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FollowMusk Ox, Hjerkinn, Norway, 29 November 2017.
Musk Ox, Hjerkinn, Norway, 29 November 2017.
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AdirahsEyes
February 01, 2018
Love this musk ox..your shot captured the essence of this magnificent animal!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was shot at Hjerkinn, Dovre, Norway, at approx. 1250 m altitude.Time
Due to limited daylight this time of the year, I left the hotel around 9 AM and proceeded with a guide to the location where these fantastic animals are to be found more or less the whole year. We spent more or less the whole day to utilise the daylight. This particular shot was taken 2017-11-29 at 13:03:03. It was a cold day, -13 deg.C, but luckily very little wind.Lighting
Since it was no direct sunlight hitting the Musk Ox Bull I tried my best to utilise the reflection from the white snow. Sunset was only 2 hours away.Equipment
I used my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with a Canon EF 600mm f/4.0L IS II USM + 1.4x tele converter, giving a focal length of 840 mm, ISO 250, f/5.6, exposure time 1/500s. I used a monopod which is very handy when you have to deal with monster lenses and walking on snowshoes for long distances.Inspiration
In general I love seeing animals in their real habitat (as much as I hate seeing animals in a zoo), therefore I took the trouble to travel all the way from Singapore to see them. However, these animals are no joke, they can run up to 60 km/h, and easily kill you if you come too close and provoke them. That is why I chose to use pro a guide as a "life insurance", since he knows the body language of the animals, and at which distance "enough is enough". The muskox is actually more closely related to sheep and goats than to oxen, however, they are placed in their own genus, Ovibos. (Latin: "sheep-ox"). The species was introduced from Banks Island to the Dovre mountain range of Norway in 1932 before they were hunted to extinction during the Second World War. The animal was reintroduced to Norway in 1947.Editing
The image has been lightly processed in Lightroom, brightening the shadows, adjusting the colour temperature that tends to be overly blue in snowy conditions. And I cropped it a bit to my favourite 1:1 format.In my camera bag
I normally carry: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV body Canon EOS 5D Mark III body Canon EF 600mm f/4.0L IS II USM 1.4x tele converter Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II Lee ND filters Polarisation filters Sirui Tripod and Velbon gimbal headFeedback
1) Do your planning right, get a proper guide. Sigbjørn Frengen in Oppdal Safari is a great guy and he will fix it. 2) Forget about doing this alone first time. It may be your last time. 3) Dress properly. The climate here is no joke. Listen to advice from the locals. 4) Carry a long lens, 600 mm minimum. I recommend a 1.4 tele converter in addition. 5) For landscape, bring a 70-200 and something wider. The scenery can be spectacular. If you are lucky you can get some animals with a beautiful mountain backdrop. 5) Bring several spare batteries and keep them close to your body to keep them warm. Sorry to say modern camera batteries are not really made for Norwegian winter. 6) A tripod - or as a bare minimum a monopod - is needed.