The Dual

Two young elk bucks captured in Rocky Mountain National Park. They playing and practicing the duel that will ultimately result in their right to mate with the herd of females. Captured with a Nikon D600, Nikkor 80-400 f/4 @ 380mm, ISO 1400, 1/400 sec @ f/5.6.

I used a relatively fast shutter speed to capture the action and an aperture of f/5.6 in order to have a moderately shallow depth of field to isolate the subjects. While this may not be a conventional technique for most wildlife photography, I like the artistic effect it provides. Your feedback is welcome.

What technical feedback would you like if any?

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Any pertinent technical details:

You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.

Fine image but the white balance is off. Try using the rock to adjust your white balance as it looks close to neutral grey. A fine image. The tree makes this more interesting to me than if they were just out in a field alone. Thanks for sharing.

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I like the way the tree balances the composition, Ray, though I think a touch more room on the right side of the frame would make it even better. The action is excellent and catching both eyes clear of grass blades helps the image a lot. A very fine image.

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A wonderful image, indeed, Ray. I too love that you captured the eye of both.

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I have plenty of room, I will give it a try. Thanks for the comment, Dennis.

Try using the rock to adjust your white balance as it looks close to neutral grey.

Thanks for your insight, I did not notice it was so warm.

Great interaction and I like how you managed to catch the eyes of both Elk.
But I find saturation on higher side.

I agree, thanks for taking a look at the photo and making the comment. I think part of the problem is that it is too warm and needs the white balance adjusted.

I have modified the image based on your well-considered comments. Here is the re-post for another look. Thanks to all for your help.!

A huge improvement from a few minor tweaks, Ray. Excellent work.