(c) King of the Hill

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 30, 2009192 views8 comments

Another one from Spain, this time some active bears! This bear made himself king of the hill (or rock to be more precise) and was fighting with one of his fellow bears who did not agree because mr king of the hill was blocking the way to his sleeping lair higher up the cliff.

i had to significantly reduce saturation on this one, simply because those rocks are VERY red (they contain iron, which explains the new subspecies of bear you see here, the Ursus veryreddycus)

Thanks for looking!

Tech: Sony a700, 300mm @ f5,6, 1/80 & iso 1600 (did not run any noise reduction yet because I'm lazy like that today

)

Note that (c) indicates these are captive animals

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on November 30, 2009 at 4:23 PM

Hey Jorne,

I'm thinking that you might have posted this in the midst of Jim unplugging one server and plugging the new one in - 'cause all I'm seeing here is a black box. Mind you, it's a very nice black box, and amazingly noise free for ISO 1600 with no noise reduction, but a black box nonetheless. But the tiny thumbnail looks good!

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Jorne de Bruin on December 1, 2009 at 12:39 AM

Big Black box??? This is art you know!!!!

Hmm well I'd better repost this tomorrow then, still I think ideserve the image of the week title for this very artsy image of mine

Registered on June 26, 2008, 178 Posts, 2136 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on December 1, 2009 at 7:26 AM

You've caught some great action there, much better than a black box. I love those two faces. Did lower bear get past upper bear and to his lair? There is no room for lower bears virtual back foot but I don't think it detracts at all in this instance. Great image. Glad it is no longer a black box, even though it was a very nice black box from what I hear.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on December 1, 2009 at 12:28 PM

The pose and action make for a good comp. I am somewhat distracted by what, to my eye, feels like an unnatural background. I am seeing the larger version fine, and it does look better larger!

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Joe James on December 1, 2009 at 6:02 PM

This is a real nice shot, especially at ISO 1600 and only 1/80 shutter speed. I understand Brown Bears are very, very rare in Spain, making it that much better. Is this cropped at all? If not, it would be interesting to see a crop that focuses more on their heads. Very well done.

Registered on November 20, 2009, 89 Posts, 808 Comments

Comment posted by Jorne de Bruin on December 2, 2009 at 10:05 AM

Hi Joseph,

Thanks for your comment. I'll have to clarify thought that these are not wild bears, but bears in a conservation park. the (c) stands for captive, my apologies if this was unclear.

cheers

Registered on June 26, 2008, 178 Posts, 2136 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on December 2, 2009 at 12:59 PM

Hi Jorne,

Thanks for clarifying that these bears are captive. I know you had already explained the situation in this wildlife park in a previous post, but not everyone checks all posts. And I can imagine someone may overlook the (c). Great that you captured some action just before they wanted to go and sleep!

Very nice image overall; the composition is well balanced and though busy, the BG complements the bears' color nicely. The tall grasses in the FG are just low enough not to be a distraction, instead they are complimenting the scene.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on December 3, 2009 at 12:28 AM

Great interaction here, Jorne! But, seriously, Ursus verreddycus?! I hope you haven't made this up!

Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments