Follow in my footsteps
Photographer: John Mauser
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I took this image in Eastern North Carolina on a hot, humid morning in July. A few miles away a forest fire was burning, and the air was thick with smoke. As I hiked into the forest, I wasn't sure how long I could stand the smoke, or if the conditions would even allow for a photo. When I reached a spot where I regularly see Black Bears crossing a trail, I set up my camera gear and waited. The sun was rising to the left of the path and the light filtered through the smoke in the air. Eventually a black bear entered the scene from the left and then turned her head looking back, waiting patiently. A few moments later her cub followed her out of the tree line, and they both crossed the trail into the woods on the other side. I held my breath, kept quiet, and photographed the scene as it unfolded.
1/500 • f/6.3 • ISO 1250 • Sony Z7IV • 600mm • Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3
