Black Bear

Interesting photo. It is a bit soft, which does distract from this image. Were you using AF or manual? I have found that when shooting through brush it is better to switch to manual focus over AF. However, considering how close you were it is a fine image. Thanks for sharing.

The low light level and the darkness of the bears face were working against you here.A little more exposure might have helped bring the shadows up a bit. A well balanced fill flash would have helped. It also looks a little OOF.

Focused in front of the bear for sure. Af will do that in the brush..I have to say that is one of the lightest black bears I have ever seen.

I like the pose and the composition, even with all the busy elements surrounding the bear. Yes, I bet this was exciting! I agree that the focus might have caught something a little in front, leaving the face somewhat soft.

I can imagine you were nervous being close to a potentially dangerous animal Melvin. Unfortunately you were just a bit too nervous too get the focus right here. Did you select an AF point or let the camera select one? In this case (and IMO in most cases) it is best to manually select an AF point yourself to achieve most accurate focus. I know the 5D2 and love the IQ and resolution, but also know that the AF leaves much to be desired for wildlife photography...