BEAR CLAWS! Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

BEAR CLAWS IN ASPEN

Two weeks ago I visited Aspen, Colorado, the storied ski resort for the rich and famous. I was there, not to ski, but to participate in a conference. Early in the morning on my third and last day in town, my host and I drove down from his home on the slopes of Red Mountain on our way to the meeting site, stopping along the way to take a few photographs. An overnight snowfall of about 40 cm (16 inches) — on top of another 40 cm already on the ground — had transformed the area into a veritable winter wonderland.

As I steadied my camera against an aspen tree to capture the valley, my friend pointed out the claw marks left on the tree by a grizzly bear. This image is a sequel to the last one I posted of Aspen, and shows a close up of the claw mark, and indeed shot immediately after that one. In the ws I am posting an alternative view — the aspen tree seen against the backdrop of the magnificent ski slopes. In choosing a main photo vs. the ws version, I followed the suggestion of my friend Dan Kohanski, Wandering_Dan, a gifted photographer who saw an abstract beauty in the close up version. I dedicate the claw marks to Dan.

The grizzly is a large (400-600 kg) omnivorous bear found in North America, and known to be extremely aggressive. Exactly when this bear had sharpened his claws on the tree is uncertain, but I was happy that we were not there simultaneously.

I wish all my friends in the Trekearth community a New Year, marked by health, happiness and prosperity — one that sees a dramatic turnaround in the global economic crisis. The behavior in the stock market is generally characterized by the expressions “bull market” (excellent) and “bear market” (dismal). I certainly hope that this image does not portend more of the latter!

Bulent

bostankorkulugu, AiresSantos, CLODO, omerozden, ymrk, Buin, feather, ahmetgedikli, TGULUMSER, Wandering_Dan, stego, isabela_sor, papagolf21, saylan-cb, axiotea, zeynepe, MLINES, nivaldo, ChrisJ, jhm, Didi, trekks, Cricri, zmey, gunbud, meltemi, belido, Wanda1, kermit350, azaf1, kdialyna, stelli, Tezic, AROBN54, Bluejeans, GFSSD-1, Emile, jafadabret, mafegan has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

bostankorkulugu (34148) 2008-12-26 23:46

pençe izleriyle birlikte ağtaki gözler de çok hoş bir pattern oluşturmuş birlikte... aspenden şık bir kış detayı sunmuşsunuz... sevgiler profesör... iyi yıllar tekrar...

korkut

erel (11542) 2008-12-27 0:04

MERHABA Bülent abi
Önce gelmekte olan yeni yılın size ailenize mutlu sıhhat ve sağliklı geçmesini dilerim..saygılar.Fotoğrafa gelince detaylar kareyi tam ful doldurmuş, keskinlik süper eline sağlık... EREL

TopGeo (22457) 2008-12-27 0:08

Hi Bulent! It is beautiful send the persons wishes. These days where finishes the old year and waits for the New Year I thank for your own wishes. You I wish Love, Peace, Happiness, Health and a lot of money to you it brings the New Year
Georgios

AiresSantos (43202) 2008-12-27 0:16

Hi Bulent
Fine winter composition with excellent details. I like the colours and how you framed it. Very good informative note as ussual
Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year
Aires

keribar (42760) 2008-12-27 0:40

Hello Bulent,

I am using the internet of the hotel in Tel Aviv where I was for the opening of my exhition sponsored by the Turkish Embassy on Thursday evening. I found a few minutes on the web before leaving.MAny thanks fior your thoughts and I will surely let you know if I fly to the US. By the way th's 's an extraordinary documentary shot .. Very impressive I have never seen such a mark before. I like the way you let the background out of focus it enables us to get a better approach on the real thing. Happy New Year to you and your family dear Bulent - Izzet

CLODO (4693) 2008-12-27 0:42

Hi Bulent
thanks to your comment, I understood what was the subject of your picture. Nice compo and surprising shot
Well done
regrads
CLODO

rodgerg (25435) 2008-12-27 0:57

Hello Bulent,

Very nice, an excellent framing. The details are very well collected and thge tree arise very well in the white of the BG.

the best for you in 2009,

Roger

omerozden (1241) 2008-12-27 1:11

merhaba bulent,
i like the sharpness and the composition. you nave used the light very well that we can see the texture of the snow.
mutlu yıllar!
regards,
omer

ymrk (9258) 2008-12-27 1:23

Merhabalar Bülent hocam;
Şu gözler çok dikkatimi çekti.Pençe izleri ve arka fon müthiş.
Ellerinize sağlık,
Sizin ve ailenizin yeni yılını kutluyorum.

