Hi again, everyone! After a few comments on my
last post of this handsome bull regarding hoping to see more of the setting he was in, I thought I'd share this one as well.
Josiah and I (barely) spotted this guy bedded along the edge of the forest in a clearing we had been watching daily because of the potential of the scene. That this bull chose the morning after a high-elevation snowfall to show up here was most fortuitous and greatly appreciated. Josiah and I both literally and audibly thanked him several times.
As many of you know, bulls often completely exhaust themselves during the rut, and need plenty of rest that they generally don't get. That being said, it always surprises me how short their "restorative" rests are, but that's invariably because either a challenging bull appears or a cow or group of cows become to active and force him back on the job. So, when Josiah and I hiked out for this guy, we weren't expecting as long of a wait as we had for him to rise. We had some FROZEN fingers and awfully cold faces by the time he got up! I was shooting with my 500mm on the tripod, but put the 70-200mm in a pocket as I headed out from the truck just in case. He wasn't going anywhere, so I decided to take a few shots showing the scene we were in while waiting for the moment. In truth, I was hoping once he was up, I'd have the opportunity to do some wider shots again, but sadly he didn't give us enough time for me to take my eyes off the viewfinder behind the bigger glass when it happened.
In any event, this is the beautiful scene my previous post was photographed in. It probably answers definitively why I've chosen to raise my family along the mountains here in Alberta.
Comments, suggestions and critiques welcome as always...please view the larger version if you have time!
NOTE: blues (and all colours) are much more accurate on my screen in the larger version
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Nikon D600
Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/4G IF-ED VR @ 145mm
ISO 500
1/640sec @ f/4.5
-0.3 stop exposure from meter
Handheld
100% full frame (not cropped)
Comments
8 commentsMan-O-Man did you ever nail this one, Outstanding !
This Image has it all . . .
I do have to ask: is that a manmade clearing in the background (left)? Looks like clearcut where one would run power lines. Just curious.
Max
Max: I guess I can't say for sure as there were no man made elements in the scene, however the north edge of the clearing (left) was certainly very straight and Josiah and I both commented on it while we were there. I'm sure happy it wasn't filled with towers and power lines!
Very, very nice. Composition, the scene itself, and all the techs work nicely here. I didn't even notice the 2nd bull at first and I don't think it's NEEDED for the image to be successful (but it doesn't detract in any way).
I'm a bit undecided about the DoF. I don't think shooting almost wide open really made much of a difference re: isolating and/or drawing attention to the subject...and part of me wants the background a little sharper. But this is clearly something thats solely in the domain of personal preference...and no right or wrong on it.
I noticed the straight "right-of-way" as well - and if this shot is taken near Jasper (looks like it) I suspect it's that new(ish) pipeline extension that went through a few years back (and hasn't fully grown over yet). Some may find that to have a slight "hand of man" influence on the image, but it's pretty trivial.
My only VERY minor nit is that to me the blues on the background mountain look a tad too punchy. I'm guessing (correct me if I'm wrong) that you processed this with Capture One Pro...and I have noticed that by default (especially on D600 images) it tends to produce strong blues (often stronger than in the original scene).
But overall so well done...nicely seen, nicely captured...
Cheers...
Brad
Brad, yes in fact I did use Capture One Pro for RAW conversion! The colours are more accurate on the larger version on my monitor, and the background mountains WERE particularly blue that day (Josiah even drew my attention to that in the field), but it's certainly possible this is a touch richer than the eye perceived in the moment. I sent you an email to discuss this further...thanks for mentioning it.