Grizzly bear gets behind photographer Jim Lawrence's lens
Kaslo man photographs curious bear as it swaps places with him behind his tripod setup near Revelstoke
A B.C. photographer snapped a new angle on grizzly bear behaviour last week, after one sauntered up near Revelstoke and decided to see what life was like on the other side of the camera.
Jim Lawrence, of Kaslo, submitted his photo of the photographer-bear to CBC Radio One's B.C. Almanac for its Listeners' Lens gallery, and told this story to go along with it:
"The grizzly in the photo was fishing for Kokanee and making his way upstream. I set the camera up at an opening in the brush thinking I’d get a photo of him across the way.
"I should know better than to guess what a bear is going to do. He crossed to my side and scrambled up the bank, at which point I dashed back to the truck for another camera.
"They say intelligent species are curious and the big bear was no exception. He approached the camera cautiously, sniffing deeply, then stood up for a closer inspection. For the longest time, he studied the screen and buttons then, with a huge long-nailed paw, gently tugged on the strap.
"The weight of the long lens caused the camera to pivot quickly upward, startling the big fellow at which point he kind of shrugged, and went back fishing."