Mara from the Air

[Morkel Erasmus]

On the recent photographic safari I hosted to the Mara Triangle in Kenya (part of the Maasai Mara ecosystem), I was fortunate to have a hot air balloon flight one morning.
This is one of the frames I captured as we drifted towards the famous Mara river, although this is just a drainage line feeding into the river.

Techs:
Nikon D4s
Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 @ 14mm
f4.0 | 1/400 SS | ISO-280
Cropped for rotation
The balloon was flying quite low here...

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Morkel, I like the look of this one and the cloud's reflection in the drainage line are nicely captured. Look forward to seeing more from your hot air balloon ride.

[Diane Miller]

Wonderful POV and gorgeous light. Is there any taming the bit of blowout in the clouds? I wouldn't call it a major issue, given the sun is behind the clouds, but it is something I notice. Looks like a gorgeous place!

[Don Railton]

Hi Morkel

Nice capture and timing to get the reflection... Hope you were going slow because I am not sure I would have pulled the camera out that close to the ground if there was any wind..

DON

[Morkel Erasmus]

Wonderful POV and gorgeous light. Is there any taming the bit of blowout in the clouds? I wouldn't call it a major issue, given the sun is behind the clouds, but it is something I notice. Looks like a gorgeous place!

Diane I tried to double-process the RAW but they were just too blown out. Exposure was tricky as it was different in every direction from the basket I was standing in. I tried my best to make adjustments on-the-fly but by the time you get an exposure right your composition has drifted past :e3

[Morkel Erasmus]

Hi Morkel

Nice capture and timing to get the reflection... Hope you were going slow because I am not sure I would have pulled the camera out that close to the ground if there was any wind..

DON

Don we were moving at a slow pace here. Certainly picked up speed later in the morning as we came in to land!

[Don Railton]

Glad to hear it...! Those big Nikons are not cheap...


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[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Morkel, hot-air balloon rides are an incredible experience! I love the clouds and the curve of the river. I think you could crop a little from the bottom and eliminate the darkest part of the river and reflection but it's beautiful just the way it is.

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Morkel, I like how the clouds and river converge towards the sun. Some good points already made above. Was there a lot of wind? I'm surprised to see movement blur in the clouds, while you were able to get a sharp image from the moving balloon. Or is that lens blur along the edges instead of movement of the clouds?
Very curious to see more omages from your balloon ride!