Bruce Benson
September 2021 - Boo Boo
Original
About the Image(s)
Taken at Halo Bay, Katmai NP Alaska. The image was taken on the first day of my 10 day trip of a life time. Weather was horrible with fog and rain. The mother sow actually brought Boo Boo over to our guide and made him sit near us for 45 minutes while she went to fish in the halo river. Our guide was incredible and several female sows would bring her cubs to him and make them sit with us to protect them from male boars which will kill cubs if given the chance. Unfortunately my trip was cut short the next day due to a medical problem that forced me to have an emergency plane take me out.
Canon 1DX/ Canon 2X TC 400 2.8 Wimberly gimbal head
F 5.6/ 1/1000/ ISO 1600
This round’s discussion is now closed!
12 comments posted
Bruce, these cuties look like stuffed animals! The story which goes with them fits that description. I'm wondering if the fur is a bit more sharp than necessary. When I enlarged the original image, the fur was really plenty sharp in capture. Posted: 09/01/2021 17:43:30
They look wet, that is probably the reason the fur looks that sharp. Posted: 09/01/2021 20:13:42
Mary, the reason they are called grizzly bears is that their fur looks like this and Isaac is correct that his fur is also wet making it even more so. Posted: 09/03/2021 17:36:20
I love bears, and this is a nice shot. What outfit did you use for the trip? I still need to do Katmai, but want more than just Brooks River. One of the cubs I photographed this spring did not make it and it is assumed a Boar got it. Posted: 09/01/2021 18:09:18
Randy, This image was taken at Halo Bay. My last trip was camping for ten days at Kinak Bay which is where Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend were eaten by a bear. My guide is Kent Frederickson who has guided there for many years. He is a lot cheaper than any other guides I have found and really knows his stuff. He lives in Sweden and spends every summer in Katmai. I meet him many years ago in Homer Alaska photographing eagles. His e-mail address is grizzlycamper@mac.com
https://coolwildlife.com/wildlife-tours-workshops/grizzly-bear-tour/ Posted: 09/03/2021 17:51:49
https://coolwildlife.com/wildlife-tours-workshops/grizzly-bear-tour/ Posted: 09/03/2021 17:51:49
Thanks for the info...! Posted: 09/06/2021 15:44:23
Bruce, this image is so compelling! I just love how the baby is seemingly whispering "I love you" to its mama. The square crop and the simple background enhance the image nicely. Posted: 09/03/2021 09:12:47
A lovely image Bruce! You timed the shot perfectly, with lovely interaction between the two, but also the mother's face clear from the cub's paw looking straight at you, plus having a foot off the ground, all adds to the charm of your image. The small size of the cub seems to be emphasised by the way it's leaning up to nuzzle it's mother.
Very envious! One day, we'll get to Alaska! My ideal is to have a single trip that includes bears, salmon leaping and eagles! Oh, and great landscape to photograph too! Posted: 09/11/2021 11:05:16
Very envious! One day, we'll get to Alaska! My ideal is to have a single trip that includes bears, salmon leaping and eagles! Oh, and great landscape to photograph too! Posted: 09/11/2021 11:05:16
A lovely image Bruce! You timed the shot perfectly, with lovely interaction between the two, but also the mother's face clear from the cub's paw looking straight at you, plus having a foot off the ground, all adds to the charm of your image. The small size of the cub seems to be emphasised by the way it's leaning up to nuzzle it's mother.
Very envious! One day, we'll get to Alaska! My ideal is to have a single trip that includes bears, salmon leaping and eagles! Oh, and great landscape to photograph too! Posted: 09/11/2021 14:20:46
Very envious! One day, we'll get to Alaska! My ideal is to have a single trip that includes bears, salmon leaping and eagles! Oh, and great landscape to photograph too! Posted: 09/11/2021 14:20:46
Bruce, I am sorry to hear that you had to cancel your trip after one day. I just came back from Katmai National wildlife preserve in Alaska and from photographing the brown bears. Your image is so clean with no distracting elements and very sharp. We had seagulls all over and of course lots of water as well. The mother/cub relationship is so evident and natural, and some times annoying. Posted: 09/13/2021 09:45:42
Isaac, I have been to Brooks Falls, Halo Bay and Kinak Bay to photograph brown bears. Kinak Bay was really bad for seagulls but the others were not. It is a one of the wonders of the world to see the bears there and feel blessed to have had the so many opportunities to go there. I could not afford to go on the boat so always had to camp. I camped for 10 days in Kinak Bay which is where Timothy Tredwell and his girl friend were killed and eaten. Bruce Posted: 09/23/2021 23:02:39
Bruce, an excellent mother cub moment capture! I have been to Alaska, but not to photograph. The timing of this is perfect and the image is sharp with no distractions to steal your eye away. My only suggestion would be to add some color back into the bears. The sharpening seem to have reduced the color from the original. Very well done. Posted: 09/14/2021 16:41:53