Mother love ...of European Bison

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hello folks ....
i think a very emotional and intimate moment between mother and calf . While the herd was slowly moving and feeding, this mother stopped and started to lick and rub the calf ....it lasted for for a short while , i really enjoyed watching this sweet moment .
One of the highlights of that trip to Kraansvlak ....well for me .
The bisons did very well in reproduction this year ....looking forward to visit them again in winter ...hoping for some snow .

Canon EOS 1Dx II
EF 500 IS L II
HH with no support

F 8 ; Iso 12800 ; 1/2000 sec ; man exp

Processed with DPP 4.6 and PS CC 2017 ; cropped for comp from all sides to 80 % of FF

Thanks for watching and commenting to my previous thread .

Cheers Andreas

[Glenn Pure]

I simply love this shot Andreas. Moment captured beautifully and the tight framing works really well for me. I also really like the OOF grass in the foreground, although I'd be tempted to selectively tone down the brightness of the blades that intersect the bison. IQ is superb and the warmth and depth of the tones and colours of the bison really add to create a great mood shot. The only really minor issue for me is the top left corner. I'd be inclined to darken that light tan area so it was less obvious.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Andreas - A tender moment, well seen and captured. It's interesting how dark the calf is. American bison calves are very red and their nickname is "Red Doggies." The catchlights in the eyes really add here. Nice tones. The upper left corner also caught my eye.

TFS,
Rachel

[Andreas Liedmann]

Thanks Glen and Rachel for your feedback ..much appreciated.
Will take a look at the corner tonight ....
Glen i am ok with the brighter blades of grass .
Rachel the youngsters are red as well, same color as the american bison . Sadly the chances are very low to photograph them at that location , as the area is closed from march to end of august due to bird breeding . Unless you get a special permit .
I would love to get them in that red coat ...

Cheers Andreas

[Jonathan Ashton]

KO Andreas,you have a knack of bringing out such wonderful texture and detail. The blades of grass at the front are a little unfortunate but they don't spoil the image for me.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Andreas, I very much like the rich tones and warmth of the image. I might crop a sliver off the top to exclude both the bit of green in the fur, but more importantly the top LHC. The blades of grass are fine with me, I think it adds to the scene. Just curious, where did you place the FP, on the calf's eye or in the centre of the two and did you use single point or expanded 'four' friends? The firmware from earlier in the year has really moved this camera on and it's done a lot more that I think Canon have let on, I trust you are up to date Andreas?

This for me is where I would go for usage of ISO over crop factor every time.

Nice one.

TFS
Steve

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dear Boetie,

This is one special image and I guess the first time for me to see a Bison calf up-close: very cute and looks rather vulnerable in comparison to mom.

I too feel the grass in the FG adds to the scene in this particular instance, making mother and young interaction more subtle and private. It is almost like a screen, adding a much desired "softness" - not sure it was intended but it certainly works for me.

Love the rich colours and the dappled light falls just in the right places. In terms of composition I would consider taking just a tad off the top, but only because my eyes are drawn in that left corner.
Superb techs and processing as usual Andreas, great IQ. Once again I am so taken with the way you see things, your sensitivity and wonderful skill of bringing out textures and colours as well as proportion, shadow and tone

Kind regards,

[Andreas Liedmann]

Thanks Jon , Steve and my sweet Gabriela for her specialty in being very warmhearted in her writing , always a great pleasure .

Gabriela & Steve .... only option for me would be to darken the ULC , no more cropping i think as it might be too tight in parts .

Steve .... four friends has been used , FP just on the horn of the calf . Yes the toy is up to date .

Hope this helps .....

Again thanks to all of you for your feedback , as always much appreciated .

Cheers and have a great weekend .....here it is pouring rain

[Steve Kaluski]

Steve .... four friends has been used , FP just on the horn of the calf . Yes the toy is up to date .

OK

I think if you take a diagonal line between the two eyes then take the centre of that it may have been better?

Good, but remember, take a download of the camera settings especially any AFMA settings as it may wipe them. Mine are too embedded in the camera so can't be lost via Canon.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hey Mr Perfect .....
You might be well right ...!!!!
In real life ....i was looking for other stuff , to be honest . For example keeping the others of that herd in my second eye , as i was somehow amongst them , being that close to some mothers with calves .....can go wrong , at times . So i was quite busy keeping the other stuff going ....
But will try to remember next time .

Cheers Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Hey Mr Perfect .....
You might be well right ...!!!!

No, but just a thought.

[haseeb badar]

Hi Andreas -- You are producing some real high quality images ! A lovely moment , great low POV with all the minutest of details . The colours looks quite lovely and the framing also works . All in all a very nice image .

TFS !