Golden Goat Herd

There's something special about an up-close encounter with a herd of Mountain Goats and this September evening was exceptional. The road to the top... more

by Mike Berenson

Title

Golden Goat Herd

Artist

Mike Berenson

Medium

Photograph

Description

There's something special about an up-close encounter with a herd of Mountain Goats and this September evening was exceptional. The road to the top of Mount Evans (labeled as the highest paved road in North America) is usually closed by early September but with their later than usual opening for the season and a little help from Mother Nature, rangers left it open for guests to enjoy all the way into October.

The goats may not be native to Colorado, but they sure add a lot to the alpine experience. This single exposure image was captured on Mount Evans west of Denver, Colorado.

How I Got The Shot
Getting an image like this for me is definitely not a matter of pulling over and quickly clicking the shutter. My first job was to find the goats and once I did, I had to figure out which way they were moving. I find that as a whole, a herd often moves in one general direction - which makes it a lot easier to have them come to me. And since the goats tend to appreciate this, I find I get much better results.

In this case, I just made sure to get into a position with the glowing clouds behind the goats. For me, this background is what really made the scene come to life.


Photo Gear
• Camera Body - Nikon D800 Digital SLR Camera
• Camera Lens - Nikon AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED Lens
• Tripod Head - Acratech GV2 Ball Head / Gimbal Head with Lever Clamp & Acratech Large Leveling Base
• Tripod Legs - FEISOL Elite CT-3472 Rapid Tripod Legs
• L Bracket - Kirk BL-D800 L-Bracket for Nikon D800, D800E and D810

Exposure Settings - Single Exposure Image
• ISO:400
• Aperture: f/8
• Shutter Speed: 1/60 second

Uploaded

October 26th, 2015