Winter Majesty + REPOST

Gallery: WildlifePosted April 14, 2011261 views12 comments

I thought now that I've posted one elk pic, I might as well do a short series. They're one of my favourite mammals, so it's been a little hard to narrow down the images! I decided on this and the one I will post next based on the need for objective feedback more than anything else.

This is the bigger of the two elk you've seen in some of Jenaya's recent pictures from our time together in Banff. I'm not usually a straight "post card ID shot" kind of guy, but good grief when an animal strikes a pose like this it's hard not to instinctively press the shutter!

Like Jenaya, I loved the frosty whiskers and neck hair on this bull, photographed at dawn in about -20C temps and 3ft (sometimes more) of snow.

I don't mind admitting that when I looked through the viewfinder I immediately thought "magazine cover" and left a little extra room at the top! Hey - you never know!

Comments and critiques greatly appreciated, especially regarding overall IQ and any areas for improvement in pp. Please view the larger version if you have time as it's much higher in quality I think.

Nikon D7000
Tamron SP 70-210 f/2.8 LD @ 160mm
ISO 100
1/1000sec @ f/4 with -0.7EV to prevent clipping in highlights
Center-Weighted Metering

NOTE: Interestingly, I really struggled with the WB/colour on these shots, especially compared to Jenaya's images from her D300, even after switching lenses. I've wondered about the sensors' unique abilities to record colour accurately in these conditions, but am most suspect of the tolerances on the ISO 100 setting I chose. Any thoughts or personal experiences?

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Keith A Anderson on April 14, 2011 at 9:37 PM

What a stately pose and marvelous setting. Love the frost/snow on the forehead, neck and and fur around the mouth. I wish there was a bit more room to the right though.

Registered on February 13, 2006, 166 Posts, 1818 Comments

Comment posted by John Blumenkamp on April 14, 2011 at 10:38 PM

Hi John... what a gorgeous bull in an amazing setting. Very nicely done! I think a little more room right would have been nice too.

Registered on February 26, 2011, 58 Posts, 313 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on April 14, 2011 at 11:21 PM

Yes, John, postcard...or even cover material. My only wish is for a bit more space for virtual feet, but for a cover that space above might be more important.

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

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on April 15, 2011 at 9:52 AM

Another marvelous shot John :^) Funny to be looking at this image and feeling an imaginary chill, while sitting in my office with the window wide open, the fan doing it's best, and me sweating beads of perspiration ;^p

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Runco on April 15, 2011 at 10:14 AM

Nice elk shot! I agree with the others about wanting more room on the right, the image also looks to be a bit over-sharpened to my eye.

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments

Comment posted by John Launstein on April 15, 2011 at 1:45 PM

Thank you so much for your comments and suggestions.

I re-worked the image, adding back what I had cropped out from the right side and bottom per your suggestions, and applying different and less sharpening. I also tweaked the colour a bit and did similar but slightly different dodging and burning.

All-in-all, I think this is a significant improvement, thanks to the community here at NPN!

Thank you, sincerely, for helping me improve my craft! Please do let me know if you think the second version is indeed an improvement, or what I could do to take it even further.

With appreciation,

John

Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Runco on April 15, 2011 at 2:31 PM

Very nice John, the repost is quite an improvement. The crop works better to my eye, and it looks like you've applied less sharpening. Nice job!

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on April 15, 2011 at 5:52 PM

A beautiful protrait of this regal master of the Rockies John. I like your repost better too. It certainly is a cover shot, you just got to show it to the right person.

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on April 16, 2011 at 1:15 AM

The simple reintroduction of the right-hand side alone makes a huge positive difference John, good choice my friend :^)

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Canuel on April 16, 2011 at 4:36 PM

Great looking specimen with a nice representation of habitat. Repost is a nice improvement.

Registered on September 12, 2010, 53 Posts, 660 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on April 17, 2011 at 9:59 AM

Hi John,

I'm jumping in a little late on this one (sorry) but my first thoughts (before reading the comments) including adding a tad more space on the right side and at the bottom, which seems to be consistent with the what you've done on the re-post (which, while only a tweak, definitely makes a difference to me). On both versions the colour looks good to me, but I'd argue the contrast is perhaps a tad high, and it especially shows on the neck and throat region on the elk (and a little on the underside of the elk - between both front and rear legs). Otherwise techs look really good...

Cheers...thanks for sharing this...

Brad

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

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on April 17, 2011 at 2:30 PM

I'm late, also and was just going to suggest as Brad did about toning down those highlights seeings you asked. But the one highlight that bothers me most is the one on its chin.
Aside from that this is a real winner of a magnificent beast.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments