HANDS DOWN

A coastal brown bear on the mud flats inspects the fruits of its labour. With an incredible sense of smell, the bears locate the razor clams buried in the mud below, and with powerful front paws and claws, dig the clams out of the mud.

The bears then exhibit incredible dexterity, in delicately prising opening the shells with their beautiful long claws to access its nutrious contents. They even balance the open shells on top of a paw, akin to a dinner plate, to consume the tasty morsel. By kneeling down, I held my camera low with just a centimetre or two off the mud in order to get this low angle, symmetrically balanced shot of the coastal brown bear. The head on framing masks the visibility of the bear's hind legs directly behind, resulting in an intriguing composition where it could be viewed as the bear doing a hand stand. I converted the image to black and white to simplify the scene and to evoke drama, in shadows, light and textures of the bear's features.

Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Alaska, USA