YAĞMUR

Buin (38546) 2008-12-27 1:31

Hallo Bulent!
You show us a really interesting and somehow - for a Central European - a bit frightening picture. What a size of shoe! ,-)) In combination with your - as always - excellent note again a really worth-seeing contribution.
Greetings from cold but very sunny Germany!
Frank

emka (22701) 2008-12-27 2:06

Hi Bulent, Impressing photo. This aspen tree looks similar to the birch. Interesting pattern with something like an eye. And of course this clawmarks of grizzly bear are terrifying. We regret we had not met the bears (we saw one with a cub not far from us, but it was dark already), but seeing this maybe it could be not so nice.
Happy New Year dear Bulent for you and your family. I hope your book will be a bestseller!

Warm regards

Malgorzata

Morac (21099) 2008-12-27 2:59

Hello Bulent
Nice compo and surprising shot.
Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year.
Regards
Marc

feather (50460) 2008-12-27 3:22

I agree wholeheartedly with this choice over the one in the WS. We cannot fail to notice the subject of the image. Of course you don't want to meet the grizzly face to face but a shot of him in action would be great. ;D You have captured the detail on the aspen trunk perfectly and as well as the claw marks we can imagine the bud scars looking like eyes. In the wider WS view, the background winter wonderland tends to take some of the attention.
I also wish you and your family a Happy New Year, but can't help feeling the bear market will prevail for a lot longer than we hope. Already in the UK businesses are failing, people are losing their jobs and house re-possessions are increasing.
Kath

ahmetgedikli (22235) 2008-12-27 4:42

Her yönüyle dikkat isteyen ve dikkat çeken bir görünüm. İyi görüp ve fotoğraflamışsınız. Ellerinize sağlık...
Yeni yılınızı da kutluyorum hocam.
Ahmet

alvaraalto (5305) 2008-12-27 5:18

Hi Bulent,

Great shot of this “tattooed” birch. I hope you were not in top when the grizzly laid his claws on the tree-trunk. Anyway... you escaped, for else you couldn't have made this excellent picture.

Best wishes for 2009,
Groet Rob

TGULUMSER (12528) 2008-12-27 5:18

Bulent Bey merhaba,
Benim hic gormedeigim bir goruntu bu. Sizin de yeni yiliniz kutlu olsun, guzellikler dilegiyle,
Elinize saglik,
Tulay

Wandering_Dan (3321) 2008-12-27 10:19

Merhaba, Bulent -

What a nice Christmas present! :-)

You've shown here both the abstract quality of the closeup and the power of the bear; bears are NOT cuddly Winnie-the-Pooh creatures, and people should be very respectful of them. And, like Kath, I think that bud scar definitely resembles an eye.

And a nice thought about the bears and the bulls of Wall Street. Paul Krugman, whom I highly respect and who just won the Nobel Prize in economics, writes that it will be late 2009 or early 2010 before things really start to get better, and that our economic focus will have to stop relying on speculative "bubbles" and consumer free-spending.

I hope you like my post for today, too.

Happy new year!
Dan

stego (22498) 2008-12-27 14:30

Hello dear Bülent,

It's a very beautiful image, abstract in the compo, but also very naturalistic in what it shows. I am not sure if I would spot the potential for this close-up, specially because the photo of the WS is also a very good one.

Like you, I hope that showing signs of a bear doesn't presage anything related to the Wall Street slang you mention in the note.

I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year to you, Carol Jean and the rest of your family. And I hope you new book is a success, because even without knowing it, I am sure it is much deserved.

Warm regards, José.

imago_lux (247) 2008-12-27 14:33

Great pics, as always, Bulent.
Have a good new year.
Greetings,
Jack

cak (3906) 2008-12-27 18:13

ağaçlarda hep ölümsüz aşklar kazınacak değilya ayılarda bir şekilde mesajını vermiş olabilir..iyi yıllar

mesutilgim (37533) 2008-12-28 1:44

Selam sevgili Bülent,
Pençe izleri de muhteşem ama, ben göz'lere bayıldım. Sade bir görüntü ama mükemmel grafik etki.
Gözüne gönlüne sağlık
Tebrikler
Selam ve sevgiler
MESUT ILGIM

isabela_sor (42719) 2008-12-28 6:00 [Comment]

