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Slim Pickens
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Slim Pickens

by Wayne Simpson

Gallery: WildlifePosted December 13, 2011866 views18 comments
I don't think I have shared this one yet. This was taken last winter if I remember correctly. Since I was limited to 200 mm I had lots of fun shooting these elk in their environment. This was also my first time out with the 70-200 2.8 IS II ... I have loved that lens from the first shot!

1D IV
70-200 @ 200mm
f/5
1/200 sec
iso 1600

Comments

18 comments
Comment posted by Max Waugh on December 13, 2011 at 10:41 PM
Great spacing. While it would be great to see faces, it works quite nicely with all of them grazing/digging. Love the environment.

Max
Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments
Comment posted by Nathan Apodaca on December 13, 2011 at 11:08 PM
Incredible. Everything is just perfect in this... Even though you can't see faces, it gives character to the final image to have them sticking their heads in the snow! I don't know why you didn't show this sooner... :biggrin:
Registered on November 16, 2011, 67 Posts, 1127 Comments
Comment posted by John Launstein on December 14, 2011 at 12:12 AM
Wayne, this is my kind of image. WOW. Just fantastic. Is this possibly in Banff? I almost think I recognize those antlers! :cool:

Anyway, the composition is wonderful. Outstanding, really. The falling snow certainly makes the mood and helps the environment not compete with the elk, though really it remains part of the subject IMO and I love the way it fades into the snow-filled distance. The skeletons of the dead firs at the left 1/3 line is a masterful touch on a fortuitous circumstance. I cannot envision this any better than it is, though I'd love to have 1200 pixels to look at as well! :wink:

If this were mine, it would be a contender for my favourite shot of the year. Just beautiful.
Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments
Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on December 14, 2011 at 12:18 AM
Fantastic image Wayne. The vertical presentation is key to the success of this as it so fits this scene with the positioning of the elks and the tall pine trees in the BG. Great mood and the antlers steel the show here. No need for faces or eyes here and therefore an good example that this is not always a requirement in wildlife photography! :toast:
Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments
Comment posted by John Tobias on December 14, 2011 at 7:58 AM
Wayne, great shot, glad you had fun taking it. Thanks much for sharing. I can see this as a Christmas card.
Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments
Comment posted by Marsel van Oosten on December 14, 2011 at 3:18 PM
Great shot, perfect placement of those elk - couldn't be better. My only nit is that the elk look a bit oversaturated, especially for these conditions. :toast:
Registered on March 9, 2004, 285 Posts, 2277 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Sharp on December 14, 2011 at 6:47 PM
Fabulous. I see this as a holiday card, a magazine cover...and wall art.
Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments
Comment posted by Clinton Bauder on December 14, 2011 at 7:44 PM
Very nice. I like the positioning of the 3 elk and the two leaning trees in the upper left really add to the interest I think. Great juxtaposition of the warm and cool, elk and forest, etc. :toast:

Clinton
Registered on December 8, 2009, 31 Posts, 231 Comments
Comment posted by Suzanne Huot on December 14, 2011 at 9:04 PM
I love the mood you have captured with this outstanding image. :toast:
Registered on December 28, 2010, 32 Posts, 240 Comments
Comment posted by Brad Hill on December 15, 2011 at 8:55 AM
Hi Wayne,

Very nice animalscape (or should I call it an "elkscape"? :wink: ). I like how the positioning of the 3 elk give good depth to the shot. And, I quite like how the elk come in from alternating opposing directions. Snow, setting, all work well for me. My biggest nit is not seeing a larger version of this! One very minor thing - and this may be an invalid comment that I'd take back if I could see a larger version - on my monitor it looks like a touch of the white-on-white detail in the snow surrounding the elk is lost. Could be the conditions were such that there was no white-on-white detail to be seen, but based on the little bit of detail I see around the closest elk I suspect there is some detail that could be "teased" out of the image. But a very minor thing and overall this is a very nice piece of work!

Cheers...thanks for sharing this...

Brad
Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments
Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on December 16, 2011 at 10:20 PM
Amazing image, Wayne! It's nice to have it look like they are unaware of you. I love all the snow falling around them! That bigger guy has some cool antlers on him! Just an awesome image altogether!
Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments
Comment posted by Don George on December 18, 2011 at 12:12 PM
Great image. Really like the tree's in the background. Great Vertical.
Registered on November 9, 2007, 13 Posts, 50 Comments
Comment posted by Anand Narayanan on December 18, 2011 at 1:06 PM
:eek: :eek: TERRIFIC :eek: :eek:

I think the buried heads elevates the image to pure awesomenesssss :toast:
Registered on October 25, 2009, 110 Posts, 835 Comments
Comment posted by Margaret Summers on December 19, 2011 at 11:53 AM
Very nice image - looks like a scene from a greeting card. Don't you just love that lens? I got one last year before I went to Tanzania and used it almost exclusively.
Registered on May 24, 2011, 54 Posts, 99 Comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on December 22, 2011 at 10:32 PM
Great positions of the elk - beautiful snow scene - congrats on the WP!
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on December 23, 2011 at 10:02 AM
Comp is wonderful on this and I love your title. Well seen and captured. Congratulations! Sharon
Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments
Comment posted by Wayne Simpson on December 23, 2011 at 10:20 AM
Thanks for your comments everyone! The WP is a nice surprise!
Registered on December 11, 2006, 303 Posts, 924 Comments
Comment posted by Kory Lidstrom on December 29, 2011 at 12:53 PM
Great image -- the spacing between the elk works perfectly. The snowy conditions are a definite plus.
Registered on November 19, 2008, 49 Posts, 1035 Comments