Wildlife - 2nd HM

Gallery: EPA 2014Posted February 13, 2014584 views15 comments

Old Man Winter

Here's another from my series of environmental wildlife images from Yellowstone. This was taken during a recent trip into Yellowstone's interior. The weather wasn't very conducive to photography but I tried. This is one of the few "keepers" that I got the entire trip.

This was taken near the Lower Geyser Basin during a heavy snowstorm. I broke some "rules" here by placing the animal near the center of the frame but I felt that it was best to keep the Bison separated from the BG trees as much as possible. I also didn't have enough time to get the shot because the Bison had its face planted in the snow the entire time and only briefly looked up and moved a few feet to the left before putting its head back down.

Thanks for looking and for any comments, see LARGER!

Nikon D300s
1/800 Sec. @ f/8
ISO 400
120mm focal length

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by Mario Moreno on February 13, 2014 at 5:08 PM

Absolutely love this image Zack !! Amazing atmosphere and the breaking the rules part does NOT bother me at all

Registered on January 24, 2012, 163 Posts, 369 Comments

Comment posted by Thomas Haney on February 13, 2014 at 5:34 PM

Beautiful Zack, in a perfect world the bison wouldn't be centered, but this is a spectacular image and a wonderful portrait of this hardy creature! It just begs to be enjoyed in large format, while sitting inside by a warm fire. Very well done!

Registered on April 7, 2013, 138 Posts, 537 Comments

Comment posted by Kathy Barnhart on February 13, 2014 at 6:22 PM

What a beautiful, painterly image. I don't mind his being front and center, with such nice framing by the trees on the sides and the line of trees at the back. Brrrr. This one definitely says Yellowstone in Winter!

Registered on November 11, 2011, 404 Posts, 1639 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on February 13, 2014 at 8:40 PM

NAILED IT!!!!!!!!

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

Comment posted by scott lanz on February 13, 2014 at 9:20 PM

Fabulous, Zack.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on February 13, 2014 at 10:15 PM

Hey Zack, that snow was really coming down when you made this photo. I really like the way the f8 aperture has rendered the falling snow and those stark trees. The simple composition has a very artistic feel, and well...isn't that one of the primary goals in wildlife photography! I don't mind the bison in its present location in the frame, however I think that I would prefer if it had been captured a little further to the right. If this photo were mine (first I would be very happy), I might consider decreasing the saturation just a little on the bison. Great photo Zack, simply beautiful / beautifully simple.

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

Comment posted by Peter Cross on February 14, 2014 at 1:13 AM

A solitary bison battles Old Man Winter at the height of blizzard conditions. I can relate. Nicely done. Your comp is fine by me. I like your choice of a high SS to freeze the snow flakes. I think a long SS would have blurred the photo too much. This is just right. And little bit of color helps the eye stay focused on the bison.

Registered on April 3, 2010, 271 Posts, 1342 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on February 14, 2014 at 12:18 PM

I like the texture and the abstract feel to this.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on February 14, 2014 at 10:03 PM

While I agree that this image would be just a bit stronger with the bison to the right, it is still simply beautiful and I'd be thrilled to have taken this. I would like this even without the bison! Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on February 15, 2014 at 6:33 AM

Cool image, well seen and nicely captured!
Jagdeep Rajput

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Brookhart on February 16, 2014 at 8:43 PM

Fabulous image Zack, I am pretty sure I tried to get a similar image of this same Bison (there weren't too many up there this year!). Your image really sets the mood I was looking for. Darn things don't look up much do they! Well done! I always enjoy seeing your images!

Registered on January 29, 2010, 10 Posts, 36 Comments

Comment posted by gary phillips on February 20, 2014 at 3:24 AM

THis is iconic Yellowstone, Zack. Superb shot and congrats on the well deserved WP.

Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on March 2, 2014 at 3:18 PM

Great shot, Zack.
Congrats on the WP!
D&L

Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on January 3, 2015 at 3:05 PM

Hello Zack

CONGRATS !

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Allen Brooks on January 4, 2015 at 11:35 AM

Congratulations on the award. You can almost feel the cold. I like the placement of the bison. There is more snow behind than in front and to me, with its head down, it conveys the idea that it has been trudging through the cold, thick snow. Well done.

Registered on July 27, 2011, 262 Posts, 2597 Comments