Nickel Posing
American Prairie, Montana
2022
The buffalo nickel has my vote for the best-looking coin ever minted in the U.S. This bull seemed to be trying to imitate the bison profile featured on the coin. He wasn’t quite there, but his pose was a good approximation.
This is a great photo of a bison. I love the way the light sculpts its body and emphasizes the texture of the fur/hair. It feels massive and “front-heavy” so that I wouldn’t want it rushing toward me. And the plain background and toning reminds me of late 1800s photos so I can imagine this animal as part of a huge herd walking across the northern plains….Well Done!
Thanks Kathy. Weegee is supposedly the person who came up with the mantra “f/8 and be there” as the way (or at least a good way) to get good photographs. That’s pretty much the way I work I guess. Try as I might to find the best setting, time of day etc. for a photograph, and to think very technically on how to best get the shot, many of the best shots I take, especially of animals, happen just by accident. I did recognize the resemblance of this one to those early photos you mentioned and that is why I went with the strong sepia tint to highlight that feeling.