Hi All,

I am new to the forum
I have gotten a lot of advice by reading your posts and would like to get your opinion of this photo.

I live in Boone North Carolina, but in October I flew into Jackson Hole and spent 8 days photographing Teton and Yellowstone Parks.
I've had very good luck selling Western images at our Frame shop even though we are in North Carolina.

Thanks for your input.

Dale

Hi Dale,

I like the composition quite a bit - however, I would brighten up the image a bit. The reds and browns mingle a bit too much, and as a result the moose seems to blend in too much into the background. If it were not for the antlers, and the legs against the yellow, I would not have noticed him.

I think that a bit of PS work would help with this a bit. May I ask where you took this in Jackson?

James

Hi Dale
If it were possible I would have taken shots just as you did ,and then waited for the Moose to move out in the light or as James says into the yellow field better exposing himself. I would also make a selection of the red field and brighten it up by using curves or shadow highlight if you have that available . Just my 2 cents worth. I'm glad you are selling photos I plan or trying the same thing here in Ohio.
Thanks Randall

I forgot to applaud you on your stunning photo, it really is beautiful and one worth using an hdr blend on , I like the natural environment shots a lot, Randall

Hi James,

Thanks, when I looked at it again online, It was way to dark.
I have lightened it up a little.

This was taken just north of Jackson Hole on the way to Yellowstone. There is an area that I refer to as Willow Flats. Not sure if that's the real name. There is an overlook on the left heading north that looks back into this area.


Dale

HI Randall,

Thanks for your input.

I will try the HDR blend to help with the sky. I have photoshop, but need to learn a lot more as I go forward.
I did lighten it up a little so that it's not too dark, but then I lost the detail in the sky. HDR should help and I will post it again when I try it.


Dale

Looking at this shot....you used the rule of thirds to keep the landscape layers intertesting. In animal shots...most viewers find that if you place the subject walking into the scene instead of dead center...it gives it a more dynamic look like the subject is mobile achieving a destination...with potential in front of it.

The only other issue is the colors...The reds just seem to loose the dark subject. Being small in for foreground...you really have to get your subject to stand out. You can take a more zoomed in shot..(which I am sure you would have done if possable.)

Or make it stand out....PP will help with this. What camera did you take this with? Do you have enough pixels to warrant a tighter crop to bring the subject forward?

If not....toning down the back red brush....would be my top option....and lightening the subject just a bit would help as well....

Nice work....hope to see more!!!!

Roman

Hi Roman,

thanks for the input.

I agree, I usually place the animal to the left or right heading inward etc. In this case the moose was moving along at a pretty fast pace and I only had time to shoot about 6 exposures as I followed him. I like your idea of placing him to the left, so I'm going to check my original file and see if I can crop and maintain the quality. I can't crop to bring him close though because then I will loose the mountain range in the back.
I shot him using my Nikon D200 with my Nikkor 400mm 5.6 Prime lens. It is an old lens , but I prefer using manual lenses when I shoot wildlife. I hope to move up to maybe the 70-300, but I'm still not sure yet. It would allow me more options for composition.

Thanks
Dale