Project 52 by Chuck Schneebeck

This is a photo of a cow moose. She has made it through a tough winter but still does not have green high quality food available. Even though the snow is leaving this is still a critical time for most of the big mammals of the region. They could still die from the lack of sufficient nutrition. Clumps of hair are falling out as she goes through her molt to get her summer coat. The wind was blowing up the winter hair on her neck which can be several inches long.

I caught her in early morning light which gave me an opportunity to capture the rich earth tones of her hair. She was walking through sagebrush and bitter bush which are both gray green and very dull.

http://i39.tinypic.com/29qk2rt.jpg

Yet another proof that God has a sense of humour. Really needs to be viewed in lytebox to get full effect of texture and tone. I look forward to these shots from our Western neighbor. The occasional coyote and bald eagle serve as our wildlife excitement in Ohio Thanks, Chuck.

Kevin

Hi Chuck, great capture, very nicely in focus, facing into the space with wonderful detail of the face, looks a little mournful though :)

Kevin and Wendy, I'm glad you enjoyed the photo. There is no question that a moose looks like it was designed by a committee. Perhaps I will post a few more moose photos on the regular thread. I hope people will enjoy them.

Thanks for the responses,

chuck

Here is a photo I took in our backyard last spring. It is of a cow and calf moose. The cow is eating the soft new growth of the willows. It is not a great photo, but it does show the advantage of the elongated head of the moose for reaching more food. The very long legs allow it to move through deep snow easily. So maybe the committee didn't mess up too badly.

http://i44.tinypic.com/wjxp1.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Teton Chuck

It is not a great photo, ...........

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But not every image needs to be a fine art classic. Sometimes the important image is one that informs and educates. This one does that.

I've never seen a Moose calf and I never knew that the diet new growth on willows. So thank you. And .... it just shows that good things can be created by committees!!

And I thought we had some weird looking animals over here! Nice captures Chuck. I think my only comment would be with that first one is just the hind legs look like they're missing feet - only just. I have a habit of doing that myself and these days try to leave a bit more space in the frame and crop if I want it a bit tighter. You can always take out a bit of the photo but it's harder to add something back in :D

Mal, Thanks for pointing out the missing feet issue. I suppose I could go out and try to find the moose and photograph her feet, then PP the heck out of the picture. Or, here is another photo that does not have the feet cut off but they are hidden in the vegetation. I think it would have been a better choice.

chuck
http://i42.tinypic.com/2nvcrkn.jpg

That one works better for me. Even though his feet are hidden, you know they're there from the composition which makes the photo better balanced overall.

Here is a Mule Deer (also known as a Black Tailed Deer) in the sagebrush scrub habitat. Most people pass through this habitat and miss the colors and textures of the vegetation. And although the plants are relatively short, many people drive right past large mammals because they blend in so well. Although I have full body shots of deer, I choose this photo because I liked the way it shows the camouflage of the deer and the richness of the vegetation. The fact that the deer doesn't "jump out" of the photo is on purpose. I know the vegetation is extremely "busy", but that is what helps make the deer safe.

All comments are welcome (always). Thanks for taking time to look.

chuck
http://i44.tinypic.com/2mc7cxz.jpg

This week I am posting four photos. The first is different than anything I have tried to this point. While photographing Sandhill Cranes, reflections in the water caught my eye. The emerging vegetation was clearly mirrored and at the same time the trees on the mountain behind the marsh were reflected, although not so clearly. The texture and colors were quite stunning, so I tried to capture them in a photo. How did I do? How could I have done a better job?
http://i39.tinypic.com/2191n49.jpg
The primary purpose of the outing was to photograph Sandhill Cranes at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Idaho. I believe that the refuge hosts the largest breeding Sandhill Crane population in the lower forty eight states. Here are three photos that I took today. C&C is welcome.
http://i43.tinypic.com/ve7rq9.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/oruj2e.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/mimqdf.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Teton Chuck

Here is a Mule Deer (also known as a Black Tailed Deer) in the sagebrush scrub habitat. Most people pass through this habitat and miss the colors and textures of the vegetation. And although the plants are relatively short, many people drive right past large mammals because they blend in so well. Although I have full body shots of deer, I choose this photo because I liked the way it shows the camouflage of the deer and the richness of the vegetation. The fact that the deer doesn't "jump out" of the photo is on purpose. I know the vegetation is extremely "busy", but that is what helps make the deer safe.

