Ostrich

For some reason there aren't many ostriches in the private reserves outside Kruger National Park in South Africa. This female is the only one known to frequent Londolozi in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. Fortunately we saw her in nice, warm light on one morning game drive.

Canon 7D
300 II
1/400
f5.6
ISO 1600
HH from safari vehicle, almost ff except straightened, luminosity mask, levels, curves, selective burning and sharpened in CCPS.

C&C welcome and appreciated. Thanks,

Rachel

Nice image, super sharp and has a painterly quality. Great work, Rachel.

Nice Ossie pic Rachel but much prefer your wild dog stuff. Cant put my finger on it but colour looks a bit odd on this one. Maybe my set up.
JohnR

Hi Rachel, always find these birds hard to approach ,bird looks very good in it's natural habitat.

Keith.

Works well Rachel and the central place fits as the head is off set which IMHO balances the comp. Fortunate we had some nice warm light that morning, but even better to get the sighting. Personally I might have pruned the tree running through the neck, or at least the fragment on the LHS, just a personal choice :bg3:. Adding a mid tone adj layer does I feel help the tonal depth of the plumage & below, again just my take.

Nice one.

TFS
Steve

Thanks all. Steve - I'll take a look at the midtones.

Rachel

Nice sweet light, and I love the elongated neck. Lots of good details. The ostrich is well proportioned in the frame, and the vertical comp was the logical way to go. That one higher feather on top of the head is a subtle but neat touch. I agree with Steve about the tree cutting the neck, and I do wish there were not so many grasses between the legs - but not something you could control.

Thanks Daniel, much appreciated.

Rachel