Canon 40d, 70-200mm f2.8 L, at 155mm
1/400th sec, f4.0, ISO 100.
I'm not sure who made this image first. Not this exact image, of course, I made this one. But I'm referring to the original. The first of the iconic "Bear catching salmon" shots. I think every serious photographer who has visited Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park has some rendition of this photo. And I'm confused by that.
Why is it that we struggle to imitate the classic images of the places we visit? In Denali, its Mt. McKinley over Wonder Lake from Ansel Adams Point, or Denali in Reflection Pond. Both of those standards were, of course, set by Adams himself. There are the Tetons with the Snake River, and the Grand Canyon from the South Rim, Monument Valley from the East, and of course Katmai Brown Bear catching salmon in the air at Brooks Falls.
When I made this image, I was standing next to another photographer, a teched-out fella who rolled up to the viewing platform dragging two suitcases loaded with gear, took over a good portion of the upper level with his cases and then bull-dogged his way into the prime viewing spot to set up, pushing tourists aside with flying elbows as he passed. When I found my way next to him I cracked some joke about making the salmon jumping/bear catching image and how strange it is we all want that image. He replied with braggadocio, "I'VE got more than a dozen!". Wow, I thought, not only is he an ass, but he's a boring ass as well.
But why is it that we want those images? We tick them off like some kind of photo-destination checklist. And I do it too. I've got the shot of Denali from Reflection Pond and the Grand Canyon and now the bear and salmon from Katmai. These images aren't marketable, there are thousands of them already out there with stock agencies, and publishers have seen the image so many times they are bored. Rightfully so too. Of the hundreds of images of bears I have from Katmai, this isn't my favorite. I like it OK, but I like it because it gets a rise from viewers. It always gets a wow, or a gasp. I think it gets this response because they've seen the image before and think it must take some great skill to get it. Trust me it doesn't. It's damn easy in fact. Set up your tripod, adjust exposure, compose, and shoot when the salmon jumps. Click, click, click. Done. No long glass required. This, as you can see in the photo information above was only at 155mm. But its what people think it takes that matters. Ah yes, the magic of photography.
I suppose we try for these shots because someone else did the thinking for us. We didn't have to come up with the composition on our own, we just had to frame and execute. Same with the great landscape shots, we just copy and click. This of course, is also why none of the copies are as good as the original. I know quite well that this is far from the best image made of of a Katmai Bear and its prey. The light ain't that great, the sharpness isn't exactly perfect, there is some motion blur... Like a tape that has been copied a dozen times, it doesn't retain the same depth or freshness of the original. Still, I'm glad I've got it. It gets the "wow"s at slideshows, and makes everyone think I must be some kind of expert. And I'm happy to perpetuate that particular myth.
