Brown Bear Catching a Salmon, Katmai National Park

From my coastal Katmai National Park trip, I have lots of images of brown bears chasing and carrying salmon, but this one surfaced for several reasons. First, there is significant splashing. The spalshing adds drama, showing that fast action is taking place. Second is that the pink (humpback) salmon's tail and head (including eye) are both showing along with the bear's eyes being visible. Having the eyes in an image can make or break a shot. I of course love the ideal timing of those enormous claws about to hook the fish. That the bear's head and the fish are sharply in focus is definitely a positive factor as splashing water along with an erratically moving subject presents a significant challenge to both the camera's AF system and to the photographer's skills (including rapid AF point selection). Put all of those attributes together with the impressive image quality of the Canon EOS 5Ds R (www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-5Ds-R.aspx) and EF 600mm f/4L IS II Lens (www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-600mm-f-4-L-...) combination along with the primary subject being the impressive-by-itself brown bear and ... the image rises into my favorites album.

Huge Alaskan Brown Bear in Your Face

Brown Bear and Leaping Salmon, Katmai National Park, Alaska

A pink (humpback) salmon leaps away from a huge brown bear in remote Katmai National Park, Alaska

Brown Bears Fighting, Katmai National Park, AK

While these brown bear are technically fighting, they are mother and second year cub, so the fight is with reduced risk.

Huge Brown Bear, Katmai National Park, Alaska

A close-up photo of a huge brown bear seems to be the ideal defining image for this location.

Remote Shelikof Strait Coast of Katmai National Park

The view from a float plane flying along the coast of Katmai National Park in Alaska is spectacular.

Chillin Brown Bear, Katmai National Park

The bears I encountered in Katmai National Park were primarily catching salmon, eating salmon or resting. I thought this bear chillin on a mound of dirt looked humorous.

Brown Bear Salmon Smackdown, Katmai National Park

Brown Bears and Epic Katmai National Park Landscape

In this photo, the large, bare, coarse-edged mountain peak, the more-gently sloping mid and lower elevations covered in green, and the various waters below, all being large in the frame, are obvious to the viewer. With a little more attention paid, a sow and her standing cub, concerned about the risk presented by the boar that is eyeing and potentially approaching them, come into view and give the photo that extra element I always like. Additional elements (and not as visible at this resolution) are the large number of salmon splashing their way up the stream in the foreground and a pair of brown bears on the distant shoreline.

Kissing Bears

Seemed like the appropriate photo to post on Valentine's day. This is a mother brown bear playing with/training her second year cub. I think they are trying to make a heart shape together.

Beautiful Katmai National Park Sunset

Claws and Teeth, Katmai National Park

Fast Food, Katmai National Park