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The Challenge


The Challenge
Photo Information
Copyright: Harry Eggens (Proframe) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 549 W: 183 N: 1069] (4096)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-11-03
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Nikon F5, Nikon 500mm AF-S F4.0, Fuji Provia 100F, Nikon L37c UV filter
Exposure: f/4.5, 1/1000 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
Map: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): 100 points or more (Chapter 3), AnimalExplorer Favorites 2nd folder, posts with a difference, Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus), Photo Collage at TN [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-08-22 4:57
Viewed: 10021
Favorites: 4 [view]
Points: 142
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE THE ORIGINAL ONE LARGER!!!!

First of all I would like to thank each and every one who did take a view at and those who did wrote a comment on my previous uploads. Much appreciated.

Today I will show you a series of images of play fighting polar bears.
Hopefully it will work out with the bigger panoramic upload.

These 4 shots are taken with the Nikon F5 at full power, wich means 8 frames per second.
In other words the whole scene did take about 0,5 second :)
The four individual images I did stitch together in a new frame.


Because I had some trouble uploading just the original series on the lower part (the image was 800x135 pixels and we are not alowed to upload smaller than 800x250 pixels), I did copy the image, turned it horizontal and put both in to a new background wich gave me a 800x270 image.

These two are sisters wich are around three and a half years old, atleast that is what the driver of the Tundra Buggy told me, and I believe him because he is overthere every year and does know quite a lot of the bears seperately.

These polar bears are very bored after 6 months of doing nothing but walking around and sleep, so many times they get a little annoying towards eachother.
They did'nt have anything to eat since springtime when they caught there last seals on the ice of the Hudson Bay and so they are just waiting for the Bay to freeze up to catch seals again of wich they need the fat badly to come through winter time.

The one on the left in the lower serie is the challenger.
She did stand steady and roared to her sister "come on I challenge you", and while she already did put al her weight on the right front and hind leg and turned the bud to the outside, her sister took the challenge and jumped towards her.
Then she very fast did pull back her left front and hind leg to turn away and did laugh/roar loudly.
To complete the movement, she did put all four legs behind eachother, turned her head an body even more, and did wisper something spitefull like "next time better in her sisters ear"

Sofar the little story of these two bored sister bears.
Hope you like it.

Sometimes these hungry bears do come n to the town of Churchill to look for some food and there is a special polar bear watch patrol wich will try to scare them out of town, but sometimes that does'nt work and they have to drug the bear with a dart gun.

----------------------------------------------------------

From http://www.geocities.com/mikepolarbear/faq

Is there really a polar bear jail?
Officially the building is "D-20" but everyone in Churchill knows it as the "Polar Bear Jail". The polar bear jail is out where the former military base was. D-20 was once a morgue on the base, but today it helps keep polar bears alive! Many polar bears were killed if they came too close to Churchill. The polar bear jail holds about 23 bears

Today, if someone spots a polar bear, they can call a special Polar Bear Alert phone number. People from the Ministry of Natural Resources then trap the bear in a special cage or hit it with a dart that makes the bear go to sleep. Once they have the bear, it gets locked in jail. Jail may not sound too good, but it is better than being shot! The bear rests in the jail until ice forms on Hudson Bay, and then it is released so it can go hunt seals.

Remember, polar bears don't normally have anything to eat in the summer, so if a bear is caught in the summer, they don't get anything to eat in jail either. They only get water. If they got free food in jail, they would come back to town every year. Polar bear's aren't caught in the winter or spring, because that's when they are busy hunting. A bear caught in the summer may spend many weeks safely in jail.

Thanks in advance for viewing and comments.

Best wishes,

Harry
gannu, angybone, PaulH, Kathleen, XOTAELE, vanderschelden, ellis49, Argus, satish_h, gracious, Calianis, MMM, SunToucher, uleko, hester, Juyona, jmirah, sandpiper2, Evelynn, eqshannon, CeltickRanger, SelenE, anel, snowfalken, Servane, Pentaxfriend, marmottelolo, JORAPAVI, Bufo, pvs, haraprasan, hansh, Silke, smitha, M_Detay, cicindela, reina, alguazul, bobcat08, lgfoto, dantor, maurydv, caroze, samandi has marked this note useful
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To lgfoto: Seperate panoramasProframe 1 03-22 05:29
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Critiques [Translate]

hello harry,
lovely series of the shots compiled together has created a nice impact here, excellent work, you have managed the exposure well , i liked the idea of making the image to 800x270, nice pov,
well done,
tfs & regards
pankaj

Beautiful series of shots...informative and well done. Great notes as well!

