In the Field

Swimming in Solitude. Khutzeymateen Inlet (Great Bear Rainforest), BC, Canada. June 4, 2006.

This image is from the first trip I made into the Khutzeymateen Inlet way back in 2006. Watching this family of grizzlies slowly and peacefully swimming across the estuary at the head of the inlet was an exceptionally special and fateful moment for me. I was already taken by the region, but when this scene unfolded right in front of me I knew I was hooked. Since that moment I have been visiting the Khutzeymateen and the Great Bear Rainforest annually - first "simply" as a photographer and then, for the past several years, I have had the privilege of introducing other photographers to the region through my photo tours.

It's hard to put into words how special both the Khutzeymateen Inlet and the entire Great Bear Rainforest is. They're lands of extremes - the weather can be absolutely frightful with storms of epic proportions (mostly in the winter). But, during periods of calm, there's an almost overwhelming aura of peace and tranquility. Because the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Sanctuary is closed to the public (and to hunting) it has very, very few human visitors (under 200 per year!) and the feeling of solitude is absolutely palpable. Both the wildlife and the sparse human visitors are - both literally and figuratively - swimming in solitude.

For a wildlife photographer there's one other characteristic of the Khutzeymateen that makes it absolutely unique - thanks to the caution and respect the guides working the region have shown the wildlife over the past two decades, most of the animals have come to trust and accept humans almost completely. While not at all tame, the bears and other wildlife largely ignore the human visitors and share virtually all aspects of their daily lives with the odd two-legged "up-rights" that quietly ride around in inflatable boats! It's bear - and wildlife photographer - heaven!

About this shot. Well, this is a bit of an embarrassing admission, but I somehow managed to "miss" seeing (and processing) this image until the day before this writing (January 26, 2012). While preparing a seminar on wildlife photography I found myself in need of an image demonstrating how strong lines naturally occuring within the scene can guide both one's composition and the orientation (vertical vs. horizontal) used on the original capture. I'm anal about the keywording of my image files and simply typed in "horizontal line" and "composition" and "poof" this image came up (in raw, unprocessed form). Although on a tight timeline, I couldn't resist the urge to take the few minutes needed to process the final image.

So here ya go - and oldie, but I think a goodie, and hot off the press!

NOTE: At the time of this writing (26 January 2012), I've just had a cancellation on my "Grizzlies of the Khutzeymateen" Instructional Photo Tour for the spring of 2012. Which means I now have one opening up for grabs. For more details about this amazing photo adventure, just check out the Photo Tours page of this website! Or...just download this brochure (PDF: 2.0 MB).

Behind the Camera

Swimming in Solitude. Khutzeymateen Inlet (Great Bear Rainforest), BC, Canada. June 4, 2006.

Digital Capture; RAW 14-bit format; ISO 200.

Nikon D2x with Nikkor 200-400 f4 VR @ 250mm (EFL of 375mm). Hand-held from floating Zodiac. VR on and in "Normal" mode.

1/750s @ f4; no compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.

At the Computer

Swimming in Solitude. Khutzeymateen Inlet (Great Bear Rainforest), BC, Canada. June 4, 2006.

RAW Conversion to 16-bit TIFF, including first-pass/capture sharpening using Phase One's Capture One Pro 6. Three exposure variants covering a 0.7 stop total range, from -0.4 stops below original capture (to tame reflections in the foreground water) to 0.3 stops above original exposure (for a few shaded regions on the bears and the distant background).

Further digital corrections on resulting 16-bit TIFF files using Adobe's Photoshop CS5. Photoshop adjustments including compositing (layering and masking) the exposure variants using both luminosity and manual masking techniques, selective colour saturation, selective adjustment of mid-tone contrast (to background forest) and selective sharpening for web output.

Conservation

Swimming in Solitude. Khutzeymateen Inlet (Great Bear Rainforest), BC, Canada. June 4, 2006.

Ten percent of the revenue generated by this image will be donated to Pacific Wild*

Species Status in Canada**: Special Concern (May 2002).

While Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) are not technically listed as "Endangered" in Canada, they have been extirpated from most of their historical range. Grizzly Bears are far more sensitive to intrusion/disturbance in their habitat than are Black Bears and are being increasingly forced into marginal habitat by human encroachment. The Great Bear Rainforest along the central and northern coast of British Columbia is one of the last strongholds of the Grizzly Bear in Canada, and even this population is coming under increasing pressure.

The region this image was shot in is, at the time of this writing (December 20, 2011), facing a new and potentially catastrophic threat. There is a proposal to bring oil super-tankers through the narrow and treacherous channels of the Great Bear Rainforest. Any mishap - such as the one that sunk the Queen of the North ferry on March 22, 2006 - could result in an oilspill with disasterous consequences. Please visit the "No Pipeline/No Tankers Action Page" on Pacific Wild's website for suggestions on what YOU can do to help stop the tankers and/or sign the petition to Stop Oil Tankers. Thanks - this one is worth the effort to fight!

*Pacific Wild is a non-profit conservation organization that is committed to:

1. Defending wildlife and their habitat on Canada's Pacific coast by developing and implementing solution-based conservation strategies. Pacific Wild supports innovative research, public education, community outreach and awareness to achieve the goal of lasting environmental protection in the lands and waters of the Great Bear Rainforest.

2. Working with a diverse array of communities, First Nations, groups and individuals to ensure that biodiversity protection is at the forefront of land and marine use decisions.

3. Mobilizing a concerned global citizenry to achieve large-scale wildlife protection.

Natural Art Images supports the efforts of Pacific Wild and encourages you to do the same.

**as determined by COSEWIC: The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada