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Steve Uffman
01-15-2013, 08:18 PM
I continue to grind away on my images from 3 weeks in East Africa from August. Good news is we have had 3 straight weeks of heavy rain here at home. so post processing is about all I can do.......(but that also is the bad news as the bald eagle's eggs in our area have hatched and I am dying to get our into the basin with my camera ..this rain has got to stop!).

Anyway, in mid August, the rangers were conducting controlled burning of the savannah in Northern Serengeti and the Lamaii Wedge while we were there. While taking images of animals on blackened ground is not my favorite, some of the atmospheric shots were pretty neat.


This is one that was a huge wall of smoke that covered the sky making the area seem surreal, almost as it we were witnessing a partial eclipse of the sun. The smoke was thick and as the sun tried its best to peer through produced some interesting colors and textures IMO.

As far as animals, one Thomson gazelle walked right into the brightest beam of light peering through the clouds

http://blackpearl.smugmug.com/Landscapes/Kenya/27314719_Z6dvZX#!i=2321802548&k=LPg7tr2&lb=1&s=A for a full size view of the image which is better as the Thomson gazelle is more visible..

1dx 70-200l II ss 1/2500 f/6.3 ISO 400 handheld

LR4, CS6, NIK cfex 4

c & c welcome



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Michael Libbe
01-15-2013, 09:00 PM
Lovely scene! I love the minimalism of the trees, but the smoke from the fires really adds to the image. Surreal is a great way to describe this.

Hilary Hann
01-15-2013, 10:19 PM
This is a very beautiful and evocative landscape Steve. I would remove some of the foreground, to just below the clump of grass and earth as I don't think the near fg is needed. I love the additional detail showing up in you website version.

Roman Kurywczak
01-15-2013, 10:49 PM
Hey Steve,
Very dramatic in the smoke with great depth. I'm with Hilary on removing about 1/3 of the FG......will still show the fire and strengthen the comp IMO. Very nicely done.

Steve Uffman
01-16-2013, 12:50 AM
This is a very beautiful and evocative landscape Steve. I would remove some of the foreground, to just below the clump of grass and earth as I don't think the near fg is needed. I love the additional detail showing up in you website version.
Many thanks for the complement, the inspiration and the tip. Will definitely do. I think I let conformity with the rule of thirds trump my creativity here as the story in this image really is less about the black grass and more about the immense scale of the wall of smoke and fire.

Hilary Hann
01-16-2013, 01:36 AM
Yes indeed Steve. I posted a link on my FB page to an article about being 'fearless' with your photography. You may well enjoy it.

Rachel Hollander
01-16-2013, 12:08 PM
Hi Steve - this works very well and the suggested crop will only enhance it. Nicely done.

TFS,
Rachel

Morkel Erasmus
01-16-2013, 06:59 PM
Steve, I love this! :5
I too vote for taking some off the bottom. So much mood here!

Robert Amoruso
01-19-2013, 08:19 PM
Steve,

I see my first thought on cropping from the bottom is a popular one above.

Great look to this image wiht the composition and colors int he sky - wonderful work. Do the crop and you have a winner.

Don Lacy
01-22-2013, 06:56 PM
As soon as I saw this I wanted it cropped from the bottom, love the mood and drama captured.


I think I let conformity with the rule of thirds trump my creativity here as the story in this image really is less about the black grass and more about the immense scale of the wall of smoke and fire.
I think Ansel said it best when it come to rules and photographs
There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs - Ansel Adams

Lyle Gruby
01-23-2013, 01:16 PM
Agree with above, love the bright part of the smoke drawing attn to the 3 trees which are the focus anyway.