The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I had driven the infamous Dalton Highway all the way north to Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay the day before and was camping on my way back south. My main goal had been a backpacking trip in the Brooks Range, and I had not planned to go so far north. But somebody told me that there was a lot of wildlife on the route, so I made the extra ~500 mile round trip, pushing the fuel tank capacity of my old truck enough that I was eager and grateful to pay $7.50 a gallon when I got to Deadhorse.
Conditions were miserable. I didn’t mind the early August snow and freezing temperatures so much. But the mud! The mud defeated me. A fine silty mud that coated my vehicle, creeping into the camper and interior, and making it impossible to get in or out without becoming coated myself. I was in a grumpy mood when I woke up to another soggy morning. And I felt let down in my quest for wildlife, having seen more hunters than caribou for all the driving the previous day.
My mood changed from disgruntlement to excitement in a second when I spied this guy making his way along the river near my camp. I grabbed my gear and watched and photographed him for maybe 15 minutes. When reviewing my images later, I was initially a bit disappointed because none of them seemed to catch much in the way of personality. But then I realized, that slowly ambling along without being visibly interested in anything probably does capture the personality of musk oxen pretty well.
Specific Feedback
All comments welcomed, thank you for your feedback!
Specific questions
What if any feelings do you experience from this shot?
I keep fiddling with the crop. What do you think of the composition?
Technical Details
Canon R5 + RF100-500 @500 mm
1/1000 sec at f/9.0, ISO 2000
Cropped, with a few distracting objects removed and noise reduction in LR.
Critique Template
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It’s a fine oxen Cathy, I would love to see one of these one day. The composition shows it at a good angle and I get a sense of the slow ambling you describe, you have sensibly left space on the left side for it to walk into.
I’m thinking that maybe a tighter crop could work here. Personally i’m a fan of the 16:9 ratio to allow a landscape to be shown and a subject (animal) to be seen in its environment. Not sure if you have enough on the sides to allow for that with this one but I would consider coping up from the bottom to give a greater emphasis on the oxen.
Looks like this beast escaped from a movie set! I also think you could go a little tighter on the crop, and wonder if eliminating the vegetation at the top would give an even more otherworldly look. Looks like you have wonderful detail in the animal. Must have been a fantastic trip!
@Ryan_H Yeah, seeing a musk ox was a wish I had for the trip. It was amazing! Thanks for the idea about a tighter crop and different aspect ratio.
@Diane_Miller Yep, he’s prehistoric. And I like the otherwordly suggestion to go with it!
Based on both of your comments, I played around with many crop versions and came up with this one where he might be ambling but he’s also coming straight at you, so maybe he’s a bit more exciting now.
Hi Cathy,
I just read your bio about this trip. Thanks too for the context given above, I would love to be in a muddy camper rather than backpacking in this area.
This guy was worth waiting for. I concur on the tighter crop. I like feeling the beast closer. I’m not sure, but I think Ryan meant 16:9 landscape orientation. I’m not sure that would bring the musk oxen closer though, and this does.
Backpacking in Gates of the Arctic National Park was a highlight of the trip for me, even though my outing was cut short by snow in early August. The popup topper on my old Tacoma is very comfortable for me and my dog, key features being a bug screen (!!) and a propane heater for cold mornings/evenings.
Yes, I think Ryan meant a landscape crop. I didn’t prefer that, however it was his suggestion that led me to the current version. I’m glad you feel like the musk oxen is close – I wanted him to feel a little too close for comfort to create some tension.
Thanks for your feedback. I’ll experiment with different frames and other shots I have of the musk ox. I removed some distractions along the top border, maybe that reads as cloning of the pebbles?
sure, but I think Ryan meant 16:9 landscape orientation. I’m not sure that would bring the musk oxen closer though, and this does.