Tracy Kaminer
October 2026 - Survivor
Original
About the Image(s)
I took this photo a couple of weeks ago in South Dakota, at Custer State Park. We had a wonderful opportunity to photograph bison. They were not afraid of people and many could be found close to the road. I waited for this grazing one to raise his head and took my shot. But when I edited it, I found that the second eye wasn't as compelling as the other one, so I decided to do a half crop. I know partial portraits of animals don't tend to do well in competition, but I rather liked the curve of this one. Would love to know what you think. ISO 1600, 363 mm, f10, 1/2500.
3 comments posted
Correction: this was taken in the Badlands in SD. Posted: 10/06/2026 17:45:30
I think I see where you were going with this composition which is an interesting way of making the portrait more dynamic. However, I'm distracted by a few things. The damaged horn pulls my eye to that area. I don't think the bison had a beard but it looks to me like a beard cut off, which draws my eye out of the frame. I might suggest taking a look at it with an even tighter crop, leave out the background on the left and concentrate on the mouth and eye, and maybe the start of the horn. Posted: 10/08/2026 11:47:11
Got it, Mike. I'll give it a try. Bison do have beards, but I agree that it is cut off. Posted: 10/08/2026 17:24:16