Prairie Wind

Photographing Grizzlies in Yellowstone.
First Rule: Bears are wild.
Second Rule: See Rule #1.
Safety is and always will be number one priority when photographing any animal, but especially Grizzlies. The Latin name is Ursus arctos horibillus for a reason, and that reason is...they can be deadly, unpredictable and plain dangerous.
Now, after that disclaimer and if you still want to photo grizzlies in their natural habitat, there are some things you Do Not want to learn on the job.
Keep this in mind...Bears can run. Bears can run faster than you. Bears do not like surprises. Bears do not like to be cornered. Momma bears will defend her cubs to the death, most likely yours, not hers. Bears communicate, well and often. Being Bear Aware will get you some good photos and you can go home at night with all your parts.

Last Spring I was in Yellowstone driving near Norris Junction. Stachia and I had taken 3 grandsons out there on The Great Yellowstone Expedition of 2017. But they were tired from the previous days long journey and opted to stay in bed....BIG MISTAKE Losers :).
Anyway, childless for the morning, I rounded a corner and there she was.

Right along side the road, 50 yards away...and me with a pullout right there so I didn't block traffic. And then....

There were two...just like that, her cub appeared out of the mist.

My fortune had turned for the better. I pulled into the spot and quietly and slowly turned off the engine and let things settle. My heart was racing because of my fortunate luck. Remember the losers at the motel?

I quietly opened the door, keeping the vehicle between me and them. She continued to feed and ignore me, though I know, she knows, I'm there. My Nikon is set to quiet mode and I had my Nikon 500mm lens on so distance was no problem. I snapped several shots and then waited to see her reaction. Nothing...good. I watched these bears for 20 minutes or so, getting some good quality shots. As it happens in Yellowstone, you can rarely keep a good thing to yourself and she began to draw a crowd. My time with her was now short, because more people equals a stressed bear as evidenced by this photo.

Direct eye contact means time to go. So I did. I left her to her cub and the other photographers, content to know I saw her first.

Here are some other shots I got of them. And the Motel Losers? Well, they redeemed themselves later when we came across the same two bears that afternoon. To be sure, I'll have more on The Great Yellowstone Expedition of 2017 later. I got stories to tell on the Motel Loser Squad :) lol