Grizzly Bear, Denali National Park, Alaska…Image #2969

I just returned from a rainy week photographing Denali National Park and this image of a grizzly bear is one of my favorites. Folks often ask me just how patient one has to be in order to be a successful nature/wildlife photographer. This shoot is a great answer to that question. I spent six days in the park and had at most only six hours of concentrated-productive photography due to rain, the closure of the Park Road because of a mudslide, and just some plain bad luck. I had just two 10 to 15 minute shoots with bears. This image came from the final shoot of the day as I was exiting the park at 10pm.  The wait is long, yet the rewards are great. Enjoy the photo and thanks for visiting. Camera: Nikon D800, Lens: Nikkor 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6, ISO 2000, hand held, digital capture ©Mark Kelley