A Special Bighorn
by John Launstein
Hi all! I was posting a series of bighorn ram images a few months ago and was attempting to build up to this guy, and then got caught in some heavier work responsibilities and didn't finish what I had started! So, a bit tardy, but here's the ram I have been wanting to present to you, as he is surely one of my favourite sheep I have ever had the privilege of photographing.
Certainly, he's a big ram with magnificent horns. But that's not the only trait that endeared him so much to me. Part of it was probably the quest. I had spotted him through my binoculars a few times but could never reach him. Then when I finally did, he simply never gave me the shot I wanted. And then one day, Josiah and I stumbled upon a group of rams along the base of a mountain grazing one of the few bare patches of grass early last spring, and there in the middle of this band of brothers was my ram. And on this day, he finally, eventually, cooperated...and made up for all his obstinance in one simple decision to rest for a few minutes.
Both Josiah and I did manage some nice portraits of him with the deep blues of the Canadian Rockies behind him about an hour earlier, but when he walked over to this particular patch of grass and bedded down for a bit, I knew my moment had come...if he would stay awake. Josiah and I squeezed off the obligatory "insurance shots," and then began working quietly around him for the best angle talking to him softly the whole time hoping to ensure him we were not a threat. Eventually I chose this angle, laying on my belly a little below him with a snowbank behind him. After many, many painful and cold minutes waiting for some--any--kind of look from him, two younger rams circled around behind my son and I and began pushing each other around as rams will do on occasion, and this old warrior looked up to make sure all was OK before dozing again.
I know it sounds crazy, but I still remember my eyes moistening in the cold Alberta winds as Josiah and I quietly receded away a few minutes later, leaving him to his rest. I'm the first to admit I have a deep affection for bighorn sheep (my daughter thinks it borders on irrational), but this guy was on my most-wanted list for so long, and the moment had come with only a few wild rams on the side of a windswept mountain and my son and I patiently waiting amongst them, my wife watching from the truck below.
I don't know how special of an image this is from a merely technical standpoint, but I do know how special an image it is to me, and I hope you enjoy it as well.
I'm watching the mountains weekly now, waiting and hoping for another encounter with this old boy, and I'm sure you'll be the first to know if I am so fortunate to frame him again through my lens in 2015.
Field Notes:
Nikon D600
Nikkor AF-S II 500mm f/4 IF-ED
ISO 1600
1/1000sec @ f/8
+0.3EV
tripod-mounted with legs flat to the ground
Processing Notes:
Converted from RAW using Phase One Capture One Pro 7
Processed in PS5 with various selective adjustments to tones and contrast and additional tweaks in Nik Viveza 2
100% full-frame
Comments
9 commentsThis one is well worth the effort.The lighting, sharpness, and composition are ideal and I especially like the ragged tips of the horns
Balan Vinod
When you say...
"I don't know how special of an image this is from a merely technical standpoint, but I do know how special an image it is to me, and I hope you enjoy it as well."
...then there's almost no reason to critique this image - it has done it's job for you! And that's great.
While many photographers - and certainly critiquers of images - separate out the technical and creative elements of an image, I firmly believe they are connected and/or correlated (tho' not perfectly of course) and are inextricably bound together. The emotional component, however is harder to put in a bottle and describe (or to teach someone how to capture and/or convey). And, of course, what evokes emotion in viewers differs (I'm more likely to react emotionally to an image of a carnivore than I am of an ungulate, and you seem to be particularly fond of and likely to react to bighorns). Last but not least, any photographer associates their images with their memory of the event - including things like past experiences with the subject and how darn hard it has been to get an image of subject "x".
So as someone with no history with this ram and looking PURELY at what's presented above, here's my thoughts on the image. For me this image is totally solid technically - exposure looks spot on, DoF looks mostly good (but see next sentence), and certainly there's no issue with sharpness. Compositionally - for me it does feel a little tight on the bottom, but it appears that adding more room below would have included just OOF grass that wouldn't add a whole lot to the shot (and could detract from it). So your decision and possible compromise there looks well-considered. I'm torn on the stark white background - while it certainly doesn't distract (how could it?), I don't know if it adds a lot to the image (at least for me).
What about the emotional component? You know, it doesn't really grab me that way. But, I only like bighorns - I don't love them. And this image is obviously really important to you...so that should be enough (and in that regard the image has done its job!).
Cheers...
Brad
well done! and being patient helps tremendously! Great that you feel so passionate about these guys and were successful to fully enjoy the moment. Even better to share the moment with someone special! Great Moment to remain with you over time!
Cheers
Bill
It's easy to relate to how special it is to finally be able to photograph that recognizable individual we've been pursuing. He's provided you a unique perspective and it works well. Thanks for sharing