Delta (Air)Force

[Morkel Erasmus]

One of the experiences I will cherish most from 2011 (besides becoming a father for the first time :bg3:) is most certainly the chance I had to take an open-door helicopter flip over the Okavango Delta in Botswana. I pursuaded the pilot to rather fly in the last hours of the day for better light (these flips often happen at midday). It's quite tricky to compose properly when the helicopter is flying around, and I had to use one camera with a longer lens for wildlife shots and one with a wider lens for shots like this.

If you ever get a chance to visit the Delta, make sure you try this! The expanse you can see from the air is breathtaking...

Techs:
Canon 40D with 18-55mm IS @ 18mm
f5.6 @ 1/500 SS @ ISO-800

PS: I considered cropping out the sliver of sky, but didn't like the look of it as it lost some context for me. :Whoa!:
PPS: Apologies for a bit of inactivity on my side - coming to grips with having a 2nd child in the home after the birth of our son last week...

[bernoswart]

Hi Morkel this is really an amazing sight! very nice.

[Don Railton]

Love this Morkel..

Glad you did not cut out the sky completely as I think the presence of the horizon helps define the expanse.. The 'creek' provides a nice lead. Only thing I might try is to remove/ reduce the haze in the distance if it was possible, especially upper LHS. Congratulations and i understand the demands of a newborn, these demands might reduce a little once they get to about 40 (I am hoping anyway..) if personal experiance is any guide...

DON

[PRABIR BHATTACHARYYA]

Morkel, first of all, loved this shot. It sort of pulls your eyes from the far to near, instead of near to far as is usually the case. The serpentine stream does it IMO.
Agree with Don on the haze though.
And congrats for becoming father again! Its the one of the best feelings, if not the best one can have.

[Lorant Voros]

It must have been an incredible experience, Morkel. It is my dream to go to the Okavango Delta and I hope one day it will happen. I like the photo very much. The main water line leads the eye into the distance and as mentioned vica versa. TFS.

[Robert Amoruso]

Morkel,

I can see why you did not cut out the sky as the loss of trees, etc. would confuse the composition.

However, for a subject like this and w/o a concentration on the animals, a higher altitude would have increased the color depth and accentuated the patterns by allowing you to look down and not across. I bet the blue of the water would have been intense. Reminds me of some images I have created in Alaska while flying in bush planes.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks guys. Robert - we were flying low for the wildlife...they were there :bg3:

[Rachel Hollander]

Morkel - nicely done. I like this a lot. The low pov is different and the water is a nice leading line.

TFS,
Rachel

[Hilary Hann]

Whilst I quite like the look of close up wildlife aerials, I am philosophically opposed to helicopters being used in these wilderness areas. I know that I am probably a lone voice but ultralights are much less invasive and more ecologically sound. Don't want to rain on your parade Morkel, but if everyone thinks it is a 'must have' photograph I'm afraid that I think that it would be a bad thing for the wild areas such as the Okavango. But just my view of course.

As far as this image is concerned, without the animals moving through the grasses and/or water it does lose interest. I think that perhaps a vertical through the right hand side using the main, winding channel as a leading line would work better as the left doesn't have a lot happening.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Whilst I quite like the look of close up wildlife aerials, I am philosophically opposed to helicopters being used in these wilderness areas. I know that I am probably a lone voice but ultralights are much less invasive and more ecologically sound. Don't want to rain on your parade Morkel, but if everyone thinks it is a 'must have' photograph I'm afraid that I think that it would be a bad thing for the wild areas such as the Okavango. But just my view of course.

As far as this image is concerned, without the animals moving through the grasses and/or water it does lose interest. I think that perhaps a vertical through the right hand side using the main, winding channel as a leading line would work better as the left doesn't have a lot happening.

Thanks for your comment Hilary. I agree a microlight and ultralight is a more ecologically sound alternative. I meant that "flying over the Delta" is an experience not to be missed and taking photos while doing so more so. I should have been more considerate to the carbon footprint and other issues with these machines. Still, it was fun :bg3:

[Ken Watkins]

Whilst I quite like the look of close up wildlife aerials, I am philosophically opposed to helicopters being used in these wilderness areas. I know that I am probably a lone voice but ultralights are much less invasive and more ecologically sound. Don't want to rain on your parade Morkel, but if everyone thinks it is a 'must have' photograph I'm afraid that I think that it would be a bad thing for the wild areas such as the Okavango. But just my view of course.

As far as this image is concerned, without the animals moving through the grasses and/or water it does lose interest. I think that perhaps a vertical through the right hand side using the main, winding channel as a leading line would work better as the left doesn't have a lot happening.

Hilary,

We agree again, quite frankly too many Wildlife areas are being spoiled by the invasive use of noisy machines (many containing noisy tourists), I once had a very nice sighting of Elephant scattered by a helicopter in the Delta, sad really!

I think you really need to be on the ground too appreciate the noise and nuisance created by this activity, but that is progress for you. This is probably why I generally travel to underdeveloped areas.

[Hilary Hann]

Morkel, not trying to be the fun police and I do look back on some activities I've pursued in the past with some degree of dismay as I've become more aware of the damage which can be caused. Yes, it would have been fun but I should say that when I was little a helicopter exploded over our back yard and it was anything but fun! I know that there are some spectacular aerials over wildlife but I think that the price is too high. Sorry, not meaning to high jack your thread and I know that you care for the wilderness.

Ken, I know that we agree on this matter.

[Mark Wiseman]

Hi Morkel,
I like your image. The little bit of sky adds for the orientation as initially I was disorientated.
TFS, best wishes and the best of light,
Mark.