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Bull up the hill

Bull up the hill



Musk Ox, Hjerkinn, Norway, 29 November 2017.

Musk Ox, Hjerkinn, Norway, 29 November 2017.
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upload_dateJan, 2018

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Legendary Award
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Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 29
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Magnificent Capture
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Top ClassTM

The Wonders of the World Photo ContestTop 10 class
The Wonders of the World Photo ContestTop 10 class week 1
ViewBug Photography Awards 2018Top 10 class
ViewBug Photography Awards 2018Top 10 class week 2
ViewBug Photography Awards 2018Top 10 class week 1
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Unique Sceneries Photo ContestTop 10 class
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Unique Sceneries Photo ContestTop 10 class week 1
World Photography Day Photo Contest 2018Top 10 class
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World Photography Day Photo Contest 2018Top 10 class week 1
Wildlife Photo Contest 2018Top 10 class
Wildlife Photo Contest 2018Top 10 class week 1
Big Mammals Photo ContestTop 20 class
Big Mammals Photo ContestTop 10 class week 1
Everything Nature Photo ContestTop 10 class
Everything Nature Photo ContestTop 10 class week 1
Monthly Pro Vol 39 Photo ContestTop 10 class
Monthly Pro Vol 39 Photo ContestTop 10 class week 1
Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 29Top 10 class
Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 29Top 10 class week 2
Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 29Top 10 class week 1
7 Comments | Report
adovgan
 
adovgan January 05, 2018
Very powerful image! Thank you.
GunnarImages
 
GunnarImages January 05, 2018
Thanks a lot!
AdirahsEyes
 
AdirahsEyes February 01, 2018
Love this musk ox..your shot captured the essence of this magnificent animal!
andrevondeling
 
andrevondeling February 03, 2018
Magnificent image!
GunnarImages
 
GunnarImages March 18, 2018
Thanks!
sharnagrahame
 
sharnagrahame March 19, 2018
Wow!! Great work!
grigoriskoulouriotis PRO+
 
grigoriskoulouriotis February 08, 2019
Amazing shot!

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Tags

#bokeh #bull #eyes #fur #furry #handsome #horn #ice #love #Musk Ox #norway #rock #snow #strong #sunset #landscape

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 head
Feedback
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.

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