hope you enjoy them!

Ooh, I especially like that last one.

Now That's What I Call a Holiday! Your's or the Bears, I don't think the bears care.

Love bears, just not too close. Good pics Thanks for sharing.

Boy oh boy, I sure hope you used a long lens. Don't forget about that photog/nature guy (and his girlfriend) who got killed by grizzly's.

All the pics are great but that last photo is awesome. Look at those paws! One swipe and you can say goodnight forever.

WOW! They're all great, but that first one, yowza! Where did you go on vacation to get "snaps" like these? Nice job. I hesitate to do this because some people don't like it, but I warmed up that first one a bit. Hope you don't mind....... anyway, great work. Get 'em in frames!
Scooter

WOW! They're all great, but that first one, yowza! Where did you go on vacation to get "snaps" like these? Nice job. I hesitate to do this because some people don't like it, but I warmed up that first one a bit. Hope you don't mind....... anyway, great work. Get 'em in frames!
Scooter

The pictures were taken at Hallo Bay in Alaska's Katmai national park

The EXIF info for the shots is:

Picture 1
Camera Model Canon EOS 20D
Shooting Date/Time 07/09/2005 20:30:11
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/800
Av( Aperture Value ) 5.6
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation -2/3
Digital Exposure Compensation +1.1
ISO Speed 800
Lens 500.0 mm
Focal Length 500.0 mm
Image Size 3504x2336
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode One-Shot AF
Drive Mode Single-frame shooting

Picture no 2
Camera Model Canon EOS 20D
Shooting Date/Time 05/09/2005 17:13:19
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/80
Av( Aperture Value ) 11
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 400
Lens 500.0 mm
Focal Length 500.0 mm
White Balance Mode Shade
AF Mode AI Servo AF
Drive Mode Continuous shooting

Picture no 3
Camera Model Canon EOS-1D Mark II
Shooting Date/Time 05/09/2005 9:35:50
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/200
Av( Aperture Value ) 8.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation -2/3
Digital Exposure Compensation +0.5
ISO Speed 400
Lens 100.0 - 400.0 mm
Focal Length 100.0 mm
White Balance Mode Cloudy
AF Mode AI Servo AF
Drive Mode Single-frame shooting

Picture no 4
Camera Model Canon EOS 20D
Shooting Date/Time 02/09/2005 9:53:25
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/640
Av( Aperture Value ) 6.3
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation -1/3
ISO Speed 200
Lens 500.0 mm
Focal Length 500.0 mm
White Balance Mode Shade
AF Mode AI Servo AF
Drive Mode Continuous shooting

the 500mm lens was a Sigma 500 f4.5EX, the 100-400 a Canon 100-400L

Simon-
You take good vacations! Do you take more than one per year or do you just save up for time and money for one big one?

The photos are awesome! I am very nervous in bear country. I suppose it's a little different when they're occupied with the salmon. When I'm biking in bear country I am always wondering what I'll do when and if I encounter one. I scared up a mama and baby brown bear on the trail in Downieville this summer and that made me plenty nervous. But grizzlies are a whole other ballgame.

Post reviews for those lenses, if you haven't already. We always need more reviews!

Good to see you posting :)

This year has been special.

My normal holiday entitlement is 28 days per year, but as I had to cancel last year’s California trip due to business commitments, I was able carry forward 10 days from last year giving 38 days, so this year I’ve been to Tanzania and Alaska!

On the cash front, I hadn’t had a major holiday since 2002 and I was flush earlier in the year, so I was able to afford both trips this year. I’m not sure if I can afford such a spectacular trip as either of these two for quite a while as I’m currently buying a new house and my share options don’t mature until 4 years time!

John... Brown bear and Grizzly are like saying dad and father... same thing ;) I have only seen one as a child when I lived in Lake Tahoe(I forget where we went though.... maybe jellystone?.. I mean Yellowstone)

http://www.bearbiology.com/brdesc.html

Simon.... Your images honestly are right there in quality with those that A Morris gets on his trips to Alaska IMHO! WOW is an understatement for the first two images!

His latest Bulletin isn't up on his site(well atleast I can't find it), but here's his previous one with grizzly images

http://www.birdsasart.com/bn184.htm


Ray ,

Timothy Treadwell (who died in 2003 with his GF) lived with bears for 13 years studying them at very close range. As with people, it was one individual that did the killing, not the whole race ;) I wouldn't advise trying to befriend a wild animal, but they are not as bad as stories make them out to be as a whole. There was a famous female Grizzly in yellowstone that would pose for photogs daily..... a speeding RV killed her a while back though :(