Surveying His Domain

Gallery: WildlifePosted February 15, 2015166 views6 comments

Hi all! Here's another of my personal favourite bighorn images from 2014...and once again it's probably endeared itself to me because of the experience itself more than the inherent qualities of the resulting image. Josiah and I spotted a small band of bighorns working their way through the rocks along the edge of a mountain last spring, and decided to try and pick our way up to their level. As we hiked, a front blew in and it started to snow, adding a lot of drama to the scene while impacting our personal comfort level a wee bit.

When we spotted this ram bed down on an outcropping, Josiah picked a great angle and went to work on some nice side-view images. I eventually made my way around to the ram's front right, but before I did I had to capture some frames from this rather unorthodox angle showing the ram surveying the valley below.

The colour version is pretty cool, and I just may post it sometime after working on it a bit more (just got a new system and not sure I have this image dialed in quite right yet), but in the meantime I really liked the feel of this one in B&W (and was thinking B&W while composing the shot).

Hope you enjoy...please check out the LARGER version if you have time and of course I am grateful for any comments or suggestions.

Thanks...

Nikon D600
Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4D ID-ED
ISO 900
1/250sec @ f/5
-0.7EV
Tripod mounted

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Jim Gavin on February 16, 2015 at 2:20 AM

Very apt title. I really like this perspective and the techs are excellent (as usual). There is a line to the lower right of the right horn that is a bit distracting (to me, anyway.)

Registered on August 14, 2008, 293 Posts, 1250 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on February 16, 2015 at 8:26 AM

Hello John

Great for him to share his domain ! :) I am working from a notebook today with small screen but that looks like a snow streak as mentioned earlier! It certainly gives you a feeling and mood while viewing this capture! A head turn would have been sweet!

Cheers & thanks for sharing

Bill

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

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on February 16, 2015 at 10:20 AM

John,
I have to agreewith Bill on this one, all it needed was a slight head turn

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

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on February 16, 2015 at 10:22 AM

Very unique capture. I really like this. Well seen and well captured.

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on February 16, 2015 at 5:39 PM

I like the concept here John, as said a bit more of a turn would have helped. I do find the oof trees in the bottom right a bit of a distraction.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on February 17, 2015 at 9:10 AM

Hey John,

I'm beginning to get the feeling you like bighorns?

I like the idea of this shot and the placement of the subject in the frame works well for me. Like Nate mentioned the OOF tree dominating the right corner does distract me, and probably more so because of the "mottled" nature of it (snow and tree combining to provide a pretty heavy - and distracting - element for me).

I'm a bit torn on the B&W conversion (and simultaneously I'm looking forward to seeing the colour version). On the positive side, the overall gray feel to the shot makes it feel like a real "gray day" and thus it probably conveys the mood of the day very well. On the other hand, for me it comes across as a bit flat tonally - with the overall gray look of the subject almost blending with that huge chunk of gray background.

Cheers...

Brad

PS: I may have to sue you (sorry). I used that exact title for a shot of a grizzly on a rock overlooking the ocean below (that appeared both on NPN and on my website. Nothing personal. And I'm kidding...

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments