Bearish by David Yarrow

Katmai, Alaska 2021

Bears are not an easy subject matter for me; in part because the backdrops are often a little messy, and in part the obvious safety issues. Fortunately, bears in Katmai, Alaska during the summer salmon runs are used to sharing rivers with fishermen and are largely comfortable with human presence.

The biggest issue for me, however, is that my default position is to try and glorify an animal and that tends to draw me towards the biggest versions of a species. With bears, that is being a little greedy, and in Katmai, one simply has to work with what is available.

Last week, however, this beautiful and sizeable sow caught our eye and one rainy morning she put on a little show for us out in the tundra. The light was marginal, but I just about got away with it. I was always looking for the head on shot and the rain added another layer of textural detail to what is a stunning bear.

This was the only photograph I took away from five long days in the field, but that’s fine with me. As with the fishermen up in Katmai; it is not the number of fish you catch, but the size of the biggest one.

I want to thank our excellent pilots Chad and Devon for looking after us so well in and out of Iliamna.

Available Sizes (Framed Size)
Large: 71” x 112”
Standard: 52” x 79”

Available Editions
Large: Edition of 12
Standard: Edition of 12

Description

David Yarrow was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1966. He took up photography at an early age and as a 20-year-old found himself working as a photographer for The London Times on the pitch at the World Cup Final in Mexico City. On that day, David took the famous picture of Diego Maradona holding the World Cup and, as a result, was subsequently asked to cover the Olympics and numerous other sporting events. Many years later David established himself as a photographer by documenting the natural world from new perspectives and the last nine years have been career defining.

David’s evocative and immersive photography is most distinctive and has earned him an ever growing following amongst art collectors. His large monochrome images made in Los Angeles are on display in leading galleries and museums across Europe and North America. He is now recognised as one of the best-selling photographers in the world and his limited edition works regularly sell at high prices at Sotheby’s and other auction houses.

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