Bison Crossing the Madison

[denise ippolito]

Canon 5D
100-400mm
1/400 sec. at f/5.6
ISO 800
HH
Cropped to put the eye in the ROT

[Sid Garige]

Awesome job Denise. Never seen them crossing the water before. Like the way he was maintaining the eye contact with you.

[Harshad Barve]

excellent image and he definately kept eye on you ;)
TFS

[Steve Kaluski]

The muted colours of the BG really ensure the Bison stands out, but that look says it all.

TFS
Steve

[Robert Amoruso]

Looks a little nervous. You framed and later cropped this well. BG soft and w/o distraction makes him stand out well.

[Rachel Hollander]

Denise -really like this image. Your comp and crop work well.

TFS,
Rachel

[Nancy Bell]

I love seeing a bison in water. A nice change from the traditional image of "bison standing in prairie". The eye says it all and gives character to the massive animal. The pale BG perfectly highlights the dark bison. Were you just standing on the bank near this bison? Although they look slow like cows they really can be dangerous.

[denise ippolito]

Thank you all for the kind comments.
Nancy, Artie and I were across the river when 3 Bison started to drink-they then entered the water and started swimming. We both took as many shots as we could allowing the animals to cross as they pleased w/o our interference. You are correct they are very powerful and can be dangerous if you are not careful.

[Marina Scarr]

Denise, I absolutely love this image. First of all, it's not something we normalliy see or that I have ever seen in person or on a forum. I love the dark bison against the light BG. I think the fact that you used a 5D really helped the colors in the BG pop a little bit. Love the way the bison is looking at you and looking a bit nervous. It just all came together beautifully here. Congrats.

[Paul Lagasi]

I didn't even know they could swim...nice capture, he does have a scared look on his face...Well done

[Arthur Morris]

Love the image. When I saw the animals look up after finishing their drinks, I shouted out, Maasai Mara, they are gonna cross. And they did. See my post above soon for more on the story.... Ah, one suggestion for improvement: lose the whitish thing on the shoreline just above the back where it enters the water.

[denise ippolito]

Thanks for the kind comments everyone.
Artie, Good eagle eyes.:)

[Ken Watkins]

I like this because for me it is unusual, I am sure i must have seen Bison crossing rivers in documentaries before, and I am quite sure they do it all the time, but I cannot recall seeing an image like this.

The low POV and eye make this outstanding.

[Shreyas Mantri]

An unusual incident beautifully captured. The colors and the contrast on the animal are so well done!
Must've been a treat for the eyes to watch it personally :)

Shreyas

[denise ippolito]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind comments.
Shreyas, Nice to see you participating! I was thrilled to watch this-of course my heart was pounding:)

[Roman Kurywczak]

Sweeeeet! Love the low angle and placement in the frame. Super job on this!!!:cheers::cheers::cheers:

[denise ippolito]

Thanks Roman. I appreciate it.:)

[Andrew McLachlan]

Denise, I love this shot. The details in the head and seeing the white of the eye as it watches you while swimming past take this image up a notch. Nice to see unusual behavior too. Well done.

[denise ippolito]

Andrew, I appreciate the kind comments.:)

[DanWalters]

Very nice! Like the way the head is just above the surface and I like the little bit of white in the eye.