Show Comment

lraew (42) 2008-12-28 10:37

A most interesting perspective on the playground of the rich and famous. The tree, replete with its knots, almost seems to look back at the camera screaming with the trauma of the bear visit! Just the other evening we were with good friends and owners of Graves Mountain from Smyrna, VA. This season their apple, grape and other harvest have been greatly diminished by the bear population. Your capture of their presence in this manner is most interesting! Happy New Year

papagolf21 (56977) 2008-12-28 11:46

Bonsoir, mon bon ami Bulent,
Deux photographies, deux réussites ! l'on mesure l'importance de la bête à voir ces empreintes sur l'arbre. Je ne pense pas serrer la main à ce brave ours ! ;o) particulièrement lorsque l'on voit les marques de tendresse laissées sur l'écorce !!!
À l'aube du Nouvel An, accepte de tout coeur les voeux les plus chaleureux pour une année exceptionnelle : santé, bonheur et prospérité !
Amitiés.
Philippe

saylan-cb (12726) 2008-12-28 12:57

Merhaba Bülent Bey,
Çok farklı bir gözlem.Detaylar,pençe ve göz ifadeleri ile mükemmel bir sunum olmuş.
Ellerinize sağlık
Mutlu ve sağlıklı yıllar.
Selamlar/Saygılar

axiotea (16355) 2008-12-28 22:06

Hello Bulent
I'm used to see my cat claws on the trees but the ones of the grizzly bear are quite impressive ;) Love the texture of the tree bark and its details like the eye on the lower part in between the claws! Thanks for the note and ws too!

My best wishes for 2009 ;)

Cheers
Marilyn

zeynepe (9390) 2008-12-28 22:46

Merhaba Bulent Bey,
Ayı pençeleri insanı urpertıyor ama hos bir detay yaratmıs bu karenizde. En alt pencenin uzerindeki ayni goze benziyor.Bu sicacik (ve urperten) kis kareniz icin cok tesekkurler :) sizin de yeni yilinizin sevgili esiniz Carol Jean , cocuklariniz, torunlarinizla mutlu, saglikli , huzur dolu gecmesimi dilerim.
Zeynep

anokutan (7969) 2008-12-29 5:14

Bülent bey merhaba,
Harika bir makro.Sanki insan gözü gibi detay da var.Süper olmuş.Selamlar.

MLINES (11044) 2008-12-29 13:45

Hi Bulent. A very unusual and interesting thing to see. It shows how powerful thos claws really must be. TE has enabled many new and visually stunning things in this huge world of ours. The clarity and colours along with the note make this a very fine contribution. Best of luck in the coming year and congratulations on your new book, it looks great. Murray.

nivaldo (13528) 2008-12-29 13:53

That´s really curious, dear Bulent!
Have you also a good 2009 !
With my best wishes,
um abraço,
Nivaldo

ChrisJ (70443) 2008-12-30 1:37

Hi Bulent

Ouch! Easy to imagine what those sharp claws would do to a persons skin! Effective tight framing, with good lighting, that reveals the textures. Have a great 2009!

jhm (83684) 2008-12-30 3:53

Hello Bulent,

I prefer you WS as a fine winter picture, this is a wonderful picture with a lot snow on the branches.
Colourfully picture, sharpness and clarity are superb.
Excellent captured, nice composed good presentation.
Very well done. TFS.

Best regards,
John.

Didi (36654) 2008-12-30 4:49

Hi dear friend
I hope that the bear was not close to you :)
Terrific picture and also very interesting subject.
I never saw such before.
Best greetings while waiting 2009

trekks (14336) 2008-12-30 7:36

hello Bulent

At first glance I am puzzled why you would shoot and post a photo of a boring tree trunk, then the marks and the note explains it all.

Very interesting really to see how a bear would do what a human loves to do, scratching some letters on the tree bark. Perhaps here it is the primitive sign language used by the bear?

