seantaylor
FollowTaken at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, this beauty was "hiding" from two older and larger brown bears. Check out those claws!
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Taken at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, this beauty was "hiding" from two older and larger brown bears. Check out those claws!
Was approximately 4 feet away! Thank goodness for electric fences!
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Was approximately 4 feet away! Thank goodness for electric fences!
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Summer 2020
Contest Finalist in Shades Of Brown Project
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (https://www.alaskawildlife.org/), a not-for-profit sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaskan animals. In that center, there is a very large brown bear habitat with three brown bears. This bear was lying on the edge of the habitat, very near the fenceline, hiding from the other two bears.Time
I do not recall exactly what time of day it was, but in late April, it was still cold and there was plenty of snow and ice on the ground.Lighting
This was a little tricky due to the combination of factors. Luckily, with a light overcast and being during the day, there was plenty of available light to make the shot. However, I was in a very shady area, lying flat on my side on the ground, in the snow, with my zoom lens extended to 400mm, using f/13 to capture as much detail in the bear as possible, all while handholding the camera.Equipment
I used my Canon 6D paired with the Canon 100-400 f/4.5 - 5.6L IS II.Inspiration
I watched the bear roll around in the snow and ice for about 10 minutes, when suddenly her two older and bigger siblings began walking towards her. She immediately dropped into a low lying position and it felt like she was playing peek-a-boo with them. She kept covering her eyes with her paws and it absolutely cracked me up watching this behavior. With her being about 4 feet away and both of us (oddly) feeling extremely comfortable with each other, I knew I had a very short amount of time to get a unique shot.Editing
Not very much post-processing was involved and was done in LightRoom. I spent some time pulling up the shadows a touch to add details in the fur and eyes. I did most of the work on sharpening...trying to find that right balance.In my camera bag
It really is dependent on what I am shooting that day, but my bag always has my 6D, 24-105 f/4L, and my 100-400 f/4.5L II (mentioned above). I also normally bring my Zeiss 15mm f/2.8 Distagon (which has quickly become my favorite lens). I normally carry my Manfrotto tripod with as well but decided not to this day.Feedback
I believe what made this shot work so well is the angle of the capture. I could have easily stood and shot down on the bear from a normal vantage point. However, I do not feel it would have evoked much emotion and drama. But by putting myself in a challenging and uncomfortable position, I put myself on the same plane as my subject and created an entirely different mood. Also, when working with brown bears, make sure there is a very strong electric fence between you and it! Happy shooting!