National Geographic pick "Holding Hands" as Best Wall Paper of 2009

Getting recognition on National Geographic for the "Holding Hands" image was pretty exciting. The image was selected as Best Wall Paper for 2009. So, feel free to download it for your desktop wall paper ;-)

Holding Hands - Best Wall Paper 2009 - National Geographic

How did "Holding Hands" come together:

The scene was photographed in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. I have been photographing at this location for the past 5 years (and take people on workshop to this location).

Grizzly bears are North America's second largest land carnivore, after the polar bear. In the Alaskan Peninsula grizzly bears may approach or just exceed 680 kg (1,500 lb). The females are on average 38% smaller, at about 115-160 kg (250-350 lb). 6 months old cubs (like the one photographed) weight about 55 kg (120 lbs) On average, grizzly bears stand about 1 metre (3.3 ft) at the shoulder when on all fours and 2 metres (6.6 ft) on their hind legs, but males often stand 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) or more on their hind legs.

The grizzly's coloring ranges widely depending on geographic areas, from white to almost black, and all shades in between. The grizzly also has a large hump over the shoulders, which is a muscle mass used to power the forelimbs in digging. This muscle is commonly used to dig for their various vegetative food sources. The hind legs are more powerful, however. The muscles in the lower legs provide enough strength for the bear to stand up and even walk short distances on its hind legs, giving it a better view of its surroundings. The head is large and round with a concave, disk-shaped, facial profile. In spite of their massive size, these bears can run at speeds of up to 55 kilometres per hour (34 mph). However, they are slower running downhill than uphill because of the large hump of muscle over the shoulders.

The two cubs were being chased by a male, as the sow was fishing. After running away, they both stood up, touching paws for a few seconds, to see if the big male was still chasing them. The image was photographed with a 500mm /f4 lens putting the cubs about 50 yards away.
As a photographer, I had to make a quick decision on what to focus on. There were a lot of activities happening simultaneously: the sow had just caught a fish, the big male was running full speed towards the cubs and sow, the two cubs were anxiously waiting to be fed, and then the cubs got scared and run away from all these activities.

I did pick the cubs, as it was a continuation of my intent to photograph their interactions over the course of the week. Then, it was a matter of not being distracted by "other shots".

As I mention during our workshops, start focusing on a concept vs. just an image. Empty your mind of images and fill it with concepts. Focus on the emotional response you would like to elicit in the viewer (More of this photography tips are taught during our One Lens One Camera workshop).

Good luck with your photography ...