by Max Waugh
I'm finally settling in after a full six weeks in Yellowstone, the last month of which was busy with tours.
This family provided the highlights of the spring for me. I had several intimate encounters with this sow and her two cinnamon "cubs of the year." Over 20% of my keepers from the trip were black bear images, thanks in large part to this family. It'll take some time to go through them all, but I liked this family portrait.
The "kissing" cub was actually going after some sort of food residue in mom's mouth. It kept licking at something in there, so it's possible she had found a carcass of some sort prior to our arrival.
Canon 1DX
Canon 500mm + 1.4x
ISO 800
1/800th
f/5.6
Max
Comments
12 commentsHello Max
Great capture, showing off the Family-ties, Interesting to see the brown cubs , colouring!
Centerd and quite square, but works well! Mom has some interesting snout colours and toning.
Well exposed, showing excellent detail in dark areas.
Cheers
Bill
www.BillBickle.com
One of the best Black Bear images I've seen in a long time. Can't wait to see more.
Thanks guys. Bill, interesting you should mention the crop. I really liked the wider view (with more canvas to the right of the bears), but the trunks were lit up by the sun, and I felt they were a bit too distracting. So I prefer this crop. For now.
Max
Great shot, Max. Looks like the cub is yearning for mom's attention. Great foreground and background. Would you mind sharing where this was taken? I'm in Yellowstone right now.
Cheers,
Hisham.
Hisham, this sow with cubs was hanging out around the Yellowstone Picnic Area and western Little America. She may be on either side of the road, though obviously with cubs she prefers to stick to the more heavily-treed areas.
Max
What a beautiful little family Max. This is precious. You did a fantastic job with the detail in the dark colors with great balance in the details of the lighter cubs. I kind of like the triangular shape of the family in the center of the frame now that the positioning has been called to attention. Nice all the way.
I think the cropping suits the subject matter nicely, Max. I'll look forward to seeing more of these guy's.
The sow is providing you with great eye contact. I most like the triangle composition, which gives a classic feel.
Hey Max,
Super cute - the bond between a cub and mother bear is so close, and this shot shows that so very well. I really like the setting here as well...pretty hard to find anything not to like in this shot!
Cheers...
Brad
Tender image Max, love the setting..
Very nice!
Super cute for sure but it's also a really effective photograph. I like the contrast and geometric patterns of the different colors; grass, trees, rock, brown and black fur, etc. Great stuff.
Clinton
A very compelling shot Max, great eye contact and the cubs are cute.