Winter Billy

Gallery: WildlifePosted May 4, 2013117 views8 comments

A cooperative billy during a mid-winter flurry above the Salt Lake valley. It is not unusual to see 10-15 goats wintering on the steep ridges above town. Late spring will bring the possibility of spotting new-born kids slightly lower down the slope.
5D
Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5
IS) 500
f/9.0 @ 1/800

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on May 4, 2013 at 12:52 PM

Excellent exposure control Brad, which resulted in great detail. I believe a vertical could have worked very well in this situation. As posted the OOF BG looks a bit noise, but that is an easy fix.

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

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on May 4, 2013 at 1:22 PM

Looks great Brad. The goat's body is ideally oriented to the camera with an excellent head position. I like the way the snow gently curves at the bottom of the frame. I'm not sure about a vertical but I might look at taking a little off the left side to reduce the volume of negative space on that side while perhaps adding a little more at the top if you have it.

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

Comment posted by Don Westbrook on May 4, 2013 at 4:36 PM

Very nice. You really capture great details with your technical choices. The feeling of texture in the coat is outstanding. I like your composition because it feels quite natural to me.

Registered on January 4, 2013, 11 Posts, 332 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on May 4, 2013 at 5:25 PM

Very nice Mt. goat image. I like the detail in the larger image! Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on May 5, 2013 at 2:04 AM

Brad,

At least he has a nice coat to keep himself warm, and the details you have captured of it are great. I am quite happy with your choice if crop.

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Claude Dagenais on May 5, 2013 at 7:39 AM

Very nice capture Brad, the settings and quality of the exposure convey very well the Goat and its environment.

Registered on April 10, 2013, 56 Posts, 571 Comments

Comment posted by Jeff Lewis on May 5, 2013 at 3:27 PM

Excellently done, the details are awesome and I really like the feel of this, like Don said, really evokes the setting and makes me feel I'm out there looking at him.

Registered on January 29, 2013, 9 Posts, 89 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Clinch on May 7, 2013 at 10:07 PM

Thank you all for the great feedback. I am something of a mountain goat nut, so when a shot works I'm extra happy. In this instance a large snow flurry cell was moving up the canyon behind the goat enabling an obscure BG and sharp details on him.
Brad

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