Congratulations to thedutt for winning Feature Thread of the Week with 3 votes - View Previous Winners
This year I returned to Hallo Bay for an eight-day wilderness camping trip—my second year in a row. What started in 2024 as just two of us (pure bliss) grew into a group of six this time (a bit more chaos). On day two, my R5 failed, leaving me with only one body. That forced me into a choice: shoot with the 100–300mm (with or without the 2x) or the 85mm f/1.2. In hindsight, it turned out to be a blessing. 2025 has become the year of the 85 for me, inspired by David Yarrow. The perspective doesn’t quite translate on small screens, but on a larger format it brings me right back to what I saw there.
I also had the privilege of shooting alongside Dawson , John , and their incredible team. They were on assignment for the BBC—so keep an eye out for a one-hour bear feature airing in 2028. I had first met John two years ago while he was filming the " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Katmai Nat Geo Documentary, and he was one of the people who inspired me to finally take the leap and make my first trip last year. If you are into bears (and yellowstone/wolfs), these two folks are top notch videographers.
A delight to view Aditya. For "mama walking the mud flats" there is a lot of white space and too many subjects for minimalism so cropping tighter might be more effective. "Family nap" does not work for me. I get what you are documenting yet the flattening of the long lens makes the cliff hard to understand and the subjects are lost in all that detail. All your other photos are fantastic. What to print? The ones that have the most emotional impact for you.
Just goes to show, one does not need 5-600-800mm to make wonderful wildlife photos, though perhaps for safety! When given the opportunity...use what ya got!
Douglas
Dragonfire wrote:
Vote, Vote, Vote Thanks for the presentation. tres amigos in 24x36.
Thanks Frank! Tres amigos is what my wife wants also - this was an learning experience; The cubs were just across from my bear fence, one of them even tugged at the rope that was the guideline for one of the posts. The bear fence we had was a 3 wire bear fence where one of these little guys could easily jump thru / crawl under. Believe it or not, cubs are known to have done that in the wild, and if that happens, mama is going to come thru to protect them and she will wreck havoc on the camp. Something I have not personally observed, but one of the guys there with us had and we had to make sure that they don't come in.
I had my 100-300 mounted for this photo, and unfortunately didn't step it down enough for all 3 to be in focus. Still planning on printing it and seeing how it comes out.
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Erictator wrote:
Agreed! Ditto and Done.
Eric
Thank you Eric!
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G.E. Smith wrote:
Aditya - Wow, fantastic set ! Great subjects, great backgrounds and triplets are you kidding. Loved them. YGMY !
Greg
Thanks Greg - it was quite the trip, but im experimenting this year with new styles and hitting a plateau on my learning curve.
--------------------------------------------- sum1sgrampa wrote:
These are spectacular. Wonderful photography !
Gary
douter wrote:
Just goes to show, one does not need 5-600-800mm to make wonderful wildlife photos, though perhaps for safety! When given the opportunity...use what ya got!
Douglas
Douglas, I think you will get a kick out of this - so far since getting the 85 last Xmas, I have photographed sandhill cranes, great grey owls, boreal owls, super tuskers, giraffes, lions, cheetah, zebra, tigers and now bears with the 85 - always in a known situation with safety of animals and humans as paramount consideration.
Unfortunately this year I have also seen some really experienced folks do some incredibly dumb shit and it is giving me pause to consider giving up wildlife photography.
morris wrote:
A delight to view Aditya. For "mama walking the mud flats" there is a lot of white space and too many subjects for minimalism so cropping tighter might be more effective. "Family nap" does not work for me. I get what you are documenting yet the flattening of the long lens makes the cliff hard to understand and the subjects are lost in all that detail. All your other photos are fantastic. What to print? The ones that have the most emotional impact for you.
Voting!
Morris
thanks Morris. As I am experimenting this year, your feedback is very helpful.
The cliff photo is something I personally really wish I had the capability or the situation to take better, it resonates with me greatly as this mama was bringing them to the cliff across our camp for safety from large boars. I just could not figure out how to make it better to capture the patterns on the cliff a the subject in its environment. Getting closer was not an option
Which one(s) if any have an emotional impact on you?
thedutt wrote:
thanks Morris. As I am experimenting this year, your feedback is very helpful.
The cliff photo is something I personally really wish I had the capability or the situation to take better, it resonates with me greatly as this mama was bringing them to the cliff across our camp for safety from large boars. I just could not figure out how to make it better to capture the patterns on the cliff a the subject in its environment. Getting closer was not an option
Which one(s) if any have an emotional impact on you?
