I took this photo when visiting the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway in South Dakota on 9/29/26. The mountain goats in the Canyon are a regular feature and on this date, they were showing off. At one point I saw 10 goats at once, which is unusual. I especially liked this image of a mountain goat kid, showing his dorsal stripe. A dorsal stripe is a juvenile feature which shows up during the kid's first winter. The stripe will not be present in the kid's new coat next summer.
I captured this image with my D800 and 70-200 lens at 280mm; 1/400 sec; f/5.6; ISO 1250. After a slight crop and basic ACR adjustments, I dodged the eyes and used an AI sharpening tool on the entire image. To put more emphasis on the face/head, I selected the subject and masked it on top of a blurred layer. I applied a gradient to the blurred layer at an angle and dropped the opacity to 76% to help it blend in better. Then I adjusted the colors to darken the browns and blacks for more contrast. I have included the original.
Thank you for your comments and suggestions.
3 comments posted
Laurie McShane
This guy is looking into your soul. The composition is ideal, and his head is wonderfully sharp. It might be nice if the background in the lower right wasn't quite so blurred, but it's a great image either way. Thank you for the description of your editing process as I still have a lot to learn on many different aspects... Posted: 10/02/2026 11:42:02
Kathleen Colligan
Lucky you to see so many interesting things where you live! This little goat's pose and expression are wonderful, and I enjoyed learning about the dorsal stripe. My only suggestion is to consider removing the blades of grass above the goat's stripe. What a lovely capture! Posted: 10/02/2026 12:00:48
Arabella Dane
I'm loving the angle of view and the quizzical expression! Your picture brings out his vitality as he is posed to launch! The fuzziness of his coat is well portrayed as he gets dressed for fall. Agreed that the in focus grass above his back is a distraction. What is making the face of the rocks have that bluish tinge? Posted: 10/09/2026 20:28:52
