In the Field

Black Bear Walking on Log. Great Bear Rainforest (northern BC coast), Canada. September 30, 2006.

Just before I captured this image I was thinking to myself "...well, I suppose this is the consolation prize." We had been standing on (or in my case, under) a viewing stand for almost two days waiting for the rare white-phased Kermode Black Bear when this VERY BLACK (and very large!) Black Bear strolled down the creek towards us. When the bear climbed onto a moss-covered log and began striding directly at me I had no trouble flushing the Kermodes from my mind and focusing on what was unfolding right before me! As the bear closely approached I had to keep my composure and remember that because the light levels were so low I could only shoot when the movement of the bear was minimized. I caught this shot just as the bear planted its front left paw and before it began swinging its front right paw forward. Sometimes you just get lucky!

Behind the Camera

Black Bear Walking on Log. Great Bear Rainforest (northern BC coast), Canada. September 30, 2006.

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

Nikon D2X with Nikon 200-400 mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR lens @ 240mm (360 mm equivalent with digital conversion factor) supported on Gitzo 1348 carbon fibre tripod with Wimberley head.

1/100s @ f4.5; no compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.

At the Computer

Black Bear Walking on Log. Great Bear Rainforest (northern BC coast), Canada. September 30, 2006.

RAW Conversion to 16-bit TIFF, including first-pass sharpening, using Phase One's C1 Pro. Multiple RAW conversions (at different exposure settings) to extend dynamic range of captured image, in this case to restore shadow detail on right side of the bear's head and flank.

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

Conservation

Black Bear Walking on Log. Great Bear Rainforest (northern BC coast), Canada. September 30, 2006.

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

Black Bears (Ursus americana) are not endangered or threatened with extinction in North America. However, this individual was photographed in the Great Bear Rainforest on the central and northern coast of British Columbia Ð a globally unique habitat and ecosystem that is home to strong populations of Brown (or Grizzly) Bears, Gray Wolves, Spirit Bears, and countless other slightly less attention-catching species. Unfortunately, this unique ecosystem is coming under increasingly strong development pressure, especially from the forestry industry.

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.