Eye to eye, Antelope Island State Park, Utah, 2006 photo

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Two: Travel Incongruities > Eye to eye, Antelope Island State Park, Utah, 2006

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23-SEP-2006

Eye to eye, Antelope Island State Park, Utah, 2006

I caught this pair of jousting male bison doing a bit of casual head butting. The more I look at this image, the more incongruous it becomes. The catchlights in the eyes dominate the scene and tell the story. Each animal seems to be looking elsewhere, as if this sparring match is a sideshow. The heads merge – asking us to consider where one bison ends and the other begins.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50
1/400s f/6.3 at 46.6mm iso100 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	23-Sep-2006 17:30:05
Make	Panasonic
Model	DMC-FZ50
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	46.6 mm
Exposure Time	1/400 sec
Aperture	f/6.3
ISO Equivalent	100
Exposure Bias	-0.33
White Balance
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Program	program (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis		07-Jan-2007 20:59
The picture is like a puzzle, Ken -- once we figure it out for ourselves, that is all we will see. I did not see it as a lucky catch -- I photographed them jousting for several minutes, often using burst shooting. I had about twenty images to choose from, and this was the most ambiguous, and therefore the most fascinating. Thanks for the observation.

Ken Zaret		07-Jan-2007 20:19
Once the eye picks out the one-head view (with 2 horns, one nose), it is hard to see the image the other way. Much like the vase-or-two faces silhouette that we have all seen to explain foreground-background distinctions by the visual system. Another photo with humor. Quite the lucky catch, but as Pasteur said, chance favors the prepared mind. I would call this one "Head fusion," requiring that leap in viewing, though that would diminish the head-butting dynamic you are trying to depict...which is also interesting.

Phil Douglis		01-Nov-2006 18:27
Good point, Jenene -- except the mirror is pushing back!

JSWaters		01-Nov-2006 17:28
It looks like one bison came up against a full length mirror and doesn't know quite what to make of it. Jenene

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