In the Field

Swimmin' in the Sun. Khutzeymateen Inlet, BC, Canada. May 29, 2010.

There was a time, not so very long ago, where capturing an image like this would have been nigh on impossible. Not that it's a great image, but the lighting conditions under which I shot it were nothing short of abysmal. The sun was extremely strong and almost immediately above this bear's head (it was slightly behind the bear as well - so the bear was primarily toplit, with a small amount of backlighting). And, to make matters worse, the ripples in the background were producing blindingly strong reflections. So how did I go from squinting at the bear to this image? Well, it's a good case study in mixing traditional photographic techniques with modern "digital thinking."

My first challenge (after getting around the minor issue of finding an wild adult grizzly swimming on a sunny day!) was finding a way to significantly reduce the reflections and glare in the scene. The answer: simple - just use a polarizing filter! While "old timers" from the film era all know about the wonders of polarizing filters for outdoor shooting, I find many of those who entered photography in the digital era rarely carry or use them. While there are many, many things you can do to an image during post-processing on a computer, mimicking a polarizing filter isn't one of them! In this case the polarizer cut enough of the reflections to effectively reduce the brightness range of the scene (i.e., the dynamic range) to something my camera's sensor could capture. And, did you know that polarizing filters are effective on ALL reflected light (i.e., not just that coming from a 90 degree angle)? Sometimes it pays to take physicists on your photo tours (thanks for the tip, Mike!). Anyway - simple take home lesson: if you're a nature photographer (digital or film), get a polarizer (and learn how to use it)!!

Now comes the digital discussion. I feel strongly that there's a feedback loop that many nature photographers don't pay enough attention to. Almost all know to check their exposure, sharpness, and other parameters using their camera's LCD right after exposure (and to compensate accordingly on subsequent shots). We see this all the time and it's a process called "Chimping". You've seen it: something happens, the shutters go click, click, click, and then everyone's heads drop and they go "oh, ah, ooo, ooo" as they review their images on their LCD. BUT, not enough photographers remember to use the "big feedback loop" where they apply what they have learned during image processing to influence their image shooting. In this case, and even though I was using a circular polarizer, I knew I had to huge dynamic range to deal with. The temptation would be to over-expose this backlit image to bring out shadow detail on the bear (many folks using spot metering to sort out the exposure on a scene like this). But, if you did that, the out-of-focus specular highlights in the background (those white circles in the background) would have been totally blown out (all highlights lost). Instead, I chose to UNDER expose the image, even though I knew that my RAW image would initially appear as little more than a silhouette of a bear. But, I've processed enough digital files on my D3 and D3s to know that there was actually TONS of colour and tonal information in the shadows that I could easily extract during processing without introducing noticeable noise. And, I'd STILL have my highlights! It's all about 'thinking digitally" and applying what you learn behind the computer to how you capture images.

Oh...and if you need help finding the swimming grizzly...this image was captured during my annual "Grizzlies of the Khutzeymateen" Instructional Photo Tour in the spring of 2010. If you're interested in joining me on one of my photo tours into the Great Bear Rainforest or other coastal destinations, check out the details on my "Photo Tours" page of this website. My Instructional Photo Tours into the Great Bear Rainforest are run in conjunction with Ocean Light II Adventures - they offer a number of amazing adventure tours (including top-notch bear-viewing tours as well as tours of exploration of the Queen Charlotte Islands) and I highly recommend them!

Behind the Camera

Swimmin' in the Sun. Khutzeymateen Inlet, BC, Canada. May 29, 2010.

Digital Capture; RAW 14-bit format; ISO 1250.

Nikon D3s with Nikkor 400mm f2.8 VR lens paired with 2x TC-20EIII teleconverter (800mm EFL) - handheld. VR on and set to "Normal" mode.

1/1250s @ f8; -0.33 stop compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting of camera.

At the Computer

Swimmin' in the Sun. Khutzeymateen Inlet, BC, Canada. May 29, 2010.

RAW Conversion to 16-bit TIFF, including first-pass/capture sharpening using Phase One's Capture One Pro 5. Four RAW conversions at different exposure settings. Exposure settings varying from -1.0 stops compensation (to retrieve highlight detail and return dark blue tones of water ) through to +1.25 stops for darker portions of the bear's face (to draw out shadow detail).

Further digital corrections on 16-bit TIFF file using Adobe's Photoshop CS5 and Light Craft's LightZone. Photoshop adjustments included compositing and masking of 4 exposure versions, selective saturation of colours and selective sharpening for web output. Final tonemapping and tweaking performed with LightZone use the (tonemapper/re-light tool). No noise reduction in post-processing (aside from "automatic" noise reduction during RAW conversion).

Conservation

Swimmin' in the Sun. Khutzeymateen Inlet, BC, Canada. May 29, 2010.

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.

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

1. Defending wildlife and their habitat on CanadaÕs 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