Morning comes early when the salmon are running. Actually, it’s the bears that intrigue me and its yet another opportunity to travel to the west coast of Vancouver Island and to Thornton Creek to visit my friends. For the past 5 years, I ‘ve been making a number of trips every fall to see these magnificent black bears and their cubs. And it’s always a mystery as to who will show up. Will it be “scarface’ with twins …. or several of the big males.
What will the weather be like, and more importantly what will the light be like. This location has challenging light at the best of times, but as a photographer you’re obligated to “just live in the mystery of the present moment” so it’s best to be prepared. Getting one’s gear together takes some planning and fortunately I can drive right to the site. The 3 hour drive from Courtenay [on the east coast of Vancouver Island] is enjoyable. To wake up with the day and the rising sun is wondrous. Stopping at Starbucks for a strong coffee, and then a pee at the far end of the lake, before heading into the mountainous area is all part of the trip.
Baby Bear Walking on Walkway
Over the years of going to Thornton Creek, I have witnessed some pretty ignorant behaviour from people that should know better. The bears are wild and the creek is where they come to fatten up for winter. We are there because they permit it and they’re obsessed with the salmon. I’ve known of two people that have gotten nipped by curious bear cubs because they didn’t abandon their position when the cubs approached them.
Several years ago a mini bus of international students arrived to see and photograph the bears. Most of the students had smart phones [which have wide angle lenses] and a couple of them walked over the bridge to the far side of the creek where a mother and her cubs were and walked within 10 feet of the family to photograph them. The bears also have their pathways which they prefer to travel.
Parking can be a problem when it gets busy and often the bears are stressed by vehicles as much as people if they are on their routes. Visitors have had their backpacks [with food inside] ripped apart. A garbage bear is a dead bear, so food should never be left around. A bears nose is hundreds of times more sensitive than ours.
Photo Credits
All Photographs Are © Ed Brooks
Ed Brooks Photographer Bio
I began making photographs while in school for the annual yearbook and soon after began writing a column for the newspaper on events in my school. Finding newspapers interesting, I soon was contributing photographs of events. At 17, I began working full time as a newspaper photographer [in Prince George, BC]. My passion for photography has carried me through my adult like.
As a teenager, I had discovered what I wanted to be in my life’s work. Earlier in my career, I pursued newspaper work [in Prince George, Campbell River and Courtenay] but by the time I was 30, I knew I needed to create a job for myself, which is when I became the Backdoor Gallery. In 1994, I acquired an allergy to darkroom chemicals and began to work with digital. That was significant and amounted to a “career change.”
I had never been happy with the commercial work that labs produced for me and with digital I was finally able to do all my work inhouse. For the last 38 years, my business has been located in the downtown area of Courtenay [in several different locations]. At present I offer custom framing services as well as photo restoration.
Connect with Ed Brooks at:
Backdoor Gallery and Studio
520 Duncan Ave.
Courtenay, BC
Telephone: 250-338-8690
Blog / Website: Coming Soon!
Thank you Arlene: I’ve been told it’s always good to get to know your neighbours. In this case, it’s the four legged ones with fur coats. Like us they have families and relatives. They have neighbourhoods. I have had the good fortune to be able to visit this extended family of bears for the last 5 years. I love my work, as it is also my passion. I think if we all spent more time outdoors we would feel less threatened by nature and all of its forms.
An intimate respectful look at our bears. Thank you Ed Brooks.