One in Paradise

[Hilary Hann]

Or so it seemed when I saw this lone giraffe framed by the two palm trees on the shores of Lake Manyara. He may have been better positioned towards the left more, but this is where he stopped. I cleaned up some of the shrubs on the ground either side of the palms. I like the simple design of the landscape but wonder if others might think that the giraffe is too dwarfed.

7D; 70-200 @ 80mm; ISO200; f8; 1/400ss; manual exposure.

[Jay Gould]

Hilary, this gets my vote on all counts. I have no problem with the size of the giraffe; from your perspective that is what you saw and what you are presenting. I think the birds add a significantly to the overall feeling of your presentation. Finally, while the giraffe may be almost centered in the overall image, the fact that the giraffe is at the 1/3 position between the two trees is another big plus.

Great image!

PS: do you have a website where you share your wonderful Fine Art images with the World?

Cheers, Jay

[Hilary Hann]

Thanks Jay, I did put a link on the other thread when you asked, in general.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hilary - I like this one a lot. The size of the giraffe is perfect and it is perfectly framed by the trees. To me this conveys the excitement of spotting a distant animal and the anticipation of trying to get closer. I also like the conversion/treatment here.

TFS,
Rachel

[Vivaldo Damilano]

Beautiful B&W Hilary, love the two huge trees and small giraffe in the distance. I also like the birds and clouds, well done.

[Hazel Grant]

Ditto above....and thanks for sharing this and your other work!

[Hilary Hann]

Thanks Rachel, Vivaldo and Hazel, glad you like it. :S3:

[Derek Willcox]

i love it i like how the giraffe looks between the trees and the birds to the side

[Morkel Erasmus]

I absolutely love this, Hilary. :5
What really takes it to another level is the tonal range and those swallows you managed to include. Is this all one exposure??
The high contrast works well too, though this image design is so strong it'll work with a neon pink toning as well :w3

[Hilary Hann]

Thanks Morkel. I had to process the raw file twice to get the detail back in the sky and mask back the foreground. I cleaned up some foreground to remove a rather unattractive bush. I shot about 5 frames and was lucky to get birds in 2 of them. The giraffe didn't move in any so I wasn't able to have a choice in its position! :bg3:

[Charissa]

Striking shot and conversion Hilary.

[Robert Amoruso]

Wonderful tonal definition in this excellently composed B&W image Hilary.

Great for all the reasons mentioned above.

[Andrew Aveley]

A bot late to the party........GREAT IMAGE. All said already but just my congratulations:cheers:

[Hilary Hann]

Thanks Andrew, appreciate the comments.