Photographing bears, particularly Grizzly Bears, is always a rush. These animals are truly awesome. Their natural behavior, raw power and characteristic look make for great photography. No matter where you photograph these awe inspiring creatures, the wild, zoos or wildlife refuges, they always deserve your respect as you never know what they might do. With a little luck someday soon I look forward to the opportunity to photograph Grizzlies on the Katmai coast amongst many other places.
[tags]Grizzly, bear, Ursus horribilis, stock photo, photography[/tags]
I’ve never _really_ photographed these guys, though I’ve seen them in the wild a bit too far off. But I do have one sort of humorous grizzly story. I’m an old hand at dealing with Sierra black bears after years of backpacking, so I don’t freak out at the thought of bears. (I do have a very healthy respect for them though.) The first time I backpacked in Alaska – with a group and for about a week – people turned to me for bear information. I told them what I knew – which wasn’t that much when it came to information specific to Alaska bears – but I presumed that the bears where we were going were likely to be black bears. (Which, in Alaska, are not exactly as innocuous as those in the lower 48.)
After two days of blithely backpacking through a lovely area of southern Alaska – but taking precautions as recommended for such travel – we ran into a ranger and struck up a conversation, which naturally turned to bears. I ventured that we hadn’t seen any (an unfortunate effect of traveling with a group) and that I wondered if there were only black bears in the neighborhood. “Oh, no,” he replied, “there are lots of grizzlies in this valley!” In a way, I suppose it was easier to do my first to days of backpacking through grizzly terrain without worrying about them.
Dan
@Dan that is pretty funny. A false sense of security always helps 🙂 Grizzlies in the wild are a site to behold. They’re incredible creatures. Thanks for the story.
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I love this composition Jim. Very nice.
The style of Sleeping Grizzly Bear captured by you really awesome and something that always all hope to see !!! Thanks for your capture