In the Field

Misty Morning Dip. Khutzeymateen Inlet, BC, Canada. June 4, 2006.

Everything pretty much came together for this shot: it was a misty morning and the light rain had just stopped; the sun was just beginning to burn through the dream-like fog; the tide was high enough to virtually stop the current of the Khutzeymateen River and produce a mirror-like surface on the estuary; and we had a beautiful blond grizzly female with 3 cubs lazily swimming across the channel! I couldn't have staged a better opportunity! As we approached the bears in our zodiac the mist-muted sun struck both the bears and their now glistening wake - I knew it was time to shoot! Photeus (the ancient pagan god of digital photography) smiled on me this morning!

This image was captured during my annual "Grizzlies of the Khutzeymateen" Photo Tour in the spring of 2006. 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

Misty Morning Dip. Khutzeymateen Inlet, BC, Canada. June 4, 2006.

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

Nikon D2X with Nikon 200-400 mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR lens @ 280 mm (420 mm equivalent with digital conversion factor) hand-held (VR turned to "On" and in "Active" mode).

1/640s @ f4; -0.67 exposure compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.

At the Computer

Misty Morning Dip. Khutzeymateen Inlet, BC, Canada. June 4, 2006.

RAW Conversion to 16-bit TIFF, including first-pass sharpening and initial contrast enhancement (with exposure curve tool), using Phase One's C1 Pro.

All further digital correction on 16-bit TIFF file using Adobe's Photoshop CS2, including selective mid-tone contrast adjustment (using Photoshop's Shadow/Highlight tool), selective saturation enhancement, and selective sharpening for web output.

Conservation

Misty Morning Dip. Khutzeymateen Inlet, 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.

*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