Awesome Grizzz! (photo)

To say that this shot made my day would be an understatement! This is what we search to find!

Congrats, Tony! That is great this early in the season. They can be more than a bit ornery this time of year. How close were you when you took the shot? Where were you?

Last, (Smile) do you take protection of any sort when you are out photographing?

James

1 shot with a nikkor 500mm f/4
2 about 50 yards
3 yes, i bring bear spray
4 outside the national park system - blackfeet reservation land in Montana

Magic photos Tony, love the expression "Mmmmm spare-ribs, my favourite". Would that be more likely to be his own kill, or a lucky find?

Great shots, Tony. Did you use flash or are the catchlights in the top photo just the result of having the sun in a great position?

Regardless, as you said, this is what you search for. Wonderful images!

Jim

What an awesome experience that must have been, Tony!! You definitely had the bear's attention! Super exposure and focus!

I've always wondered just how effective 'bear spray' really is. Have you ever heard of anyone actually using it to drive an attacking bear away? I always carry some with me for our black bears but fortunately, have never been threatened.

Great post!

Best regards,

Dick:)

thanks for the compliments! That bear was NOT photographed in the Park, or in a captive situation, it was a wild, free ranging sow and two cubs (could be Alberta bears or just bears from the Park expanding their territory), but they were photographed in Montana. In fact, those bears, as far as I can tell, are new to the area, they were not around last year. The photos were taken with a 500 mm f/4 nikkor lens from a relatively close distance of about 40 yards.

The bears never exhibited any dissatisfaction from my presence. I photographed them for two days (camped out about 10 miles away instead of driving all the way home). Anyway, what a spectacular and extremely rare find!

As per the catchlights, they are natural, i situated myself in such a manner as to get the best angles I possibly could. Photographing bears, in full sun, is one of the toughest things I've ever photographed - even tougher than goats in snow!

That bear on the elk carcass was a cub, here is mommy!

Thanks for looking. . .

40 yards away from a sow with cubs...AND guarding an elk carcass! (and you camped out with them to boot!) You are either really brave or really crazy LOL! That is totally amazing Tony. You not only got incredible subjects but you also nailed the exposure and got the best angle for the lighting, backgrounds are great, these are winners all the way around.

LOL - Thanks for the compliments! DeeDee, I may well be crazy, (Call me crazy for giving up a huge job and lots of pay to live in a tiny little town in glacier park making 1/4 of what I used to make, now that might well be crazy) but I would not have stayed if they would have offerd any concern. All in all, I spent about 8 hours, in two days watching them. They did not, even once, offer to push me off or away. I was shooting across a river so that may have made them feel comfortable and safe from me. I, on the other hand, was a but nervious. I will say that grizzly bears are very unpredictable and may attack or charge you without any signals or warrning. They can cover ground fastar than any animal in the mountains, and the sow could have closed the distance between her and I in three leaps!

I camped well away, but still in griz country, from where I photographed them.

cheers!

I am glad to hear that at least one of us is camping. Did you go by yourself? It must be pretty cold in the mornings when you wake up. I am curious about what you brought with you.

James

It still is cold, up here and can freeze any morning of the year and does. If I'm photographing from the road and I need to camp and I think the weather will hold for a night or two, I just bivy under the stars - and almost always by myslef (do you know how hard it is to find a woman who's into camping like that, and going like you-know-what all the time looking for animals - its very, very difficult)!

If it's going to rain or snow, I just put up a two man (good quality) tent. I usually never camp in the parks, I hate to camp around a bunch of people, and then have to pay for it on top of that. There are times when I just kick the seat back in my toyota tacoma and sleep in the cab, or streach out in the back. . .

Camping allows you to make better use of your time, especially in the late spring through fall when there's 14-16 hrs of light. Take a chair, a small stove, or a portable bbq, an ice chest with some food, a tarp or two, a small shovel and bucket, first aid kit, some reading material, a pile of energy and nature bars, plenty of water, some apples and take off. If your driving a big rig or sleeping in a rv, you will need to make reservations if your coming to the national park system, they are almost always booked!

I'd be glad to help anyone with info if they ever come up this way (Montana). Take care, Tony

WOW!!

Beautiful work Tony!

That Elk look well aged.

Hey Tony,

Are there any rules about camping outside of the parks? I think it is great that you are able to do that. I know how hard it is to photograph tethered to a hotel, LOL. You need to get up earlier and often don't get in until later as a result...particularly in the summers.

My wife has compared going on vacation with me to be akin to going to work.

James