We had just finished a great hike around the Valley of the Five Lakes and were relaxing near our car when the following conversation took place:
JD: We have not seen any bears. Do you think they out of hibernation?
Me: I don’t know. It is pretty late in the year but then again a lot of the lakes are still frozen and we have been snowed on several times this week; so they may not be.
Me walks to the back of the SUV to get some drinks out and spots a mamma bear with two cubs.
JD: I think they are still hibernating.
Me: I don’t think they are. (as me is leaning over the hood of the SUV and taking rapid series of photos).
JD: Make up your mind. What proof do you have that the bears our out.
Me: About 40 frames of proof. (as JD comes around to the front of the SUV and finally sees the momma bear and the two cubs)JD: Get in this car right now before that bear eats you.
Unfortunately, I did not get any good photos of the entire bear family. The two cubs always stayed behind momma thus making it very hard to get a clear shot of them.
Enjoy.
Camera settings: Nikon D3, Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 shot at 200mm, ISO 200, f/8 and various 1/500th of a second.
Post Processing:
Lightroom—Set black and white points, cropped photos, and changed and added saturation of certain colors.
Photoshop—used nik Color Efex Pro tonal contrast to enhance details in the bear.
The photo shows just how powerful a momma bear is. Good wildlife photo.
ReplyDeleteMel
I agree with Mel. I tried to capture a momma and three cubs at Cade's Cove with the same frustration!
ReplyDeleteI think JD should have let the bear eat you so we would not have to look at this one. Not that good.
ReplyDeleteCharles M
I would have like to see the two little bears but I think this is a nice wildlife image. She seems totally unconcerned with anything that might be going on.
ReplyDeleteSya
Different than many of the bear photos that I see. I like the environmental elements within the image. They add to the reality of the photo.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Great detail in the bear's face. The composition plus the lighting make you go directly to the bear's face. How do you like the 70-300mm lens?
ReplyDeleteTaylor