This may be my first elk (wapiti) photo of 2010. Most of the time I see these big guys, it's a grazing shot with head down, or a posterior shot. When the park is nearly empty, the big bulls are still wary, but they are not shy. It's possible to get close enough for a portrait. This guy actually didn't know what to make of me, because I was whispering secrets he wanted to hear. (Every good wildlife photographer knows what to say!) What is not commonly known is... ALL the big bulls spend the winter in Horseshoe Park. Almost all of the cows, yearling and spikes spend the winter in lower elevations or Moraine Park and Upper Beaver Meadows. The bulls venture out to graze during the night and in the dawn and dusk light. They retreat to the shade of the forest when the sun is high, because they are nocturnal animals. Also, the bulls will keep their antlers until the new vegetation starts to grow in mid March. About March 20, all the bulls will drop their antlers as the new antlers grow in. Antler shedding is an annual event. Final note: the image shows the full winter coat. Elk are comfortable to about -40 degrees. This is as pretty as the winter coat gets.
[Dec. 11th, 2010 09:55:25 AM]
definition of "Protagonist": the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama.
The reference to this bull elk may be lost on many. The drama is the attempt by the Park Service to reduce the overpopulation of elk in Rocky Mountain National Park.
[Dec. 12th, 2010 10:46:07 AM]
A better sized image, with that blurred spot cloned out. Couldn't do that in Basic Rules.
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Let's see... Elk, sharply in focus at what looks like 400mm.. I'm gonna bet the bank this is hahn23, if not, then Mr. Hahn might have some competition...
No matter who's image this is, it's a very nice shot, well focused and taken fairly close in, incredible detail, and although a small dose of Topaz could have done some wonderful things here, the natural look is also quite nice.
Darn shame this is basic, I bet that OOF grass spot on his neck bugs you as much as it does me... But, it's always super hard to shoot in these conditions and get the focus right, seems the camera always wants to focus on something besides the subject, really a challenge, but that's one thing that really makes this shine.
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