Mama and Baby Bears(image heavy)

[NorthernFocus]

I never got around to posting this group of images. I was going to do so a while back but that was when the light box was down and I forgot about it. Which worked out OK because now I've added a couple of PBs to the mix.

All of the brown bears were taken during my trip to Katmai NP last August. They were all fishing the same salmon stream at various times over the course of the week.

1) This was one of the cutes cubs of the trip. Whenever it got nervous it stood up against its mother like this.
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2) Some time ago I posted a thread called Angry Mama Bear. This is her with her brood of triplets.
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3) Mom let me have some, pleeeaaase!!! This was far and away the least attractive cub on the creek. It had a really square muzzle.
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4) Double trouble. The grey cub was dominant and really pushed the other one around, taking food from it etc.
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5) This was the prettiest pair of the trip. Very healthy with slick coats.
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6) You can see the lighter fur "collar" pretty well on this cub. This is the same pair that I entered in one of the monthly comps a while back. In that image they were both standing on hind legs.
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7) And now the PBs. This was a huge sow. The polar bear moms seem to be much more patient with their little ones. This one would wait patiently for several minutes while the little ones played.
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8) These two came down to check out our boat.
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[BCrose]

Beautiful work, I love your Bear images.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks, Monte.

Here's supporting documentation for my claim about no.3 above. One ugly bear young bear. Maybe he'll grow into that muzzle and someday be the biggest, baddest boar around.

[dje]

Another excellent wildlife documentary, great shots Dan.

Dave

[just me]

WOW.......soooooo nice.....I love them all .....Dan you are lucky to live were you do.......we do not have these bear motives......and when it is to hot here....I am dreaming of Alaska as well

Griddi.....

[IzzieK]

Beautiful, beautiful shots all, Dan...I love the last one best of all -- looks like a mini me of the Mom Bear. Or was that a Dad one?

[Bobobird]

I love them all, particularly Muzzle and that 2nd of the PBs. Beautiful work.

[John 2]

What a great set of shots Dan. What sets them apart for me is the way in many of them, you have caught the bears when they are showing awareness of you and there is eye contact. Difficult to achieve with some animals but I guess bears are less wary. I showed these to my wife and said that with a bit of luck we would come across a bear or two in Nova Scotia and I could join the CinC bear club. She's been strangely quiet since. I'm not sure why.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for commenting, everyone. Glad you enjoyed the photos.

Izzie, no dads in the picture in bear families. Whenever you see photos of cubs with an adult it is always the mom. Not only are male bears deadbeat dads, they will kill the cubs and sometimes eat them. With brown bears other females will kill the cubs as well. Biologist assume that is why mother bears are so fiercely protective of their young. They can't even trust their own species.

...What sets them apart for me is the way in many of them, you have caught the bears when they are showing awareness of you and there is eye contact. Difficult to achieve with some animals but I guess bears are less wary...

Yes, John, eye contact typically produces a more engaging image. The eyes give personality to the subject. There is just something inherent in us that wants to see eye contact. Actually sometimes the less wary that wildlife is the more difficult it is to capture eye contact. If the critters are completely comfortable with your presence they often won't even look in your direction. In the case of shooting these bears it is often difficult to get eye contact from the large males. And frankly when you're among them you're more than happy to be ignored In nos. 4 and 6 here the bears weren't actually looking at me but at other bears. The positioning just worked in my favor.

[Manfred M]

Great images Dan - It's nice to see mom and the kids out for a walk, some of them have grown up quite nicely are certainly looking like they are getting close to pushing out on their own soon.

My only complaint is #7 - I think you are pushing the PP a bit too hard. The last time I looked, polar bear noses are black (see image 8), not gray.

[JBW]

sometimes you do make me miss the north. this is one of those times.

[Sergio M.]

Outstanding series, Dan. They are all fantastic.

Sergio

[LePetomane]

Very nice photos. We see bear while fishing. The comment you made about eye contact is right on.

[NorthernFocus]

...My only complaint is #7 - I think you are pushing the PP a bit too hard. The last time I looked, polar bear noses are black (see image 8), not gray.

Actually it was under, not over processed. The lighting was very flat plus higher ISO resulting in narrow DR in the original. I elected to leave the hazy appearance. But if you want to see a true black point, here it is. I raised the luminance in the fur colors to keep it from getting too dark with moving the black slider. Even with the true black, there are a few snow flakes in front of the mom's nose. It is an improvement.

[Manfred M]

Actually it was under, not over processed. The lighting was very flat plus higher ISO resulting in narrow DR in the original. I elected to leave the hazy appearance. But if you want to see a true black point, here it is. I raised the luminance in the fur colors to keep it from getting too dark with moving the black slider. Even with the true black, there are a few snow flakes in front of the mom's nose. It is an improvement.

That looks a lot better Dan - an overcast day with snow is definitely going to give you flat lighting, but that type of lighting is excellent in showing details in the delicate features like the face and fur. Something you have taken full advantage of in this shot!

While not quite on topic, it brings to mind a discussion on another thread. This image clearly shows what a well done high key image should look like. I pick up black tonal values in the teens and white tones in the 240+ range, so good end-to-end exposure with an image that is high in mid-tones and highlights, but the dark tones are preserved. The lighting, the subject matter and the background are what make a high key image!

[Tronhard]

Absolutely stunning images, I particularly like the polar bear images - I have always wanted to photograph them in the wild and still hope to one day... (wistfully!)

[Wavelength]

Superb images...did those brown ones see you shooting them ?

[Rebel]

Awesome images

[Dave A]

Really enjoyed viewing these Dan, nicely done.

Dave