Many do yet I'll chose some top picks:
mama and cubs and mountains
feeding time
cub across the my camp bear fence
big bad monster to be
hello there close up
bear grazing at sunset v1
eagle takeoff landscape
If any of these surprise you, ask and I'll tell you why
- I would love your thoughts on bear grazing at sunset v1 vs v2;
- Also, mama catching a breath did not make the cut and it is one that I want to improve; This was pure magic in person, I even tried to get the sun star @ f16, sun star version no breath ; What should I do to make it better next time? Did the bear simply need to be closer for this to make it?
I am struggling to make subject in landscape photos where the subject is small, something along the lines of https://paulnicklen.com/stills/wolves/#!jig[1]/ML/1834 - paul nicklen wolf picture (Direct URL is not working, but the one on this page where the wolf is standing on the cliff on the right hand side or you need to copy paste the full url
morris wrote:
Many do yet I'll chose some top picks:
mama and cubs and mountains
feeding time
cub across the my camp bear fence
big bad monster to be
hello there close up
bear grazing at sunset v1
eagle takeoff landscape
If any of these surprise you, ask and I'll tell you why
- I would love your thoughts on bear grazing at sunset v1 vs v2;
Sunset 1 is my preference as the bear is more pronounced yet the entire seen is alive with color and contrast. The second is a good photo yet dose not pop the way the first dose. Possibly boosting the saturation and vibrance might bring this photo life. Also look at the black point and try a custom curve to add a touch of contrast.
- Also, mama catching a breath did not make the cut and it is one that I want to improve; This was pure magic in person, I even tried to get the sun star @ f16, sun star version no breath ; What should I do to make it better next time? Did the bear simply need to be closer for this to make it?
The bear family is lost in that beautiful seen. From the existing capture, you could try a square or vertical frame and place the family in the lower right thirds intersection. If taking it again, experiment with different framing. staying with the frame shape, move the camera to the left and place the family in the lower right thirds intersection. If there was a moment where the mom was on the right of the family and looking into the frame that would be steller.
I am struggling to make subject in landscape photos where the subject is small, something along the lines of https://paulnicklen.com/stills/wolves/#!jig[1]/ML/1834 - paul nicklen wolf picture (Direct URL is not working, but the one on this page where the wolf is standing on the cliff on the right hand side or you need to copy paste the full url
I think you are talking about the 9th photo. There are two wolfs up there and they blend into the background. I like the subject to be distinctive so this is not a good photo for me. I've seen an Art Wolf presentation where he dose a bunch of photos where the subject is hard to find and this would fit that presentation that was a lot of fun.
Your goal to work on environmental portraits will yield some stunning images. They are much harder than fill the frame yet when you get them correct the magic is there.
Thomas Mangelsen is a master of this technique. Look through his Mammals galleries and you will see many examples. https://www.mangelsen.com/mammals.html
Thank you Morris! morris wrote:
Your goal to work on environmental portraits will yield some stunning images. They are much harder than fill the frame yet when you get them correct the magic is there.
Thomas Mangelsen is a master of this technique. Look through his Mammals galleries and you will see many examples. https://www.mangelsen.com/mammals.html
Incredible set! Lovely colors and unique settings, subjects, and environment all captured nicely.
As for printing - all these would make my cut, but if I had to limit my choice...it would be bear 'bear grazing at sunset v1' or v2. The colors and composition catch my eye. However, if you were looking to do something in B&W, it would be 'mama walking the mud flat' all day long!
For me
#1 family walk in the park
#2 Mama in flowers
#3 bear in glacier
#4 mama and cubs and mountains
I also have a soft spot for Family nap, as it brings back memories of my delight watching a bear napping last year (https://vbnut.zenfolio.com/p150814226/e241861d0 and ). Obviously a different feel as I was beyond 500mm, but I'm quite jealous of your family shots as we saw no cubs.
jcnemy wrote:
Incredible set! Lovely colors and unique settings, subjects, and environment all captured nicely.
As for printing - all these would make my cut, but if I had to limit my choice...it would be bear 'bear grazing at sunset v1' or v2. The colors and composition catch my eye. However, if you were looking to do something in B&W, it would be 'mama walking the mud flat' all day long!
Thanks JC - I will try those options; There is a story behind that shot that makes me wary of every printing it. The person I was there with pushed limits beyond my ethics and after this shot was taken.
B&W Version of mama walking the flats:
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vbnut wrote:
For me
#1 family walk in the park
#2 Mama in flowers
#3 bear in glacier
#4 mama and cubs and mountains
I also have a soft spot for Family nap, as it brings back memories of my delight watching a bear napping last year (https://vbnut.zenfolio.com/p150814226/e241861d0 and ). Obviously a different feel as I was beyond 500mm, but I'm quite jealous of your family shots as we saw no cubs.
Thank you for the feedback. All of these bring back fond memories , I want to print walk in the park and trying to decide what size would be best. All the family shots were thanks to this one SOW and after spending 8 days there. Last year during 9 days there we only saw a FG for about an hour. Luck of the draw
