Read this Wildlife Art Journal article

(UPDATE:  In autumn 2009, one of Grizzly Bear 399's female cubs, known as Bear 615, was shot and killed.  Click here to read about it) .


Nature photography fundamentally is about a search for Holy Grails, a quest to find one near-perfect image that can convey the essence of a moment. This is a genesis mantra handed down by pioneering French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, who said:  "Above all, I craved to seize the whole essence, in the confines of one single photograph, of some situation that was in the process of unrolling itself before my eyes."

Days, months, years can pass before even experienced photographers are able to claim a masterpiece.

And for those who achieve it, having one in a portfolio can be equivalent to winning the lottery, making a career, cementing one’s reputation, winning the respect of colleagues, and earning the allegiance of viewers you’ve never known and who now enthusiastically cite your work as a great timeless picture.



Grizzly Bear 399 - Images by Cal McKitrick


Wildlife Art Journal explores this theme in two stories: Dream of the Merman featuring the work of underwater legend Wayne Levin and here with the intersection of a former cop and a grizzly bear.

Cal McKitrick, a retired police forensics investigator from Grass Valley in northern California not far from the Sierra-Nevada Range had a very lucky morning in spring 2007.  The now 59-year old captured in sequence a legendary...