In the Field

Grizzly Mother Scratching with Cub. Great Bear Rainforest (northern BC coast), Canada. September 12, 2005.

We knew this Brown (or Grizzly) Bear female and cub were asleep on shore just out of view when suddenly mom and cub awoke and rose up. Quite unabashedly, the adult female stretched and scratched (like many humans right after waking!) while the adorable cub sat at her side. Given we were floating in a Zodiac boat and at a low angle, use of a tripod or other camera support was impossible. So, I had to hope that my lens's Vibration Reduction (VR) technology would allow me to effectively capture the moment with a hand-held zoom lens at a relatively low shutter speed. The light levels in the Great Bear Rainforest are often extremely low, and modern image-stabilized lenses give a photographer a huge advantage over others using traditional lenses. If you're headed up there, don't go without your VR or IS lenses!

Behind the Camera

Grizzly Mother Scratching with Cub. Great Bear Rainforest (northern BC coast), Canada. September 12, 2005.

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

Nikon D2X with Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR lens @ 200 mm (300 mm equivalent with digital conversion factor) - hand held.

1/180s @ f4; -0.67 stop exposure compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.

At the Computer

Grizzly Mother Scratching with Cub. 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. Exposure correction (to compensate for deliberate shutter-speed-enhancing under-exposure while shooting) during RAW conversion.

All further digital correction on 16-bit TIFF file using Adobe's Photoshop CS2, including tone curve adjustment, selective saturation enhancement, and selective sharpening for web output.

Conservation

Grizzly Mother Scratching with Cub. 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