Tuesday, 23rd September 2008
Bear by the Lake
by Matt B-L
A brown bear pauses beside a beautifully calm lake in the remote forest region of the Finland-Russia border. I spent five nights (70 hours in total) observing and photographing these shy animals - an experience well worth enduring a cramped, uncomfortable hide for.
Equipment: Canon 1D MKIII with 400mm lens
Matt B-L
Website: www.mattbl.com
Bear by the Lake by Matt B-L was photo of the day on Tuesday, 23rd September 2008. It is tagged Bears, Reflections. You can leave a comment below.
20 Comments
Jim Atkin
Sorry for your discomfort, but thank you for bringing this beautiful picture to us. Keep up the excellent work.
Ariel
Looks like it was definitely worth it seeing as how you came back with a beary good image such as this one!
Did you meet many local Frussians along the border?
Malta Photography
Hey Matt, that is most certainly a dream for most of us to be able to remain in the wild just capturing these moments. Great shot very nicely captured and balanced light.
Anurag
Great shot Mathew. Well worth the effort and hardships. Really loving the shallow depth of field and the saturated colors.
Pauline Jones
I would definitely spend 70 hours in a hide for this; well done.
Keith
A wonderful image that brings home how great our planet is. It’s just a pity “man” (the species)cannot stop from destroying it, and is hell-bent on doing it. Thank God there are people like yourself who enjoy recording it for others to look at and enjoy.
Marie Dunphy Harding
This is great. You are one lucky guy & we are lucky to have you share this.
planet lover
Amen to Keith’s words. Your shot captured the beauty and peace of nature sans us.
Renee
Wow so close you were, great shot!
jacques bégin
In Canada, the barbaric hunting season is upon us.
Let’s hope this fantastic specimen survive. I won’t hold my breath but I sure wish fire arms be increasingly replaced by cameras. North America deserve to be put to shame regarding the excessive slaughter due to its open hunting period. Photos like this one are a great help to push the political agenda in that direction.
Merci Matt.
Ellie
WOW, Perfect! Sharp and full of color.
Beautiful.
Nicolas Rakotopare
amazing picture and amazing work !
Jerry Mohr
Wow! what a magnificent shot!!
TomBrooklyn
It bears repeating that persistance pays.
Charlena
absolutely beatuiful shot. well done
Juha
Good job, Matt! Nowadays, many Finnish nature photographers have awesome bear shots, but this is still one of the greatest bear photos I have ever seen.
Fortunately, there are still more than 1000 brown bears in Finland, and even more in Russia. Unlike wolves, bears are not hated by farmers and hunters because they don’t kill cattle or dogs. In addition, bears and people rarely see each other since the bears are so shy. Now the eastern border of Finland is full of huts where people can see these wonderful animals. When people are ready to pay for seeing bears, they are protected more eagerly also by the local residents.
Su
This is a great shot, bears have such bad publicity its nice to read positive comments, congrats.
Renee
amazing!
mike
He is big
Great picture of him.
Deborah Flowers
Exquisite image with fabulous detail!