“Warrior” Wildlife Photography - How to Series

Hello Friends! Today I bring you a wildlife image of an elk as part of my “How to Series”. I hope you enjoy the story and technical explanation.

Story

This bull elk was roaming around its herd when it decided to rest, while still remaining vigilant of the surroundings. The antlers of this warrior were as impressive as the injuries it had around its eyes; probably from previous battles with other bull elk. When a foolish human got too close to one of the cow elks, it made it clear to stay away with its loud call.

I took this image in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada in the month of September. The rut season for elk takes place during fall, they can be very aggressive and people should keep their distance. This bull elk was surrounded by at least six females.

Enjoy in High Resolution

Technical Details

• Canon EOS 6D
• TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011
• 483mm | f/6.3 | 1/400s | ISO 640

How was it Taken?

• This image was taken with a telephoto lens at 483mm focal length. Since the lens I use goes from 150mm to 600mm I adjusted the zoom to have a composition where you can see the elk as the main subject and its surroundings (grass, trees and lake). This is important for wildlife photography as you don’t want to only have a portrait of the animal. You should try to tell a story with your image by incorporating elements of the environment surrounding your wildlife subject.
• The aperture value of f/6.3 was the maximum value of this lens at 483mm. I wanted to capture as much light as possible to shoot at a relative high shutter speed. Also this helps to have a low ISO value to reduce noise. At f/6.3 the background and the foreground are blurred, given you a relatively shallow depth of field which enhances the elk.
• The shutter speed was 1/400s. A good rule of thumb to get a sharp image when you are shooting handheld, is to use the inverse of your focal length. In this example 483mm ~ 1/400s. Also at this speed I was able to freeze the elks movement and partially freeze the insects flying around it which adds a good dynamic to the image.
• The low ISO of 400 reduces the noise. This is very important when the image is going to be printed, especially for large size formats.
• The camera was handheld, I was not using a tripod. To add stability I was sitting on the ground and my left elbow was resting on my left knee while holding the lens with my left hand. If you are standing remember to tuck your left arm against your ribs. This is very important to make sure your image is sharp and avoid any blur.
• The image was captured in RAW and post-processed in Lightroom.

If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please leave them below. I'm more than happy to read them and answer any question you might have! :-)

For more inspiring images and fine art prints, please visit my website.
http://www.photosbymoa.com/