The Moment

Image Critiques Weekly Challenge
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Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

This image was about the moment. I got the unexpected opportunity to take a trip to Svalbard. When we came across some bears, we stayed around to see what they would do. This young female got curious and came to check out our boat. She then entertained us and time became meaningless as she dove into the water, rolled on the ice, played with a stick, etc. She finally wandered away, leaving us with a whole lot of images and feeling blessed with a wonderful experience. According to my time stamp, she was with us about an hour and a half from the point it was obvious she was coming to see us until I took my last image of her walking away.

I would say this first stood out as my favorite image, but I have a few I really like. I also missed some, but from those moments I know I was experiencing it with my eyes.

I didn’t initially notice it, but I think it’s kind of ironic that there’s a “heart” standing up in the background ice (to my eye).

This images is on my wall. I recently printed this when there was a sale, just to see how it would come out. She displaced an iceberg, at least temporarily. I only know of a few instances of others who have my images on their walls, and oddly enough none of them are nature photos.

Specific Feedback

Do you notice a color shift? I did not realize that I was having a camera issue. It’s subtle, but I feel like I see it, depending on my screen. Maybe I shouldn’t point it out. :slight_smile:

I struggled at first with white balance, but I feel like I got to a place that I like, and it was actually more about exposure. I had underexposed a little. I knew to increase exposure for whites, but I didn’t follow through well.

The ice here was very busy. Do you have any other tips for composition on this?

Anything else?

Technical Details

Sony ILCE-6400, ISO 200, 1/1250s, f/9, no exposure comp
100-400 lens with 1.4x teleconverter, exif says 288mm - I don’t know if that’s the direct reading from the lens, but I would guess so, which means I have a 1.5x crop and a 1.4x teleconverter on top of that putting me right around 600mm FF equivalent, correct?

I will probably never cease to wonder why I didn’t max out my zoom a time or two once she was closer, but it’s one of those things. I think I was too focused on what she was doing and didn’t think to vary anything - or I was afraid to lest I miss something.

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Karla, somehow, I missed this post… It’s definitely good for a big grin. Love what looks like a sleeping bear, but a sleeping bear wouldn’t hold its paws up, so it’s clearly not sleeping. That kind of extra thinking is one of the things that, to me, makes repeated viewing a pleasure. Sounds like an awesome experience, that left you with a great pic to stir memories.

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Thanks for floating this to the surface, Mark. I meant to go back to this because squee there is so much cuteness. Deadly cuteness, but still. There is so much charm and personality here, something we don’t often associate with large mammals, just small ones. I love the amount of ice you included, too, and the position of the bear is good for an environmental portrait. Just a bear doing her thing. I see the heart! Probably wouldn’t have if you didn’t mention it.

It’s hard for me to pick out a color shift since I wasn’t standing next to you, so I’d say it’s not a problem. The ice works ok here and yeah, it’s busy, but it’s what we are used to seeing with any kind of polar image. I have never seen a polar bear in the wild, so I can only imagine your goosebumps and adrenaline rush - so intense.

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@Mark_Seaver and @Kris_Smith - Thanks for your comments.

She was rolling around and rubbing her fur in the snow at this point, and burst mode yielded this moment. It’s not the context, but it looks like how I feel in the morning. :smiley:

I feel like I still see a slight pinkish cast in at least in the shadows, coming down from the top, so I’m glad if it’s not evident to others! Or it could be my imagination. :smile:

I like the word “charm”. It seems like an apt description that I hadn’t thought of. Looking at the photos and short video I took, it was kind of hard to imagine her as dangerous as she would be to us on the ice. She came across curious, friendly, and playful. I think we were all practically holding our breath. There was hardly any sound except the clicking of camera shutters.

1 Like
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Hi Karla! I’m also glad Mark brought this image back to the surface. I missed it when it was first posted.

This is a really great scene, and you captured it very well. As Mark said, “it’s definitely good for a grin”. Very cute action by the bear and I like your composition. I think it is better for the larger view, even with the busy ice.

Like Kris, I don’t see a color cast. And to me it looks like your post processing did a good job of recovering the exposure. Well done!

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@Steve_Kennedy - Hi, Steve. I’m glad you enjoyed the image, and that you could also confirm that you’re not seeing a color cast either. I’m always a bit paranoid that I’m putting something out there with a glaring post processing error that I don’t see. Thanks for your comments!