Cave Bear

A young (probably 3 yrs old) sow Brown Bear, feeding on salmon, almost under the water fall at low tide. It looked like she was coming out of a cave. It was extremely harsh, early morning direct sunlight with extremely dark shadows and intense contrast. While those conditions are often a photographer’s nightmare, they can also result in a dramatic image if everything works out right. It worked out OK for this shot. I lost some detail in the shadows but got lucky with the direct sunlight hitting her face. The falls were in the shadows and came out very blue so I backed off the blue spectrum significantly.

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@garyminish

3 Likes

Gary: this is an excellent capture. The sunlight hitting the bear’s head and forebody makes her pop from the dark background. No need to worry about the loss of some detail in the darks as the bear is the star of the show. Congrats on this one. Richard

An excellent image, Gary. The lighting did work out nicely for you (even if you felt it was harsh), and the shadow background does look like she is coming out of a cave. Very nice image.

This is an impressive shot Gary, you have managed the difficult lighting really well. The darkness of the cave serves to help the well lit head to stand out even more, and the water adds further interest and context.

Hi Gary. I really like this. The setting is incredible. The waterfall and the rocks give a very rugged feel. Personally, I think the bright light helped here. More detail in the shadows would probably detract from the razor sharp bear. Does she have two fish?

It’s a nicely composed picture with a spot lit Bear, which adds drama to the image!
I’m not sure if you are into B&W, but this may work much better in B&W!

Gary, Thanks for this amazing capture. The lighting and texture on the bear communicate. The composition with the bear looking toward the left in the image (its right) is excellent. The falls gives dimension to the image and helps in its framing. You must have been pretty far away with a long lens. I sense the bear pensively looking at you thinking, “It’s time for him to leave.” Wonderful wildlife image.