Exhausted

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 20, 2015102 views5 comments

Hi Everyone! I found this big bull after he had a long day during the rut in Jasper. My dad and I had photographed him several times with a harem of cows, but when we found him in the morning on this day he was by himself. I guess he had lost his cows, so he was fighting other bulls to get some back. We never got to watch the battles, but twice during the day he challenged other big herd bulls. We were on our way back to the trailer at the end of the day when we spotted him again laying down in a meadow. He looked completely exhausted!

There wasn't much light left at all so I had to be really careful to get sharp pictures. I decided I liked the dark forest behind him, and when my dad and I looked at the pictures later I wanted to try this one in black and white.

I hope you like it!

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Nikon D7100
Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR
ISO 2000
1/40sec @ f/3.2
-0.3 EV
Mounted on Gitzo tripod with Acratech GV2 ballhead
Cropped to about 80% of original with a few small, bright rocks cloned at bottom

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Cay-Uwe Kulzer on November 21, 2015 at 6:17 AM

Josiah,

I like the pose of the elk very much and also the conversion to black & white works good for me. For an editor the background area is very useful to place text, etc. on the picture. For displaying options here I would have choosen to crop some of the top to draw the attention more to the elk enlightened

Registered on January 27, 2004, 494 Posts, 4021 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on November 21, 2015 at 7:34 AM

Josiah: the BW conversion is an excellent choice for this photo. It is even more impressive when seen large as you get a clear view of the elk's eye (which is a nice surprise). The composition and techs are fine. A suggestion would be to tone down the grasses behind the elk to the same level as the darker grasses in front of it. Congrats!! Richard

Registered on January 12, 2014, 453 Posts, 1625 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on November 21, 2015 at 4:17 PM

This is an easy image to come back and study again, which is a good thing! You have already recieved some good observations. The only thing I can add is it would have been good to see the face a little better, not that the grasses ruin anything, but I have to really look to see the shape of nose an muzzle. That is probably nothing you could change, but a slight difference in the animal's position can make real differences, something to always be aware of in the field.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on November 21, 2015 at 8:36 PM

I think you got some great suggestions already Josiah. I do like the fact you obviously waited for the eye to be visible here and that was a great instinct. I also like the tree lines in the BG. Nice work!

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Gavin on November 21, 2015 at 10:42 PM

While I agree with the suggestion about cropping some from the top, this image is one with which you should be very proud. It evokes a lot of different emotional responses (at least in me). Being somewhat familiar with elk and their habits, I wonder if this bull is not only totally exhausted, but also may have extended himself too much. Do you know if he revived (survived)? I have seen those that have not after prolonged, intensive fighting. Excellent photo.

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