Where
North American Black Bears (Ursus americanus) are found in Canada, the USA and parts of Northern Mexico. They typically inhabit dense vegetation with lots of bushes and covering foliage, though they will often travel the path of least resistance along roads, trails, beaches and riverbanks. These bears are common, especially in the Pacific Northwest of Canada and Alaska and the East Coast mountain ranges of the US. Pockets are also found in Florida, Minnesota, California and the Rockies.
Black bears are not currently considered endangered but widespread deforestation in their local habitats has reduced their hunting ground significantly and brought them into contact with urban areas. Finding them can be surprisingly easy and reliable, particularly during specific times of year when there are local abundances of food such as salmon in rivers or berries on bushes.
When
The easiest way to see these bears is during the salmon run seasons in the Pacific Northwest where they are reliably by shallow rivers and fish hatchery operations in coastal regions from late September to November. From spring into summer the bears are harder to find but are typically seen on forest trails or in clearings feeding on the abundant berry bushes.
Later in the summer they take to beaches. In many parts of the Pacific Northwest the bears do not hibernate and can be found wandering about year round. I have had great success finding black bears at the river hatcheries across Vancouver Island, where the bears are often seen in late afternoon.
Considerations
Despite being one of the easiest large predators to find, black bears are really rather difficult to photograph for several reasons. Firstly, they are often seen later in the day as the light is fading, which in conjunction with their dark forest backdrop makes them difficult to pick out, whereas sightings earlier in the day are often confounded by high contrast between bright light and a very dark animal; secondly their black fur often requires a slower shutter speed, wider aperture or higher ISO to pick out detail; thirdly they move almost constantly which is a problem with motion blur. These are challenging constraints, but a number of solutions are useful - notably, modern DSLR's often support high ISO ranges with reduced loss of image quality, and image stabilisation can be useful if using telephoto lenses.
Gimbal systems can be very helpful, as can a mono- or tripod support, though you're going to want a degree of mobility as bears have a habit of getting too close for comfort if you're not paying attention. Flash and external lighting is not so useful as the bears have a strong reflective tapetum in their eyes which perfectly captures the disposable-at-a-nightclub look which for many reasons is not a respected approach to photography. I rarely get down from an ISO of 800 and with the motion it can difficult to shoot at less than 1/320, which really limits your aperture size. I carry a 150-600mm Sigma (previously a 200-500mm Tamron) which is a very versatile lens but I'm often cursing it when photographing bears as the zoom and weight are excessive and it's hard not to pick up a bit of motion blur -I also struggle to use the appropriate aperture range between 8 and 12.
Black bears are typically shy and retiring despite their reputation and will often wander off into the forest if they perceive you are too close or they become wary (this is particularly true of younger bears). Mothers with cubs can potentially be very dangerous if you are too close and can be surprisingly quick on their feet.
Cubs can, however, provide for some unique and entertaining shots. If you are able to respectfully get a line of sight some distance away telephoto lenses upwards of 250mm or a high quality 1.4 or 2x teleconverter on a prime or more limited variable focal length lens can be invaluable at getting you in there without actually having to be present on the ground. Be aware cubs move even more adults!
Bears are noted for their ability to run up and down steep inclines with the same speed as they do on flat ground so keep that in mind when you chose an observation point. Bears feeding on salmon in rivers will typically be oblivious to your presence providing you aren't too close. My rule of thumb is to stay on the opposite bank of a river to give a respectable distance. Be aware that bears are often found in groups and you may not be able to see them all!
It's best if you keep talking in a low voice, and you really shouldn't be photographing wild bears of any species on your own for safety reasons. I particularly don't recommend seeking out bears (or any wildlife for that matter) with your dog - I've seen some truly stupid behaviour from people around wild animals, but dog owners around bears seem to be in a league of their own.
Out of fishing season, your best chances are on remote paths in the forests. In Canada the logging roads are the easiest way and spending any amount of time on them at any time of year will usually yield results. Keep an eye out for berry-filled mountains of scat - fresh samples indicate a bear is in the vicinity. Bears of all ages can be very playful and you'll rarely be left with a mundane encounter.
While I'm reluctant to give hard and fast rules on the artistic experience, the usual guide to good photography of mammals applies to bears - consider your angles and your rules of seconds, thirds and fifths which really do help in a majority of cases; shoot from the ground up rather than looking down - although a forest background can often blunt the need for this compared with wildlife on featureless or grassland surfaces; carefully plan your depth of field as you often don't have the luxury of high f numbers (especially at the telephoto range); check your white balance frequently (less of a concern if you shoot in RAW).
Due to the tough conditions of photographing bears on the move, servo autofocus and point focusing can be really helpful. As ever, super steady hands and a delicate touch or panning motion can make the difference especially if you're shooting hand held. A heavier camera body can sometimes help with this - I'll try to cover some of these techniques in detail in a later session.
Finally, I hope you picked up from this piece is title 'black bears', not 'bears' - other bear species, and particularly grizzly and polar bears whose ranges can overlap with the North American black bears can pose a considerably higher risk to a photographer on foot and require their own consideration. Happy shooting, and remember: real hunters shoot bears with a camera!
All photography © Chris Milligan Photo. All views are my own. Seek local recommendations before photographing or approaching any wildlife.