All comments are welcome (always). Thanks for taking time to look.

chuck
http://i44.tinypic.com/2mc7cxz.jpg

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I like what you're trying to do here Chuck. The deer stands out just enough for your eyes to scan and lock onto it. The only thing I'd suggest is playing with the crop - I feel like there's a bit too much extra space at the top.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Teton Chuck

This week I am posting four photos. The first is different than anything I have tried to this point. While photographing Sandhill Cranes, reflections in the water caught my eye. The emerging vegetation was clearly mirrored and at the same time the trees on the mountain behind the marsh were reflected, although not so clearly. The texture and colors were quite stunning, so I tried to capture them in a photo. How did I do? How could I have done a better job?
http://i39.tinypic.com/2191n49.jpg
The primary purpose of the outing was to photograph Sandhill Cranes at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Idaho. I believe that the refuge hosts the largest breeding Sandhill Crane population in the lower forty eight states. Here are three photos that I took today. C&C is welcome.
http://i43.tinypic.com/ve7rq9.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/oruj2e.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/mimqdf.jpg

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A nice series of photos - beautifully sharp. I'm not quite sure that the first photo captures the full vision of what you saw but it certainly has some pleasing lines to it.

Mal, thank you for your comments. Here is a cropped photo of the deer and a closeup of the reflections. I was fascinated by the shapes that were created by the reflection of the emerging dead vegetation. Then I realized that the trees and snow banks in the background were also being reflected, but not as clearly. Seems clear that I violated the rule to keep things simple.
http://i42.tinypic.com/2eob5sn.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/szjs03.jpg

We have to try these things :) I think the deer shot works better now if you want to make sure the deer is the focus of the image. If you want a photo where you deliberately want someone to go searching for it, the first is definitely the pick so it just depends on what your vision is for the shot.

Sometimes it's hard to translate what you see into a photo - but that's the challenge of photography! If we could do that all the time, we'd spend more time selling our photos instead of being on here :D

I am posting two photos that relate to the season here in Jackson Hole. The first is an elk that is leaving the lowlands and beginning to migrate to the higher elevation summer habitat where there is lots of high quality food. I found this female on a ridge in early morning light and with the Tetons in the background.

The second is a small flower called Steers Head, a member of the Bleeding Heart family. Perhaps it should be called Steers Skull. It is only about one-half inch across, so was a good candidate for my first attempt with a macro lens. This plant blooms just after the snow has melted which coincides with the migration of elk. Both are sure signs that our short spring is underway and summer is just a few weeks away.

http://i39.tinypic.com/auicqw.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/1hbfop.jpg

Two good shots there.

That flower certainly looks like a skull. I wonder if cropping fractionally closer would increase the impact.

Geoff, thanks for the comments. Here is the same kind of flower in a different stage with a closer crop. What do you think?

http://i45.tinypic.com/2a7y6n4.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Teton Chuck

Geoff, thanks for the comments. Here is the same kind of flower in a different stage with a closer crop. What do you think?

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I think the skull shape was defined by the lighter petals against the darker background with the stem being lost in that. Therefore this doesn't enhance the illusion because the light/dark toning is reversed and the stem is to obvious. To make it work would require a tighter crop and possibly cloning to remove the green leaves.

Love the elk shot,

Thank you Dave. I'll work on this some more and see what I can do. Your comments are very helpful as I try to learn about the world of Macro photography. - chuck