Leaping Widebeest

[Roman Kurywczak]

Working on some images for my blog post on the crossing of the widebeest from my August tour and came upon a few that I will be posting shortly there. There was a nat geo camera up in a tree......so since the action was down below it.....went for the pano. FF horizontal with a bit of canvas added left. If you've never witnessed the crossing.....it is a must on the bucket list!!!
Canon 1D Mark lll with the Sigma 300-800 @ 466mm at f/8 and 1/1000 sec. and ISO 800. 73 Quality to fit.
I have debated removing the wildebeest on land with a crop.....but want to see how others feel about it.

[Steve Kaluski]

If you've never witnessed the crossing.....it is a must on the bucket list!!! Yep certainly is. :S3:

The truncated WB I don't think is a deal breaker Roman, however if you crop them out, I think it might look a little odd, as they do add to the crossing. The pano crop also echos the moving forward feel, following the line of the WB and I like the classic arching back of the two about to leap. Compare to one of the early ones posted Roman I do think this does not convey that mass hysteria you captured before and the build up of anticipation they have before crossing. The plumes of dust, vast numbers with clashing bodies and the ultimate chaos that ensues I think needs to be in the image, which you captured extremely well before. Personally I think you need the numbers in this one.

TFS
Steve

[Rachel Hollander]

Roman - I also don't mind the partial wb bringing up the rear and agree it might look strange without them. Looks like the light was already a little harsh but handled well. I like the use of pano here.

TFS,
Rachel

[Morkel Erasmus]

I love the splashes and the "frozen action" here Roman. I do tend to agree with Steve on your previous posts conveying the drama/struggle better.
I do still have this on my bucket list! :bg3:

[Roman Kurywczak]

Thanks all! No worries....tried a different view from one morning so you wouldn't get bored :bg3:!

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks all! No worries....tried a different view from one morning so you wouldn't get bored :bg3:!

I would never get bored with images from this spectacle! Especially not shots like these...:5

[Hilary Hann]

Like the pano crop Roman and would also leave the land based wildebeest in the photo. Whilst I agree on the points raised re the drama, dust and confusion of previous images of the migration crossings, I think that there is a place in natural history images for photos like this because it is all part of the same spectacle and it does add variety. As part of a series, it becomes even more interesting. But that is just my view! :S3:

[Tom Graham]

If I may, FWIW, just echo all comments above.
Tom

[Ken Watkins]

Roman,
Were you really as low as it appears?
I actually tried a crop removing the Gnus on the right hand side and IMHO I think it works. Interesting when looking at it larger to see that there are two leading Gnu.