an introduction…

Rachel Bear photo

*proud member of the sourtoe cocktail club

I’d describe myself as an artist at heart that simply uses photography as a medium. With a background in fine art and painting, my work is heavily influenced by these skills. 

As a natural introvert, I fell in love with the quiet and solitude that is required for shooting wildlife & astro, as well as what these two subjects have in common - their unpredictability in outcome. 

I believe the more people make emotional connections with wildlife, the more inclined they will be to act on conserving their populations and habitat. The muting of colours, the softness of light, the emphasis on portraiture and intimate eye contact - these are all intentional focuses of capturing a scene that I hope to encourage a human-animal connection. I like to maintain a theme of innocence and sincerity in the way I portray animals – especially those of which are commonly perceived as predatory - and so I move away from shooting scenes that imply aggression, dominance and predation.

 

Exhibitions

Solo show - Banff Public Library, Banff, 2022

Solo show - Wildflour, Banff, 2022

Awards

Brother Bear - Honored in Canadian Geographic’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020

Elk Under Moonlight - Shortlisted entry for Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Natural History Museum, London, 2019

Clients & Partnerships

Banff Lake Louise Tourism, 2022 (ongoing)

Grizzly Bear Foundation - Give for Grizzlies Auction, contributing artist, 2022

Canmore Museum & Geoscience Centre - Local artist consignment, 2023

 

Ethics, Location & Transparency

The majority of my subjects are captured in Banff National Park or surrounding provincial/national parks of the Rockies. A small percentage are taken in other locations across North America, primarily Alaska, the Yukon & Northwest Territories.

I intentionally never disclose specific locations of wild animals on social media, or geotag images, for their protection. Images or video that may contain identifiable local features will be delayed in posting to give wildlife a safe window to move on.

All images are taken as ethically as possible, either from within wild habitat, certified conservation zones/rehabilitation facilities and without baiting or harassment.

I am not a lover of social media trends nor feel the need to maintain algorithm metrics by a constant turnover of fresh images, therefore my time in the field is without pressure, purely recreational and ensures my footprint for disturbing wild creatures is relatively mild.

 
Brother bear grizzly cubs banff national park rachel bear photo