bull elk rut

Wow...all very cool shots guys...Thr RAM shot to me really rocks...It looks less like a wildlife shot...and more intimatly like a wildlife portrait.

Awesome...keep em coming!!

Roman

My wife and I make a trip to Yellowstone every year. Simply love the place, never the same place twice and the wildlife and be amazing. Few of my favorites from Sept of this year.
All taken with a D2x, various lenses.

Thanks for lookn'
Steve

These aren't necessarily my best shots I don't think(although I do like them) they are the first of the pics I have sorted from my recent trip.




I've never seen wild leopard before and am surprised I remembered to take any pictures as it was quite an awe inspiring experience. They just seem to ooze authority and power.

I'm really pleased with the lens I bought for the trip (a secondhand 300mm F2.8) all my stuff is handheld - the first shot is taken at only 1/50th sec.

Anyway better go - got lots more to sort!

Its a tough question. But if I have to pick one, here it is



Misha

Wow!! There are some great shots that have gone up today. I am really excited about the thread so far.

Tony - that Ram just knocks my socks off. It is spectacular. I would love to hear how close you were and what lens you used. The detail is amazing.

Steve - Thanks for sharing your shots. I particularly like the squirrel and the Yellowstone shots from the geyser basins. Very well done.

Pete - I have never seen a leopard in the wild before. Not only are the shots wondeful, but you had a chance to witness something that many people have never had the option to do outside of a zoo. Congratulations!

Misha - I agree. The image you provided is absolutely beautiful. Great color, saturation and composition.

Thank you all for sharing! I have more to come too, I am just pacing myself. I feel that some of these have really thrown down the gauntlet.

-JM

Here is the one I took today just for this thread



Misha

Here are a couple more I thought I would share;

the first is a maldivian sunset;


This next one is a rather fortunate shooting star shot. I was mucking about with the camera balanced precariously over the water with the lens held up with a cork! I'm glad I hadnt had too much wine or I would have probably knocked it in the sea. Not a fantastic shot but just goes to show what a bit of luck can do.


And finally - I keep going back to this one. I know its been done before but I just love the way you can almost feel the texture of the skin.



This is a great idea James - I usually don't bother to trawl through the archives very often and this has been a reminder of how lucky I have been this year.

Ram shot:
Nikon D2h
Nikkor 500 f/4 ED
ISO 400
Cloudy WB
f/4, at 1/250 sec.

Distance - hard to say, maybe about 20 yards?

Photoshop:
levels, saturation, sharpen

Thanks for the interest. Here's another angle with a bit different light.

These are all breathtaking!!! I am in awe of all of them. Incredible work