Bad wool day

Image:

Description:

A bighorn sheep settles down for the evening and wishes her wool would just get back to normal already. All of them were in this raggedy state since it was just starting to get warmer. Still thought she was pretty cute.

Specific Feedback Requested:

Open to ideas for processing

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

Handheld

image

Lr for the basics including a bit of exposure and work to bring up texture in that shedding wool. I don’t think I did anything out of the ordinary.

Sweet capture, Kris, but he does look kind of lonely. Great lighting and details.

I like this image because of the “ragged” quality. To me it makes it interesting. People so often want to take photos of “beautiful” things. I find it more compelling to see the rougher side of life sometimes. I like the way everything is on the diagonal, except the sheep’s head. This really brings the focus onto the head and almost creates a 3D quality to the image.

Thanks @linda_mellor & @Chris_Baird - they were a sorry looking lot for sure, but somehow it’s endearing. We all have to take the smooth with the rough. I believe it’s a ewe, both genders have horns in this species, but only the males have the Big Horns for which they are named. I got a few shots of an old male on this trip and a few other ewes because they are habituated to humans and generally just stay where you find them. Bison, too, but oddly not pronghorn antelope. Different temperaments I suppose.

1 Like

Shedding critters do not make a “beautiful” photographic subject, but they are an integral part of the natural world. This shaggy bighorn shows that well, surrounded by lush young grass.

Thanks @Mark_Seaver - I agree that I too am somewhat biased toward the perfect specimen in all things, but sometimes the tatterdemalion has its appeal. Plus I love that word.