Determination

Gallery: WildlifePosted October 12, 2016119 views3 comments

Came across this cow elk along the Madison River in Yellowstone last September. She was able to keep up with the herd and seemed remarkable nimble on three legs. Not sure what happened to her (wolf, birth defect), but I was amazed at how she has overcome her misfortune. A lesson for us all perhaps. Processed using Lightroom CC (2015) and Photoshop CC (2015.5) along with Light Craft's LightZone. Comments and critiques welcome.

Canon 1DX Mark II
Canon 200-400 f4 L IS
f5.6
1/250s
Focal Length 560mm (Teleconverter Engaged)
ISO 1250

Comments

3 comments

Comment posted by Jim Gavin on October 12, 2016 at 2:07 PM

Jerry, I like the use of f 5.6 and placement of the cow in the frame. The out of focus bright spot in the upper right is a bit distracting. There was a cow with a similar injury near here that lived for several years staying with the herd and raising calves. It was thought that an irresponsible hunter (did not track her) had shot her in the leg causing the loss of the lower portion.

Registered on August 14, 2008, 293 Posts, 1250 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on October 12, 2016 at 4:31 PM

Good story telling image. Nice detail and color in the elk. thanks for sharing.

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

Comment posted by Brad Hill on October 21, 2016 at 4:31 PM

Hi Jerry,

Great documentation and a reminder how "raw" the natural world can be. Overall I like the shot...perhaps a BIT too centred for my taste, but that's a personal preference thing. I like the amount of DoF in the shot...and overall your processing looks quite good here. Between the sloping treeline and the angle of all the "stalks" of vegetation (from the grasses through to the background trees) I'm left wondering if a slight CW rotation is in order?

Thanks for sharing...cheers...

Brad

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