Chamois are great climbers, effortlessly navigating steep alpine cliffs where few predators can follow. Their rubbery hooves have a soft, grippy center and hard outer edge, giving them remarkable traction on rock. In summer, they graze high mountain meadows, but as winter sets in, they descend to lower elevations to escape deep snow. It was May of 2010 when I photographed this one in Gran Paradiso National Park in the Italian Alps. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.
Was he scratching his nose? I love the setting and how blended he is with the lichen covered rocks all around. Being just off center, with the cliff chasm visually falling away, makes for a very interesting capture. Lovely.
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Chamois are great climbers, effortlessly navigating steep alpine cliffs where few predators can follow. Their rubbery hooves have a soft, grippy center and hard outer edge, giving them remarkable traction on rock. In summer, they graze high mountain meadows, but as winter sets in, they descend to lower elevations to escape deep snow. It was May of 2010 when I photographed this one in Gran Paradiso National Park in the Italian Alps. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.
Was he scratching his nose? I love the setting and how blended he is with the lichen covered rocks all around. Being just off center, with the cliff chasm visually falling away, makes for a very interesting capture. Lovely.
Yes, a bit of a nose scratch while relaxing amidst the rocks.