Not too hot to seriously fight !!

Hi all this is a special for MY South African girlie ......... Gabriela .
She really wants to see this (or another one of this sequence ) fully processed , she just saw a pre version in SA during our trip .

So Gabriela this is just for you :wave:( i hope i picked the right one , others will follow from time to time ) . All others are more than welcome to look at this image , so in the end it is just for all of you :w3.

This has been one of these WOW moments during my recent trip , sitting at Polentswa WH and waiting for things to happen , after a not that successful morning drive we finally ended up at our "Home Waterhole " close to our camp. And we got lucky with plenty of WB hanging around the waterhole . It was windy and all the animals has been quite nervous because of the strong winds and all the dust that was moving all over the place from time to time.

These two start seriously fighting in the middle of a small group of WB , i got lucky that the group split up and gave me a clear view to these two . In the end they came too close to me , all was happening very fast from start to finish . I managed to get a couple of shots all have somehow cut off body parts , even if i was already at low range of the lens . But there was no time to change lenses . I hope i made the best out of it .

Canon EOS 1Dx
Ef 200 - 400 IS L at 200 mm
Window bracket and Gitzo fluid head

F 4 ; Iso 160 ; 1/ 1000 sec ; TV mode and Auto Iso . i should have gone for different settings , but ......... next time :w3, maybe !

Processed with DPP 4 And PS CC ; cropped only from bottom and some tiny little gardening in FG , i can loose some of RHS but i really like the structure in all that dust , but would go (if this would not be mine ) for a tighter crop on RHS for better balance.

Thanks for watching and commenting to my previous posting.

Cheers Andreas

Andreas, you managed to capture some intense action here! I like that the eyes of the WB are visible despite the heat and dust, good details and composition. Well done!

I like the tight crop, a little more space at the top to prevent the cut off of the mane would have been nice. The foot/hoof on the L balances the picture nicely. The dust and action well captured. A B&W conversion could also work well. Overall-really impressive,TFS.
Ben

Hi Andreas, superb, doesn't get much better. :cheers:

Maybe if you had all the WB in on the RHS, but certainly no deal breaker and just a thought for next time :w3, a tough shot to pull off and you did it! Love the 'ghostly' appearance of the WB on the RHS due to all the dust, nice clashing of heads and eyes visible, very close to a 10, LOL. :bg3:

Can you remember, were you wearing those grey socks, if so, perhaps they are your 'lucky' socks, just remember to pack them next time. :Whoa!:

TFS
Steve :5

Thank You Andreas!!!!!!!!!!!

Superb action, great processing! Been waiting for this for a while now, very happy to see how stunning it looks like after a few (if any) magic touches, oh that dust, the bits flying, and yes the eye of the wildebeest...I love it!!!

No crits, just big CONGRATULATIONS Andreas, you brave man:bg3:, facing those beasts fighting so close to you!!! I still remember watching you taking images of these guys, I hope you don't mind me sharing with everyone one of those moments? Will post in "Family Friends and Fun", if that's ok?

Really really enjoyed viewing and I think you have managed to capture something very special, once again thank you Andreas:5

Thanks Sanjeev , Ben , Steve and Gabriela .
Gabriela i am very glad i can make you happy with just a simple image posted here on BPN. My pleasure !!!!

Steve i would have loved to have more space all around and then decide later which route to go .......... i am just too slow for this kind of speedy action cramped in a little car .In the end i am very happy to have this shot in my collection .
You must love or hate the picture in your head of me with grey socks and the sandals , so often you pick this up :bg3:, i laugh every time you dig this out :wave:.At least you are having fun with it , and that is very nice .

BTW i only had this one pair of grey socks with me , due to weight limits , so i opted for more gear instead of more pair of socks :5, and ............. it worked out nicely :S3:.

Thanks again to all for your time and comments .

Cheers Andreas

I think my favourite image of all you have posted here Andreas, :cheers:
a wonderful action image, the resultant dust amongst the chaos enhances nicely, but what I love the best is the concentration of both sets of eyes on each other really makes this for me, and agree that this would make for a suitable B&W.:w3

TFS

Quote:

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At least you are having fun with it , and that is very nice .

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I must admit, in the last few weeks it has brought a chuckle whilst sitting & waiting for something to turn up. I'm with you for less socks, more gear! Framing is going to be always tough faced with this action and never knowing in which direction they are going to move in, similar situation with some sparing Sika bucks, but no where near this image caliber. :w3

Thanks Marc for your kind comment , and yes for sure a B/W will come in the future. Gabriela told me so in the camp after seeing the pre version edited on the MB pro , "Andreas you have to make a B/W out of this frame " .

Cheers Andreas

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Steve Kaluski

but no where near this image caliber. :w3

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Hey Steve this goes down my throat like OIL .

Fantastic action, well captured Andreas! Congrats on this one. Love all the dust but the still visible eyes and the way it fills the frame. Nice to see the other aspect of the story from Gabriela in Friends and Family too. Excellent tones and detail too. One small thing that caught my eye - there's a halo along the kicked up leg on the left. Excellent image.

TFS,
Rachel

I think this is a wonderful dynamic image.Love those eyes!
Love the bits of flying dirt on the LLC and the lines created by the dust on the right of the frame.
I really cannot add more to the comments you have already received.
Gail

This is certainly one of your best Andreas. And possibly a competition winner. I think the composition works great and would absolutely not cut off any of that detail on the RHS.

I think this is so good in colour that a B&W would be a shame.....

Ed

Yes this is such an amazing image Mr BE. Stunner:cheers:

Thanks Rachel, Gail , Ed (your still alive) and Carl for your comments , much appreciated .

Rachel who but you would find Halos , but you are right , as many times a masking issue :t3, i do not see . Thanks for pointing this out .

Thanks again to all of you , Cheers Andreas

Whoa!! Now that puts the "wild" in wildebeest! Fantastic eye-to-eye stares as they near hit each other. This is just an all around amazing image. Way to go man!

All I can add is WELL DONE brother!:cheers:

From my side, I just saw dust and white bakkie!!!:t3

Thanks Daniel and Andre for your comment , very much appreciated .

Cheers Andreas

Just love this Andreas - the eye is drawn to the action and the dust really sets it off!!
I leave on Saturday morning 2am - can't wait to get there! :5

Thanks Morkel , hope you are having a great time and lots of stuff to see and photograph , you should get very nice CF at Mata Mata , just in that small bend before the straight part to Sitsas begins.

Save trip mate

What a image mate...I love it. Everything is spot on.

Thanks Dumay !!