

Constant winds coming off the slopes of the Brooks Range in Alaska buffet a Musk Ox pair near the Smith Mountains in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. The landscape of the North Slope is spectacular in the summer. To include the landscape and yet not have it be a distraction from the primary subject, I waited for this dominant pair to separate from their herd. I wanted to have the muskoxen fill the foreground and the landscape recede into the background. To accomplish this I made a shot with a medium length lens to capture the background and a second shot with a long telephoto of the muskoxen. The two images were composited in Photoshop. In addition, I converted the image to black and white because muskoxen are not particularly colorful, but the landscape is and it tends to compete for attention in a color rendition.
I like how the b&w really adds to the timeless feel of this.
Great capture, love that you successfully incorporated the background scenery.
Thank you, Katrina and Ian. A spectacular place to go, in the appropriate vehicle, and spend a bit of time.