Use of fill flash with large, wild, carnivores

[glen_johnson]

In another post, someone suggested that use of flash for fill when photographing bears in the wild could anger the bears, and would, at the least, draw attention to the photographer. I know that people who live and work in bear country have a lot of detailed knowledge about how to avoid problems with bears - like for example, never talking when you are in the vicinity of a bear; not because it will draw attention to you, but because the bears will get used to the sound of a human voice and be less startled by it in an emergency situation.

 

<p>

 

Does anyone who has experience in the wild know whether or not fill flash would present a significant safety risk for the photographer when shooting carnivores in their natural habitate with a long telephoto? If the answer is yes, the good news is that your back pack will be lighter. :-)

[bob_atkins]

I guess anyone with really negative experiences won't be posting...

 

<p>

 

I can't offer any direct experience, but I've seen many grizzly

(bear that is) images taken using fill flash. I know Lepp has

a few examples in his publications, and he is still around. He

makes no mention of problems. I've never heard of anyone having

problems using fill flash either. Of course that's easy for me

to say!

 

<p>

 

I've rarely, if ever, had an animal give any visible reaction to

fill flash (if they did, I'd stop using it). Of course they

were not unrestrained wild carnivores (unless you count coyotes)

for the most part, so I wasn't taking much of a personal risk!

Zoo animals probably don't count, as they must by now be so used

to P&S flash photography that they just ignore it.

 

<p>

 

 

This is a really good (and important) question. I hope someone

can supply a better answer than mine.

[mike_liu]

Perhaps the main issue is not so much personal safety but rather that "overexposure" to humans

and the gadgets that we carry decreases the "wildness" of the wilderness. It's one thing to see

bears catching salmon at Katmai and quite another to see them raiding campsites in Yellowstone for quick meals.<p>

On the other hand, something totally unexpected often elicits curiosity from the animal -- I've heard that

penguins, for one, often will come up to a human because they have never or rarely seen them before.<p>

I guess it's not really much of an answer, but more of a comment on wildlife in general -- that the

commandment that I've read somewhere, never to deliberately hurt the subject that you're shooting, still holds true.

[dave_willard1]

My experience happened on the Petawawa River in the north Ottawa valley. Taking a break from trekking I noticed a black bear feasting on a fish along the riverbank. I slowly and quietly approached over rocks from the other bankto some fifty feet away when I seen two cubs scampering on the limbs of an overhanging tree. Looking through my viewfinder the actual image size of the bear took up too little of the format. At that point I mounted my flash as the subjet area was light and dark from filtering sun rays. I came to within about thirty feet when momma bear glanced up from her fish at me then resumed her feeding. Luckily my Metz on full power carried enough light to significantly lighten the dark areas. The most response from momma bear was a glance. Its amazing what Photographers will do for that shot. I knew better than I acted. Wild animals are totally unpredictable. Their actions are based on so many factors we don't take into consideration. Best bet is to observe and shoot at a repectable distance with a decent lens and wait for the animal to enter into more suitable lighting conditions.

[dan_smith]

Wild animals are actually very predictable. It is the fact that many of our predictions of what they will do are so often wrong that is so troubling as well as dangerous.

[rudy_digiacinto1]

I have not had the experience of photographing large carnivores in the wild. I have had the experience of trying to use fill-flash to photograph large herbavores (Whitetail Deer) and can tell you that you are waisting your time. The deer's ears are so sensitive that they will hear the flash unit power-up and the only thing you will be able to photograph is the empty space they were standing in. As for wild animals known to attack human beings, (grizzlies) It is not a good idea to do anything that might startle them or give away your position if it has not already been assessed by the bear. Escpecially if the bear has young nearby.

[david_b.]

I've never had any experience with large wild carnivores, but have taken photos of quite alot of animals and birds using flash as fill-in

and at dusk with flash as the main source of light with badgers. In all cases except in bright daylight the bird or animal is startled when the flash goes off. In many case the animal or bird then goes off. Therefore, I have found the effect on the animal or bird to be very detrimental, but on the other hand, the photos that can be got are sometimes so much better that I often use flash anyway. I would be very wary about using flash with large wild carnivores unless they were known to be timid.

[anthonty_debase]

People interested in agressive bear behavior may wish to read the book: "Bear Attacks, Their cause and avoidance". Sorry I don't have the author's name.

