This has to be my most memorable image from 2014 - as much from the story as the image itself.
This was taken June 30, at the Little Highwood Pass trailhead (parking lot). It's along HWY 40, which is also the same road where I saw my first bear in the wild when I moved to AB back in the late 1980's.
I had seen this sow and her cub along the roadside earlier that day, along with many other people who were stopped. There were too many people and the sow went into some thick cover. I decided to leave and come back at the end of the day, since she likely wouldn't travel far with such a young cub. When I returned, there were a couple of cars driving as if they had seen something, but they left.
I didn't see her either, so stopped at the trailhead to use the outhouse before the drive home. When I came out of the outhouse, she was right there along the edge of the parking lot to my left... there was a small clump of bushes between us (the median of the parking lot effectively), and my car and camera were to my right! I stood there, not quite sure what to do - then I saw the cub some distance behind her. She was eating calmly and didn't seem to mind me, so I decided to return to my car.
It worked out well. I turned the car slightly in the parking lot, so the driver window faced the edge she was walking along. It couldn't have bee more cool. The cub came past her and stood up - something I saw it do several times (both earlier in the day and during this second sighting). Her next stride put her body between me and the cub once again. While I was able to sit in my car and watch them for about 20 minutes before they wandered out of sight, this is my favorite moment.
Happy New Year everyone, and may 2015 bring you all many memorable photographic moments
ISO 800, 1/800sec at f/5.0, 70-300mm lens @ 214mm
Comments
4 commentsThere is no wonder why this is your favorite image from last year, if it were mine, this would be my all time favorite. The cute factor is off the charts and the contrast in extremes is utterly amazing. On the one hand you have a ferocious mother Bear of remarkable size and strength that could easily rip the door off a car and defend her cub as she sees fit. Then on the other hand there is the adorable little cub not to mention that lovely bouquet of flowers. There is no doubt you were one cool customer to come away with this once in a lifetime image, well done.
On the technical side, I agree with Mark's idea to darken the road bed a bit to lessen the attention it draws away from the subjects. I would also clone away the two white spots and the one brown leaf at the mother's chest.
This is a very
Nicely done!
Just out of curiosity, what's going on with the cub's nose? I first thought a dried spruce needle was stuck to it, but wasn't sure after looking at the larger version.