Bison

It looks very good and works very well for me! The light is sweet and the bison pops out nicely and the eye/catchlight looks great. In my opinion one of the images strongest points is the bg. I really like the dark forest and the steep slope. A great habitat shot.You also have excellent detail in the dark shaggy head area. The feet are a little close to the bottom but overall a great image. I like it better than the image that won pick of the week awhile back. where did you shot this?

It looks very good and works very well for me! The light is sweet and the bison pops out nicely and the eye/catchlight looks great. In my opinion one of the images strongest points is the bg. I really like the dark forest and the steep slope. A great habitat shot.You also have excellent detail in the dark shaggy head area. The feet are a little close to the bottom but overall a great image. I like it better than the image that won pick of the week awhile back. Where did you shot this?

For what it is worth, here is a quickie black and white conversion that I felt worked pretty well...

I really like the exposure on him, as well as the bg. I usually can't get my exposure right without washing out the bg due to the dark colors on the bison. (color version)

Lon: I'm not a big wildlife shooter but if I got a bison shot this good I would jump for joy. I found out how difficult it is to get a compelling shot of one of these guys on a couple of forays up your way. I think your processing looks terrific and very natural. 2 thumbs up! >=))>

Lon, the bison is spot on, an excellent and well managed exposure. I am not so sure of the BG in relation to the subject. The light on the bison is warm. The BG is colder, with more blue and cyan than necessary, at least on my monitor. The B & w doesn't do much for me. Not enough variety in the tones, with too much dark and not enough light.

I really like this Lon. The bison really stands out from the background but there is still some detail in the background, perfect dof. I don't think it looks over-processed however I get the feeling when I look at the photo that the photographer did do "something" to get this even lighting sort of effect with such great exposure on the bison - a non-photographer type might not give it a thought and say "great photo" and leave it at that.

Hi Lon,

First off, let me say that this is a really solid image - great detail on the bison, nice composition, a background I think that works well, and more. But...I do think the processing has produced an image which leaves me scratching my head a little about the lighting - particularly the direction of the light. At first glance, I would have said "oh, sidelit from the left side with a flash-fill bringing out shadow detail on the head and neck region". But then I see the illuminated hair at the front/top of the head (more or less at the top of the "forehead") and the illuminated nose and it almost appears to me that there's also light coming from the right side of the frame. So, while I really like the image, I have to say that for my taste the image is a little over-processed (to the point where I really don't understand where the light is coming from).

I can't say this definitively without having the raw file in my hand, but because my favourite part of the image is the fantastic detail in the head region, I would likely decide to present this image as a front-lit one (to retain that great head detail). So...I would reduce the brightness of the regions that appear to be lit from the side, particularly on the hump and flank.

In terms of the B&W image: I prefer the colour one, primarily for the same reasons that Philip pointed out, i.e., pretty narrow tonal range...

Cheers...hope this helps...good luck with the event...

Brad

Brad

Great detail Lon and pretty much perfect dof for my tastes. This guy seems to have a glow about him (not a halo) and I like that. Brad's comment interests me in that I never really consider the light source when I look at an image but mostly just whether there's enough light there to bring out the detail I want to see.

I suspect the unusual glow is what my mind translates into "glow" and I see it on the grass too. Nevertheless, I like the image and I can't tell where you added canvas.

pat

My first impression was it was the most perfect (? 'most perfect') image I had seen of a bison! But then I read Brad's comments of where the light was coming from and then I looked at the image again. It does not take away the feeling of awe I had when I first saw the image, but it now definitely looks a little too 'manipulated'. Curse Brad!

Thank to all for honest reactions! I have continued to rework and play with the processing on this image. I am still a little frustrated! On the original raw file I cannot determine primary light direction by looking. The image has an inherent "glow" but I am having a time trying to make it seem natural. There is light on the flank and hump, but a rim effect on forehead and nose. The catch light is natural. It is taken about 8:30 am, late summer. My memory of the shot (and from looking at other images the same morning) is of a strong haze and general overcast with this image coming during a localized "light bursting through the overcast" which left the background neutral. The sun should have been fairly high on the right. The foreground grasses are super bright to the edge of blown out... I work in raw, but leave my camera settings to lowest contrast for a starting point. The image is overexposed to get the detail in the dark coat, then the background is adjusted for balance. To me it still feels a little over the top in saturation, yet according to my processing steps this should be slightly under saturated.

I appreciate any additional insights you might have...

The shot itself is fantastic but agree that the lighting is perplexing. Part of the reason may be the lack of true blacks causing an apparent lack of contrast.

Hi Lon!
I too find the light bit confusing, but I really like both the versions. If this was mine, I would prefer to darken the foreground grass at the bottom corner.
Jagdeep Rajput

Hi Lon,

Sorry to cause you the grief - I wondered/suspected that there might have been haze/overcast and diffuse light. An important thing to keep in mind is that a lot of viewers (here and at the event) either won't notice or care about light direction or if there appears to be multiple light sources. For me having ambiguous lighting impacts on how "real" an image appears (tho' I don't ever claim that any photo is an accurate reflection of reality - let's not go down that road here).

For me the thing that primarily contributed to the lighting issue was the brightness/saturation of the left side of the hump and side of the bison - if brightness and/or saturation were reduced slightly here I think the issue would go away for me. And this is just one person's opinion - feel free to ignore the lighting comment - if you like the image that should be good enough...

Cheers - sorry again about any grief or frustration I've caused you...

Brad

I just popped back in here to check for additional comments as I was reworking this for about the 5th time! Also, when I added the sliver of canvas (about a bison's eye width) I converted that to a tif and to truly start over with the raw file means having to re-do that tedious process. Of course now I am just looking for the best work-step formula; once found, I will come up with best completed image.

Brad, do not apologize for your comment! I value it. In my posting I expressed that I had a sense of processing being not-quite-right. I have been trying to get the red out of the flank and hump without the whole thing going flat. Kah Kit's suggestion of lacking a true black is insightful. I just tried adding a black point to the darkest corner of the nostril and it added some real drama but of course altered all the other process work as well so that means perhaps another start-over. Frustrating? Yes. But do I like doing it? Of course!

Again, I didn't post this in hope of accolades but rather to have the benefit of other practiced eyes. I think this image will play well with the public, but my personal standard is to make it as good as I can make it.

One thing that I think is a factor is that the background is more shaded than the bison and the foreground, therefore white/color balance differences make for an unusual effect.

Lon, having read the posts I know that you're not finished working on this image, but I want to chime in.
Each time I look at this image I'm impressed with the captured personality of this bison. And to me that measure's the image's success. On the technical side I agree that direction of light source may be up for grabs here, although I've photographed in this type of hazy, overcast light many times in Nova Scotia. The particles in the air seem to make light bounce all over the place, and with the many contours of this animals body it shows. But....it's this kind of light that makes this shot special.
I'd like to add one more idea to the other observations in this thread- Maybe the coldness of the blue bg hues are conflicting with the subject's warmth. Just a thought. Really great image.

Outstanding Lon,
Love the look at F/4, nice sharp head details, great setting and placement in the frame..
Very nice