[george_chambers]

Good question. I don't know the answer, but I think "Dangerous" works for me. I think Bob Atkins is right when he started with ". . . anyone with really negative experiences won't be posting". The problem with bears, and any wild animal for that matter, is their predictably un-predictable, no matter how well we've studied them. But unlike most wild animals, a grizzly has REALLY big teeth and claws! No matter how many favorable reactions we get, there is always the danger of that one UN-favorable reaction.

 

<p>

 

Years ago I read an article in Sports Afield or a simular publication about a mauling that happened, if I remember right, in Yellowstone Park. Campers were awakened at night by a bear in their camp. One of them used a flash camera to take a picture and the bear reacted by mauling one of them. Whether it was the flash itself, the power up whine or something else that may have really lead to the attack, if your going to get close to that large of a carnivore, expect a reaction.

 

<p>

 

We would all hope for a good reaction, but it would only take one BAD reaction to spell disaster. And no one is sure how a bear might react, even those who live with them as neighbors. Even deer have been known to attack! So good luck and Be Careful!

[gary_gervin]

The author of the book, "Bear Attacks: Their causes and avoidance" is

Staphen Herrero. The publisher is Lyons & Burford. I can't recommend

the book highly enough. It's very helpful safetywise and fascinating

to boot.

 

<p>

 

By the way, an equally fascinating source of info on animal reactions

and danger signs, especially with reference to getting too close, is

"How to Photograph Animals in the Wild" by Dr. Leonard Lee Rue III and

Len Rue, Jr. It includes great shots of big, truly pissed animals and

plenty of detail on when it's time to forget the photo and run. The

authors seem to spend a lot of time talking about what happens when

you get too close (especially in rutting season), but I can't recall

any time spent cautioning about spooking animals with fill flash.

 

<p>

 

Really, the Rues' emphasis on the dangers of getting too close as a

main cause of animal attack accords pretty well with what Herrero says

re: bear safety. Herrero's book isn't concerned with bear photography

as an end in itself, but he does make reference to some campers who

were attacked by bears (I forget the species). Their camera was found

near the scene, and when the film was developed, it was clear that

they had repeatedly moved closer and closer, untill the bears finally

attacked. The theme of getting too close is repeated over and over in

Herrero, both in reference to grizzly attacks (along with the theme of

sudden encounters) and to black bear attacks resulting in minor

injury.

 

<p>

 

I'm using an old manual focus which syncs at 1/60th of a second, so I

haven't really bothered to learn fill flash technique, and can't

comment on the effects of flash on bears firsthand, but based on all

my reading, I think too close is much more important than too bright.

 

<p>

 

Again, for definitive info on bear safety, Herrero can't be

recommended enough.

[gary_gervin]

Oops... that's Stephen Herrero, not Staphen Herrero.

[stephen.schwartz]

I recently had the chance to photograph wild grizzlies who were eating salmon along a river in Northern B.C. I primarily used a 600mm f/4 Canon with and without a 1.4 teleconverter. However at the end of the second day as we were packing the gear into the truck a large adult male grizzly left the river and came up in the bush along the road. The bears were generally wary but somewhat habituated to people because they share the river with some rather cavalier fishermen.

 

The large male came abreast of us at the side of the road, obviously wanting to cross it. He clearly did not want to leave the bush while we were there but was to full of salmon to wander further up the road so he just lay down with his head on his paws and watched us from behind the brush. I switched to a 100-400 zoom and took photos from about 20 feet away. The light wasn't great so I used the pop-up flash on my 30D and then switched to the Canon 580 EX with a Better Beamer for one or two shots.

 

The bear was relatively oblivious to the camera-mounted flash but flinched when I fired the 580 EX with the Beamer.

 

I confess that I was probably pushing the envelope throughout this and especially when I fired the flash. I have some basic familiarity with bears from having spent a number of years in Canada's national parks but that does not translate to any expertise. Bears, and especially grizzlies are unpredictable.

 

This one was showing absolutely no signs of aggression. While we were not in the vehicles we were in a group of 5 photographers which gave some minor comfort. In retrospect, I crossed the line.

 

Anyway the end of the story is that a truck came along the road which spooked the bear - and he dashed into the bush and then crossed the road a couple hundred feet farther along.

 

Some of the photos, including one of this bear are posted at

http://www.photo.net/photos/Stephen.Schwartz

The photo of this bear is also posted below

 

For what it is worth, I have met Stephen Herrero and can say he is a great authority on the subject.