Bull caribou on autumn tundra, Alaska range. Canon 5D Mark III, 500mm f/4L IS w/1.4x (700mm), 1/250 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400.
While driving from Fairbanks to McCarthy, Alaska with friends, for a combined 1/2 marathon race and music festival, we happened upon two bull caribou foraging along the autumn covered tundra just north of the Alaska Range mountains. The colors of the tundra were nearly peaked, in that they included all phases of the green, yellows and reds that create an amazing palette on the landscape. This bull caribou was just loosing the velvet coating on the antlers in preparation for the autumn rut marking the breeding season. Thanks to the sun roof in my vehicle, I was able to get enough elevation to overlook some of the shrubs that were obscuring the legs of the caribou. The gentle back lighting in this frame accentuates the colors and provides a slight rim light on the caribou fur.
