bear | Andrew McInnes Photography

On the first day that the National Parks were reopened to the citizens who own them, I drove to the Smoky Mountains to have a few hours in Cades Cove – a truly remarkable location, and a visit I highly recommend.

All images are Copyright © Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
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I feel so very fortunate to see a family of American Black Bears up close and personal – sort of.

Peek-a-boo 🙂

American Black Bear_2AM-000210
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400MM f/4.5-5.6L lens. f5.6 for 1/400 second at ISO 800 (handheld).
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mama bear ascends. Such amazing claws/claw strength!

American Black Bear_2AM-000214
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400MM f/4.5-5.6L lens. f5.6 for 1/400 second at ISO 800 (handheld).
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Unlike the assorted yahoo’s who observed the scene with me, I did not approach and stand under the tree!

American Black Bear_2AM-000371
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400MM f/4.5-5.6L lens. f5.6 for 1/125 second at ISO 1000 (handheld).
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

The fog was very thick when I first arrived. This scene/habitat is very similar to that where I observed the bears.

Cades Cove_2AM-000546
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105MM f/4L lens. f22 for 1/5 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Morning light flashes the prairie through the fog.

Cades Cove_2AM-000553
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105MM f/4L lens. f22 for 1/8 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

This is not a monochrome/black-and-white treatment. Rather, the fog and rain and mist altered the light to what you see here.

Great Smoky Mountains_2AM-000528
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400MM f/4.5-5.6L lens. f22 for 1/13 second at ISO 500.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

The lovely winding road that leads to Cades Cove follows a stream for a good portion, and this lone tunnel is always intriguing to me. I stopped to take this image on my way out – the fall leaves are beginning to turn on a show right now!

Great Smoky Mountains_2AM-000079
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105MM f/4L lens. f22 for 6 seconds at ISO 800.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

These images are a mere sampling of the wondrous place that is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For more of my images of the park, swing over to some of my earlier/archived posts:

https://2amphotography.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/a-bloody-cold-shoot-in-the-mountains/
https://2amphotography.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/serenity-in-the-great-smoky-mountains-national-park/

Cheers,

Andrew

Assorted non-avian critters from Australia, Belize, USA. Most taken with Canon 30D camera and Canon 100-400 mm lens (predominantly handheld). All of these animals (excepting the domestic dog and horses) are wild and “free”.

Bottlenose dolphin and red snapper.

American Alligator.

American Alligator and Roseate Spoonbills.

American Alligator - a mating behavior.

a very loud, and in this case fatal, chomp on a turtle.

American Black Bear just prior to hybernation.

American Black Bear (same individual as prior image).

Australian Shepherd and snow - not wildlife but a handsome dog nonetheless.

Bee (unidentified).

Bee and Morning Glory flower.

Another bee, another flower.

Black Iguana.

Green Iguana - cryptic coloration.

Green Iguana.

Coyote - "fearful and aggressive" behavior. This individual has been ravaged by sarcoptic mange, hence the lack of fur and the open flesh wounds. The temperature was 20 degrees F on the day I captured this image - surely this individual perished soon thereafter.

Coyote. This individual heard the camera shutter and looked "straight at me" but I was apparently sufficiently camouflaged to not "spook" it. Also, the wind was blowing strongly from right-to-left in this image so my scent was apparently not detected.