  • Great 
  • PaulH Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1137 W: 26 N: 3879] (13882)
  • [2007-08-22 5:09]

Hi Harry,
once again an exceptional posting from you! I never tire of seeing these magnificant creatures, and these series of shots show off perfectly a fascinating and very endearing aspect of their behaviour. Very well done, thank you for sharing.
Paul

  • Great 
  • jesst Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 368 W: 0 N: 172] (2441)
  • [2007-08-22 5:10]

Wonderful!
Your polar bears are very sportive and funny. Well done!

Hi Harry.
Absolutly superb, just wonderful seeing the whole movement and your notes to go with it.
Perfectly exposed, pin sharp detail, executed with great skill, a joy to view. I love it.

Kathleen

Hi harry

what a really wonderful sequuence. it is excellent and the notes add that wonderful extra... you really get to go to some exciting places.

TFS
Emma

  • Great 
  • ddg Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 867 W: 24 N: 1008] (5507)
  • [2007-08-22 5:15]

Bonjour Harry, cette série de photos est remarquable!! il faut en profiter, ce spectacle ne durera pas longtemps!! félicitations, didier.

hi harry,

excellent work!great exposure on every one!
GREAT!
TOM

Hi Harry
What a nice play of this two polar bears. Really cool presentation and nice notes.
TFS
Ralf

Una excelente presentación, con detalles fabulosos. Una nota interesante.
Saludos amigo, JL.

Hello Harry,
I want to see each one in a big size:-)
I just love it!
Oh...a large version...will be my next surprise...no doubt.
Many thanks for sharing your great work!!!
Annick

Hi Harry!
Excellent! Fantastic scene, great POV and composition. Perfect work, brawo!
regards
Dorota

Hello Harry,
What a precious capture this is! Like I often say, I envy you to be able to have witnessed so many great scenes as this one. This is very well done, each picture is a little work of art by itself. I don't understand how you can make this montage but I know that it is wonderful. Thanks for this exceptional and educative post.
Claudine

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1739 W: 224 N: 6872] (24909)
  • [2007-08-22 6:49]

Hey Harry,
I see you used the large post option.
I love the large version!
Sharp with excellent timing in every shot.
A lot of action.
Well done,
Joe

  • Great 
  • Eeros (83)
  • [2007-08-22 7:04]

Wonderful! Very happy to see that!! Thanks!!!

It's an interesting series of shots Harry, and although I think that combining images in this way can sometimes be a bit gimmicky, here it works very well.
The bears look great against the white snowy background, making for a simple and minimalist image.
I think any one of them would have worked well as a single image, although I must say that the final frame on the right is my favourite.

Cheers,
Ben

Hi Harry,
a very fine serie and great action.
Exposure and sharpness are spot on as usual.
And a very good scanning job too.
Great work.

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5038 W: 260 N: 15594] (50626)
  • [2007-08-22 9:40]

Hello Harry,
Superb Polar bear sequences, each shot being sharp and interesting even when enlarged. I must work out the way that this is done!
These are a joy to view and I thank you for sharing them.
Best wishes, Ivan

hi harry,
GREAT ! outstanding serie of moving images, really delighful to follow this challenge.
each and every shot is technically perfect !
fantastic lighting.
exellent work ! and very beautiful..
congrats !
best regards and thank you
carole

Hi, HArry
Very very nice picture. Most amazing and action oriented shot. Exposure aginst white BG is fantastic.

  • Great 
  • rdfoto Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 372 W: 0 N: 719] (3295)
  • [2007-08-22 10:43]

Bonjour Harry
Bravo pour cette superbe composition, magnifique
merci de partager ces moments unique.
Amicalement Robi

Hello Harry,
Thank you so much for your effort and sharing for this wonderful action pact of the Polar!
good sharpness, vivid colour and details all round!
very well done and well seen
cheers
Tony

Hi Herry,

A real artistic work...I envy you...Fantastic job!

