YOUNG INDEPENDENCE
When trying to capture intimate images of animals you need to understand them and their world, for me the only way of doing that is to experience it yourself. We walked the meadows of Hallo bay for three weeks, following individual bears in the warm sun, driving rain and howling wind. You begin to appreciate just how tough these bears are, you then begin to understand what it takes to be a survivor in a place like this. We had been following this young female for a few days who was part of a gang of young bears we called “the motley crew”. Although she was young you could tell she had a certain determination in her step, a sense of independence which separated her from the others. In this moment the rest of the younger bears were just across a small river whilst she stood drinking facing away from us looking at them. I positioned myself lying face down in the mud trying to protect my camera from the gentle rain that had begun to fall. Feeling the cold begin to seep through my shirt to my stomach, the muddy sand grind under my elbows and the cool breeze chilling my wet fingers I held still to see which way she would walk. Instead of crossing the river she turned to face us and walked in the opposite direction from the others. As she did this she calmly walked within ten meters of me, she glanced at me and I snapped this image. The intimacy of this shot, the connection I felt as our eyes met and power in her gaze makes this one of my favourite photographs.
When trying to capture intimate images of animals you need to understand them and their world, for me the only way of doing that is to experience it yourself. We walked the meadows of Hallo bay for three weeks, following individual bears in the warm sun, driving rain and howling wind. You begin to appreciate just how tough these bears are, you then begin to understand what it takes to be a survivor in a place like this. We had been following this young female for a few days who was part of a gang of young bears we called “the motley crew”. Although she was young you could tell she had a certain determination in her step, a sense of independence which separated her from the others. In this moment the rest of the younger bears were just across a small river whilst she stood drinking facing away from us looking at them. I positioned myself lying face down in the mud trying to protect my camera from the gentle rain that had begun to fall. Feeling the cold begin to seep through my shirt to my stomach, the muddy sand grind under my elbows and the cool breeze chilling my wet fingers I held still to see which way she would walk. Instead of crossing the river she turned to face us and walked in the opposite direction from the others. As she did this she calmly walked within ten meters of me, she glanced at me and I snapped this image. The intimacy of this shot, the connection I felt as our eyes met and power in her gaze makes this one of my favourite photographs.
When trying to capture intimate images of animals you need to understand them and their world, for me the only way of doing that is to experience it yourself. We walked the meadows of Hallo bay for three weeks, following individual bears in the warm sun, driving rain and howling wind. You begin to appreciate just how tough these bears are, you then begin to understand what it takes to be a survivor in a place like this. We had been following this young female for a few days who was part of a gang of young bears we called “the motley crew”. Although she was young you could tell she had a certain determination in her step, a sense of independence which separated her from the others. In this moment the rest of the younger bears were just across a small river whilst she stood drinking facing away from us looking at them. I positioned myself lying face down in the mud trying to protect my camera from the gentle rain that had begun to fall. Feeling the cold begin to seep through my shirt to my stomach, the muddy sand grind under my elbows and the cool breeze chilling my wet fingers I held still to see which way she would walk. Instead of crossing the river she turned to face us and walked in the opposite direction from the others. As she did this she calmly walked within ten meters of me, she glanced at me and I snapped this image. The intimacy of this shot, the connection I felt as our eyes met and power in her gaze makes this one of my favourite photographs.