1908_3266 Black Bear with Cubs
It was exciting when this Black Bear sow brought her three cubs out onto the beach, but then, when they all clambered up onto a rock and posed for us... well, could we have orchestrated it any better than this? Five photographers were present, and the whirr of shutters firing in burst mode was impressive. We tend to want eye contact, but what are the chances of four wild animals all looking up simultaneously? I didn't worry about it. This isn't a class shot in grade school or a smiling wedding group pose to be admired and then quickly forgotten because of its essential boring nature; these are wild bears doing what they please. Thrilled that they chose to line up for the photographers, I didn't expect smiles.
This particular adult bear can be bold, even aggressive, although she seemed to have toned down these behaviours now that she is responsible for safeguarding her little offspring into the world. A tense moment did develop later that week, however, and this will be the focus of the next two posts.
Note: This image is significantly cropped. I wasn't as close as it may seem, shooting with the 300mm. And we never approached the bears, but rather, let them come to us.
Photographed in bear country on the wild west coast of British Columbia (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2019 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
1908_3266 Black Bear with Cubs
It was exciting when this Black Bear sow brought her three cubs out onto the beach, but then, when they all clambered up onto a rock and posed for us... well, could we have orchestrated it any better than this? Five photographers were present, and the whirr of shutters firing in burst mode was impressive. We tend to want eye contact, but what are the chances of four wild animals all looking up simultaneously? I didn't worry about it. This isn't a class shot in grade school or a smiling wedding group pose to be admired and then quickly forgotten because of its essential boring nature; these are wild bears doing what they please. Thrilled that they chose to line up for the photographers, I didn't expect smiles.
This particular adult bear can be bold, even aggressive, although she seemed to have toned down these behaviours now that she is responsible for safeguarding her little offspring into the world. A tense moment did develop later that week, however, and this will be the focus of the next two posts.
Note: This image is significantly cropped. I wasn't as close as it may seem, shooting with the 300mm. And we never approached the bears, but rather, let them come to us.
Photographed in bear country on the wild west coast of British Columbia (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2019 James R. Page - all rights reserved.