In the Field

Grizzly Imitating a Crocodile. Great Bear Rainforest (northern BC coast), Canada. September 12, 2005.

I'm sure most of us are familiar with those low-level profile shots of crocodiles floating in water. This female Grizzly was bathing in the cool waters of an inlet in the Great Bear Rainforest - the minute it turned away from us and gave us this profile view I thought "crocodile!". Seconds later the bear turned away from us and swam ashore. I felt quite fortunate to have witnessed the scene (and to capture the image!).

Behind the Camera

Grizzly Imitating a Crocodile. Great Bear Rainforest (northern BC coast), Canada. September 12, 2005.

Digital Capture; Compressed RAW (NEF) format; ISO 200.

Nikon D2X with Nikon 200-400 mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR lens @ 400 mm (600 mm equivalent with digital conversion factor) supported on pontoon of Zodiac boat (VR turned to "On" and in "Normal" mode).

1/180s @ f4.5; -1 stop exposure compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.

At the Computer

Grizzly Imitating a Crocodile. Great Bear Rainforest (northern BC coast), Canada. September 12, 2005.

RAW Conversion to 16-bit TIFF, including first-pass sharpening, using Phase One's C1 Pro.

All further digital correction using Adobe's Photoshop CS2, including selective saturation enhancement, and selective sharpening for web output.

Conservation

Grizzly Imitating a Crocodile. Great Bear Rainforest (northern BC coast), Canada. September 12, 2005.

Ten percent of the revenue generated by this image will be donated to Raincoast.

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 Raincoast Conservation Society (and Foundation) is an effective and efficient organization that has been fighting for protection of this unique habitat. If you are looking for a meaningful way to contribute to the conservation of this amazing ecosystem, Raincoast will provide maximal "bang" for your conservation dollars.

For more information on the status of Grizzly Bears in Canada, go to: http://www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca and search under "Grizzly Bears".

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