Cool Morning

Gallery: WildlifePosted January 1, 2014192 views11 comments

Out early this morning to the local nature area to see what was happening. Slow morning and this shot was quite lucky. I had been patiently waiting for a nice buck to move into a place where the chaos in the BG was minimal and the lighting a little better. A couple other people went by then a photo friend came by. We were chatting when someone said a big buck had moved into an opening. I picked up my tripod and walked over and literally just after I got ready to shoot he started to move. This shot was just a second before he moved on and I snapped it just after focusing and setting the shutter speed. Didn't have time to make changes to the ISO which is why the shutter speed is so high. For a lucky shot, it came out ok. Exposure was right on and just had to work some with contrast, etc. and clone out a few minor distractions. I really like the vapor of his exhale, the rim lighting, good FG and BG, and the rays of sunlight. All in all, not too bad. Your critiques and comments are most welcome and appreciated.

Tech Info

Canon EOS 60D with EF 70-200mm f/4L at 159mm
1/6400 at f/5.6 and ISO 1600
Tripod
Lightroom 5

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on January 2, 2014 at 12:41 AM

Peter, I think this is one of your better photos you have posted. It is not just luck either, skill with a camera makes luck work. thanks for posting.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on January 2, 2014 at 12:57 AM

Nice work on this beautiful photo Peter! Things really came together here for you with the breath and light streaming in against the dark background. I don't think that the high iso has hurt the image to any significant degree, probably due to the minimal detail and low contrast of the setting. Your time in the field and persistence has paid off nicely! Oh, and by necessity a small measure of luck is always involved in a great shot Peter.

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

Comment posted by Karen Kane on January 2, 2014 at 1:03 AM

Peter - I'm with John. This is one of your best. Love the mood! If this is full frame, you might want to experiment with cropping a little off the left (to get rid of the dark OOF spot mixed with the tree) and maybe a touch from bottom to accentuate the BG and awesome lighting even more. Not sure it's needed, but I often experiment with quick changes like a simple crop just to see.

The exhale vapour and sunbeams through a misty BG are phenomenal

Registered on August 4, 2012, 66 Posts, 726 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on January 2, 2014 at 12:26 PM

Moody atmosphere conditions and rimlighting on your subject help move this from a documentary type capture to a sensory, artistic rendition. Congrats on being there to take advantage of the situation. If this is full frame, I think you can make it even stronger with a slight to moderate crop

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

Comment posted by Richard Olsen on January 2, 2014 at 1:11 PM

Beautiful photo Peter

Registered on October 19, 2006, 306 Posts, 1571 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on January 2, 2014 at 6:12 PM

You've really cashed in with this special light Peter, nice!
I especially like the bucks 'breath' I see, and the animal in near silhouette is great.
Well done & all the best this year!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Mike A Worley on January 2, 2014 at 7:29 PM

Really Like the streaming light and the breath of the buck in this frame. Nice capture Peter. I possibly would have removed some of the out of focus foreground material breaching into the mist in front of the buck. Overall a great pic!

Registered on December 31, 2013, 1 Posts, 5 Comments

Comment posted by James Blue on January 3, 2014 at 4:35 AM

Peter, your persistence with shooting these bucks has really paid off with this image. Great light and mood