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Minding his own business


Minding his own business
Photo Information
Copyright: Pieter van der Horst (sAner) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1455 W: 74 N: 1426] (4750)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-09-23
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Canon EOS 350D, Sigma AF 100-300/f4.0 EX APO, B+W 82mm UV-HAZE
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/500 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Travelogue: Tour de Canada
Date Submitted: 2005-11-18 13:55
Viewed: 5536
Points: 64
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
That day my gf and I visited the impressive Maligne Cayon in Jasper NP. We had our wideangle lens mounted to our camera and suddenly we saw a Bighorn Sheep on the other side of the canyon. Right place, right time, wrong lens! :-) Luckily we also carried our 100-300mm lens. We quickly swapped lenses and took a few good shots. We hope you like this photo.

Physical description

Bighorn Sheep are named for the large, curved horns borne by the males, or rams. Females, or ewes, also have horns, but they are short with only a slight curvature. They range in color from light brown to grayish or dark, chocolate brown, with a white rump and lining on the back of all four legs. Rocky Mountains bighorn females weigh up to 200 pounds (90 kg), and males occasionally exceed 300 pounds (135 kg).

Activities

Bighorn sheep graze on grasses and browse shrubby plants, particularly in fall and winter, and seek minerals at natural salt licks. Bighorns are well adapted to climbing steep terrain where they seek cover from predators such as coyotes, eagles, and pumas. They are susceptible to disease such as lungworm, and sometimes fall off cliffs.

During the mating season or "rut" the rams butt heads in apparent sparring for females. Rams' horns can weigh more than 40 pounds (18 kg), and frequently show broken or "broomed" tips from repeated clashes. At the same time, rams are known to actively engage in sex with each other, including group sex of up to ten participants. This behavior happens year-round, but ewes show interest in sex only during the mating season.

Mythology

Bighorn sheep were amongst the most admired animals of the Apsaalooka, or Crow, people, and what is today called the Bighorn Mountain Range was central to the Apsaalooka tribal lands. In the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area book, storyteller Old Coyote describes a legend related to the bighorn sheep. A man possessed by evil spirits attempts to kill his heir by pushing the young man over a cliff, but the victim is saved by getting caught in trees. Rescued by bighorn sheep, the man takes the name of their leader, Big Metal. The other sheep grant him power, wisdom, sharp eyes, sure footedness, keen ears, great strength and a strong heart. Big Metal returns to his people with the message that the Apsaalooka people will survive only so long as the river winding out of the mountains is known as the Bighorn River.

All info from http://www.wikipedia.org

--------------------------------------------------------
You may hit me as hard as you can!

Shutter Speed: 1/500
F-stop: f/5.6
Focal length: 300mm
ISO Speed: 100
White Balance Mode: Auto
Exposure Compensation: -1
AF Mode: AI Focus AF
Weather Condition: Partly Clouded
Time: 13:46:54
Tripod: no
Flash: no
Filters: B&W UV Filter
Signal-Womb, liquidsunshine, hummingbird24, JeanMichel, Leace, Dave, Robespierre, marhowie, cedryk, TAZ, dew77, scottevers7, Luc, wallhalla15, red45, livios, annagrace, Janice, Toni, PDP has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To iglootrek: By all means; do post your picture as a workssAner 4 11-19 07:02
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Critiques [Translate]

Great shot Pieter, taking a rest just like myself ;) Its a very nice capture with good details. Love the low POV and surroundings. Composition is good but would have been better IMO if the Ram/sheep where more to the right balancing the truck in frame. Very nice work.

Great capture Pieter,
Well composed, good detail, nice and sharp. Colours are good as is exposure.
Great shot, thanks for posting.
Have a great weekend.

Today I got my ticket for Chelsea Vs Liverpool - Champions league game on Dec 6th...I can't wait, it should be a cracking game, and I get to laugh at Peter Crouch!!!

For sure I like this photo. To be with the same height as the bighorn was a very good idea. And I like also the attitude. Thanks for sharing.

Well captured Pieter!

Impressive animals aren't they?

The most amazing thing about the west, (well, one of the many) is how the creatures there don't fear humans...yet.

I love this shot, superb details, colors, lighting, and especially POV.

Congratulations, and thank you.

Hi Pieter,
Very good composition with these natural diagonals and the bighorn sheep naturally framed within. It looks like a placid animal, comfortably installed and chewing hit's meal. You've caught a very good pose and an interresting species.
On the photographic side, no nits... it's very well done.

  • Great 
  • jossim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1538 W: 5 N: 2240] (12636)
  • [2005-11-18 15:23]

Belle composition,le spécimen est très joli et la netteté est bonne.

Félicitations !

  • Great 
  • Dave Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 503 W: 43 N: 657] (2178)
  • [2005-11-18 17:37]

Beautiful picture of this handsome animal!
Great job and very nicely captured.
Thanks,
Dave

Hi Pieter,
Again a nice pic from your hand.
POV and sharpness are OK. Nice composition of the ram. You captured very well his expression. All in all a warm picture accompanied with an interesting note.
Well done and TFS.
Regards, Ruud

Nice one Pieter,
I think I do have a picture of the same mountain goat but not zoomed as yours... funny
Nice composition.
If you want I could post my picture as a workshop ?

  • Great 
  • cedryk Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 967 W: 50 N: 1722] (5270)
  • [2005-11-18 19:41]

Fantastic capture, Pieter :-) Nice composition and great note.
Best greetings,
Michal

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2005-11-19 1:53]

Woooooooow ! What a wonderful and interesting Bighorn that you have well captured! I also appreciate the complementary note... Congratulations Pieter and thanks for sharing.

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3089 W: 230 N: 6774] (23770)
  • [2005-11-19 3:32]

Wow, Pieter.That is a superb shot. A magnificent animal. You captured it with sharp details, in a fantastic POV. Thank you for sharing this beauty. : )

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4432 W: 248 N: 4028] (13270)
  • [2005-11-19 4:35]

Hello Pieter!
Wonderful capture.I liked sharpness,details,pose bighorn sheep,framing and composition are excellent.TFS...:-)

Excellent capture Pieter. Very sharp and clear with excellent use of DOF. I like the angled composition, it works very well here. Perfect exposure and natural colors..Very well done. Thank You!

Hi Pieter,
Excellent shot.Scene looks like the sun was very bright, but you did a great job on the exposure. You can tell he has no idea you were taking this. Nice job!
Scott

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1835 W: 301 N: 4287] (14767)
  • [2005-11-19 10:33]

Good title.
Personal assessment of the photo: very good.
Capacity of evocation in me: strong.
Strong visual impact.
Aptness of the photo for the site: excellent.
Personal assessment of the note: complete.
Thank you very much Pieter.

Hello Pieter, pose is excellent, great work. Very good sharpness, details, colours and composition. Thanks for sharing. Have a nice weekend.

Excellent capture Pieter! It must be very impressive to see this animal. Horns are amazing! Your composition is very good. POV, DOF and sharpness are excellent. TFS!

  • Great 
  • olger Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 65 W: 0 N: 138] (744)
  • [2005-11-21 6:23]

Leuke foto Pieter, mooi beest ook! Het enige wat ik als kritiek is, is de compositie.. De stenen onder steenbok zijn niet iets te prominent.. Daardoor wordt in het beeld ook de aandacht gevraagd door de stenen.. Verder is het natuurlijk een uitstekende foto!

A really great photo, Pieter. Stunning sharpness, as usual, god damn!
Perfect exposure.
I would automatically think that an off-centre subject would improve the shot but it's so good like this, so I'd have to see a different composition to be sure.

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2636 W: 74 N: 9091] (31094)
  • [2005-11-22 6:26]

Wow, Pieter, excellent capture! Not very popular animal on TN. Great pose, moment and quality. I like colours of rocks and flowers also.

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2150 W: 319 N: 4263] (16942)
  • [2005-11-22 10:45]

Pieter, excellent pose on this.

If the picture were mine, maybe I would have less space on the left, but it's just an opinion.

I like pov too, as well as lighting.

Great capture! I love the expression on his face, it reminds me of myself after too many margaritas last Friday, and of Alan every weekend!

Excellent POV, good colors and sharpness.

Alli

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3277 W: 148 N: 6163] (18832)
  • [2005-11-23 3:33]

Hi Pieter, he knows he's safe from you. What a great catch, I just love his expression with his mouth twisted up there. No doubt chewing away on a tasty morsel of grass. I would prefer it not to be so centred, but I think the angle of his body cancels that out. So well done...

This is a big fellow judging by the horns. Only a bit centred but I like the details on the horns. Well done.

Of course we like it. Not so easy to get such shots with good quality. Nice animal. Great details and color.

Nice close up Pieter! The exposure is perfect and the composition is excellent. Waiting for more post from a fantastic photographer. :)

  • Great 
  • Fisher Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1540 W: 309 N: 2234] (8915)
  • [2006-01-20 15:59]

Hi Pieter,

Happy New Year
Beautiful capture and well done on the composition and details.

Mike

  • Great 
  • Toni Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 403 W: 2 N: 316] (2034)
  • [2006-01-27 17:19]

Hi Pieter
What a face he's got ! Looks like he's chewing gum. I like his pose with the bent knee on the log. Great light and details.
Regards Toni

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 2821 W: 344 N: 3779] (11769)
  • [2006-02-06 15:56]

Hi Pieter, he looks pretty content with his lot. Good capture of this reclining sheep. Good details and exposure. Maybe a crop of the left wouldn't hurt...very well done.

  • Great 
  • chiliu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1457 W: 0 N: 1176] (6526)
  • [2006-02-12 13:39]

Hi Pieter,
Excellent shot with good angle,
the lighting and exposure are perfectly done,
Thanks for sharing!

Pieter,
Mooie en verzorgde portfolio.
Deze is ook leuk. Dacht eerst dat hij achter de rots stond.
Zit mooi tussen de parallel opgaande lijnen. Mooi decor.
Groeten
Annick

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