Looking at you

[Nancy Bell]

A young black bear has been hanging around the house for the past few days. I saw him shortly after sunrise this morning as he approached the bird feeders. I was less than 10 feet from him...with a window between us!

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200 f2.8 l IA @ 200mm, ISO 400, f4, 1/160

c & c most appreciated

[Ken Watkins]

Nancy,

Is this shot through window glass, if so well done.
I think I have previously displayed my ignorance of Bear colours, but wonder if adding some neutrals or black may assist?

[Nancy Bell]

Ken, this was shot through window glass. I tried to very quietly open the window but with the first click of the latch the bear was down the slope and heading across the gully. This is a cinnamon-colored Black Bear.

I just did a Google search and found that 90% of the Black bears in the western US are cinnamon, brown or tan. In the eastern US the vast majority of the Black bears are indeed black.

[Ken Watkins]

Nancy,

Thanks for the additional information very useful, remarkable quality for a shot through window glass:cheers:

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Nancy, would love to have one of these roaming around my backyard, great looking guy. Think you did well to get this through your window, you must keep them very clean. :bg3: Just remember, if this arises again, get the lens flush with the glass, literally touching it if you can as I think there is a hint of reflection that masks some detail in the ears, especially the RH one as viewed, there's no real clarity.

Now, going back to the image and adding my little critique, I would suggest an alternative crop, portrait reducing the excess space and slightly distracting light coming into the image, by doing so I feel this tightens up that stare that is linking it to the viewer and does draw you in. I think you can give it some more selective sharpening, drop a fraction in Exposure and bring up a hint more in Curves just to add a little more punch.

TFS
Steve

[Rachel Hollander]

Nancy - nice detail in the nose area. Amazing that it is through the glass though I think I'd want at least some barrier especially at 10 feet. Looks like he came through the hibernation well.

TFS,
Rachel

[Steve Canuel]

Nice head on view, detail, and golden morning tone. Might want to start taking that feeder in at night. Color looks like most of the one's I've seen. I like Steve's idea of a tighter crop filling the frame with more bear.

[Nancy Bell]

Thank you all for your comments. Add Steve, thank you for specific details. Here is a repost that I tried to incorporate the suggestions.

Not only do I bring the bird feeders in at night, but now I bring them in if I leave the house or if my dog is not on alert. I have not seen the bear since this image.

[Steve Canuel]

Repost looks good, especially the added contrast to the facial fur and eyes.

[Harshad Barve]

Excellent image and great re-post , One day I would love to be in that window :))
TFS

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Nancy, I think it's looking much better now, however I might go even tighter. If there was more image below I think I would have dropped the crop a fraction more down.

Steve

[Ken Watkins]

I can really see no point at all in croppping half of the ears , is there meant to be an artistic reason that I clearly do not understand?

[Grady Weed]

How about this crop? I did a slight levels, going blacker, then a slight shadows and highlights, down to 15%, shadows that is, left the highights alone. What do you think?

[Ken Watkins]

Grady,

The crop is to my eyes very much better, and the details are also far more obvious. Great processing from a tiny JPEG