King of the Hill
A majestic bull elk in Grand Teton National Park. PLEASE scroll down to read Behind the Lens.
A majestic bull elk in Grand Teton National Park. PLEASE scroll down to read Behind the Lens.
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Aug, 2015Views
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Shades Of Brown Project
Contest Finalist in Never Stop Exploring Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Monthly Pro Vol 28 Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Social Exposure Photo Contest Vol 6
Contest Finalist in Evocative Wildlife Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Celebrating Nature Photo Contest Vol 1
Contest Finalist in Living Creatures Photo Contest
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Contest Finalist in A World Of Brown Photo Contest
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Anon_1234
August 11, 2016
Excellent composition! I love the profile shot of the elk, and the mountains in the background. Well done!
jonbrown_6750
September 18, 2016
Thank you. This shoot was a lot of fun. I ended up with several neat shots and this one was my favorite by far. I had to get frighteningly close to my subject b/c I had a max shooting range of 200mm! Thankfully he was cooperative.
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marcdewitt
February 26, 2017
Hi Jon. I read your BTL carefully. I very much respect your attitude. I agree with your risk/benefit analysis, especially your recognition and respect that you were in his territory! Thank you for a great shot and a great attitude!
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David_Blakley_Photography
December 03, 2017
I scrolled clear to the bottom, but there is no "Behind the Lens" story or maybe I'm missing something?
jonbrown_6750
December 03, 2017
idk, it's there lol, confirmed it through friends and by logging out and viewing the page. you may not have scrolled ALL the way down. you can also click on the BTL badgle below the title of the image (to the right of the comments thread) on any image with a BTL badge. That will take u directly to the behind the lens.
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken early in the morning at Grand Teton National Park. That is one of the Tetons in the background.Time
Around 7:00am, but I am not sure of the exact time.Lighting
This was in the golden hour. The lighting was perfect. Bright enough to allow a fast shutter speed and low ISO, but not so bright that I couldn't get away with f/2.8 and not over expose. The kind of light I wish I had 24/7. The golden light perfectly complimented the golden hues of this bull elk’s coat and antlers. I barely had to do any color treatment.Equipment
I used a Canon 5D Mark III and a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L (without image stabilization, so I had to be very steady). This was the only lens I had on me at the moment. I also did not have a tripod with me. We were driving from our cabin to get coffee and happened to spot this guy out in a field. Very serendipitous.Inspiration
I just stumbled upon this opportunity. As I mentioned previously, serendipity- one of my favorite ways to come upon a photographic moment. All the right things hsppened at the right moments for anperfect photo opportunity. I seized the moment.Editing
Always. I love photoshop. It isn't that a photo can't be great without photoshop, but why settle for anything less than the best it could be? I didn't do anything too crazy. I always shoot RAW so I did some minor adjustments in RAW to get color, contrast, and shadows right. Some sharpness and luminance adjustment. Then in Photoshop I did a layered high pass to improve clarity, and that was it. Nothing too crazy for this photo. I probably spent 15 minutes on it.In my camera bag
Depends on what I am setting out to shoot. But I usually always carry my Canon 5D Mark III around my neck and will keep a Canon Rebel T6i in my bag. I almost always have my Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM, and ALWAYS my Canon EF50mm f/1.4 USM, as well as the lens I user here, the Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM. If I am going to take pictures of flowers or insects I bring a EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. I occasionally shoot with a Canon EF35mm f/2 IS USM. On rare occasions I will bring a Canon EF20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 USM if I need to go beyond 24mm. ISincenwriting the BTL the first time I have added several more lenses, one of my favorites being the one I wish I had had then, a Canon EF100-400mm L-series f/4 IS USM I have also added a 100mm f/2 portrait and a 24mm f/2.8.Feedback
Got to be ready for the moment and ready to stop everything you are doing to get the picture. The coffee we were going to get had to wait! This was a golden opportunity and I was not going to miss it. And I am not encouraging anyone to be foolish or stupid, but there was a certain element of danger and risk to this photo. I had to get fairly close to this wild animal. I was aware of the potential for injury if this animal decided to charge me, but I made a conscience decision to take the risk that was necessary to get the photo that I wanted. I was careful, slow moving, and very respectful of this animal's space. I was a guest in his patch of grass, and I was uninvited. I also was shooting without a tripod, which I do not recommend with the particular lens I was using (it is heavy and did not have image stabilization). I had to have a very steady hand. I also took many shots. As many as I could. I shot in high speed getting as many captures as I could. In the end I picked the one I liked best.
