Bears in Natural Habitats (no toys or zoo animals)

Really nice image with the bear walking along the bankside. Good composition, use of light and vibrant colours mirrored on the lake. The bear is a little small in the frame. By keeping the aspect ratio the same and cropping slightly top left / right would make the subject more prominent without losing the sense of its environment. Well done.

Love this image of the two bear cubs waiting expectantly for the adult bear to produce some sea food. Framing and depth of filed is good with all three bears being in focus and isolated against the stark background and foreground.

Any of the top five images selected could be the winner, however for me this image just tipped the balance in its favour. There is good depth of field which means the whole of the bear with the immediate shrub is in focus and blurring of the foreground and background. Capturing the brown bear looking back at the camera in its natural environment with great light, colour and framing is a joy to look at. Well done.

I have included this image in my top 10 because the photographer has clearly thought about how they wanted to portray the bear and waited for that moment in time. In this instance the silhouette works really well, backlit by the sun.