ESCAPE!
In case anyone was thinking the Khutzeymateen is just a sleepy, tranquil place...
We all know wildlife, including bears, aren't evenly distributed in space and time. There are many areas with no grizzlies, and some areas with lots of them. And, when you find an area with lots of them you get something else - lots of interesting interactions between the bears! This young male (who's maybe 6 or 7 years old) has just decided that discretion (and pretty extreme discretion at that!) is far better than valour and is doing he best to avoid interacting with another bear! About 5 minutes before I captured this shot this bear had been peacefully foraging on a rapidly shrinking (due to a rising tide) island of grass. Then he spotted another male about 250 meters away, but who was moving toward this bear pretty fast. Well...this guy was taking no chances...and he instantly put it in overdrive and just ripped through the shallow water on "his" island (which he was more than happy to surrender!).
Each year when I go into the Khutzeymateen I spend a bit of time before-hand reviewing the bear images I already have - mainly to look for "gaps" in my library of bear shots. This year I noticed I didn't have too many shots of running bears, and decided I really wanted to capture a shot of bear running directly at me, and preferably in water (for the splashing effect). Well...now that my Khutzeymateen trip for 2013 is in the past, I have to admit failure! Running bear? Yes. Running right at me? Nope - struck out on that (but why am I not too disappointed?). But there's always next year...
Subject: Male Grizzly Bear (
Urus arctos) heading for the hills (or forest)
Location:Khutzeymateen Inlet, BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D4
Lens: Nikkor 400mm f2.8 VR - hand-held from floating zodiac. VR on and in "Normal" mode.
Exposure: 1/1600s @ f5.6; ISO 500. -0.67 compensation compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.
Crop: Moderate - this is about 75% of full frame, with slightly more cropped off the top
Like almost always, additional details about the image (including processing details and more) available on my website. The additional info this go 'round includes some info Nikon users may find interesting in setting up their cameras to capture action. Just go here...
http://www.naturalart.ca/galleries/latest/.
Comments and critiques welcomed - probably best to view the larger version prior to doing so!
Cheers...
Brad
Comments
15 commentsJagdeep Rajput
Outstanding sharpness and clarity in the narrow depth of field. The droplets caught in air and the claws in action add wonderful details. The bear himself seems to pop right off the screen in the large version. Running at you?! Pretty scary, nothing to be disappointed about here.
Jamie
Definitely a wise guy! Never seen an altercation yet! but expect a lot of bear talking and gesturing . This image oozes action with the water and his concerned look with ears back! You were prepared with your spped and have captured a fleeting moment , Great job
Bill
The action and anxiety felt in this shot is overwhelming Brad. Really just an exceptional shot.
High quality, as are all your other images too.
Great action shot here, I always find that a subject doing something makes for a more interesting image