B&W Elk Battle

Gallery: WildlifePosted April 6, 2013160 views4 comments

Hey everyone! I posted the colour version of this image a year or two ago, and my dad and I just had the idea to convert it to black and white. I feel that it makes for a much more dramtic image!

These two elk were digging for food before they decided that they had to figure out who was boss! They slowly walked up to each other and started doing the fighting postures. I quickly focused on them and got ready for the image. Their antlers crashed together and soon they were pushin' and shovin' to see who was boss! It only lasted a few moments, and I felt like this was the most dramatic image out of the bunch. I love the way all the snow crystals are frozen mid-air around them from the impact.

Thanks for lookin'!

Nikon D300
Tamron SP 70-210mm f/2.8 LD @ 210mm
ISO 200
1/1000sec @ f/5.6
monopod mounted

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on April 7, 2013 at 2:11 AM

It appears you were working in very contrasty/challenging light, the highlights are blown in places where the sun strikes the snow directly. I'm not sure about the composition, more specifically the crop - just feels a bit cramped. It's a quandary when feeling a need to show a portion of the image where the action is (the antlers) as large as possible to give impact. However, the downside is that you have to sacrifice showing the entire subject(s) and surrounds. I may be wrong, but I think the answer lies in showing the entirety of the subjects, but the photo must be printed and shown LARGE to regain the desired impact. That's my take on it anyway Jenaya, hopefully I'm making some sense.

BTW, the black and white conversion was a good choice; it really emphasizes the winter wonderland, with spruce boughs heavy in snow.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on April 7, 2013 at 3:28 AM

Very nice conversion Jenaya and great action! Unfortunately the overall scene is a bit busy. Ideally there would be more background separation in a case like this, but of course that was beyond your control.

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on April 10, 2013 at 11:50 AM

Neat moment and you stopped action quite well. I agree the comp is complicated and the situation made for tricky decisions. I think this is a little over-sharpened for web presentation...noting the halos edging the dark legs and a crispy feeling to the flying snow and faces.

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

Comment posted by Brad Clinch on April 13, 2013 at 10:59 AM

Wow! Nice action, I also agree with previous comments about the crop. Perhaps open it up a touch to strengthen already strong action. That said, I do like how the tree branches frame up the action. I also agree with the look of over sharpening. Lessening the crispness of the flying snow and faces might reduce the busy feel to the image.

Registered on January 5, 2013, 37 Posts, 261 Comments