A few bear shots from last fall

[NorthernFocus]

It's that time of year when I work on my files from last year. Plus I didn't post many photos on CIC around that time because that's when the light box was broken. Anyhow, here are a few of one of the "lesser" boars that were fishing the creek that we visited.

1) Walking up stream. D810/500mm f4; 1/640s, f5.6, ISO800


2) Classic brown bear walk. D4/AF-S 80-400mm@400mm; 1/800s, f8, ISO1250


3) Blessing the meal. D4/AF-S 80-400mm@400mm; 1/800s, f8, ISO1000


4) Salmon dinner (same gear/settings)

[Ziggy]

Can I come up for a visit next year?

Someone has to carry the gear.

[Manfred M]

Great shots Dan. While grizzlies are more impressive, the brown bear is a beautiful animal as well. You have another really impressive set of shots here/

[NorthernFocus]

...While grizzlies are more impressive, the brown bear is a beautiful animal as well...

Grizzlies are more impressive photographically but not in person. On average brownies are significantly larger. But the coastal bears aren't as furry looking which is the classic grizzly look. Particularly the male brownies lose most of their fur in summer. Some are downright slick after they shed. The females generally look more like we expect grizzlies to look. Like the female in this shot. She was a much smaller bear, likely only 400lb(180kg) or so. And obviously came much too close to us. I believe this is the one that got a bit testy with us. This shot with D7200 at 180mm.

[Shadowman]

Very nice series.

[Cantab]

A wonderful set of photos. How well hidden were you when taking these shots? Presumably not out in the open!

[pnodrog]

A wonderful set of photos. How well hidden were you when taking these shots? Presumably not out in the open!

I don't think Dan bothers to hide judging by a thread posted recently. Just surrounds himself with sacrificial fellow photographers.

Excellent as usual Dan. How about some photographs of you patting them and satisfying their appetite with a hand feed goldfish?

[Rita]

As others have said "Another awesome set."

[IzzieK]

Dang! those paws!!! are made for killing. All great shots as usual, Dan...
P.S. I was watching this bear movie at Netflix yesterday called Journey Home,but it was a polar bear. Very cute cub.

[bnnrcn]

Very nice series, thanks for sharing

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for the comments folks. Glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, Izzie, they have quite the hardware for claws. Those to shots are all about the claws. It would have been nice if the bear had been holding a fresh salmon rather than one dredged up from the bottom. But then it wouldn't have been in the deep water. The deep holes is where they find the easy meal. Don't have to chase them.

...How well hidden were you when taking these shots?...

Not sure if you mean hidden from sight or hidden as in a protected place. If the first, no, trying to hide is a bad idea. For one thing the bears could smell you. Smelling you but not being able to locate you would make them nervous. Most likely they would simply leave. As for the second option, in this location shooting form a boat would be the only option to be out of reach of the critters. But then the opportunities would be severely limited.

[Dave Humphries]

Another great series Dan (that I had to show my wife).

Thanks for sharing, Dave

[DEAN01]

Wow! Impressive series, Dan. Please share more shots

[John 2]

Another impressive set Dan (the first shot seems to have temporarily disappeared BTW). The bear in the second shot looks positively evil but the rest just look cuddly. I'm sure you train these bears to pose for you.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for the comments, guys.

...(the first shot seems to have temporarily disappeared BTW). The bear in the second shot looks positively evil but the rest just look cuddly....

My hosting site seems to be having some issues. Seemingly random images have disappeared across my site. Pending them working the problem out I reloaded the missing image in this post. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

[Mike Buckley]

Captivating images and narrative, as always!

[Donald]

Captivating images and narrative, as always!

My own thoughts exactly.

High quality photography.

[Wavelength]

What a perfect story......#3 and #4 are rarest poses...

[Tronhard]

These are awe-inspiring photos... I am truly envious that you can live in an area where you can get to engage with these animals. I have three aspirations for photography when I retire: to go to Yellowstone Park, to spend some time photographing all the main types of bear, and to get a whale breaching. Seeing your photographs make me even more determined. Thank you for sharing these...

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for commenting, everyone.

...I am truly envious that you can live in an area where you can get to engage with these animals.

The only advantage to living here is the saving on airfare to Alaska. Those of us who live here have all of the same difficulty and expense as anyone else getting into the bush. I do have moose in the backyard but photographing the bears requires an expedition.

... I have three aspirations for photography when I retire: to go to Yellowstone Park, to spend some time photographing all the main types of bear, and to get a whale breaching. Seeing your photographs make me even more determined. Thank you for sharing these...

That's a pretty good bucket list. If you want to maximize probability of success, I'd start with Yellowstone. Barring catastrophic weather or the volcano coming back to life while you're there, you will definitely get some shooting. Bears would be next. There are places where it's as near a sure thing as can be with wildlife, but no place worth going is cheap and weather is always an unpredictable variable. That's why if going through the rest of the expense of a trip, it is wise to try to do a week. That way if a couple of days are lost to weather the whole trip isn't a bust.

The breaching whales are the biggest wildcard of the lot. You may get a shot your first hour on the water or may spend hundreds of hours watching them without a breach. Which is my case. We boat on Prince William Sound every summer and have seen literally hundreds of whales. The only breaches we've seen have either been far too far off for photographs or were close by but while we were doing other things.

Regarding the retirement, "No man is guaranteed tomorrow".