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Thread: Buffalo Henchmen

  1. #1
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Default Buffalo Henchmen

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    Some Cape Buffalo checking me out in the forests of Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe. I hope you're not bored of these scenes yet...
    I cannot get over how awesome this setting is for wildlife photography, and how primal the place feels...like the Africa you read about in Hemingway.


    They form part of a bigger herd. I was on foot. It was awesome.


    Techs:
    Nikon D7000 with Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR-II @ 200mm
    f5.6 @ 1/250 SS @ ISO-360
    Slight crop from top and left for composition
    Last edited by Morkel Erasmus; 07-31-2012 at 04:27 PM.
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    BPN Member Don Lacy's Avatar
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    Wonderful habitat image capture here Morkel, the surroundings and the stares from the Cape Buffalo really make the viewer fell like they are right there with you
    Don Lacy
    You don't take a photograph, you make it - Ansel Adams
    There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs - Ansel Adams
    http://www.witnessnature.net/
    https://500px.com/lacy

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel, I know what you mean about the feel of the image, I think india also has a similar feel in parts too.

    I like these 'wider' shots and need to do more myself, as it captures not just the animal, but the whole character of the habitat & environment. As I looked at the image I did begin to question the very back part of the BKG and wondered if it needed just a tad more 'contrast, depth, darkening,' for a better descriptive, but NO, I think it has a nice airiness about it, but I might look at reducing in parts, the Blue, providing it does not lose the quality of the setting. Are you still using the Sharpening method you have made as a sticky? I just wonder, as it has a partial NR built into it I think, perhaps the Buff on the right looks a little smooth, WDYT and a more 'conventional' route there might help, just a thought.

    I like the OP's and if they have it, the inquisitive look of the Buffs. Not wild about the central position, but not sure what you could have done, as the trees etc could have proved more of an obstacle, so perhaps the choice was right?

    TFS
    Steve
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thanks Don and Steve.

    Steve - the forest had a kind of haziness about it on the day...but will reduce the blue some more.
    I don't use those sharpening actions as a rule, but sometimes I do. Here I manually sharpened the FG. Applied some more to the buffs here and reduced the blue in the RP. The central placement was best for me at the time since I felt I would be having a buffalo on or close to either vertical thirds line and it would convey some sense of their foreboding expressions (though they were in reality quite relaxed and accepting of our presence). Just for the record - I don't recommend walking among wild Cape Buffalo without a qualified and experienced guide. I had 2.
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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Love the inclusion of habitat here Morkel, plus the attentive stares of all three, with your RP looking even better.

    Quote Originally Posted by Morkel Erasmus View Post
    I cannot get over how awesome this setting is for wildlife photography, and how primal the place feels...like the Africa you read about in Hemingway.
    Could not agree more.


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  9. #6
    Ken Watkins
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    Morkel,

    Seems your trip to Mana has turned out very well, it is indeed scenically the most beautiful park in Southern Africa IMHO. Certainly one of the last true wildernesses, lets hope the plans for luxury lodges for first world tourists do not come to fruition, or we will have groups marching along noisily and disturbing all the Wildlife.

    Your image once again illustrates the peaceful beauty of the park. Certainly walking with Buffalo is not something to be taken lightly and certainly not with Dagga boys, these look just inquisitive.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thanks a lot guys.

    Ken - the commercial lodge development is one thing, but there are actually threats from mining companies as well, seems like a company has been granted prospecting rights for heavy mineral deposits in the river sand to subsidiaries of the Zambezi that flow in either side of Mana Pools (tender granted the African way ).

    Read here:
    http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Sto...at_Mana_Pools/
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  12. #8
    Ken Watkins
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    Morkel,

    Now that is bad news, just signed the petition, perhaps we should try to encourage everybody here to join in?

    Your a moderator I am sure you could find a way to bring it too everybody's attention.

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    hahaha...good title...these boys look like trouble, 100 % jealous of the wildlife in Africa.

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Morkel Erasmus View Post
    Thanks a lot guys.

    Ken - the commercial lodge development is one thing, but there are actually threats from mining companies as well, seems like a company has been granted prospecting rights for heavy mineral deposits in the river sand to subsidiaries of the Zambezi that flow in either side of Mana Pools (tender granted the African way ).

    Read here:
    http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Sto...at_Mana_Pools/
    Very sad indeed, just wonder what your children will have left to see Morkel?


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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marc Molloy View Post
    Very sad indeed, just wonder what your children will have left to see Morkel?
    I hope that my photos aren't their only window to the Africa I grew up with...
    Unfortunately our continent is very greedy and certain countries are exploiting that by pumping short-term resources (cash) into these developing countries while laying claim to their long-term resources (minerals, gold, coal, oil). It will be too late when people finally wake up to the reality.

    Ken - will see what I can do!
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  16. #12
    Ken Watkins
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    Marc and Morkel,

    I hope going off the purpose of this thread will be considered OK considering the importance of this subject.

    The real problem here is not the greediness of the African politicians but the fact that nobody seems to mind the first world continuing there almost endless exploitaton of the African continent. At the same time that tree huggers are complaining that we do not conserve our wildlife, they are allowing companies from their own countries to strip Africa of it's mineral assets whilst doing nothing for the population of both humans and animals. We all know who the guilty countries are and it is largely not the Chinese.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thanks Ken.

    I will post a new thread under general so we can discuss this further - as we are certainly now off-topic (sorry, probably my fault for starting it ).

    Here's a new thread to continue the discussion:
    http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ave-Mana-Pools

    Thanks.
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Another reason to make me want to visit...Looks like a beautiful place!

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel,
    lovely shot with fine light of a ,i think, beautiful place.The more you show, the more i would like to go there !

    The RP works a bit better, with good fine detail.

    Cheers Andreas

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