Oryx Sunset (Silhouette) #2

[Morkel Erasmus]

Another shot from my series of the oryx herd on the dune at sunset in the Kalahari.

Just loved the mood here and the horns protruding into the sky. I do wish there was less grass around the antelope and that the ear on the viewers' right was separated from the silhouette of the body.

Your comments most welcome!

Techs:
Canon 40D with 100-400mm L IS USM @ 210mm
f5.6 @ 1/500 SS @ ISO-500

[Harshad Barve]

nice feel of image and colors are awesome here Morkelbhai ,
TFS

[Danny J Brown]

Howdy Morkel: Eerie silhouette with a syrupy background of intense color. I'm still trying to decide about the massive ball of fire at the bottom - it looks electric! Very cool shot.

[Kiran Khanzode]

Man, Morkel or Elkrom,
Spell it either ways...artistic stuff Bro ! I've only read about the Kalahari in my 5th grade Geography books, and here you are visiting these places. Lovely mood to the image, the fireball keeps me interested in the image, the silhouette is looking mighty fine.

Btw, in your cheetah image, I didn't mean the skinny body (in any negative way), it was just an observation. Cindy too said that it looks like a hound, didn't she, just like I did ?? :-)

[Steve Canuel]

Just another opinion here Morkel but this one doesn't work for me. I really like the layered colors of the sky and the contrast with the tops of the grass but there's not enough definitive silhouette of the oryx to counteract the electric color/light of the sun. To me, the overall picture has a soft pastel feel. The sun is more vibrant and electric and seems out of place in this version. I do look forward to your various takes on image processing though. Always interesting to see what you'll try next.

[Morkel Erasmus]

thanks for the varying opinions Steve, Kiran, Danny & Harshad Bhai...

@ Danny - The ball of fire is obviously the setting sun, which you knew, I just felt that taking it out would lose the whole mood and sense of being there that the image conveys.

@ Kiran - hey man thanks for the compliments, and I didn't take offence eh, I'm very thick-skinned anyways :).

@ Steve - thanks for the honesty. I am still meaning to do an HDR version of this one as well and will post it if it's any good. I took a few shots of this scene but there were very few where the antelopes were actually clearly defined or giving me eye contact.

[peter delaney]

Hi Morkel ... agree about the lovely colours , but for this image to really work you needed more of a profile of the Gemsbok....

peter

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Morkel,
I like the colours. In this image the subject is not visible except for the horns and one ear. So Silhouette wise it is not the perfect subject. The sun is near the rule of thirds and due to its bright tones, take away all the attention. I look forward to other images from this series.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Morkel Erasmus]

thanks for the comments Sabyasachi and Peter...

[David Fletcher]

The colors are wonderful Morkel, but I feel also the sun in its position is too dominant and leaves a feeling of slight frustration. (were the sun smaller, less bright and the Oryx/Gemsbok higher in the frame and more defined, it could carry it). Cheers for sharing.

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Good comments above . Love the vibrant color and mood created in this image Morkel.

[Morkel Erasmus]

thanks Dave & Judy...

[Marc Mol]

Sorry Morkel, this one doesn't quite do it for me, not enough of the Oryx silhouette visible and the sun is a little overpowering. Certainly the idea is there ;)

[Stu Bowie]

Hey Mork, this is why this is such a great site, varied opinions, and all honest crits. I feel if you had the oryx in a side view it would have impact as a silhouette, but I do like the sun showing between the grasses.

[Morkel Erasmus]

thanks for the honest opinions Stu & Marc...

[Fabs Forns]

Love ethe sky and even the bright sun but the silhouette does not work for me either :(