grazing elk, up close and personal WITH REPOST

Posted by Kelly on Thu Oct 23, 2003 8:15 pm

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After a weekend of backpacking in Pennsylvania's Elk State Forest and not seeing any elk in the woods, I found this guy along the road. He was very mellow and cooperative, and there was a gate between him and me. I'd prefer a bit more DOF to have both antlers in focus. There was a tall blade of grass in front of his face that I cloned out. I took it out of the slide mount to see if more of the antler was there, but unfortunately I clipped it. Canon Elan 7e, 100-400 IS, Velvia 100. Thanks for looking, and your feedback is appreciated!

Kelly O'Neill

Last edited by Kelly on Sat Oct 25, 2003 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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by Tim Grams on Thu Oct 23, 2003 10:59 pm

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Certainly a nontraditional crop- although it sounds as if it was more of a mistake than a plan. The v in the antlers do lead down to the eye nicely. Nice exposure. The eye does seems a bit soft.

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by Dennis Olivero on Thu Oct 23, 2003 11:31 pm

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Kelly
Thanks for posting. When I went to Estes Park last year in a quest for elk I had the same trouble. Either they were so far away or right on top of me, and it took a while for me to have a couple of lenses laying in the seat next to me to pull it off. I like tight in close up face shots. I wonder if you can selectively sharpen the eye more because that really helps with the close ups.. The exposure is right on the money.. I hope you get another chance with the Elk a little further back

[b]Dennis Olivero[/b]
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by Cory Kittle on Fri Oct 24, 2003 6:31 am

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I am a fan of close ups of any wildlife. I agree the shot is a tad soft but a little sharpening would take care of that nicely. Elk are one of my all time favorite animals to spend time with. Did you make it back out there during the rut?

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by Harvey Edelman on Fri Oct 24, 2003 7:31 am

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I like the lines in the frame and technicals. Well done but maybe just a bit more USM would make this pop a bit more.

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by Kelly on Fri Oct 24, 2003 11:10 am

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Thanks for all the feedback! I'll try selectively shaprening tonight.

Tim Grams wrote:Certainly a nontraditional crop- although it sounds as if it was more of a mistake than a plan. The v in the antlers do lead down to the eye nicely. Nice exposure. The eye does seems a bit soft.

This is a combination of accident and plan. I liked the V and was going for something a bit different from the norm. However, he kept edging closer to me. If I hit the shutter a second earlier, the focus point might have been on the eye and more of the rack might have been included.

I'm waiting for another roll of slides, and have more in my camera, of several more elk, that included a very rowdy bull bugling and pursuing a female.

Kelly O'Neill

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by Rich S on Fri Oct 24, 2003 7:26 pm

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V provides a really strong base for the composition. I would be tempted to crop a bit from the top (losing the curved back part) and just a tiny bit from the right (so you haven't just clipped the point but have deliberately truncated it). Great opportunity to have an elk this close and so obviously relaxed!

Rich

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by Kelly on Sat Oct 25, 2003 12:16 pm

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How's this?