My heart and soul are in this piece. Grizzly bears are my favorite animal and my first choice to photograph on any given day. They have also been the most frustrating aspect of photography as capturing them is never easy. I worked so hard to capture this moment. It took over two years, six trips to Grand Teton National Park, lodging and camping costs, and over 6,500 miles on my car - just to spend about three minutes with famous grizzly sow 399 and her four adult cubs. It was so worth it. About three weeks after I took this photograph, 399 left her cubs to fend for themselves as is customary around two and a half years of age. Photos like this will never be captured again, and that makes this an incredibly special photo that I will forever cherish.
I have spent so much time thinking about why this moment and this photo became such an obsession for me over the last two years. First, I have watched and followed this grizzly bear for over a decade now and she became an ambassador for the conservation and protection of endangered species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem years ago. Two years ago, she came out of hibernation at the age of 24 with quadruplets, which is almost unheard of. The fact that in her old age, she was successful in raising four cubs to adulthood is beyond anything people could have ever expected. Also, very few people have ever witnessed a scene like this. Most grizzlies do not live near roads, but 399 always chose these areas to protect her cubs from male bears that would kill the cubs to mate with her. This gave people in Grand Teton National park a chance to view her over the years. To see these five grizzly bears together was nothing short of magical. Matriarch 399 showed us these past two years what it looks like to rise to incredible challenges with such love, beauty, and strength. She gave us hope and something to find joy in during a couple of very hard years and proved to all why she is a legend as a wildlife mother.
I came across this quote a few weeks ago and realized it is why I am so passionate about wildlife and especially predators in the wild. “Wilderness without wildlife is just scenery.” - Lois Crisler.
There is a second image that I am including with the piece that shows four of the five bears (you can find this in my Twitter thread about this piece). There is one cub that was always wandering and it was difficult to capture all five together. The second shot only has three cubs with mom, but it is another favorite image of mine. I will airdrop this image to the collector once the auction is settled.
The entire story of this experience is on my website https://www.flatironsphotography.com/2022/05/13/labor-of-love/ for anyone who would like to read about the entire experience and more about the importance of conservation and protecting endangered species.
