Yellowstone Portraits

[SMB2]

I was in Yellowstone/Tetons earlier this month. Thought I would share some portrait shots from the trip. None of these were cropped (perhaps a little taken off for straightening etc.) as it was fairly quiet (the Big Horn shot was at a Ram Jam and crowded with photographers
) and the animals luckily came quite close.
All shot with a 500mm lens, no teleconverter. Pronghorn Buck with the nicest set of horns I've seen, Great Gray Owl, Big Horn Ram, Raven, Young Bull Moose

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[Second Hand Pat]

Lovey, lovey spots Stan. :) I am so jealous. Not sure why but really like the raven/crow shot. The expression is priceless and the feather definition is perfect. Aren't black bird shots a bit difficult?
Pat

[Willie]

That's quite a telephoto lens you got!

Willie

[brewmaster15]

Steve, I really hate your pics! Nothing like posting beautiful wildlife shots from an amazing location to help me keep my mind on my work. Gee thanks!:angry:

J/K Seriously, I really love seeing your pics, they are inspiring,:) Thanks!

al
ps.. Great Owl shot!

[SMB2]

I really hate your pics! Nothing like posting beautiful wildlife shots from an amazing location to help me keep my mind on my work. Gee thanks!



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Now get back to work!

[SMB2]

Aren't black bird shots a bit difficult?

Pat like most things, you have to expose for the bird. I do have to correct myself, this was taken with a 24-120 lens. It was a very tolerant "picnic table" Raven.
Exposing for a black bird will often times leave you with a blown out BG. If the bird was surrounded by blue sky, the sky would most likely be rendered white if the Raven was correctly exposed.
In this case the BG was fairly subdued so there were not great extremes between the subject and BG. I love the feathers around the nares/cere.

I find photographing Moose very difficult because of the dark coat, light horns and the fact that they are often in the shade. This one was just walking along in the pouring rain, right up to my car. I had to walk back some to get the shot, because I was to close photographically and for comfort! The gloomy day helped a lot with the exposure.

[brewmaster15]

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Now get back to work!
Lol..

[Discus-n00b]

Fantastic! Such crisp images. I'm jealous of the shoot location, it's on my list I HAVE to get there. Love the shot of the ram especially, so nice!!

[rickztahone]

love the buck shot. The background is just so buttery! Great composition and the natural gradient lends itself really well to this subject. Really, really nice shots. TFS

[Second Hand Pat]

Pat like most things, you have to expose for the bird. I do have to correct myself, this was taken with a 24-120 lens. It was a very tolerant "picnic table" Raven.
Exposing for a black bird will often times leave you with a blown out BG. If the bird was surrounded by blue sky, the sky would most likely be rendered white if the Raven was correctly exposed.
In this case the BG was fairly subdued so there were not great extremes between the subject and BG. I love the feathers around the nares/cere.

I find photographing Moose very difficult because of the dark coat, light horns and the fact that they are often in the shade. This one was just walking along in the pouring rain, right up to my car. I had to walk back some to get the shot, because I was to close photographically and for comfort! The gloomy day helped a lot with the exposure.

Stan, perhaps a dump question but how do you expose for the bird? Doesn't the meter measure the entire scene when looking thru the view finder?
Pat

[SMB2]

Well you can spot meter instead of matrix meter, or you can just open up a few stops from what your meter reads (matrix) and look at the LCD.
If I think it is going to be just one chance at a shot, AND I remember, I switch to spot or center weighted metering. It I get to work the subject in matrix metering, I make exposure changes as I go along.
Also I am always looking at the BG to try and not only isolate the subject but not have high exposure contrast, if I don't want it in the image.

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[Rapture]

love these