The whole world has seen this bear with her mouth open as a salmon joyfully leaps into it. I thought I'd try to catch her still enough for a long (1-10th s...
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The whole world has seen this bear with her mouth open as a salmon joyfully leaps into it. I thought I'd try to catch her still enough for a long (1-10th sec) shot to silk out the water. After many attempts, I was finally rewarded with this.
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Exposures Marketplace Project
Contest Finalist in Rule of Thirds Photo Contest vol6
Contest Finalist in Celebrating Earth Day Photo Contest 2019
Contest Finalist in Alaska The Wild Photo Contest
Top Shot Award
Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 38
Community Choice Award
Contest Finalist in Colossal Wildlife Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Virtuoso
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vickiehwright
December 16, 2018
Great opportunity captured & displayed. That was Amazing photography!
jamesdemers
March 25, 2019
Perfect timing. Love the stark contrast between the detailed fur and smooth water. Must have been a humbling experience observing her.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo from the observation platform adjacent to Brooks falls at the Katmai National Park in Alaska. It is a fly-in visit, with the float plane depositing the visitor on Naknek Lake at the outlet of the Brooks River well below the falls. This is a very bear-intensive area, and it is difficult to take a photo here without at least one bear somewhere in the photo.Time
This was at 5:05 PM Alaska Standard Time in mid September.Lighting
The sun was relatively low, being late afternoon in September in Alaska. Daylight at that point is getting to "lower 48 normal" periods. As a result, the falls were in shadow, but still let well enough for the effect that I was trying to attain.Equipment
This was the toughest aspect of the photo. I did not have a tripod with me, so this was completely hand held work. I was shooting with a Nikon D500 and a Sigma 150-600mm lens set at 150mm, without any teleconverter. To steady the camera and lens, I propped myself tightly against the railing of the viewing platform. It took more than a few tries, however, as people were walking back and forth, shaking the platform, and bumping into me. Also, the bear was not completely cooperative, as she kept moving around and not patiently posing for the slow shutter speed that I was using. In time, however, I caught her at a still moment while platform movement was at a minimum. The reward for my patience was tremendous.Inspiration
I was with friends on the platform. One of them wondered out loud if it might be possible to do a long exposure with the falls to get a silky effect. Everyone on the platform was painstakingly awaiting that magic moment that a salmon would launch itself into the mouth of the bear so they could capture the moment her teeth bared into it. I thought the silky falls approach might be a bit more unique, so I ran with it. I took quite a few photos, but with just the preview screen on the back of the camera, it was impossible to tell if I was doing any good. I shot away and did not check the results for two days because I was so busy taking pictures of bears and landscapes.Editing
Post processing was minimal. I only checked white balance, adjusted a few hues and saturations, adjusted black and white points, and put a very slight vignette onto the image.In my camera bag
With wildlife photography, I usually carry a second camera body, alternating between a Nikon D810 and a D500. For lenses, I keep a Nikkor 200-400mm and a 70-200mm on hand and have a Sigma 150-600mm mounted on the camera in use. I have a 1:1.4 teleconverter to extend the Sigma's reach if needed. In addition, I keep a 14-24mm and a 24-70mm on hand to capture some landscape shots or to get an animal in its total environment. Of course, extra batteries and plenty of memory cards are always on hand. I also keep a head lamp in the bag in case I get caught out a bit late and have to make it back to camp in the dark. I use a Garmin InReach Explorer + to help me find my way around and to mark significant spots along the way in case I want to revisit a scene or scrape mark.Feedback
Use a tripod! Plan your shoot! As we were doing a lot of wading up and down the river and into the marshes and mud, I was not carrying my tripod. Had I planned this out, I would have made allowances to make a singular trip on a hard trail to the falls platform with a tripod, which would have made this shoot much easier and less frustrating.