...Now what?

Henk,
Very impressive first post and I'm glad posting gets easier as you figure things out, looking forward to seeing more of your work.
Here is a direct link to your web-site fliek.com ,making it easier to get to, very nice by-the-way.
As to this image, Very powerful with great techs, the detail in the splashing water and the subject is excellent, That head-on stare is very intimidating and the blue cast throughout works nicely to bring the center of attention to the Bear's face. The image needs a bit more room at the top IMO to relieve the tight feeling created by having the subject so high in the frame.
Man !

Henk,

Welcome to NPN. Most first time posts are small backyard birds or something equally common. Man, you went big on your first post. An action packed image of a grizzly coming through the water. Well played. The action depicted here is amazing. The image is also sharp, with a good look at those eyes. I actually downloaded the image and lightened it a bit as I think it is a touch dark. I assume that this was full frame or close to it. If not, and you have some room up top, I would add it back in. If not, I would consider adding some canvass up top and taking a bit from the bottom. Again, great first post. Be prepared to learn a lot from the talented photographers on this site.

Jerry

Henk,

I couldn't resist posting an image with the changes I suggested. Hope you don't mind.

Jerry

Henk,

Welcome to NPN. That is a nice bear shot Larger image is very impressive. Yes, slightly more room on top should help the image, but a big bear fills up the space and that helps tell the story about what a big bear you have photographed. Check out Jerry's work-up on you image and this may give you some ideas on finishing the image. The water droplets and fur texture are awesome ...........................Jim

Great first post. A dramatic shot. I like the contrasting colors and the splashing water. A tad more on the top would be nice, but that's a small nit. I really like this one.

Welcome and great job posting such a dynamic image! There isn't much to dislike here - though I wish for more sky and less water in front. Where did you crop from?

Henk

Very nice first post. I would add some to the top and take some off the bottom if you have it.I like Jerry's repost.
Welcome to NPN.

Bill

Wonderful image Henk, and welcome to NPN! I would add to the chorus concerning space at the top if you have it, or added canvas if not. I think Jerry's workup, while going a tad warmer with the image, is just a little more than I'd take this. I would increase the warmth in the blues but not much more than you've posted. I think Mike points out correctly that the blue cast focuses attention on the face, but I think you could get away with warming this a tad while maintaining impact.

Hey Henk,

I'm assuming this is the Henk who likes to be surprised by wolves on the side of roadways? Long time, no chat - hope you've been doing well!

Glad to see that you've joined NPN - and I have to offer one more welcome to the Wildlife Gallery!

Great first post - you've started things off with quite the splash here (sorry, couldn't resist that). Absolutely excellent action, love the splashing water, and fantastic eye contact to boot - what more could you ask for? While I agree that the image feels a little tight on the top, I like the amount of foreground you've included - to me it gives the shot more depth and gives the bear room to move into.

In terms of the colour...to be honest, I much prefer your original post over Jerry's re-post - I LIKE the blues. If this shot were mine, I'd experiment with two things:

1. A very minor exposure bump to selected portions of the bear (primarily in the head, but also a bit to neck and chest region). I'm talking tweak - like 0.3 stops

2. A selective warming of the bear only - and again only a tweak. I'd probably choose to do this via making variants during the raw conversion phase (and then blending in PS) - if you tried to do it via selective application of warming filters I think you'd end up with some pretty funky-dilly colours...

Thanks for sharing this one - and hope to see more from you soon...

Cheers...

Brad

PS: A note to all: I know we tend to be pretty informal in this gallery, including spontaneously re-working the images of others. I think this is fine if you know the member whose photo you are re-working quite well, but if you don't it's probably a good idea to follow the NPN protocol for doing so (it CAN be a bit of sensitive area to some). In the posting guidelines you'll find these rules for re-working another member's image:

If you wish to rework a fellow member's photo, here is the procedure we suggest;

Contact the member who posted the photo and ask them to email the photo to you. This will absolutely prove that the member voluntarily sent the photo to you, and that it was not copied without their permission.

After you have reworked the photo, email it back to member who posted it with detailed notes on what you did to adjust the photo.

They will then have the right to determine if they want the modified photo appearing as a repost.

