SNAPSHOT

Two Septembers ago JAIME AND LISA JOHNSON of Lincoln heard rumors of a big grizzly feeding up nearby Alice Creek, so they headed that way late the following afternoon. Nearing the end of the road, they spied this bear, ambling along a field of dry grasses. Jaime says he and his wife often hike to take photographs, but they also take many shots, like this one, from their vehicle. They turned off the engine to stop the motor vibration and used bean bags on the window frame to steady their 2-foot-long 500 mm lenses. “Too often photographers leap out of their car when they see an animal, and that scares it off,” Jaime says. “We’ve been very successful just staying inside and using the vehicle like a blind.” About this particular shot, Jaime says he was happy the bear was so well lit. “A lot of times a grizzly can look like a brown blob, but that evening the sun was highlighting his fur tips. I also like that he is looking back at us and that you can see the tip of that claw and the bit of white in his eye.” ■