Vultures on Elephant

[Morkel Erasmus]

We have just returned from an 8-day trip to the Kruger National Park. One thing I have always lacked a good sighting and photo opportunity of is the frenetic feeding frenzy of vultures on a kill.

During a drive through a riverine forest one morning we came across the carcass of an elephant who had persumably died of natural causes. It was lying right by the roadside, and the smell was awful. However, several (must have been 100 if you counted those perched in trees around the carcass) vultures were jostling for a share of the spoils. Most of them were Whitebacked Vultures but there were also Hooded Vultures and Lappet-Faced Vultures around.

I tried my best to capture meaningful shots with all the action around and the randomness of it. The early morning light was a nice touch as well.

Would love to know what you think? These shots are all "busy", yet I feel this one works as there is a focal point with the vulture launching itself off the carcass to the RHS?

Techs:
Nikon D3s with Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR-II @ 98mm
f7.1 @ 1/500 SS @ ISO-1400
Had to save at less than 50% quality to fit it into 200kb

[Steve Kaluski]

Like the light on this one Morkel, is this FF, as I would have like to have seen this wider. :bg3:

BTW, to my knowledge the % quality doesn't effect the final file.:tinysmile_shy_t:

TFS
Steve

[Morkel Erasmus]

Like the light on this one Morkel, is this FF, as I would have like to have seen this wider.

I cropped a bit from the top and LHS but it's about 90% of FF. I have many shots of this sighting but most were quickfire as my wife and baby were in the car and leaving the window open for longer than a few seconds with that smell was not an option :Whoa!::bg3:.


BTW, to my knowledge the % quality doesn't effect the final file.

Mmhmm...not in my experience, especially posting landscape images with fine details...I tend to lose some quality...doesn't seem that evident here though :tinysmile_shy_t:

[Danny J Brown]

Hey Morkel -- I've certainly never seen an image like this, even here on BPN, but I don't see them all. It is quite dramatic and compelling as the viewer starts looking at all the different faces on the vultures as they are so different. For some weird reason this image makes me think of the paintings of angels and other stuff you see in big coffee table Bibles. Very interesting. Thanks!

DB

[Randy Stout]

Morkel:

Great light, gives good texture and modeling to the scene. Agree about the departing vulture adding a focal point. This is a tough scene to make work as you mentioned. It does keep one looking around to see all the different birds, poses, etc.

Cheers

Randy

[Daniel Cadieux]

Cool! I'd love to come across a scene like this! Lots digest here (bad pun intended), but in a good way. To vulture taking off is of interest, but I also like the seemingly uninterested one in LLC:S3:. One thing that would have made this even more powerful, and I realize it may not have been possible, would have been to see a glimpse of the elephant's trunk and/or tusks (if it had any). Very striking imagery...

[dankearl]

A wild scene Morkel, wish I was there, sort of?
Great capture, I would tone it down a little.
It is photos like this that made me look at this website.
Thanks for Sharing.

[Mack Hicks]

Very compelling image. Like the vulture taking off and in the BG there is another flying in to take its place. It is busy, but I think that is what makes it work. All kinds of expressions and actions like any crowd scene. Well done.

[gail bisson]

Very unusual shot. Great behavioral action.
Gail

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks very much for viewing and commenting, folks! Glad you enjoyed it - certainly was a unique sighting...
:bg3:

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Morkel, these are hard to compose and you've done very well. I like that vulture jumping off. Balance is also very nice. Keep 'em coming.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks KD! :)