Or you can forward the link to this page to your friends via email, or use the share button at the top right of the page.
Bear story and
once-in-a-lifetime pictures
THE BEARS AND
I
Black bears typically have two cubs, rarely
one or three. In 2007, in northern New Hampshire, a black bear sow gave birth to
five healthy young. There were two or three reports of sows with as many as four
cubs but five was, and is, extraordinary. I learned of them shortly after they
emerged from their den and set myself a goal of photographing all five cubs with
their mom, no matter how much time and effort was involved. I knew the trail
they followed on a fairly regular basis, usually shortly before dark. After
spending nearly four hours a day, seven days a week, for six weeks I had that
once in a lifetime opportunity and photographed them in the shadows and dull
lighting of the evening. Due to these conditions the photograph is a bit noisy
as I had to use the equivalent of a very fast film speed on my digital camera.
The print is properly focused and well exposed with all six bears posing as if
they were in a studio for a family.
I stayed in touch with other people who saw
the bears during the summer and into the fall hunting season. All six bears
continued to thrive. As time for hibernation approached, I found still more
folks who had seen them and everything remained OK. I stayed away from the bears
as I was concerned that they might become habituated to me, or to people in
general, as approachable friends. This could be dangerous for both man and
animal. After Halloween I received no further reports and could only hope the
bears survived until they hibernated.
This spring, before the snow disappeared,
all six bears came out of their den and wandered the same familiar territory
they trekked in the spring of 2007. I saw them before mid April and dreamed
nightly of taking another family portrait, an improbable second once in a
lifetime photograph. On April 25, 2008 I achieved my dream.
When something as magical as this happens
between man and animal Native Americans say, “We have walked together in
the shadow of a rainbow.”
And so it is with humility and great
pleasure that I share these photos with you.
