Collage Project

Its been a while since I posted, so I figured it was time again. My second photo shop assignment is nearing completion and like the first will be posted here shortly. I found this second assignment easier and faster to make then the first. Likely because now I am much more familiar with photo shop and have a better idea about how to create the desired effects in my final image.

This assignment is a collage, so I decided to create an image that would tell a story. I decided that my central image would be a bear. I chose a bear because I am very familiar with them as I have worked on various bear research projects the last two years in Waterton Lakes National Park. In order to make the story and image more interesting I chose the unfamiliar Kermode Bear.

Many people might know the Kermode Bear as the Spirit Bear or Ghost bear, as it is often nicknamed. It is actually just a normal Black bear, the same Black bear that can be found in Waterton or any where else for that matter. The only difference between the black bear and Kermode bear is that the Kermode bear's coat is completely white. This often leads to it being called either a Polar bear or an albino bear. Neither are true. Black bears can come in many colours, including black, brown, blond, cinnamon and even white.

The white form is rare and is the result of a recessive gene expressed in the bears phenotype. Although a white bear can appear anywhere they are more localized in the areas around Terrace B.C. This is where there are more carriers of the gene which give a better possibility to pass it on. Even in this area the Kermode bear is rare and as such is the beneficiary on native legend. Its sighting is attributed with good luck and good fortune. It is the legend of the Kermode bear that I have chosen to be the topic of my collage.

My next post will hose the final image and it is there that I will describe more fully the legend of the Kermode bear, so stay tuned!