Salmon Lunge

This intentionally blurred image of a Coastal Brown Bear lunging forward to jump on a salmon was created at Geographic Harbor, Katmai National Park, AK on my recent Bear Boat IPT with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens with the the 1.4X III TC (handheld at 280mm) and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 50. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/15 sec. at f/11 in Tv mode.


Lens/TC/Camera Body Micro-Adjustment: -8. This was a big change from the previous +2 after my Mark IV was serviced by Canon.

In low light situations I will often think pleasing blur.

I believe that I improved this a ton from the version posted on my blog by lightening the bear's head and increasing the contrast as well. You can see the first version and four of my other favorite Katmai blurs here.

As always, don't be shy; all comments welcome.

ps: Yikes. I need to attach the image. :)

Hi Arthur, love the splashing water around the bear. Nice to see that the bear's head did not merge with the far bank of the river. Very nicely blurred!

Artie, this is one of my favorite blurs...it gives the sense of the immense power of these bears. The spray of water around the head...the sweeping lines of the water and forelegs...the textures..color, contrast, composition...it's just an incredible image. Every once in a while, you feel humbled by the image someone shares...this is one of those images. Thanks for posting this.

I think the head of the bear looks better and has more structure in this image but I like the lighter processing of the initial image better. Especially, the water in this image is too grey and the far river bank misses a bit of color which the original had. Can you get more detail in the eyes?

I am using Nik Viveza 2 now which is great for those local color and brightness adjustments.

Anyway, another winning lottery ticket!!

What kind of clothes is he washing in the river?? :w3
The sharpness of the head and the splashing of the drops make the picture here. Did you erase some drops from the head?Nice shot!

Artie, nice action captured and a wonderful moment of nature. I only wish that I had enough opportunities (or any) like this to do a blur in this situation... :w3 I like the motion and trajectory of the camera movement. I think a little more sharpness on the face would be cool. Thanks for sharing.

Artie, I like this one a lot! It's a fantastic blur with a perfect subject. Only wish it were mine.:S3:

Great looking blur, Artie, the effect really enhances the lunging and splashing motion. Very dynamic. Added adjustments are an improvement from one on your blog - I also really like the close-up water blur, awesome color and texture!

I really like this bear blur! Nice action and splashing water made for an interesting subject. A bit more color saturation might be nice.

The motion of the water is wonderful. There is movement all through this image!

Outstanding blur, Artie. Love the water splash and the raised front paws as if it is fomenting it!