Moose Crossing Gross Ventre

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Moose Crossing Gross Ventre
Moose Crossing Gross Ventre8000Ă—5336 1.97 MB

I came upon this scene in early January of this year. I had been photographing several moose on the side of the road with my 600 mm lens when I noticed a cow and calf walking along the side of the river. I really liked the background trees as they were bright from being coated with frost. By the time I switched to a 70-200 mm lens the two had decided to start crossing the river. I was very fortunate to have noticed them. They day was very cold and completely overcast, but the light coming from the clouds was backlighting the scene. It was an easy decision to go with black and white since there was almost no color in the scene and the moose looked great as silouettes. Also, I really like the texture in the trees.

Specific Feedback Requested

I don’t have a lot of experience with black and white, so I would love some suggestions on the finer points of editing this scene.

Technical Details

Camera: Canon R5
Lens: EF 70-200 mm F2.8
Settings: 80mm, ISO 1000, 1/4000 sec
Hand held.

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Hi Alexander,
Really nice black and white scene. The sense of cold and the need for movement is palpable with your treatment here.

If I were to recommend anything, it would be to do a little “brush removal” in the foreground. Not all of it, just three or four that touch the bottom on the left quarter. Removing those would create a nice diagonal toward the animals.

Of course, it’s great as is too.
ML

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Terrific shot. Good to ask about editing this, because the overcast sky gives you a full range of grays and some good blacks, which in my view poses the main risk. Need some real whites, not necessarily a lot, to round out the B/W spectrum. With a bit of attention to whites and contrast, this is gallery material Alexander. Maybe try a metallic print, just for fun.

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