HIGHLY COMMENDED CATEGORY ANIMAL PORTRAITS
Amit Eshel | Living in the moment

Name: Amit Eshel
Picture title: Living in the moment
Category: Animal portraits
Nationality: Israel
Occupation: Professional wildlife photographer and jewelry designer

Technical information
Camera: Canon EOS-1DX Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM
EXIF: ISO 640, f4, 1/1250 sec
Accessories: NatureScapes Skimmer Ground Pod II and Induro GHB2 Gimbal Head

Amit says:

This image was taken in east Finland. Every early summer some small, unremarkable brown and green flowers develop distinctive white bristle-like seed-heads that resemble tufts of cotton. I planned my photography project to be there at the right time for the bloom. Peak flowering lasts only two weeks a year and varies from year to year depending on the weather.The bears in this area are pretty shy and afraid of people so they are mostly active at dusk and dawn. I spent a few days laying down in a tiny claustrophobic one person hide, hoping for something to come out to an open wetland. 

One evening I was fortunate to witness a beautiful family of mother and triplet Eurasian Brown Bears stepping out of the forest and playing in the beautiful golden light. When one of the cubs got tired of playing he left his siblings and sat down to rest in a special way with his leg lifted up.
He seemed enjoying the moment watching the beauty of his environment while the golden rays of the sun painted the forest in gold. I liked the way he was sitting with his back to me like someone who has no worries in the world and shooting from this angle tells his story with the environment in an unconventional way.

As photographers we are often fixated on photographing the animal looking at us and not away from us. So it is good to try and think out of the box sometimes. There is always a surprise in a bear and I think this is why so many people including myself feel a special connection with this animal and a strong need to protect them in order to make sure they stay on our planet for good.