August Ram

[John Ippolito]

August Ram
Dall Sheep Ram
Alaska Range august 2008
D300
300 2.8 VR
F 3.5
1/1250
ISO 400
spot
manual


I spent 14 days this past rainy summer chasing Dall sheep in the Alaska and Chugach ranges. On two of those days I hit the jackpot. Good subjects with intermittent bright overcast light.
From a high bivouac, I spend my mornings cruising the drainages looking for promising LWDs (little white dots). The larger rams, after morning feeding, tend to climb up to a high protected area with excellent visibility for their mid-day rest.
Patience is needed and sometimes rewarded . Once I find the rams, it might take a few hours of climbing, approaching at an oblique angle, until they are completely comfortable with my presence- though this doesn't always work. In fact, the day I got the image of this ram, I was perched in a steep rocky gully at 6,000 ft (timberline in this region is at 2,400 ft) for a little over 7 un-photogenic hours, watching a pair of them chew cud, nap like dogs, get up to urinate , defecate, and stretch, only to have them lie back down for another nap. Patience... Fortunately their renewed interest in feeding happened before the light faded, and the north facing gulley fell into deep shade. My reward? 10 minutes of excellent shooting opportunities and another remarkable day in the mountains.
There are easier places to photograph Dall sheep, but I very much enjoy immersing myself into their more remote habitats. This is also excellent interior grizzly habitat.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Shame about lack of light, but your patience and dedication to nail this wonderful composition are exemplary. :)

[Robert Amoruso]

John,

The soft light paid off here as the detail in the sheep's coat was recording well. Super sharp on the head and torso. BG goes with him well, does not compete and blurred just right. I would have either preferred to see the feet or have the OOF bank a bit further away as it feels large in the frame and draws my eye.

[Grady Weed]

I must say it is very sharp and finely detailed, on the ram. As to the oof lower right, I agree with Robert. However, a very nice image of the ram.

[denise ippolito]

I love the details on the ram and find the story fascinating! I am so jealous that you get to spend hours in that vast beautiful wilderness alone with nature experiencing life to the fullest! Kudos to you!! The setting reminds me of a book titled "One Man's Wilderness" it's a true story about a man named Richard Proenneke and his Alaskan life.

[Steve Canuel]

Hi John,
I love these guys and you did an excellent job on capturing the detail in the fur and horns. I like Peter's removal of the green spot, that thing was pulling me away from the sheep. Glad to see your effort and patience paid off. Takes a bit of time, work, and luck to get the images from those remote places but I enjoy them too.

[Fabs Forns]

That is one good looking Ram, great placement in the frame, although some more room at the bottom would have been nice. I like your EXP control and detail in the fur. Well done :)

[John Ippolito]

I appreciate everyone's insights and suggestions. When this image was taken there was actually another sheep (too close to focus on) just below this one, that I had to keep out of the viewfinder.

Peter, I like your PP repost. I initially thought the bit of green helped to illustrate just how sparse this habitat can be, but looking at your vegetation removal, the image looks better without it. Steve, you were right on. Thanks!

I love the details on the ram and find the story fascinating! I am so jealous that you get to spend hours in that vast beautiful wilderness alone with nature experiencing life to the fullest! Kudos to you!! The setting reminds me of a book titled "One Man's Wilderness" it's a true story about a man named Richard Proenneke and his Alaskan life.

That's very cool Denise! I just happen to have a copy of that excellent book right here in the lightroom. Dick Proenneke's remote handcrafted cabin is still there (with his artifacts inside) on beautiful Upper Twin Lake in what is now Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. He lived there until he was 82.
He has since passed on.

[denise ippolito]

I plan to visit his cabin one day soon and see it for myself. I love the life he chose for himself and his dedication to his craftsmanship. I loved the fact that he never took from the land more than he needed. He is a true inspiration.

[Nate Chappell]

Lovely detail and sharpness in the ram, it gives some idea about the habitat these guys live in as well.

[Grady Weed]

I have all 3 videos of Dick's life, http://www.dickproenneke.com/ plus a few from the makers of them. All are worth viewing. And this image did remind me of him.

[denise ippolito]

Grady, I think it's great that his story has touched so many-I did see "One Man's Wilderness" a PBS special and ordered the book- I had no idea there were more videos-Thanks for sharing the link!

[Stu Bowie]

Super comp John, and I think you have exposed this very well. This is also pin sharp. I like how Peter has cleaned up a bit of the BG, so that was my only nit on your original. Still, well captured.