Thanks for posting this great moment with nature the cubs are absolutely adorable. Assume you used a 500 with a 1.4 TC to achieve the 700MM and how close were you? The snow adds the appearance of bitter cold and mom looking for food makes the image even more compelling. I have never seem bears this close and with youngsters a moment the photographer shares and most folks will never experience - well done. I might crop a small layer from right and bottom to help balance the frame but this is subjective - pretty good subject placement as is.
I am am curious, were you seen by the bears, were you intimidated by their presence and was this HH . Thanks for sharing makes me want to head west!!
ps,... this must have drove the camera's meter crazy dark bear in snow nice field techniques with exposure - you made the right choice keeping detail on the darks - what was the time of day.
Last edited by Jeff Cashdollar; 11-25-2012 at 05:47 PM.
Thanks Jeff. The grizzlies were about 150 feet away from me. The image was shot mid morning on an overcast day in early May in Yellowstone Park. You're right re. the lens—500+1.4. They had probably been out of the den for a very short time. Sows with CoYs frequently stay denned until late April or mid May. If I recall correctly, the temperature was in the upper 30's to low 40's in fahrenheit.
Yes, the bears were aware of my presence. I felt quite comfortable being this close to them. While I have a great deal of respect for grizzlies & always carry pepper spray when I am in YNP, it is my experience that their reputation is somewhat undeserved. People usually precipitate grizzly attacks.
I used a tripod.
Nice field technique using a tripod to get the picture as sharp as possible; in nature photography the detail is really critical. This is excellent work even though you were probably safe when I approach birds my well being never comes into the equation (generally speaking) - another variable to deal with.
Jeff, thanks again for your comments. FWIW, I don't approach grizzlies. I let them come to me so they are in charge & feeling comfortable with my presence. I have actually been in situations where I am moving away from grizzlies. In these situations, I stop imaging ( I have too much lens for images anyway), unholster my pepper spray, avoid eye contact with the bear, & move slowly away. Photographing bears certainty adds another dimension to photography.
Very nice image, Andrew. Love the little ones and you really acquired great details here. I can imagine the exposure was a nightmare, but the bears colors look really good. I agree with Jeff on a slight crop from right and bottom. I wonder how much sharpening you did on your FG. I'm not sure whether it's looking a little crunchy b/c that's how it looked or b/c it's a tad oversharpened and seems to take a little attention away from your awesome subjects. Cropping a little will help if you chose that route. Lucky you on this sighting!!!
2 CoYs & Mum
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