Grunting Buck

Gallery: WildlifePosted December 18, 2011183 views4 comments

Hi Everyone!

I got this picture last week when I went to Waterton National Park with my dad and sisters. Jenaya already posted one of her favourites of this guy, but I liked this one too much not to post it too.

I haven't gotten any pictures of mammals for a while (mostly birds) so my dad let me borrow his camera and lens. We had been photographing him for a little while when he suddenly started grunting at some bucks behind us that were higher on the mountain. I did my best to get some pictures of him doing this and this was the best one. I messed up and didn't leave any room on the left side of his antlers so my dad had to "extend the canvas" and blend everything.

I love how sharp his face is in this picture and his cool pose and the way his eyes look. I also like how the background is so soft, and the snowflakes falling.

Thank you for looking!

Nikon D7000
Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4 IF-ED
ISO 1250
1/200sec @ f/4
monopod
full frame plus canvas on left

PS My dad says you should look at the larger version too because he looks really good in that one!

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Eirini Pajak on December 18, 2011 at 2:42 PM

He sure looks like he did not approve of whatever you were doing! Really neat shot...I just wish that one blade of grass was not in front but otherwise, very nice!

Registered on December 13, 2011, 216 Posts, 1671 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on December 18, 2011 at 8:01 PM

Hi, neat shot! This would make a great holiday card, with the falling snow and that look!

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

Comment posted by Brad Hill on December 19, 2011 at 8:42 AM

Hey Marlise,

Looks like you folks had a real fun time on this day. Love the snow and the expression is great. In terms of "messing up" (and having your dad add canvas) - well, the image is a bit tight on the sides but the main subject here isn't really the whole deer anyway - this shot is mostly about the deer's face and great expression. So perhaps rather than adding canvas to try to "save" the sides it might be worth trying cropping even closer to really emphasize the head and face? Just a thought...

Cheers...

Brad

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

Comment posted by John Launstein on December 20, 2011 at 1:08 AM

Hey, Mar! I think you did a great job here in really difficult conditions. I love his look here...you captured a really cool moment when he grunted.

I personally would like this better with just a LITTLE more room on either side of his antlers. Shooting with a fixed focal length can be tough sometimes! I'm intrigued with Bear's suggestion, too. We'll have to try a few different crops and see what looks best!

Good job in capturing this!

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