Well Done & TFS.

  • Great 
  • MMM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1114 W: 0 N: 2546] (11425)
  • [2007-08-22 12:10]

Hi Harry
Very impressive series.You had manage the colors very well.The details of the fur and the sharpness are excellentAlso very interesting comments.
TFS Michel

Potdomme Harry, wat een super serie. De actie in elke opname is super gaaf. Je presentatie van de 4 opnames vind ik heel erg mooi, vooral het feit dat je geen scherpe lijn ziet tussen elke foto. Alsof ze naast elkaar staan. Elke foto is super scherp en perfect belicht. Zelfs het detail in de ogen en de sneeuw vlokken zijn perfect zichtbaar.
Groeten,
Niek

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1515 W: 18 N: 3165] (11638)
  • [2007-08-22 12:34]

Hi Harry

The LP is amazing. I am in awe of your skill! Excellent exposure, marvellous poses and perfect focus. Such dramatic images

TFS

Karan

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3396 W: 172 N: 3310] (10940)
  • [2007-08-22 12:36]

Hello Harry,
What an outstanding and fascinating series of pictures of these play-fighting youngsters. Impressive sharp details in the large version!
Amazing work and an interesting note!
Many thanks and regards, Ulla

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor [C: 2232 W: 10 N: 2971] (16891)
  • [2007-08-22 14:13]

Hola Harry,
precioso trabajo y sensacional pov,
hermosa compo.
saludos

Brilliant Harry, brilliant

The big version would have to be one of the best shots I've ever seen on TN and perhaps on the web as a whole.

Getting the scene in the first place is rewarding, but having such a perfect exposure of white on white, yet retaining all the detail and sharpness is just amazing.

Stunning work Harry, thanks so much for sharing this moment of boredom. :)

Chris

This is a wonderful sequence Harry. I have to agree with all that has been said already. Wonderful workd and good note too.

TFS
Evelynn : )

Now guy...how about that you have done eh? Fine storyboard. I would love to see you behind a quality pro video system. Surely you could make some good docu's eh?

I have not forgotten you!
Bob

bonjour Harry

quand je visite mes photographes favorispour voir leurs
nouvelles photos, arrivé à toi j'ai toujours hâte de voir
quelle sera la nouvelle superbe photo

quelle belle série de séquence de photos
que tu viens de nous présenter,

j'adore

MERCI

Asbed

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2249 W: 65 N: 4205] (13972)
  • [2007-08-23 0:37]

Hi Harry,
I liked your presentation a lot. Exposure control, the pose you captured and composition are very nice. TFS
Best wishes,
Selen

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 3053 W: 3 N: 8715] (40574)
  • [2007-08-23 2:58]

hello Harry,
We just almost feel like in a movie. Excellent this panoramic view and on the bigger upload it looks just fantastic. Pictures full of live, an excellent change to daily life.
Have a nice day
Anne

Hi Harry,
WOW!! Dounle WOW!! Excellent sequence of photos. Very well composed. A very informative and interesting note.

TFS
Jim

Hello Harry,

What an unusual post! Each picture of this series is a winner! Great subjects and great poses!
I guess it's much dangerous to approach a polar bear than a brown bear. I know how difficult it is for them to find food in summer and I guess they wouldn't hesitate to attack a human if they have the opportunity. There have been many cases of bear attacks in Romania and in many of them the victim has survived. Would it be the same with a polar bear?

Composition:

I don't know what to say about composition since this is a stitch made of four separate pictures. Individually, I like each one's composition because it shows action, the white snow makes a great background and the silhouettes of the bears are easy readable even if their color is white too.

Colors:

The colors look natural to me. I can only compare them with what I've seen on TV because I've never seen a real polar bear. I like the fact that the bears' yellowish white color is different from the blueish white color of the background.

Contrast:

The contrast is good enough to enhance subtle details. The contrast is stronger in the area of the bears' faces which is a positive thing.

