What was it like? My arms were falling off! It was very foggy and getting dark as we drove out of South Beach. (Actually ‘we’ is a misnomer – we started to leave and Lon turned back to do more ICMs!) I decided to drive on a bit and spied a few Elk that were close enough to give me a good look out the window, and I saw the vague outline of some others just coming over the hill to the left. I sat a long time, not daring to get out and set up the tripod for fear of spooking them, so I was handholding at perilously low SS and high ISO, and resting the lens on the window sill as much as I could without moving too much.
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments welcome! I wish I had left more room for the virtual feet – this is the full frame with just a bit off the right for composition. With either TC on I can only zoom back to the 300 mark on the lens.
Technical Details
This was a passable exposure and only needed a little tonal work in LR. Into PS for denoise and cloned out a dark piece of vegetation under his chin.
Oh look at the cute little spiker! I’m surprised they still spook so much being in such a human-traveled spot. But wildlife is unpredictable. The foot room doesn’t bother me much, but you could do some CAF and add canvas if you wanted. Or you could crop more. It’s not an intense showdown look or anything, but he’s at the beginning of his career and so he’s probably wary. Maybe a little crop from the right and open up where he’s gazing? Depends on how “heroic” you want to be in processing. Great job waiting for him to come in range.
I know the “My arms are falling off story too many times”. Glad you got the shot for your arms sake. This is a very nice, sharp Elk image. I love the points on this guy and it’s great that he turned his head for you. Very well done!
I love the low contrast image, thanks to foggy conditions, and the look back pose you got here. That eye appears to be curious !
I’m ok with the leg room, but have a serious question for you. Most of the times you’re using RF 100-500 mm lens with the converter, why so ??
I mean if you’re using it as a default, then may be you’re not able to use this lens to it’s full potential. Atleast I feel so !
I had a sneaky suspicsion I should check in here - wondering if you would post any elk images (or others…) Glad I stopped by.
This is outstanding! Like most all great wildlife images, you nailed the “eye” - love that the eye and actually his whole head are in sharp focus. What a regal pose! The fog adds just the right amount of atmosphere - love this capture!
So I think a good thing you were waiting for me… gave you a chance to spend some time with the elk… Now that you mention it, the image I just posted in landscape was taken just about 20 minutes after this image… I think we both were able to make the most out of our time at Point Reyes. I know I did! thank you!
@JRajput, I forgot to answer your question. I use the converter almost all the time with wildlife because I can never get close enough to them to do without it. As it is, many of my wildlife shots are cropped to about 50%. It’s rare I need to zoom back to 600mm. I’ve never felt there was a serious issue with the loss of 2 stops, but it does limit hand holding a little. Some of the scenic shots from the Point Reyes trip were without it, and I do use my old EF lenses with the R5 when I need shorter focal lengths.
An excellent shot of this Elk, Diane! Great job with the exposure and focus. Nice detail and color in the light fir and sharp clear eyes. I like the fog as it makes the Elk stand out even more. I think this is a good candidate for a square crop, with the rear end of the Elk closer to the right side of the frame. Most of the right side is just dead space anyway and you wouldn’t have to compromise the room for virtual legs on the bottom.
This is a very nice, sharp Elk image. I love the points on this guy and it’s great that he turned his head for you. Very well done!
Now that you mention it, the image I just posted in landscape was taken just about 20 minutes after this image… I think we both were able to make the most out of our time at Point Reyes. I know I did! thank you!