Black Bear Revisited

coscorrosa · June 2, 2008

Last Saturday I went back to the same area where I saw a (brown colored) black bear the Saturday before, and got extremely lucky, the bear was in a spot that was much easier to photograph (and I was able to ID it as a male).

As I drove away, I spotted two more black bears, this time a mother and a single cub (the cub was adorable), unlike this brown-colored black bear, these were black in color (interesting how there's so much color variation within a single region). Obviously I didn't venture outside of my car, by then I had filled up all my memory cards, and it was too dark for good photos (I would have had to shoot at ISO 3200 or 6400 at my largest aperture). The mother bear was about 20-30% larger than the male pictured here, so I'm guessing the male was only 1-2 years old.

Full gallery is at:

http://photos.coscorrosa.com/gallery/5077634_EzVPc

Here are some of my favorites:

Tee Why · June 2, 2008

Ha ha ha, a brown black bear.
Nice series, looks well processed too. I like the last shot the most. Unique composition.

NorthernFocus · June 2, 2008

Great set, Ron. It's cool that you were able to go back and find this guy again. Excellent set of images. I like the fourth one with mouthfull of grass and the last one best. Purely based on personal preference though because they are all well executed

coscorrosa · June 2, 2008

articblooms wrote:

Great set, Ron. It's cool that you were able to go back and find this guy again. Excellent set of images. I like the fourth one with mouthfull of grass and the last one best. Purely based on personal preference though because they are all well executed

Thanks! I think the last one (peek-a-boo!) is my favorite too. Awesome creatures.

Giphsub · June 2, 2008

Very good set Ron

I love the shot of the bear from behind. All very good shots.

Sp00ks · June 3, 2008

Wow, Really nice series. He is definately aware of you. You captured nice eye contact in these. Excellent Ron!

coscorrosa · June 3, 2008

Sp00ks wrote:

Wow, Really nice series. He is definately aware of you. You captured nice eye contact in these. Excellent Ron!

Thanks for the positive feedback everyone!

And yes, the bear was as aware of my presence as I was of his, it's pretty cool being close enough to the animal that there's a mutual awareness. Next time I'll bring more memory cards

summerz · June 3, 2008

Those are Fabulous.

Well done.

Ric Grupe · June 3, 2008

Well done!

Very healthy looking fellow.

ehughes · June 3, 2008

Great job

Sp00ks · June 3, 2008

coscorrosa wrote:

Thanks for the positive feedback everyone!

And yes, the bear was as aware of my presence as I was of his, it's pretty cool being close enough to the animal that there's a mutual awareness. Next time I'll bring more memory cards

Next time you also need to bring a spotter for the bear your not seeing.....

Maestro · June 3, 2008

Awesome images again. Just makes you want to go up to it and give a big hug. What a teddy bear! Not!

Harryb · June 4, 2008

Excellent set.

coscorrosa · June 4, 2008

Sp00ks wrote:

Next time you also need to bring a spotter for the bear your not seeing.....

What, and miss a self-portrait opportunity with me being the prey? Never!

darkdragon · June 4, 2008

They are all great, but my favorite is the one with the grass in his mouth. Reminds me of a kid with his hand in the cookie jar "no, i am not eating the grass"

coscorrosa · June 4, 2008

Maestro wrote:

Awesome images again. Just makes you want to go up to it and give a big hug. What a teddy bear! Not!

If you do plan on doing that, let me know, it'd make for a great photo. I could spread some honey on your clothes in case the bear is initially hesitant

This guy is somewhere between a cub and an adult, the cub I saw later was the actual size of a teddy bear (but mama was obviously nearby, and you don't mess with mama!).

pathfinder · June 4, 2008

I like all of these. Very nicely captured.

Tdcompton · June 4, 2008

Incredible shots! I am going to AK in less than a week and I have my fingers crossed to see some bear... I wish I had more lens though, I dunno if mine would do much for me unless I get lucky.

coscorrosa · June 5, 2008

Tdcompton wrote:

Incredible shots! I am going to AK in less than a week and I have my fingers crossed to see some bear... I wish I had more lens though, I dunno if mine would do much for me unless I get lucky.

You could always go wide angle, you'd just have to get a little closer

These were all shot with a 100-400, most of these were portraits, so I was at the long end of the zoom range, but for shots with the bears in their environment rather than close-up detailed portraits you can get away with shorter focal lengths.

Here's a shot that was at 100mm (I metered for the bear which is why the sky is overexposed, had there been less dynamic range, it would have made for a much better photo, with the mountains in the background, etc.):

Anyway, good luck with your trip to Alaska, there's a ton of bears up there (all three North American species too: black, grizzly, and polar!). I'm going to head up there one of these days when I can get a week or so off, though I get the feeling that'll only whet my appetite for more.

coscorrosa · June 5, 2008

darkdragon wrote:

They are all great, but my favorite is the one with the grass in his mouth. Reminds me of a kid with his hand in the cookie jar "no, i am not eating the grass"

Yeah, I know what you mean! I'm not an expert on bears, but seeing this bear they remind my physically of dogs, but their playful behavior seems more reminiscent of cats.

Here's another one a few moments before:

kitvan · July 8, 2008

omg that's a GREAT set!!! where do you live?

I'm a hiker in SoCal and am constantly worried about bears, probably unneeded huh?

Photosbychuck · July 8, 2008

Great Photos!

What lens did you use?
Thanks for posting!!!

Take Care,
Chuck

coscorrosa · July 8, 2008

kitvan wrote:

omg that's a GREAT set!!! where do you live?

I'm a hiker in SoCal and am constantly worried about bears, probably unneeded huh?

Thanks! These photos were taken near Mt. Baker in Washington State (just south of the Canadian border). I saw another pair (mother and cub) that night, too dark to take their photo though.

If you take proper precaution, you shouldn't have to worry that much about black bears (don't be stupid and sneak up on them or get between a mother and cub of course). It's extremely rare for them to attack unprovoked. If you're in an area with them, you should definitely have bear spray, and a bell or something that makes noise as you walk so that you're less likely to startle them.

coscorrosa · July 8, 2008

Photosbychuck wrote:

Great Photos!

What lens did you use?
Thanks for posting!!!

Take Care,
Chuck

Thanks, these were taken with the Canon 100-400 f/4-5.6 L IS lens, with a 1.3 crop sensor body (Canon 1D MIII).

WildWally · July 8, 2008

The third shot is awesome !!!
And , I always love the butt shots !!!

dlplumer · July 9, 2008

Fabulous shots

Amazing how good the high ISO shots are

Black Bear Revisited

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