Exposure:

Exposing such scenes might fool the sensor of the camera if not careful. This is not the case here where the whites are properly exposed.

Focus:

I guess focus was achieved only once, before the shutter began to fire. The sharply rendered subjects indicate a correct focus with well controlled DOF.

You did a great job by stitching these pictures together to present the fighting action. Mirroring the stitched image for a second row of picture was very original! Thank you for sharing!

With Friendly Regards,
Eddie

Bonjour Harry,

Ce recto verso est superbe!
Merci aussi pour l'explication du "duel" de ces deux protagonistes qui nous fait entrer un peu plus dans cette courte histoire.Magnifique travail!

Servane

harry,

thank you very much for your big work on here!they are all excellent with a great exposure!!!!excellent work!!!!and very nice of you to share!
tfs
caroline

Merci Harry, c'est du grand art.
Tes sujets sont superbes (des ours polaires, c'est très éxotique pour nous européens du sud) et leur interaction fascinante. La netteté est irréprochable, l'exposition parafite, malgré l'albédo de décor. J'aime beaucoup l'angle de cadrage, qui donne l'impression que ce bestioles jouent une scène devant nous.
Bravo et merci de nous montrer des images d'une telle qualité.
Salutations
Hervé

Ha Harry,

WoW wat een SUPER serie
Perfecte belichting en montage (geen hinderlijke overgangen)
prachtig scanwerk
kwalitatief weer uitstekend

TFS Thijs

  • Great 
  • gannu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 988 W: 4 N: 3277] (14761)
  • [2007-08-23 22:41]

Hello Harry, very nice film showing the polar bears. Very nice shot and you have made this very interesting.ganesh Smiley tmrw

bonjour harry
excellente composition,le fondu des differentes photos est parfaitement realisé,chaqu'une des scenes est nette.une belle reussite pour des photos prise d'assez loin je suppose.
la version large est superbe.
laurent

Hola Harry,
Preciosa secuencia de imágenes a cada cual mas bonita, todas ellas de gran calidad. Completa, interesante y amena la nota informativa, TFS. Saludos
José Ramón

  • Great 
  • Bufo Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 404 W: 69 N: 951] (4247)
  • [2007-08-24 4:15]

Hoi Harry,
een fantastische serie van deze twee ijsberen. In de jaren dat ik op spitsbergen gids zie ik ze het liefst van dichtbij van een schip. Aan land wil ik ze liefst niet te dichtbij treffen.
Vanwege de verantwoordelijkheid voor de veiligheid zou ik dan niet eens foto's kunnen maken :-)
Deze serie is echt geweldig en kan menig ansichtkaart uit de rekken doen verdwijnen.
Groeten, Jacob

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1772 W: 36 N: 5597] (18598)
  • [2007-08-24 4:57]

Hi Harry,
Magnificent series here with immaculate sharpness and fabulous actions captured. Looks like a film strip. Superb exposure and perfect light management. Excellent POV and very nicely composed. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

  • Great 
  • pvs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1127 W: 254 N: 3161] (14464)
  • [2007-08-24 7:06]

Ha Harry,

Een schitterende compositie,mooi opgenomen en dat slechts in een halve seconde,de plaatjes zijn mooi,bijna als in een film neergezet,lijkt me ook een prachtig iets om dit eens in ket wild te ervaren,weet niet of je op de bon avoy naar churchill gegaan bent of heb je de reis via een bureau geboekt,

Paul

Hi Harry,
Excellent captures of this two Polar bears fighting. Nice composition and details and the LP version is also excellent. Thanks a lot for sharing.

  • Great 
  • hansh Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 277 W: 1 N: 741] (2762)
  • [2007-08-24 10:09]

Dag Harry.
Dit lijkt me geweldig om mee te maken maar ook wel iets beangstigend. Mooi zoals je ons dit laat zien.

  • Great 
  • puciu Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 469 W: 0 N: 16] (2631)
  • [2007-08-25 11:47]

Fantastyczne zdjęcia Harry. Świetnie to uchwyciłeś. Podziwiam i pozdrawiam Robert.

