Brown Bear with Cub

[John Ippolito]

Brown Bear with Cub
Chugach National Forest, Alaska
D300, 300 2.8 VR, ISO 500, f 5.6, 1/100, NX2, CS5, small crop from left side.
This female brown bear provides a wary look and posture for good reason. Beneath her is a spring cub whose one tiny paw and claws are just visible clutching onto mom's rear leg.
Encounters in this wonderfully dense, claustrophobic rain forest can be intimate, and at rather close range. It is productive to track bears moving about by watching for the tops of tall brush and ferns swaying in the forest.

[John Goldman]

Focus, colors, head angle, eye contact, very good. I would crop a little from the right to take out some of the distracting( to me ) tree trunk.

[Rachel Hollander]

John - well done. Do you have any with more of the cub visible? Also curious as to how far away you were from the bears.

TFS,
Rachel

[Steve Canuel]

Hi John,
I really like her position here amongst the vegetation. The tree trunk and the branches running along the bottom provide a nice frame for me. Colors look vibrant but natural.

[Sid Garige]

John,

One of the best bear images I have seen. Very vibrant.

[Marc Mol]

Very pleasing overall colour, detail, the pose with paw in the air and head up, and the clinging cub's paw all tell a lovely story.
For mine, the tree is an integral part of the forest scene and should stay, VWD John.
TFS

[Harshad Barve]

One of the best bear images in recent past posted here on BPN , big congrats
TFS

[Ken Watkins]

John,

One of the best bear images I have seen. Very vibrant.

I could not disagree with Sid, the setting makes this very special indeed

[John Ippolito]

Thanks everyone for your comments, suggestions, and taking the time to look! Much appreciated.

Do you have any with more of the cub visible? Also curious as to how far away you were from the bears.

TFS,
Rachel

Rachel - probably no closer than someone might get to the bears on the Katmai coast, but the thick forest makes for extremely limited visibility and sudden surprises are best avoided. I have three images in the series identical to this one while she was frozen for a few seconds making decisions. The next in the series had too much motion blur. At 1/100 and ISO 500 I was pushing the ISO limit of the D300 for my own taste. A D3s would have been the ticket for me in the dim conditions.

[Danny J Brown]

John,

This was the shot I dreamed of getting in West Glacier National Park last year where the forest was verdant and dense. Too many things to mention here, starting with the rich color of the surroundings as well as the bear. I love the downward angle of the creature and the cub's paw is priceless; I hope I would have noticed it if you wouldn't have said something.:) This one should be considered for your notecard series if you have one!

DB

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi John, I really like the clarity, sharpness and detail contained in this image and it really depicts the habitat/environment extremely well. I think John it has all been said above, really appreciate you sharing this one, and I can understand how you must have felt at the time and afterwards.

Steve

[ken dyball]

Hi John

Great to see a bear shot away from the Rivers & Salmon runs, the inviroment is perfect!! & the angle of the bear is spot on, i love it

www.africanatureimages.com

[Stu Bowie]

John, good placement of the bear in the frame, and I like the pose and eye contact. Love the natural surroundings, and a sighting I only dream of. Great image.

[Morkel Erasmus]

this is really great John - every good part mentioned, love the environment and the fact that you took your time to get a nice "clean" shot. The tiny paw on mom's leg is a nice touch. I would love to stalk these woods with you one day :)

[DanWalters]

Like the head angle and the eye contact. Like the surrounding vegetation as well.

[John Ippolito]

Everyone, thanks for all your comments, suggestions, and observations!

Ken - the big bears are always a thrill as you know.

Morkel - that would be a good adventure! Also, thanks for your help!