David Yarrow
Bear Walks Into A Bar
2017

About the Item

Archival Pigment Print on 315gsm Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta Paper Each is signed, dated and numbered on the front. Edition Size: 12 Available sizes: 48 x 69 inches 67 x 99 inches All prints are on 315gsm Hahnemühle photo rag Baryta paper and varnished after processing to give both endurance and sheen. Each is signed, dated and numbered on the front. Price includes David Yarrow's custom black ash frame, white archival matting and protective UV acrylic. For unframed, $1,500 will be deducted from the price. David Yarrow has built an unrivaled reputation for capturing the beauty of the planet’s remote landscapes, cultures and endangered animals. Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1966, he is now an internationally acclaimed fine art photographer and Europe’s best selling wildlife photographer. " The Pioneer Inn in Virginia City, Montana is now an integral part of my photographic journey. The image “The Wolf of Main Street” has become a fabled and sought after work and is firmly associated with this quintessential “wild west” bar in the Montana mountains. Indeed, some visitors come to Virginia City purely because of the photograph - something that Rozy, the owner, and I would never have imagined when we first met back in 2015. I know the area well now and have developed some good friendships in the community. After considerable planning, and the full cooperation of the local Montana Government, we decided to take on a bigger project in the same bar. This time, we would bring in a habituated grizzly bear - one that could hold court at the bar. The key to the picture was always going to be the behaviour and posturing of the local drinkers in the bar. Any sense that there was something abnormal going on and the image would be lost. I also wanted the bar to be busy and I did feel this was a great deal to leave to chance - one bar customer with the wrong expression and the concept of “everyday occurrence” would be impaired. Therefore, I hired a bunch of local actors for the shoot and asked them to dress in period style as mountain folk. We were not short of applicants - it was 28th December and I guess many of them were keen to get out of the house and blow off some steam. There were so many strong faces that it was hard to choose the stand out character to be positioned at the bar next to the space left for the bear. But one cowboy stood out - Jake Barciz - he had attitude, looks and a full menu of flowing golden hair. I am familiar with the ambient light in the Pioneer - it is, at best, marginal. We needed an ISO at four figures and even then, the lens had to be wide open at f/2.8 and the shutter speed could be no more than 125/1. In other words, this would have been a low percentage shot even if the subject had been human but throw a 1500-pound bear into the epicentre of the story and the odds of a pin sharp image telling the correct story were low. The bear’s eyes had to be sharp and this was a considerable challenge with such limited depth of field and a slow shutter speed. The great thing about the one pin sharp image we left with, is that the bear seems to be holding court with Rozy - like he is a Monday morning quarterback, or perhaps he simply has a new joke about a bear walking in a bar? Whatever the case, we have another cracking image from the best bar in the world! We took a load of pictures that day, but as I suspected, it was not easy from a technical perspective. Thank goodness, we got one - that is all we needed." -David Yarrow

Creator:
David Yarrow (1966, Scottish)
Creation Year:
2017
Dimensions:
Height: 48 in (121.92 cm)Width: 69 in (175.26 cm)
Medium:
Archival Pigment
Movement & Style:
Contemporary
Period:
21st Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Chicago, IL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU38831615853
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