer perspective/POV and setting/location/pose are all aligned to make it a beauty.

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on December 17, 2013 at 5:11 PM

Hello Morkel

Was Not walking but in a Zodiac boat moving with the Tide!

This Female was a Real Beautiful Specimen & great Interactions with her Quirky things.

Thanks Ron & Morkel, Really Appreciate your feedback

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on December 17, 2013 at 7:10 PM

What a beautiful photo of this gal in her environment Bill

Great comical pose, love the texture of her fur.

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on December 17, 2013 at 9:28 PM

I am really liking this one Bill. Great choice on DOF...love the fog, the pines in the BG and the grass in the mouth just sets it over the top. Very nice.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on December 18, 2013 at 12:10 AM

I echo the comments. IMHO this is a superior photo of a griz. thanks for sharing. Must have been exciting.

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

Comment posted by William Bickle on December 18, 2013 at 9:51 AM

Hello Guys

Thanks, Yes was Amazing experience, & Challenging to shoot from a Zodiac too!. The DoF with F9 was intentional because of Closeness to the subject & wanted some Environment in the BG distinguishable .

She was seen each day on the trip with many different views of her personality. Hoping to capture her again on another trip soon. !!:)

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by David Bogener on December 18, 2013 at 1:20 PM

Wonderful image Bill. I had to open the thumbnail and read the specs to see how you got close enough to use a short lens. The forest background adds to the shot in my opinion. Thanks for posting, Dave

Registered on October 30, 2013, 417 Posts, 1255 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on December 19, 2013 at 12:31 AM

Bill,

I thought I posted a comment yesterday?
This is a truly great image, glad to see the Zodiac did not have the "anti-stabiliser" effect

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

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on December 19, 2013 at 7:03 AM

Love the frame!
IMHO would have preferred oof foreground.
Jagdeep Rajput

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on December 19, 2013 at 9:51 AM

This is a spectacular grizzly photo Bill, I'm liking all aspects of it. The mouth full of sedge grass is really neat. A slight reduction on the highlights might be worth trying, particularly for the foreground grass, but this is minor and only a suggestion for experimentation. Well done Bill.

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on December 19, 2013 at 9:55 AM

This is quite a pleasing capture, for reasons already mentioned. I would consider desaturating the foreground greens a touch as they feel a little over green to my eye, but that is subjective and I know many like that kind of color.

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

Comment posted by William Bickle on December 20, 2013 at 3:43 PM

Hello Lon & Gary Dave

The Khutzeymateen green grasses are Very saturated, and when on site it is an amazing thing to see! Most images need to be adjusted down in saturation when displayed because it is So Rich in colour that most do not think a natural colour .
I think the constant tide washing has an effect on this colour but not sure on that.

Hello Jagdeep
Some prefer oof foreground but wanted to use the DOF to have much foreground and Background in focus and evident. Thought the Bear was separated enough to stand out!

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Jeff Bushnell on December 28, 2013 at 4:59 PM

I love this image. Really shows off a personality and the inclusion of just enough environmental elements really makes the shot tell a story. I can almost imagine what is in the bear's mind!

Registered on April 3, 2011, 20 Posts, 122 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on December 29, 2013 at 12:50 PM

Hello jeff

Thanks for your feedback.

At this time of year, she has recently emerged from her winter dormancy and needs to replenish her body with much needed protein. The grasses are quite high in nutrients and protein that will allow her to get the required food and energy to fend off the aggressive males during this breeding season. The grizzly have many shades of colours and I really enjoyed photographing this young beauty with her striking colours and great conformation.
It's unfortunate the BC government still allow trophy hunting for wolves and grizzly , but she is safe for now because no hunting is allowed in the khutzeymateen at this time !

cheers

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Sandipan Dutta on January 1, 2014 at 1:54 AM

Like the fact that this image shows the environment nicely and the Grizzly still stands out with its fantastic pose. Very impressive.

Registered on March 9, 2009, 171 Posts, 493 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on January 1, 2014 at 9:12 AM

Hello Sandipan

Thanks for your feedback. The Khutzeymateen has a lot to offer a nature loving photographer! The rich forest growth to the ever present mornings with low lying clouds, snow melting mountain rivers are always heard and seldom seen up close , too busy watching the interactions of this valleys inhabitants.

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Martin Dunn on January 1, 2014 at 10:19 AM

super photo Bill, You really need to see the large version to do it justice.
great POV and wonderful detail

Registered on February 20, 2013, 198 Posts, 1011 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Ramy on January 3, 2014 at 11:29 AM

Outstanding Image Bill,
I've always said, shooting from a boat is best, especially in this situation with a Grizz!
All aspects of this image, as mentioned, are very nice and the large version is a must see.
My only nit would be to cloned out the 16 white specs showing on the BG (most noticeable in the large version).
Well Done . . .

Registered on June 16, 2012, 567 Posts, 2809 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on January 4, 2014 at 5:43 PM

Hello Mike

Thanks for the feedback. Those are grizzly bugs you are seeing. They only come out when the female grizzly is approaching estrus! They travel in pairs , that's why there is always an even number of them present . :)

but really,... do not clone and feel the bugs are part ot the overall ambiance.

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on January 16, 2014 at 7:40 PM

Hi Bill,
I was just perusing the wildlife gallery and came across this wonderful shot. It has a great deal of impact with the angle and eye contact. The salad she's eating and forest bg add a lot here too, it all came together for you. Congrats on this one.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Randy Runtsch on January 18, 2014 at 6:54 PM

Bill, this is simply excellent. It's a wonderful photo of this majestic specimen.

Registered on October 30, 2013, 50 Posts, 445 Comments