Bison play

[Kerry Perkins]

These two young bison were locking horns and tossing each other around in Yellowstone NP. We ended up in the middle of a herd that was (eventually) crossing a road. I stood next to the car and took lots of pictures... :) Cloned out a couple of blades of grass that were in their faces.

50D, EF70-200mm f/2.8 @ 125mm
Aperture priority f/5.6@1/200 sec, AWB ISO 200 EC 0
AI Servo AF using back button, HH no flash

Thanks for your comments!

[Gus Cobos]

I like the action captured here Kerry. I would have liked to have seen the one on the left with his eye open, but its OK an fine capture and framed quite nicely...would recommend toning down the light coat on the left one...aside from this, well done...:cool:

[Katherine Enns]

I like this feeling of two huge piano-weights head to head...and I actually like the one eye open - one eye closed look. Its an indication of who just might win this head butting contest. However, because I cant see the original, I cant tell whats happening with the muzzle on the left hand bison, but it looks like the nostril and lip have been generalized by the crop and the nostril isnt quite right, nor is the inentation below the nostril, on the upper lip. The grass that was in the foreground of the left hand bison, but its hard to tell because its been taken out, I think. It might actually add to the photo. Which is very fun and interesting and I am glad I was not the one in the middle of a bison herd. That must of been something!

[Dan Brown]

Nice job Kerry! Love the action and the one eye open!

[Alfred Forns]

The eye action does it for me !!! Also like how you cropped it Great action !!!

[Lance Peters]

Hi Kerry - like the locked heads - I might have gone ven tighter with the crop as the head area is were the action and the focus is. Agree with Gus on toning down the coat on the guy on the LHS
Good Show :)

[Jay Gould]

Kerry, just thinking about them crashing together can give you a headache! ;)

Good capture, Mate. I am enjoying your trip through your images. :D

[Harold Davis]

that is awesome and at 125mm!!!!? you had to be close to the action. agree with al. the eye makes this. shows power and his part. enjoying the images.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Great image Kerry. Just ditto all the above comments!

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Kerry,

You have captured some nice action. It is good that you have the entire leg of the guy on the left. Most of the people, in the heat of the moment tend to cut the leg joints. What is the white colour on the LHS fellow? I like the open eye of the bison on right.

I agree with Katherine. At times we find people cloning grass to get a clear view and even shadows. It doesn't help from a Natural history perspective.

I haven't seem much of your images. Look forward to more from you.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Kerry Perkins]

Thank you Sabyasachi. I understand about the cloning. Looking forward to posting here more often.

As for the light color on the left bison, I believe that he had been taking a mud bath, and the some of the soil in the area is very light-colored. I noticed several of the animals in the herd looked like this.

[Katherine Enns]

Thats definetely silt, and another reason this is a great shot, because it shows the dirt clinging to the left hand male. Its what they do! Can you post the shot with the grass in the face, just out of interest sake? I really like this photograph.

kat

[Kerry Perkins]

Thank you Katherine. I can post the original tonight when I have access to my files.

[Kerry Perkins]

As requested, here is the original without any cloning. I am away from home right now and don't have my master file on this one, so the crop is not exactly the same and there isn't any sharpening or image adjustments here. Just wanted to show the original capture without the grass cloned out.

Thanks for your comments!

[Katherine Enns]

Hey Kerry, thanks for posting this. And, well danged if the nostril on the left bull bison isnt really scrinched down, and the guy is puffing his mouth out. The nostril is not where I thought it would be. Its hard to take the festuca out, besides the green tickle on his muzzle looks good IMHO . BUT the larger yellow white dried stems of what looks like blue bunch wheatgrass are really distracting. Can you just take those out? I just LOVE this image. Its so much fun! And like Jay says, you can get a head ache just thinking about the impact.

kat

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Great work Sir. :) Love the fighting moment. you have witnessed a wonderful natural spectacle and your processing did well to optimize your capture. Thanks for sharing. :)

[Morkel Erasmus]

great PP work, I like the close crop - feels like I'm in the thick of things. nicely exposed and sharp too.