The first morning on a salmon river, everything looks like chaos. Water everywhere, bears everywhere, fish leaping in every direction. By the third morning, a pattern appears.
Each bear has its own way of fishing. Some stand at the lip of a small fall and wait for a salmon to jump into them. Others walk the shallows, head low, and charge when they see a shadow. The chargers are the ones to watch with a camera, because a charge has a rhythm: a pause, a lowered head, a shift of weight, and then the run.
The photograph is made in the second before the bear moves, not after.
Low morning light from behind the bear lights up every drop of water. Keep the shutter fast, focus on the eyes, and let the water do the rest.
