Of Mosses & Myths

Gallery: WildlifePosted December 24, 2014380 views10 comments

Of Mosses & Myths

As its name would suggest, the Spirit Bear holds a special place in the hearts and minds of the local First Nations who share the Great Bear Rainforest with this special and unique bear. This Spirit Bear - a female with two black cubs - was like all Spirit Bears I have encountered over the last decade or so - calm, gentle, and serene. Not long before this image was captured she was fishing in a picturesque stream with her two cubs. When she sent her two cubs up a tree it was clear she wanted a break - and shortly thereafter this mythical creature laid down on a mossy bed and - with an enchanted forest as a backdrop - slowly dropped off to sleep. There was only one way to describe the scene - completely and utterly tranquil.

This is one of those rare images that pushed my gear (and my arm strength!) to its max. There was only one vantage point where there was a clear view of this bear - and to shoot from it required using my left arm to support and brace myself precariously against a tree (that was overhanging a fast-flowing creek) and shoot one-handed. The full story behind the image can be seen by following the link below...

NOTE: For those who aren't familiar with Spirit Bears, they are a rare, genetically-based colour variant of the good ol' Black Bear. They can be encountered wherever black bears are found, but for some reason are found in high occurrence (10-25% of all black bears) in only one small part of British Columbia, Canada.

Subject: Spirit Bear (Ursus americana) resting on a moss covered log
Location: Great Bear Rainforest, BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D4s
Lens: Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm VR lens @ 400mm
Exposure: 1/400s at f6.3 ISO 11,400. -0.67 stop compensation from matrix metered exposure.
Crop: This is about 90% of full frame.

More info about this shot on my website...including processing details (and a considerably larger version too)...

http://www.naturalart.ca/galleries/latest/detail_2.html.

Comments and feedback greatly appreciated...probably better to view larger version prior to doing so...

Cheers...and to everyone who celebrates Christmas - have a GREAT one!

Brad

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Ken Smith on December 24, 2014 at 8:27 PM

A rare treat to see! The mama bear looks like many young mothers..tuckered-out…and wanting alone time to rest. A super shot …showing stealth and patience that she would drift off to sleep with you so close to the cubs. 400mm… helps! Thanks for the text too!

Registered on September 5, 2008, 449 Posts, 2444 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on December 25, 2014 at 11:11 AM

Brad: having seen these wonderful creatures, I'll attest that you have captured the bear's environment and more importantly, its demeanor in the photo. No nits. Richard

Registered on January 12, 2014, 453 Posts, 1625 Comments

Comment posted by Clinton Bauder on December 25, 2014 at 4:38 PM

It's easy to see from this picture how they came to be called spirit bears. The greyish fur gives them a real air of age and wisdom. This particular bear really looks ready for her nap. I do wonder if the sense of serenity is reduced just a bit by the eye-contact with the camera? But having said that she still looks really peaceful. A beautiful animal well photographed.

Clinton

Registered on December 8, 2009, 31 Posts, 231 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on December 25, 2014 at 4:44 PM

Hi Clinton,

You said: "I do wonder if the sense of serenity is reduced just a bit by the eye-contact with the camera?"

I agree. And I do have many shots of her zonked out (and with various head positions, some of which are very endearing). A little bit of a "can't win for trying" situation in that I have posted images of sleeping animals before and received the comment "wish I could see its eyes"!

Thanks for the feedback!

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Cross on December 25, 2014 at 11:51 PM

These bears are really quite an eyeful. There're just so unusual looking and different from all the bears that are out there. You captured this nicely. Despite the precarious position, you managed to keep here calm and this photo reflects that. I've noticed a lot of photos I've seen of these bears (not just yours) show the bear with what seems like really fluffy/floofy body fur. Like they'd just been to a hair dresser. Any theories? Perhaps the lack of pigment (or other things) in the fur causes the fur to behave differently?

Registered on April 3, 2010, 271 Posts, 1342 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on December 26, 2014 at 9:03 AM

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the feedback. You ask:

"I've noticed a lot of photos I've seen of these bears (not just yours) show the bear with what seems like really fluffy/floofy body fur. Like they'd just been to a hair dresser. Any theories? Perhaps the lack of pigment (or other things) in the fur causes the fur to behave differently?"

I think it's just the time of year that most of the photographs of these bears are taken - in the autumn and just before hibernation when they have their "winter coats" on. Black bears (with black coats) and grizzlies photographed in the same areas in the same time frame also have thick, luxuriant coats as well. And, of course, because they bears are fishing they tend to have clean coats in most photos of them. If you could find and photograph one of these bears in late spring through to mid summer I think you'd see them with less attractive coats (and I have seen some with pretty ugly coats in the autumn as well, tho' it's not common).

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on December 27, 2014 at 5:59 PM

I really like the wonderful fur detail visible here Brad. A beautiful portrait of this handsome bear in its rainforest habitat. Those high ISO's just blow me away.

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on December 27, 2014 at 9:04 PM

I hope to make it up there one day to photograph these awesome bears. I like this pose a lot Brad. The over the shoulder look shows the curiosity this bear has with you and translate to the viewer. It makes it s bit more interesting in my opinion. Nice work!

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

Comment posted by Sandra M. Apel on January 2, 2015 at 10:47 PM

I love this photo. I have never viewed the Spirit Bear before so thanks for the wonderful introduction. Pushing your gear and yourself to capture the bear in it's natural setting along with the great detail,and pose clearly defined this Bear's name. Great work!

Registered on October 15, 2013, 20 Posts, 171 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Lane on January 3, 2015 at 8:40 AM

I rarely comment on photos (yes, I know - bad) but this one seemed to catch the essence of not only the Spirit Bear but her environment and life. The detail in the bear's fur, eyes and pose plus the moss, rocks and earth tell her story.

For me "Of Mosses and Myths" tells a beautiful tale. Congratulations on an exceptional subject and capturing (both technically and "storing telling") the photo.

Thanks for sharing.
Sharon

Registered on August 13, 2009, 15 Posts, 51 Comments