Skagway the Grizzly

Gallery: WildlifePosted September 26, 2012258 views15 comments

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't been posting lately! My dad got crazy busy with his job and had to use our photography computer for a ton of design work. Right after that, we headed out to the Yukon and Alaska!!

The trip was amazing!! We actually spotted this little guy and his siblings on just the second full day of our trip just as they were ducking into the forest outside of Haines, Alaska. We waited for a while then spotted them down near the ocean scrounging for food. We're pretty sure they are orphans. I got to photograph them for two days in a row, and I gotta say I've bonded to the little furry bundles of cuteness

. I really want to go back there just to find them again! I hope you enjoy seeing these images as much as I enjoyed taking them!

This one is Skagway. He has two siblings, who I've named Klondike and Haines. Skagway is the smallest, Klondike is the biggest, and Haines is right in between. It was actually Klondike who dragged this fish up the bank, but soon left it and Skagway came in.

I absolutely love this little guy! I'm sure you'll be seeing more of him and his siblings in the coming days...

My favourite parts of this image is the fish at his paws and the raindrops falling all around him...and of course the cute expression on his face!

Thanks so much for looking!

Nikon D7000
Nikkor 200-400mm lens f/4 ED VR
ISO 1000
1/200sec @ f/6.3
exposure comp set to -0.7
resting on vehicle window

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on September 26, 2012 at 4:54 AM

Whoa

Super adorable bear cub. You captured the perfect moment, what a wonderfully expressive face. A very pleasing composition too. The large version is a pleasure to view. Very Nice Work Jenaya

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on September 26, 2012 at 9:57 AM

Amazing capture. Such a cute guy.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on September 26, 2012 at 10:20 AM

cuteness to the max. Fine capture. Good comp., dof and color.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on September 26, 2012 at 11:04 AM

Good to remember, bears are omnivorous and there could have been a mother around. Also good to remember that just because you think one is cute doesn't mean the feeling is reciprocated.

Now that I have given my "fatherly" lecture, this is an excellent picture! Good focus and detail, and an excellent story to go with!

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on September 26, 2012 at 11:28 AM

Ahhh.... What a cute little one. Glad you shared this excellent image with us. Excellent technical details and exposure. Well Done. Looking forward to seeing more.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on September 26, 2012 at 1:47 PM

Hello Jenaya

Very Cute little guy. I agree with others about this Image being well Done.
Sharp focus where it matters, Well Exposed on his face & body. Good Capture interacting with the fish.

My Monitor here at work is Not calibrated, but feel the right side of your image is Very bright with those rocks being so bright causing my eye to be drawn into that area of Overbright background. Really like the Natural Catchlight & expression.

Looking forward to more of your Images.

Thanks for sharing

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on September 26, 2012 at 2:40 PM

This is super cute Jenaya!

Apart from the cuteness factor I also like the inclusion of the habitat. You have chosen your aperture setting well here IMO for a good isolation of the subject whilst still maintaining the nice habitat feel. The only thing I am a bit unsure about is whether the composition could be better. I sort of wish there was a bit more room on the left, at least enough to include the entire rock that is cut in half by the edge of the frame. Perhaps by trading off some space on the right, although that will cut that rock in half...

At least it helps than with the direction of view of the cub.

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

Comment posted by Jamie Douglas on September 26, 2012 at 8:25 PM

Cute image Jenaya and its always sweet to photograph grizzly bears when they are wet and grizzly looking. I can see what Vincent means regarding the crop but I think it passes the thumbs up test as is as the rock on the right helps to balance or out.

Niiiice one

Jamie

Registered on July 16, 2012, 10 Posts, 87 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Runco on September 26, 2012 at 10:21 PM

Excellent shot Jen, really cute cub. Sharp where it needs to be and the comp works well here. Nice job!

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments

Comment posted by Butch Lama on September 26, 2012 at 10:25 PM

Sooo cute... Very adorable cub. Great work and love those eye too.

Registered on July 23, 2010, 42 Posts, 316 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on September 28, 2012 at 1:47 PM

This is the epitome of cuteness.

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

Comment posted by John Launstein on September 28, 2012 at 10:06 PM

Hey, Jaye! I have to agree with you...man that Skagway is one cute cub. It was awesome watching them and photographing them with you! And you sure did a fantastic job with this image (and several others!). I think you chose the right comp given all you had to work with here, although I ahve to agree it wasn't the easiest decision given all the various elements in the image. Great timing, perfect exposure, and first-class expression. Nice!

Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on September 29, 2012 at 12:19 AM

Jenaya,

Who could not love this image, cute and curious!

Must say the salmon looks past its sell by date

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on September 30, 2012 at 9:50 PM

What a cutie! That face is priceless.
Really nie detail, pose, and comp.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on October 2, 2012 at 11:14 PM

This is great, Jenaya. I like the look that you're getting. He looks a little gulty.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments