2012 - Looking back, part 7

Great Salt Lake  

Back in June I was able to visit one of my favorite locations again, Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, Utah. I have published the first image in B&W before but sometimes, after some time has passed, I see things differently and like to rework an image. I now feel that the mood of this first evening on the island is better reflected with the original colors. It's more dense, more atmospheric.

 

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

 

In the late afternoon I had a chance to see some Black-tailed Jackrabbits. It was not easy to get the picture of this long eared rabbit since they try to stay out of sight all the time. I decided to crop the image on the right hand side in order to compensate for the lack of composition. The almost spot light  and having the tall grass in different planes of the image makes it a nevertheless a good environmental portrait of the Jackrabbit.

 

Bison head

 

The evenings bare always a good chance to get some good light on one of the bisons that roam on the island. Getting too close to a bison bull is never a good idea and having the SIGMA 50-500 at maximum focal length is a must.

 

 

 

 

 

Nature clicks #109 - American Bison

American Bison

The biggest mammal on Antelope Island is the American Bison. There is a herd of about 500 bisons free roaming on the island according to the Utah State Park website. They seem to stay away from the part of the island that is easily accessible by car. I have never seen more than ten at a time. That's alright with me, bisons are such beautiful animals that I get excited even if I come close to just one of them. This bison bull was relatively close to the road so that I was able to shoot out of the safety of my rental car. The bull was feeding the whole time I watched him and it took forever to get a clear view of its face. Light was great, it was wildlife photography fun at its best....