Brown bear in its natural habitat
At the beginning of 2023, out of the blue, I came up with the idea to photograph a brown bear. To me bears have always been fascinating creatures that represent the power and freedom of the wild, and I wanted to capture their power and mystery through my lens. After conducting a research of places where bears could be found and photographed in their natural habitat, I came to the conclusion that two countries in the region would be good locations: Romania and Slovenia, both with fairly large bear populations. In the end, I decided to give preference to Slovenia.
Truth to be told, the idea to photograph bears emerged a couple of years ago, but I have suppressed it and put it off, I’m not completely sure why. This time I definitely made my mind! Bears, here I come…
PLANNING A BEAR PHOTO ADVENTURE
I knew that there are over 1000 bears living in Slovenia. However, the real question was where exactly can I find them and how? After all, such an undertaking can be dangerous, or perhaps not so dangerous, I was not sure at times. After extensive research, I found the organization called Slovenian Bears that manages a network of hides for observing and photographing bears. I contacted them via email and booked my appointments very simply, few months in advance.
As the planned and long-awaited bear photography trip drew closer, I became more and more restless, nervous and doubtful. On the one hand, there was a good chance that the bears would show up, but there was also a chance that they wouldn’t. At the end of the day, they are still wild animals and there is no guarantee that they will appear.
AND SO THE JOURNEY BEGINS
On the eve of the May Day holidays, the day has finally come and I left for Slovenia. I set off with a backpack full of photo equipment, with great desire and excitement, but at the same time with a certain amount of fear that I might not succeed. Sometimes it’s better not to get your hopes up too much, but the excitement certainly took over and I couldn’t wait to get there and get the chance to see and photograph these animals.
Late in the evening, I arrived in the village of Markovec, located in the south of Slovenia. I settled into the accommodation and slowly started preparations for the next day. The equipment I decided to take with me is Nikon Z9 in combination with 180-600 5.6 6.3 mm and 70-200mm 2.8. Everything was ready!
View from the hide
DAY ONE - WAITING GAME
The man who greeted me helped me pack my gear into the vehicle while his assistant briefed me on the rules of behavior at the hides and in the presence of bears. Absolute silence is required and it is forbidden to leave the hide. After that, we headed to the location, reaching the hides after an hour’s drive on a winding gravel road. A wooden house barely big enough to fit two people inside, but still with plenty of space for storing equipment. After helping me get settled in, the guide drove back to the village, while I stayed waiting and hoping bears would show up.
Young brown bear spotted me
Hours passed, no bears. The fear and disappointment that they wouldn’t appear at all was growing, and there was only an hour and a half of daylight left. And then, after almost 6 hours of waiting, a surprise came. The bear was standing in front of me, staring straight at the hide. The first impression I had was that the bear saw me as he was looking straight at me. Then it began to walk around and gently move stones in search of food. I was overjoyed! It was a weight off my shoulders. I made it, I saw brown bears. The initial fear disappeared, and I was suddenly convinced that I would have the opportunity to take great photos the next day as well. On the first day, I used only the 180-600mm 5.6 – 6.3 lens.
DAY TWO - FAMILY TIME
I had better luck on the second day. Shortly after arriving at the location, after less than half an hour, the bears appeared. This time it was a mother with cubs. The sight was simply incredible, the cubs were playing and curiously exploring the surroundings, all under the watchful eye of their mother who was constantly on the alert, observing the surroundings and reacting to every sound and noise. After taking almost 4,000 photos and being convinced that I had the shots that I wanted, I decided to capture wonderful moments with such fascinating animals.
All in a line – Mama bear resting with her cubs
UNTIL NEXT TIME, BEARS!
Photographing bears was an amazing experience that brought me immense joy and was worth every kilometer. All those moments of patience and waiting eventually paid off when I finally saw these magnificent animals through my lens. During my stay in Slovenia, I had the opportunity not only to photograph bears, but also to learn a lot about these wonderful animals and their behavior. I am coming home with a lot of photos and I am very happy and grateful to have been a part of that wild world. I will definitely come back again, because this experience is something that simply has to be repeated.
Until we meet again!
Protective love
What are you looking at?