Enchanted Forest

Gallery: WildlifePosted January 27, 2016144 views8 comments

Caught this cub out with its mom grazing on the last of the green grass before winter during this year's elk rut. We spotted the pair in the forest and followed them to their destination: some lush grass growing behind a rental cabin development in Jasper National Park. Being October, green grass was undoubtedly a special treat before hibernation. <div> </div> <div>Opted for a more centered placement (on the horizontal axis) because it worked best with the balance of the trees in the background to my eye. This is full frame.

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Nikon D600
Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4D IF-ED
ISO 640
1/250sec @ f/4.5
-0.66 stop underexposed from meter
Mounted on FEISOL CT-3372 Elite tripod with Acratech GV2 ballhead and Wimberley Sidekick
Full frame (not cropped)</div>

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Katie Jones on January 28, 2016 at 10:43 AM

John, I adore this image. I think the centered placement of the bear works just fine in this case. Perfect lighting and I really like that you can see the gorgeous forest surrounding this cub. I'm a sucker for "animals in their environment" shots and I think you nailed this one on the head. The cubs expression is fantastic too. Oops, you caught me with my mouth full! Very nicely done! :)

Registered on November 17, 2015, 17 Posts, 91 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on January 28, 2016 at 11:06 AM

I like this image just as it is. The composition, even with the bear centered works well IMHO. Colors are good, nice detail in the bears coat. A very pleasing image. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on January 28, 2016 at 1:26 PM

John: I like this a lot. It's a very good enviroscape. The oof background and the bright foreground make the bear really pop, especially when viewed large. The black framing further acts to enhance the image. Congrats! Richard

Registered on January 12, 2014, 453 Posts, 1625 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on January 28, 2016 at 1:59 PM

An appropriate title. The trees make for a nice background pattern, as one might expect, but for me the fact that they absolutely dwarf the bear makes the scene more interesting and even a little mystical.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on January 28, 2016 at 4:14 PM

Hello John .... Like the bear placement.... and an excellent mood setting capture !

Thanks for sharing

Bill

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on January 31, 2016 at 9:38 AM

Your choice for placement feels optimal to me and I agree with others that the looming nature of the trees is an enhancement. The grass stems rimming the mouth make me smile and I like the quality of eyes. One small nit, probably subjective, is the amount of out of focus needles at the top of frame. It would be easy to decide for another ratio to minimize the presence.

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

Comment posted by John Launstein on February 4, 2016 at 3:06 AM

Thanks so much for your kind comments, everyone! He or she was one endearing cub to watch through the binoculars and lenses, that's for sure (although rather frustrating in giving very, very limited photo opps all told).

Lon--totally agree re the OOF pine needles at the top...I nearly cropped the top 1/3 or so off but decided I'd leave it full-frame for the post and see if anyone suggested something different. I think I like it best cropped immediately below the OOF horizontal grey branch just left of center.

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

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on February 8, 2016 at 4:36 PM

A really good "natural frame" image if there ever was one, John. Love the soft light and muted colours, and the trees framing left and right, the branches/leaves framing top and the grass solidly at the bottom. I might shave a tad off the OOF foreground?

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments