My last trip to Katmai was an incredible adventure. Everyone on the trip captured loads and loads of great images. The day before our scheduled bear photography trip to Katmai National Park on the Alagnak River started, a few of us opted to go to Brooks Falls as a pre-trip. Brooks Falls is a waterfall located within Katmai, it is kind of a touristy place, and I was a bit hesitant to go. We arrived at the falls in the morning to avoid most of the crowds and boy am I glad we did. When we arrived, there was only one float plane on the shoreline-when we left the shoreline was completely filled with planes.
Because we got there before the crowds, we were able to go to the platform repeatedly without waiting. The platform overlooks the falls and most of the action. But towards the middle of the day the lines were long and wait times were in place. Even with a bit of waiting, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the falls and look forward to another visit. We counted 21 bears at one time, not to mention the fish… Anyway, the picture below tells the story. Special thanks and congratulations to Janice Rosner (it is her photo below). Janice sent me the email below yesterday-
Image copyright and courtesy of Janice Rosner 2021.
The email I received from Janice:
Denise,
I wanted to share this with you. I belong to PSA and am in a nature critique group. I submitted the attached bear image from Brooks falls and the critique I got is attached. Thanks for planning this fabulous trip. This is the 1st time I ever got a perfect 10.
Janice
Review by commentator Jan L.
Nature Story:
This is an excellent example of the Katmai bears fishing. It is hard to find a more instantly recognizable nature story. For the bears, this fishing is life itself. For the salmon, avoiding the bears and spawning means life for the species. This image is full of tension and activity without being at all gory.
Technical Quality:
You hit the nail on the head with your overall exposure. Rarely have I seen one of these images that is any better exposed. This is also looks to be tack sharp. Very impressive.
Pictorial Quality:
The pictorial elements are all strong. Not only does the story immediately hit you in the face, but the composition is as close to perfect as can be. I’ve played around with this a bit for fun, and I did not find any other composition that I like better.
N – 3, T – 3, P – 3, E – 1 = 10