Monday - January 25th

First Place in Class B is "The Stare" by Robert Atchley

Here's what the judge had to say:

The maker has done a fantastic job of photographing this grizzly bear. I don’t know where the photograph was taken but you have done a fabulous job with it. There are dangerous animals to start with and you are really close here. I don’t know how you pulled it off. You took your time and did a good job. We can see the pie shape of the grizzly’s face and every hair on it. I like how all of surrounding area is all greenery and a few flowers. It really provides a nice shot of the habitat that the bear lives in and does not compete with the image of the bear. Finally the posture of the bear in the frame is very good, the fact that the bear is entering on a diagonal line strengthen the composition. I like how you have place the face of the grizzly just a little off center, that coupled with the diagonal line of the back makes it a really strong composition. The lighting here is very good it appears that you had some diffused or overcast light, no harsh shadows, a lot of detail in the fur and the vegetation. An outstanding shot of this grizzly.