I also wish you all the best of 2009.

tfs, bill

Cricri (44048) 2008-12-30 9:09

Hi Bulent
Un animal qui doit être impressionnant de voir, déjà quand on voit les griffes sur l'arbre, netteté et détails remarquable
Happy new year to you too
cricri

zmey (7282) 2008-12-30 12:34

merhaba bulent
not every day we see trees 'petted' by bear claws nowadays... actually, i have never seen one like this in my life. a very trek-earthy post, if i may say so, friend. hope you stayed well out of the way of the fellow who did this ;)

happy 2009!
kristaps

gunbud (28247) 2008-12-30 17:15

Hi Bulent,
Beautiful vertical presentation of this frozen aspen with the distinct markings of a giant grizzly.
The marks of the powerful beast sharp claws are very well seen against the white bark and black markings.
This shot does much to show how scary these guys can be.
A Very Happy Healthy New Year to You and Your Family.
Regards, Tom

meltemi (9746) 2008-12-31 3:50

Hello Bulent,
I like the rich tones and textures in this image, enhanced by the fact that they are in so great focus. I particularly like the wide tonal range that you've captured under soft light. Nicely captured in a wild setting.
My best wishes for a marvelous 2009 to you and your family!
Stella

belido (17103) 2008-12-31 4:56

Hi Bulent,

very nice aproximation. Interesting details of the bear claws marks on the wood. The composition was very well executed. Framing, deth and focal point are really good. Very well done!
Regards,
Carlos
PS: I wish you all the best for the upcoming year. Health, Peace and prosperity. See you!

Wanda1 (11025) 2008-12-31 5:06

Hi Bulent,
Those are quite some marks. I can imagine what serious damage a bear like that could do. This is a nice close up to get the detail of the claw marks and I like the bit of snow too.
All the best for 2009!
Regards
Wanda

kermit350 (8990) 2008-12-31 6:07

Merhaba Bulent, It is always a pleasure of contemplating your splendid winter compositions, particularly the detail of these claws left by a grizzly bear (I knew the brown bears, the blacks and now I will have learned an innovation) the layer of snow has l' air quite thick and your photograph bring freshness jusqu' here, I wish you in my turn of good festival of end of the year, and that the inspiration accompany you for 2009 , arkadasça selamlar ...............................Merhaba Bulent, C’est toujours un plaisir de contempler tes magnifiques compositions hivernales, particulièrement le détail de ces griffes laissées par un ours gris (je connaissais les ours bruns, les noirs et maintenant j’aurai appris une nouveauté)la couche de neige a l'air bien épaisse et ta photo amène la fraîcheur jusqu'ici, je vous souhaite à mon tour de bonne fête de fin d’année, et que l’inspiration vous accompagne pour 2009
, arkadasça selamlar

edal (6601) 2008-12-31 8:09

Merhaba Bulent Bey,
I admire your keenness of photo-observation - you have not missed to document that rare event.
Tebrikkler, and have a Happy 2009!
Anton

tober (4124) 2008-12-31 8:17

Merhaba Sayın Hocam, çok ilginç ve aynı zamanda da ürperti veren bir ayrıntıyı yakalamışsınız. İyi ki fotoğrafı çektiğiniz sırada ayı da oralarda değilmiş.

Size tüm ailenizle birlikte güzel, sağlık dolu bir yıl diliyorum. Okyanus'un karşı kıyısına selam ve saygılar,

Tolga

azaf1 (15615) 2008-12-31 8:36

Kalispera Bulent

My best wishes to you and your family for 2009
I hope it be what 2008 has failed to, in good health, happiness and prosperity and of course many nice captures

Best wishes and TFS for a whole year of exquisite posts
Argiris

kdialyna (3096) 2008-12-31 8:56

Marks from nails of bear in tree.
This is something that really do not see often the people from the city.
Very good idea from you Bullent to show this to us.
My dear friend, I want to thank you for the all your good words of this year and to wish you all the best for you and your family for the new coming one.
Kostas

stelli (2985) 2008-12-31 11:14

Amazing capture! Great "eye", Bulent! Thank you for sharing! Regards Stella

Happy and Healthy New Year!!!

Tezic (16927) 2008-12-31 14:54

enfes detaylar ve harika bir netlik.. tebrikler...

jmcl (14181) 2008-12-31 18:28

Hi Bulent,

I love the abstraction of it ..birch and aspen trunk are one of my favorite subjects to see and attempt .. and the reality of it .. I was trying to identify some marks out on my little forest (my back yard flows into the woods .. ) it was kind of indeterminate whether they were bear or deer rubbing antlers (I think they were the latter .. although my neighbor tells me for years a big bear came through and ate the apples off his tree ..) .. although I am going to guess what you have here is a black bear .. just given the range of the two species .. although I am very glad the two of you did not meet ..

hope you and yours have a wonderful new year .. a beautiful time to be in aspen ..
My two favorite photographers of that area:
http://www.johnfielder.com/index.php
http://www.jessespeer.com/

best wishes,

John

Angshu (34177) 2009-01-02 0:31

Hello Professor 'A'
Between the claw marks, the natural mark on the trunk looks stangely like a human eye. The wider view in the WS is perhaps photogarphically speaking, better, because of the balance in composition & also the view of the BG, but this is definitely the better choice to see the details of the marks. Quite pertinent I would say in view of the Bear run everywhere, which in our bank's forecast would look even gloomier this year. Let's hope the forecasters are proved wrong.
Wishing you & your dear ones the very best for 2009
With Warmest Regards
Angshuman
PS : I am presently reading a fascinating book called 'Galileo's Daughter', written by Dava Sovel.

