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Plodding Bear on River
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Plodding Bear on River



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This brown bear looks like it is seriously seeking something - probably salmon. Had to get low in the water to get this point of view. Note the claws on the rig...
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This brown bear looks like it is seriously seeking something - probably salmon. Had to get low in the water to get this point of view. Note the claws on the right forepaw.
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cameraNIKON D500

settings Aperture f/8 ISO 1000 Shutter 1/1500 Focal Length 6000/10 

upload_dateOct, 2018

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2 Comments |
joeMedrek
 
joeMedrek December 24, 2019
Only with a zoom lens 😆
lonestarlarue
 
lonestarlarue February 27, 2021
Cool

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Tags

#bear #Brown Bear #bear paw #claws #water #river #nature #wildlife
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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo on the Brooks River below the falls at Katmai National Park in Alaska

Time

We were just creeping into the golden hour, which, in Alaska, can last a good while. This was at about 6:30 PM local time. Many of the photos I took over the next hour or so were backlit by a low sun.

Lighting

Lighting, of course, was all natural. Golden hour effects were apparent with very warm fall foliage all around. There were no clouds to diffuse the light, so the fall off into shadows was quick, as can be seen by the dark neck and forelegs of the bear.

Equipment

I was shooting with a Nikon D500 through a Sigma 150-600mm lens set at 600mm. The ISO was set at 1000 with an aperture of f/8 and a shutter speed of 1/1500th of a second.

Inspiration

I was at a quandary as to whether to take the photo. The bear was coming my way and I didn't want him to too much closer before I headed another way. The trouble was that there were two more bears in the direction of my best escape. I decided to take a quick photo and cross an island that was to my left and go to the other side. It worked, and the bears remained undisturbed while I remained uneaten.

Editing

Most of my post processing consisted of normal adjustments of highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks. The only color adjustment was a slight boost of blue saturation to bring out the colors in the foliage better and to make for more color contrast between the foliage and the river.

In my camera bag

On this day, my bag was a waterproof backpack with an extra camera body (Nikon D810), a Nikon 200-400mm lens, a lens cleaning kit, and extra batteries and memory cards. I was wearing chest waders so that I could get on my knees and stay low for as many of my shots as possible.

Feedback

First word of advice is to get there. If you arrive at Katmai National Park with a camera, you'll get a thousand pictures of bears - a day! It's not just a Katmai thing, though. If you want to get wildlife photos, go to where there is wildlife. That could be almost anywhere, but go with a plan. The trip will be worth it if you enjoy the outdoors even if you don't get the best photos in the world. The practice will make you better and just being there will be a great experience. Always be ethical in your dealings with the wildlife and remember that baiting is not ethical and can sometimes lead to disastrous unintended consequences.

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