Polar bear and the Romanzof mountains of the Brooks Range, Arctic, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark III, 500mm f/4L IS II w/1.4x (700mm) 1/320 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800. Stitch of three images.
This photo embodies one of the compelling lures of Alaska’s Arctic for me-its huge, wild, and expansive spaces. The wildlife that roam this region often have a diverse range. It is a sparse landscape and population densities are much lower than other areas on the globe. Polar bears are normally solitary animals and will roam hundreds of miles. This male bear was walking across some recently frozen ice as morning light fell on the Romanzof mountains of the Brooks Range in the distance. Even though I took the photo with a telephoto lens, it is combination of three images, that allowed me to capture the big sky and help convey a sense of vastness to the image. Plus, it is a huge file that will reproduce very large if necessary.
