Elk Raven Photography’s photo, “Testing the Waters,” features a dramatic stare down between bear and wolf in Yellowstone National Park
Elk Raven Photography, consisting of husband/wife duo Ryan Kempfer and Chris Kassar, recently earned a Top 250 placement in the Share the View International Nature Photography Contest.
Their photo, titled “Testing the Waters,” was taken in September 2020 along the shores of the Yellowstone River, near Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park.
“We watched this grizzly protect his cache or kill (for over three days),” explained Kempfer. “On the early morning of September 25 (2020), we witnessed this gray wolf walk out of the forest to observe this bear. It was a cool morning with mist rising off the water. This wolf and bear watched, listened and learned from one another, and it was decided that the grizzly would be the one to keep its cache.”
It’s not easy to capture such an intimate moment between two apex predators, which is only one of the many reasons for this photo’s recognition in the Share the View photo contest.
“Watching these two top apex predators was simply a chance of a lifetime” Kempfer said. “We were honored to observe them ‘testing the waters,’ and to watch nature at its best.”
Prints are available online at www.elkravenphotography.com or by email at elkravenphotography@gmail.com.
Follow along on Instagram at @elkraven_photography.
