Steamy Bison (+ Repost)

Gallery: WildlifePosted February 11, 2012214 views6 comments

Plains Bison (Bison bison bison) photographed in Elk Island National Park, Alberta, last winter.

This fellow was very close to the road (and I was always close to the car). Of all the photos of the series, I like this one best because of the heads-on view and the steam coming out of his nostrils. The BG is snow and even though technically it may not be blown, it is featureless white (LL) nevertheless. I think this does work because it detaches the Bison from the BG and matches with the white steam coming out of the nostrils.

Canon 7D, Sigma 150-500 at 439 mm, ISO 400, 1/250 sec at f/8, large RAW file cropped to 83 %, PP done in LR3.

All C and Cs are much appreciated. Thanks for viewing. Roger.

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Anand Narayanan on February 11, 2012 at 2:46 PM

Love the menacing look ! especially the left eye

Composition wise, i like the tight framing. The details in the snout/steam and the cold look keeps the viewer occupied.

Wish the left eye were in focus a tiny little more. I would experiment selectively sharpening the eye region and would crop a bit from the left and top to place its left eye on the top/right one third.

Registered on October 25, 2009, 110 Posts, 835 Comments

Comment posted by Roger Kirchen on February 12, 2012 at 10:27 AM

Thanks Anand. Good points, you made. I have played with selective sharpening and contrast. Plus reframing and other minor edits.

Registered on March 6, 2011, 95 Posts, 847 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on February 12, 2012 at 11:19 AM

This has a great presence. I believe your selective reprocessing is a nice improvement, too. I agree it is the steam that makes this shot.

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

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on February 12, 2012 at 12:15 PM

Cool shot Roger, this bison looks pretty mad!

The steam is definitely what makes this so powerful. A pity about the lack of sharpness or rather DOF; in an image like this you would want both the nose and the eye in sharp focus. The small repost does look better indeed.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Deibert on February 13, 2012 at 8:29 AM

This is great, would love to be able to shoot such a powerful subject. The closeness goes perfectly with the menacing look in its eyes and the steam. Great shot!

Registered on September 30, 2011, 48 Posts, 125 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on February 13, 2012 at 4:45 PM

I love the breath coming from his nostrils!
menacing glare!

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments