Black Bear cub leaning on a fallen log

[Paul Burwell]

Black Bear cub leaning on a fallen log

• Canon 1Ds Mark II, 100-400 F4.5-5.6L IS @400mm, 1/400, F6.3, ISO 200
• Late September, just outside Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Canada
• Photograph made from a semi-permanent photography blind

Best regards,

Paul

[Harold Brewer]

Paul I really like this shot. I am partial to the DOF in the background. I like the composition.

[D. Robert Franz]

A decent shot of a black bear in full sunlight is not easy. Exposure is quite good here.. BG is quite busy but there wasn't much you could do with a 5.6 lens. In a perfect world I may have shot this with a 2.8 lens wide open to soften the BG in camera. You could also do some work with layers and blurring to soften during post processing...

[Jasper Doest]

Hi Paul,

I don't think that a 2.8 lens would have made the difference as the vegetation is really close to the bear. I'm surprised no one said something about the light which seems a bit on the harsh side...I think that with some nice warm sunlight this could be a really nice shot, as that would soften the contrast in the BG as well. I really like the composition here with the trees.

[D. Robert Franz]

Hi Paul,

I don't think that a 2.8 lens would have made the difference as the vegetation is really close to the bear.

BG is begining to soften at F5.6 Opening up two more stops would make quite a difference. Enough to solve the problem,perhaps not. But if would be quite visible..