Animalscapes

My favourite wildlife photos tend to be the ones that show the animal in their environment. Some people call these kinds of images “animalscapes.” In this case, an American black bear in the temperate rainforest. As a bonus, there is a second black bear hunting for salmon in the background.

Notice how the right ear of the bear in the foreground slightly flops over? That feature, his calm demeanor, and the bear’s large size relative to other bears on the creek, made this bear very recognizable. I have not seen this bear since 2019. I miss him keenly. He was large and imposing, and on the occasions when he came close to us, it was initially intimidating. But he emanated such grace that it felt like he was intentionally trying to put us at ease as he unhurriedly showed his intent was simply the salmon in the shallows near us.