One of the aspect of wildlife photography I like the most is to be able to capture wild animals displaying their natural behavior in a relaxed environment. Thanks to a long lens, disturbance is minimal and animals are quite at ease. This allows for the creation of stunning behavioral moments. I can think of a couple of instances from my last Polar Bear trip that were quite memorable.
Polar Bear yawning- Hudson Bay area, Canada.
ISO 640 | f/5.6 | 1/5000 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review), the Canon EOS 5D mark III on a gimbal head over tripod.
This bear looks quite fierce if you ask me… However, he is simply yawning in the middle of his afternoon stroll. Nothing to be worried about! Yet, it is such a pleasure to witness those simple moments.
Polar Bear splashing water to dry up – Hudson Bay area, Canada.
ISO 1600 | f/5.6 | 1/800 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review) coupled with the 1.4x extender, the Canon EOS 5D mark III on a gimbal head over tripod.
It was a very rainy afternoon with a dark overcast. Note the high ISO I used in order to be able to capture any possible action. That male bear was soaked and seemed to put himself in position to do something… but what? He started to shake from nose to tail in an attempt to splash out the water out of his dense coat. The result is a ballet of water droplets while my subject seems to be smiling to the sky. What a nice action capture.
Support our blog by following our links for your purchases. It comes at no extra cost to you and it helps keeping this photography blog lively!
Steven