  • Great 
  • Silke Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 729 W: 98 N: 1707] (5458)
  • [2007-08-25 14:13]

The captures are stunning in and of themselves, the combination of them here is truly fabulous. I am also most impressed by the crispness of detail, especially set against that expanse of white
TFS
silke

what a great moment to catch, good job,
excellent serie, love it
regards
jo

  • Great 
  • Etka Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 95 W: 0 N: 59] (514)
  • [2007-08-27 8:08]

Witaj!
Wapaniala fotografia. Pieknie uchwyciles te niedzwiadki.
Gratuluje!

Pozdrawiam
Etka

No words... or... just one: AMAZING!!

Andrea
(interesting note, too)

Amazing indeed.
Excellent series.
Technically perfect.
Beautiful rare animals.
Rare and great action.

TFS
JM

Fantastic stitched sequence the PP is flawless and the exposure is right on the money for each consecutive shot. Super job Harry. :)

Hello Harry,
Mind blowing picture!! Great action series with excellent sharpness and perfect timing. Great exposure.Very informative notes too.
Thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful picture, Harry.
Regards,
Smitha.

Hi harry
beatifull serioes you show us of this beatifull animals
Every shot,which we can see on this image you could upload alone and it were a succes
Tfs Toba

Hi Harry,
Exceptional posting.
Absolutly superb.
Congratulation.
Cheers from Antibes.
Michel

Hello Harry!
This presentation looks like a moovie! Great compilation of photos which together present in a very good way natural behaviour of polar bears! Great timing and perfect idea for presentation. DOF, sharpness, colours, framing and other technical elements of presentation are very good.
Best withes,
Radomir

  • Great 
  • reina Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 257 W: 1 N: 330] (2032)
  • [2007-10-23 11:57]

Woooow. Took some time to go through some portfolio's now. Like your post a lot. Excellent presentation, beautifull shots with humor, details and lots of motion. Thanks for sharing. But for sure I cant blame my camera now if I make a bad picture.
Reina

Hi Harry, One of the BEST posts in TN I would say. Perfect is what one would call this.

Well done,

Warm regards, Kiran

Simply perfect.
As good as usual.

Hi Harry,

Wow, what an amazing serie you're presenting us here. Each one is beautiful showing great action between the polar bears!
I can imagine the pleasure you had in shooting these bears!
Incredible!
Lise

Hallo Harry,

Ik snap mezelf niet zo dat ik deze schitterende panoramafoto gemist heb. Onbegrijpelijk. Maar ik probeer het goed te maken. Wat mij - Niek trouwens ook - opviel dat er geen scheiding zichtbaar is tussen de vier foto's. Heel knap gedaan. Zo mogen er meer op TN gepresenteerd worden. Groeten en TFS BOB

Wow, this is a breath-taking story Harry. Great idea to do a video-like combination of several pictures. I understand how and why you stitched two panorama pictures together but I still do not follow, how did you get the two separate panoramas when I zoom smaller shots. Great note enhancing atmosphere. TFS

Hi Harry,

You spent a lot of time and effort in order to post this beautiful "montage" for our enjoyment. The link to the larger original is very useful since the larger format shows better detail that the 800x270 and allows us to appreciate fully the outstanding quality of the images. Thank you!

Spettacolare sequenza, eccellenti lavoro ed idea compositiva, perfetta esposizione con una resa straordinaria di sfumature di grigio-bianchi. Grazie e complimenti. Ciao Maurizio

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-04-08 9:41]

Hello Harry

The series of shots is amazing.
Excellent focus with sharp details.
Nicely composed in this montage.The action is well captured and you have presented it very well.It is fun to look at this image,and follow through the action.
TFS

Harry,
excelente, diferente y cuidado trabajo con un especial mimo en la luz y el color el que nos presentas.

Un abrazo: J. Ignasi

  • Great 
  • wuta Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 855 W: 2 N: 617] (2142)
  • [2008-04-14 7:30]

Hallo Harry , Deze is ook fantastisch , heel apart , groeten Teunie .

great collage, TFS Ori

Hi Harry,

A truly exciting action photo series!

TFS. I am so sorry, no points, I have exhausted the alloted points.

Verite

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