LATE WINTER VISITOR

[gary ellwein]

In late winter, near Alpine, Wyoming, a sizeable herd of mountain goats show up in the same spot like clock work. The site is a steep hill side above the South Fork of Snake River. The area borders a major highway. This time of year photo websites from our area are awash with goats. This image was obtained in late Feb. on a blustery day with intermittent snow. The image is a bit tight. I was using a prime lens and backing up onto the highway was not an option. D3s, Nikkor 600mm, f8.0, 1/1250, iso 800, manual, tripod. No PP except light sharpening of the final jpg. C & C appreciated. Delighted to see activity on the ETL forum pickup.

Gary

[Doug West]

Wow! This is beautiful! I've never seen one...then again, I live in Cleveland :)

I think the crop is ok, cause you have a little more extra room on the left vs the right.

Maybe clone out that dark sticking out of near back?

Doug

[Gordon McKechnie]

Lovely capture - pose, exposure, sharpness all look superb. Agree with Doug's comment about cloning out stick on back. In an idealy world I'd prefer it without the branches in BG on left, but still lovely as is

[Dan Brown]

Great critter, Gary. Good sharpness and exp. It is a little tight though and the goats far horn doesn't stand out as much as I'd like. Maybe you could lighten the bg a little to bring the horn up. Love the snow!

[John Chardine]

Absolutely beautiful Gary. I agree a bit tight but the image has so many attractive attributes. Love the soft light, the snow and the veg. Very sharp. Great detail in the fur.

[gary ellwein]

Thanks to all for the encouraging comments. The repost incorperates the suggestions. I missed the stick. I too did not like the bush in front of the goat. I thought removing it was a bridge too far. I took a shot at removing it and IMHO the result is acceptable.

Gary

[Steve Canuel]

This is a real nice shot Gary and I didn't even notice the bush until I saw it in the comments. Although it looks good without in your RP, I think the lines of the branches paralleling the goat makes it a non issue for me. Nicely done either way.

[Kerry Perkins]

Gary, super image especially with the repost. The cleaner bg really adds to an already excellent image. My only remaining suggestion would be to evict the bits of grass that are obscuring the mouth area. Great job handling all that white and I love the strength and beauty of the pose. Well done!

[KevinStohlgren]

Excellent shot and beautiful subject. The large snowflakes really make this shot. I agree the overall image is better without the tree but it seems to be a little much to me to remove it, and the tree doesn't bother me in the original image. I also see some cloning artifacts around the top of the grass in the repost that are distracting.