BWJ (1777) 2009-01-02 11:02

Hello Bulent,
This is an excellent shot showing the claw prints of the huge, strong grizzly bear in the trunk of the tree. The colors and details are great. Your note is interesting and fun to read. Today is the second day of the year and "the market" is up. Let's hope this is the beginning of a "bull market" for 2009. Happy New Year!
Betty
PS: I like your workshop for this post equally as much as the "Bear Claws."

AROBN54 (10797) 2009-01-02 19:05

Warm greetings, my friend, Bulent,
I have been suffering from what is probably the 'holiday blues' and haven't been very active lately. I have missed so many good shots. This shot, though, is awesome. I love the three distinct colors. White, black and reddish gold. It reminds me of Native American totems. There is a symmetry of nature that produces such a beautiful balance and you have captured it perfectly. This really is a beautiful shot. Many thanks and warmest wishes for a splendid New Year!!

Shelly

Bluejeans (33345) 2009-01-03 1:30

Ola amigo ,
Que interessante o poder das garras do urso sobre a árvore , gostei muito dos detalhes, boa nota , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Feliz ano de 2009

GFSSD-1 (1388) 2009-01-03 4:28

Merhaba sevgili hocam,
bu güzel ve sıradışı bir detay karesi altında sizlere mutlu sağlıklı yıllar diliyorum..
sevgiler-saygılar..
dr. recep atalay yuksel

kensimage (8543) 2009-01-04 8:21

It looks like a big eye looking out from the tree in the lower middle part, and another one looking rightward near the top! It's a nice closeup of the tree, and I like the shallow DOF so the background is uncluttered; perhaps you could enhance contrast somewhat so that the snow is not grayish.

The claw marks must actually be from a black bear, not a grizzly. Nowadays apparently grizzlies only get about as far south as Yellowstone. The last known Colorado grizzly died in 1980, according to this. Still pretty scary to think that they're so close to town.

Happy New Year, regards, Ken.

Emile (20177) 2009-01-14 6:12

Hola Bulent.
Scary shot with the claw marks of a grizzly bear left on the tree, very well captured with good details and sharpness. Frame is very good.
TFS.
Best wishes in this 2009.

jafadabret (40601) 2009-03-06 10:18

Bonjour Bulent.
Je ne saurais dire qui de l'ours ou du photographe est le plus grand artiste. Pour la taille c'est sûr que c'est l'ours mais pour l'art c'est peut-être bien le photographe !
J'aime la simplicité de cette photo et les belles couleurs de l'écorce et des entailles.
Excellent !
Amicalement,
Jacques

KemaLMerT (11218) 2009-04-12 18:41

ilgiç detaylar..paylaşım için teşekkürler.

Hellas (5123) 2009-05-26 5:33

Hello Bulent!
This is an interesting shot! A documentary proof!
Grizzly is an extremely aggressive mammal, indeed.
Looking at this signature you feel the strength and advantageous position against people!
The details are breathtaking. The focus and sharpness are flawless. Wild stuff!

Warm regards,
Athanasios.

halikarnas (2482) 2009-10-20 7:06

Bülent Bey,
Bu fotoğrafınızla Sanat'ta gözlem'in nekadar önemli ve değerli olduğunu vurgulamışsınız.
'Bakınca görmek' konusundaki derslerden biri bence.
TEBRİKLER,SAĞLIKLI GÜNLER.
Ataman

(Fotoğraf sitemi ziyaretinize ve yorumlarınıza teşekkür ederim)

mafegan (4613) 2009-12-08 22:31

Hello Bulent
It always refreshing to see something quite different, and therefore most informative, on TE. This is certainly the case with these grizzly bear's claw marks. Just looking at the thumbnail I felt I was looking at an eye - seems others has similar thoughts. Tfs, Marlene