Wildebeestscape

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello Everyone:)

Trying to keep my promise and post different images of various species...

This one is for you, Rachel! You are welcome to move it to Landscapes if need be, I do realise the subjects are rather small in the frame:)

Nikon D4
Nikon 70-200 F2.8
ISO 2000
F5.6
1/2000s

This is the Kalahari after the rain, just as I saw it in February 2016. Waited a long time for the Wildebeests to line-up as I needed just the right amount of space in-between them.

Warmest regards,

[Rachel Hollander]

Thank you Gabriela. I am ok with keeping here as an animalscape but suppose you could also post in landscapes for some feedback from that perspective. I like the vivid colors. It's not at all what I expect the Kalahari to look like. I do also like the way the wildebeests are lined up. The only thing that I don't particularly like is the bright road as I find it pulls my eye up the hill and out of the image. Not sure what you could do about it though. Keep them coming.

TFS,
Rachel

[dankearl]

Probably more of a landscape for me, I do not like the road, If you could I would crop off the 40% on the left and go with a solo animal landscape.

[Marc Mol]

Very lush indeed, Gabriela, befitting a good animalscape.

love the contrasting & vivid colours, although the sky does look a little too saturated, but you were there of course. :w3

I'm wondering why you didn't go for more DOF as you had plenty of latitude here.

TFS

[Gabriela Plesea]

Thank you so much dear Rachel, Dan and Marc:)

I bought the 70-200 not long ago but only used it a couple of times. A new toy lying in its box, one I have never been tempted to use and even contemplated selling. I did feel like capturing this scene at the time, for two reasons: 1. the place looked magnificent ( I have never seen the Kalahari like this and loved those dark skies and green grass after the rain), and 2. the wildebeests were spread out so nicely along the riverbed. It was such a calm scene. I took a number of frames at different F-stops but the wildebeests are best positioned in this one. I have never done landscapes as such, love to look at them in the Landscape Forum but I was never tempted to experiment. I plan to crop from the bottom of the frame to eliminate the barren patch but I am afraid the road stays, because of the memories it brings:) BTW it is made of dolomite stone and it is as white and as bright as you see it here:)

Err... I am done with the animalscapes for now...What would you like to see next? A lion, a jackal, more leopards? :tinysmile_shy_t:

[Morkel Erasmus]

Gabriela I know exactly where this is - Kamqua where the dune road comes down into the Auob riverbed...
Love the colours and know this kind of scene with the dark mass of clouds and saturated post-rain colours. I like the spacing of the gnus and apart from the road it works for me.
I do wish you would use the 70-200 more often :5

[Gabriela Plesea]

Morkel, if the road wasn't there, would you still know exactly where this was? :t3:bg3: Just kidding, I know exactly what you mean. I wasn't planning to share this here at first, fully aware that man-made elements are something we tend to avoid in wildlife photography. Don't know what made me post it - I think I love the place too much, felt like showing you a different Kalahari. A green Kalahari.

And yes, it is indeed Kamqua, my friend- so happy you recognises the place!

Thank you very much for viewing, I promise to try make use of this lens more often:w3

Warmest regards,

[haseeb badar]

Hi Gabriela -- Lovely scenes with beautiful vivid colours , i liked this ! Well this is all very subjective and for me the road is an element of interest though i am not sure about the vivid yellows appears a bit oversaturated to me especially the ones in the RHS corner .

TFS !

[Gabriela Plesea]

Thank you Haseeb!

The dunes are really that red, or rather orange - ask Morkel or Basil, they have been there:) I know it looks unreal, but such is this amazing place, and especially after rain.

Have a super week-end,