Shakin'

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 5, 2013340 views7 comments

Shakin'

There are just a few things in life that are certainties - that we have to pay taxes, that our time on this planet is limited, and that when a wet grizzly shakes, the shutters start a clickin'! I caught this beautiful light-faced grizzly shaking during a trip to the Great Bear Rainforest in the autumn of 2013. This image was captured at close to high-noon, but the overcast skies reduced both the harshness and contrast of the scene and added a nice softness to the scene. I know others may prefer to shoot under sunny skies, but my preference is for clouds, mist, and soft light!

Subject: Adult female grizzly (Ursus arctos) shakin'
Location: Great Bears Rainforest, BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D4
Lens: Nikkor 400mm f2.8 VR - hand-held from floating zodiac. VR on and in "Normal" mode.
Exposure: 1/400s @ f6.3; ISO 560. -0.33 compensation compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.
Crop: Minimal - this is at least 90% of full frame

Larger yet version of this image on my website, plus some may find the discussion associated with this image on my website (about judging and selecting shutter speeds for action) interesting. Just go here...

http://www.naturalart.ca/galleries/latest/detail_2.html.

Comments and critiques welcomed - probably best to view the larger version prior to doing so!

Cheers...

Brad

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Randy Runtsch on November 5, 2013 at 8:13 PM

Brad, that is an impressive beast, especially when viewed in the large image on your website. I especially like how the water appears to be spinning in a circle around its neck. In my opinion, the bear would stand out even better with 1/3 or 1/4 of the top of the image cropped out.

Also, I enjoyed browsing through your gallery. You capture some beautiful images.

Registered on October 30, 2013, 50 Posts, 445 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on November 6, 2013 at 12:35 AM

Brad,
Normally almost everybody likes some light on their images, but as I think we all know sunny days are easily beaten by dull or rainy ones

I prefer "actuality" myself, and this is a fine example, I am also glad you have resisted the temptation to crop close!

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

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on November 6, 2013 at 6:30 AM

Great behaviour n wonderful effect!
I was just wondering if closer crop would intensify the results !?!

Jagdeep Rajput

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on November 7, 2013 at 10:34 AM

Very cool 'shake' Brad!

Although I certainly appreciate the inclusion of the moody/dreamy habitat I would suggest to crop a little tighter (certainly not too much, see attached file). Firstly to increase the impact a bit of that shake and to get rid of the OOF bubbles (or whatever those whitish spots are) close to the bottom frame edge.

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

Comment posted by Rick Andrews on November 8, 2013 at 8:25 AM

Great stop action here in challenging light and from a floating platform to boot. I think this is a great example of anticipation and preparedness, well done Brad.

Registered on December 31, 2011, 45 Posts, 222 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on November 8, 2013 at 12:38 PM

Hey all,

Thanks for the feedback on this image. Collectively the feedback really illustrates the "each to their own" aspect of photography - I got various alternate cropping suggestions as well as praise for having "...resisted the temptation to crop close!"

I often use tighter crops for web presentation that I would if the same image was used as a print - it seems that on most electronic displays closer crops "go over" a little better - and they definitely can show more detail than a more expansive view (although the new hi-res displays, like the retina display, are changing this real fast). In this case I chose to go with the crop I have used for printing purposes, and in print the bear is definitely large enough in the frame to stand out enough. So...I'll please just one commenter and stick with the original crop above!

Cheers...

Brad

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

Comment posted by Guy Runco on November 9, 2013 at 1:06 AM

Nice shot Brad, I never get tired of the "bear shake". As for the crop, I personally prefer it as originally posted, but do see the merits of a tighter crop as well. To each his own, I suppose.

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