FF Wildlife Portraits

[Kodiak]

I guess you don't have the foresight to drop a ColorChecker somewhere near the bear?

;-)

[jprzybyla]

Nice series Dan, I like them all. As you mentioned if the bear had been looking at you/camera the image would be stronger with a better head position. I am surprised by how small the eyes are on the bear, one could say beady little eyes. The seal and fox are great. All nice.

[csa mt]

Dan, all I can say is WOW! What wonderful images! I love all three, but the seal has to be my favorite. The wonderful colors, the direct eye contact, and the ice all go together to make an exceptional image! The other two certainly do not lag behind at all, either! The concentration on the fox's face is amazing. The bear, with it's eyes not focused on you, almost makes her seem very gentle. (Almost, I said!)

[Wavelength]

Classic shots

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for the comments, everyone, and glad you enjoyed the photos.

Brown bears(aka grizzlies) do indeed have very small eyes relative to body size and correspondingly poor eyesight. I've been to this location twice and it is very difficult to get direct eye contact from them when they are at short range. I'm no bear expert but eye contact suggests a challenge and my impression is that humans are so inconsequential to these bears that we don't warrant such behavior. One definately gets the sense that we are no more significant to them than a bush or rock. They do look directly at you when farther away but I suspect that's due to the aforementioned poor vision and them trying to make out what's moving out there. Once they figure you out they commence ignoring you as much as possible. The cubs and younger bears tend to look at you more.

Regarding the comments on exposure/sharpening, surely my skills aren't the best in those areas. The histogram on this image has a bathtub shape. Lot's of highlights and shadows and not a lot of mid tones. The only sharpening that was done on the image as posted was the LR default setting of 25 in base processing plus the default "sharpen for screen" setting during jpeg conversion. It was shot with a D810 which has no AA filter so perhaps even the default settings should be avoided. Another consideration that may lend to the exposure/sharpening impression is the nature of the fur. Consider that brownies/grizzlies are also known as "silver tips" due to the natural light highlights on their coats. Plus this bear was wet with salt water which adds sheen and has a tendency to make the hairs stick together rather than looking fluffy. Below is another shot taken a few seconds earlier at longer range. It's easier to see the highlights on the coat. This is about the best I can do so if anyone has any specific recommendations on PP improvements I'd appreciate it. I will take a look without the default sharpening settings.

[Nicks Pics]

There are a few small spots where there is black clipping on the shadowed portions of the underside, but I do not trust this monitor, so it's probably not the picture. But otherwise, no, I don't have any suggestions. I can't detect any problem

[Otavio]

Great shots, Dan. Nicely captured. I love the Fox eyes! Cheers,

[Digital]

Dan, these are a very nice series of photographs.


Bruce

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks, guys.

[deetheturk]

Superb Dan, I just love the Fox

[Brownbear]

All absolutely gorgeous!

I'm happy that you captured your seal shot (gorgeous sad eyes). Envious of your beautiful bears.

My favourite is the fox for the gorgeous light, detail and eye contact. Simply stunning!

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks, David and Christina.

Christina your latest bear images looked pretty darn good. When I processed the ones in this thread I thought about you. This bear has the same characteristic silver tipped fur as the ones you shoot. One of the other bears on this trip was more of a blonde w/out highlights

[Brownbear]

Thank you Dan. Next year I hope to go one one of those grizzly bear viewing trips and capture beautiful bear images just like yours. Meanwhile perhaps I will visit my sanctuary before hibernation time for extra practice. I see the silver tipped fur, beautiful detail. I love the expression you captured on her face which doesn't match the mood of her claws. I would love to see a blond bear, sounds pretty special.

Thanks, David and Christina.

Christina your latest bear images looked pretty darn good. When I processed the ones in this thread I thought about you. This bear has the same characteristic silver tipped fur as the ones you shoot. One of the other bears on this trip was more of a blonde w/out highlights

[ajsmith]

Awesome photos. I love the seal!