Winter Grazing

Gallery: WildlifePosted March 15, 2013147 views10 comments

We came across this bull Elk on a recent trip to Yellowstone and were lucky enough to photograph him on two consecutive days. He was easily distinguishable by a broken brow tine likely sustained during the fall rut in a battle of dominance with another bull. While technically imperfect, for me this image tells not only that story, but also a subsequent story. One of daily struggle for survival during harsh winters when food is less plentiful, and only the very strongest are likely to survive to see another season. Looking at this guy, I'd say his chances of doing that are pretty good.

Comments critique and suggestions welcome.

tech stuff: Canon 1D4, Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM @ 300mm, f7.1, 1/800 sec, ISO-500, manual spot metering. Original image cropped to vertical orientation and web sharpened.

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on March 15, 2013 at 10:51 PM

Nice capture. I think the angled hill makes for an interesting shot. I long for a bit more room on the left and top. Otherwise, very nice.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Johan Malmros on March 16, 2013 at 3:04 AM

Very nice indeed. The texture in the foreground snow as well as that of the fur is great.
I like the composition with the slanted hill and the pattern of grass following the same angle and then the countering position of the elk.
Good work.

Registered on January 6, 2011, 20 Posts, 154 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on March 16, 2013 at 1:08 PM

The nice light, beautiful fur colors, great rack and good detail on the subject make for an appealing image Rick. The diagonal makes the composition more dynamic and different. I do find it a bit tight and wonder if a head-up position of the elk would not have been a more engaging image.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on March 16, 2013 at 3:23 PM

Excellent composition Rick and good timing to catch him looking up. Nice job on the exposure, always tricky when snow is involved. It's rare to find any bull elk in Jasper at this time of year that haven't thrashed their antlers to bits, adds character imho.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on March 16, 2013 at 6:41 PM

Very nice, Rick
I like the head-on view with the diagonal slopes.
Great exposure control.

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments

Comment posted by Don Randall on March 16, 2013 at 8:06 PM

I agree, the angle of the hill makes this a shot that grabs you eye.

Registered on March 9, 2013, 4 Posts, 17 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on March 17, 2013 at 1:26 AM

Sweet photo of this grand old bruiser Rick

I really like the quality of light and the way it highlights the elk's eye and antlers.
Nice foraging pose. Great color and details.

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on March 17, 2013 at 5:46 PM

Excellent pose. Catching this bull with the head down shows off the antler size, while the slope adds enough body twist to show motion. Good stuff, Rick.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Clinch on March 18, 2013 at 6:57 PM

Nice image! As mentioned the textures of the fur and snow are well exposed. The angle comp really makes the image. The eye and action of the ledft forefoot add to the action. Only nit would be to remove the grasses at the snow line on viewer's right, the grass in the right foreground is a good inclusion.

Registered on January 5, 2013, 37 Posts, 261 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Runco on March 25, 2013 at 8:55 PM

Great shot Rick, love that angle.

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments