Bison and wildflowers, Antelope Island State Park, Utah, 2006 photo

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Two: Travel Incongruities > Bison and wildflowers, Antelope Island State Park, Utah, 2006

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23-SEP-2006

Bison and wildflowers, Antelope Island State Park, Utah, 2006

The bison is massive; the tiny flowers he is grazing on are frail. I was able to get this bison’s nose within a few inches of the flowers. It was as if he had just stopped to smell them. The concept of a huge bison smelling a tiny bunch of flowers is incongruous, a quirk of nature. His expression seems thoughtful, almost to the point of pleasure. Do bison enjoy the scent of flowers? This image asks the question, and we must supply the answer.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50
1/250s f/4.5 at 48.0mm iso100 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	23-Sep-2006 18:05:35
Make	Panasonic
Model	DMC-FZ50
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	48 mm
Exposure Time	1/250 sec
Aperture	f/4.5
ISO Equivalent	100
Exposure Bias	-0.33
White Balance
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Program	program (2)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		07-Jan-2007 21:02
Thanks, Ken, for noting the sensual nature of the image. I saw both of those dimensions you mentioned as well, as I noted in the caption. You took it one step further -- extending the meaning of this image in terms of human values.

Ken Zaret		07-Jan-2007 20:24
I see two dimensions here; the first is the contrast of the beast and its appreciation of beauty, and second is the human-like vision of the animal looking into the distance, as if in thought or reflection of the beauty around him/her. A nice reminder that we are not the only sentient beings on this planet!

Phil Douglis		29-Nov-2006 18:18
Thanks, Xin, for mentioning the "beauty and the beast" allegory here. There is nothing like the gentle beauty of a fragile flower to tame the most fierce of creatures.

Sheena Xin Liu		29-Nov-2006 07:45
Phil, this is a wonderful picture.You revealed in this picture the truthfulness of the fairy tale "beauty and beast"...The beauty is fearlessly opening, while the beast is gentlely and lovingly approaching...

Phil Douglis		03-Nov-2006 19:30
You are right, Jen -- this particular bison wears an almost human expression on its face at this particular moment. And the warm light sunset, plus my ever-present choice of cloudy white balance as a warming filter, makes this image painterly and lush. You point up still another incongruity here, Jen -- we rarely think of a bison as a tender animal. They are massive beasts, and can be very agressive. So a moment of tenderness is rare, indeed. And if that tenderness made you feel compassionate, caring, and loving, it was certainly worth making this image.

Jennifer Zhou		03-Nov-2006 15:41
I was immediately drew by this picture because it is so intimate and it shows the character of an animal. When I look at the eye of this Bison, I was like eye to eye with a human being. I love the tenderness the Bison towards the followers, as well as your camera towards the Bison. The golden color of the plant and the sunset making the picture looks so warm and almost like a printing. Everything is warm-hearted and beautiful, and at the same time very expressive. Phil, by making this image, you made life and world wonderful, at least for me..Thank you!

Phil Douglis		02-Nov-2006 17:14
Thanks, Jude for noting the tension in this image. As I noted in the my caption, the huge bison smelling the tiny flowers is incongruous, and as you point out, this incongruity in scale also provokes a sense of tension, which crackles in the tiny space between the nose and the first blossom.

Jude Marion		02-Nov-2006 13:39
I get a feeling of tension from this image - the huge, massive bison dominates the image ( well into 2/3rd of the picture plain), but that bulky form seems to be forced back by the small grouping of flowers. The telephoto flattens both, which seems to add to the bulk as well.

Phil Douglis		01-Nov-2006 18:28
These are not gentle animals, but that's another reason why this image is incongruous.

JSWaters		01-Nov-2006 17:32
Your image portrays a gentility that is completely unexpected, (and unfounded, I'm sure), from this massive creature. Jenene

Phil Douglis		29-Oct-2006 18:47
I was shooting through the open window of a car, Dandan, and the bison was grazing by the side of the road. Yet I still needed to use a telephoto focal length of 227mm to offer this intimate view. And that is what this image is all about. Intimacy. As you put it, the bison seems like a friend of mine. And now its a friend of yours, as well.

Guest		29-Oct-2006 13:20
wow, how close were you with the bison? it's so up close and personal that it's not bison anymore, almost like a friend of yours...

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