Henk,
Well you certainly have started with a bang
This is a great image with great detail and perfectly captured pose, I agree about a little more room at the top, But I do wonder about the "blue"?

Thanks everyone for the warm welcomes! (including warming up the bear a little bit :))

Hi Brad, long time no see for sure! I'll try and experiment a little with those settings...

thanks again,
Henk

The hairs on the face are incredibly interesting. You might consider a crop of just the head filling the frame.

I suspect that the sky is all white so adding space above is not a great option. I like the color composition in the original with those blues balancing the warm hues.

PS I've been at Katmai and been charged by one of these bears. It's terrifying until you realize he's not after you but the salmon at your feet. By then it's time to change your underwear.

Hi Henk

I like the idea within the OP (original post) room for the bear to run into, but do agree, perhaps just open the crop up a bit so it's not so 'pillar box' i.e. more space either side and a sliver more space above would be good. The blue personally is too Saturated for me, as the water & spray have no whites/highlights, they are just choked with this blue, however you may feel this is what you wanted to convey. Agree with Brad on his points he raised, will elevate the image. Having a bear charge like this is awesome and I like the head on POV, really good, must get back, it's a great location.

TFS
Steve

Hello Henk

Welcome ! Already many suggestions from the observers. Really like the powerful capture!! And with some gentle adjustments as mentioned, maybe even better looking!

Cheers

Bill

Hi Henk,

As I was typing in my original comment here I was thinking "Hope this is the Henk Fliek I know..."

One "tip" that I think might help you as you move forward in NPN. I have seen new members who are absolute sponges for feedback and info - and that's great. But...they get confused and/or frustrated when they try to accommodate all the feedback and then find that they're getting diametrically opposed suggestions on how to improve their shot. And, while online forums are great, they can have a negative effect too - they can end up being "style homogenizers" where anyone straying outside a fairly narrow "niche" can feel a little intimidated. Style development takes years and - at times - the courage to do what YOU think is right even if it's contrary to conventional "wisdom".

A real world example from your image is the white balance. No one other than you was there when you took this shot, so we can't know what the scene looked like. It could have been as blue (cool) as your originally portrayed (and I doubt it was as warm as Jerry's re-post - largely because the sky was incredibly yellow in that re-post). Some like your image warmer, others (like me) would only make selective minor tweaks to the WB. At the end of the day you have to decide what you like and just go with that...even if that's against the flow of the majority...

Anyway...looking forward to future postings from you!

Cheers...

Brad

I want to add my welcome to NPN. This is a great first image. Really good detail and sharpness. The eyes are really sharp with a good catch light. I like the action and the splashing water.

awesome shot Henk. Thank you for persevering
It's dramatic, it's sharp and the colours are terrific.

Superb shot! You can nitpick the space and comp but it retains its power. The cool tone balance is a little off, but does compliment what to me feels like it should be, and that's arctic. A few tweaks here and there and it'll be not only superb, but terrific, really well done.

Everyone, thanks again for your comments...this little bear has certainly triggered some great feedback and an impressive number of views.

A lot has been written on the blue tones; I've compared my version with the original again and...the blues are pretty much the same. I hadn't specified this in my initial post (having been somewhat frustrated with the 'just press the back button to amend your post'-message and having to enter everything all over again...yes, I'll do copy/paste from now on!). I also remember checking my WB just before shooting the series from which this shot is taken...

Peter Davidson wrote 'arctic' which nicely describes the context of the image: Alaska, coastal, sea water, glaciers, etc. Perhaps with a little less blue it would also become a little less 'arctic' and perhaps more 'a bear in water'.

I'd subscribe to Brad's view that we're all working on developing our own style, which may indeed take years, and is even likely to continue to change. And this is what makes us all unique, and what makes photography such an amazing art. Our comments are actually an important part of this process.

Looking forward to sharing and viewing/commenting many more great images on NPN!

cheers, Henk

I love the shot as is, colours and all
Great action and the eye contact is superb!
Grt, Ingrid.

Excellent moment and first post, Henk. I like more space up top, but don't care for the color balance as posted by Jerry. Looking forward to more.

Great first post!