In the Field

Respect. Khutzeymateen Inlet (Great Bear Rainforest), BC. June 2, 2009.

There are many animals that, at the species level, demand respect. While it's often simply a matter of size, strength or the potential threat that they represent, there are smaller species that garner similar respect. Wolverines come to mind - not too big, but I don't know many sane people who would want to try to chase one off a kill. If you took a poll in North America asking which animal was most entitled to complete respect, odds are the hands-down winner would be the grizzly bear. They're at the absolute top of the terrestrial food chain and evolved while in fear of nothing.

This adult grizzly reminded me about respect. We encountered this male bear in the Khutzeymateen Inlet of northern BC - it was breeding season and this bear was in the company of a largish female grizzly. The bears allowed reasonably close approach (this is pretty much a full-framed image) and appeared quite unconcerned about our presence - they continued to munch on grass as we got our cameras set up. Then, the female decided to slowly amble off. Just as slowly, the male that's pictured here transferred his attention from the female to me. In short, he locked his eyes on to me and didn't break the stare for minutes. And, he began slowly pacing back and forth (while still eating) in front of me - giving me full side views showing me (in no uncertain terms) just how big he was. Being somewhat less than a complete fool, I (and the rest of our group) decided that a slow, measured, and orderly "strategic re-deployment of photographic resources" (i.e., a retreat) was our best option...you know - give the bear some room, and some respect...

After the interaction I pondered what happened. I have no idea why the male grizzly decided he needed to put us in our place. And why focus his attention on me? There were a total of 8 of us there - 7 photographers and our trusty bear guide, Tom Ellison. Why me? I'm not small, but was no larger than several others that were there at the time - so the bear certainly didn't single me out because I was the biggest and thus the biggest threat. I did take time out and slightly re-position a few of the other photographers so they'd have better shooting angles - and the bear watched me do this. Did the bear sense that I was "in-charge" of the group? To be honest, I have no real clue if this is the answer - but it was a fascinating experience (both at the time and when I think about it now).

From a photographic perspective my biggest challenge in capturing this image was finding enough light (to allow me to use a high enough shutter speed to get a reasonably sharp shot). Fortunately I was shooting with a camera with a high tolerance for high ISO images - the Nikon D3. Because I was shooting with a long lens (600 mm) and was hand-holding the set-up, I wanted to grab as much shutter speed as I could (to avoid camera shake). I also wanted the image to have a very thin depth of field - I wanted primarily the bear's left eye and close side of the face in very sharp focus, and not much (tho' I admit I wanted a little of the grass in focus). So I cranked the aperture wide open and shot. And, I have to admit I'm not too disappointed in the result!

This image was captured during my annual "Grizzlies of the Khutzeymateen" Instructional Photo Tour in the spring of 2009. If you're interested in joining me on one of my photo tours into the Great Bear Rainforest, check out the details on my "Photo Tours" page. 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

Respect. Khutzeymateen Inlet (Great Bear Rainforest), BC. June 2, 2009.

Digital Capture; Compressed RAW (NEF) 14-bit format; ISO 1600.

Nikon D3 with AF-S Nikkor 600mm f/4G IF-ED II VR lens - handheld. VR turned to "On" and in "Normal" mode.

1/250s @ f4; no compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting of camera.

At the Computer

Respect. Khutzeymateen Inlet (Great Bear Rainforest), BC. June 2, 2009.

RAW Conversion to 16-bit TIFF, including first-pass/capture sharpening and default noise reduction using Phase One's Capture One Pro 4.8. Three RAW conversions at different exposure settings. 3 exposure conversions ranging from 0 stops (for background and foreground) through to +0.85 stops (to assist in recovery of shadow detail and balance lighting on various parts of the bear's head).

Further digital corrections on 16-bit TIFF file using Adobe's Photoshop CS4. Adjustments included compositing and masking of 3 exposure versions, selective colour saturation and desaturation, selective and light application of warming filter (to the bear only), and selective sharpening for web output.

Conservation

Respect. Khutzeymateen Inlet (Great Bear Rainforest), BC. June 2, 2009.

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