Two years ago on our vacation through the Kootenay Rockies we saw a herd of Mountain Goats on a slop close to the highway. They were all close together and it was difficult to just shoot a single one. This was the best I could do.
Any feedback or critic is welcome.
Nikon D500 with 300mm PF lens; 1/3200 sec; f/5.6; ISO 400 and in manual mode, handheld.
Well, your best is pretty darn good, Natalya. I love the expression. It’s a little awkward, but I think mountain goats (maybe all goats) are kind of awkward as a species–their environment, their very shape and stature.
I can’t quite tell when this goat is turning back and looking toward us or nextled next to a bigger goat and emerging from a shallow depth of field behind him.
Either way, the expression (and I’m sure the experience) make this an interesting shot.
ML
Very nice photograph Natalya. I agreed with Marylynne, the expression is priceless. My only comment is that the depth of field feels a little unnatural and I was expecting to see more of the body to the right in focus. Did you put a “soften” vignette on the photograph?
Thank you @Marylynne_Diggs and @stephen_rauch for your comments. Yes you are right I “softened” and vignetted it. My intention was to draw the view to the head. Maybe this does not work as well as I thought.
Maybe back out of the out of focus vignette and add a slight darken vignette or another option is to crop more to showcase the head. The goat expression is quite stark - it may stand out on it’s own.
Natalya, the goat’s expression and the details in it’s head look great. Getting this close to a wild creature is always very exciting. I agree that the oof vignette looks to strong, with the focus fall of looking unnatural. My opinion is that you don’t need a vignette here, since the head of the goat is very compelling. I would also suggest a slight burnin-in along the right hand edge and maybe along the bottom. (In the days of film, such treatment was called “edge burning”, with the idea being to keep the viewers eyes in the frame, not being pulled to the edges.) The details in the goat’s face are excellent.
Thank you very much @Mark_Seaver and @stephen_rauch I will try to correct it according to your suggestions.
Cool shot! Love the detail on the goat. Agree with previous comments about the vignette.
Thank you Christine.
I love this Natalya! The B&W processing has worked so well.
I don’t mind the vignette. But, maybe there is another version with less of the vignette on the right hand side, showing a bit more fur?
Thank you @Glenys_Passier. The version with less vignette is just not quite as strong. Yes it could be a little less on the right hand side.
Hi Natalya,
Was looking for one of your images. This is a lovely submission. I’m not as concerned about the vignette. Perhaps you could offer a longer transition between the detailed face and the blurred mountain goat’s tail end. Fantastic portrait.
Thanks Laura, I will see what I can do with it.
