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Thread: Too close for comfort

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Default Too close for comfort

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    Hi everyone.
    I am back from an amazing experience in Etosha. I will try and catch up on the posts made in my absence ASAP...
    I have too many images to work through and only 6 weeks to do so in order to make space on my drive for my next trip - Mana Pools.
    So instead of waiting a few days like Steve always advises...I'm diving right in.

    This is one of the MAAAANY elephant images I captured last week.
    I know some of you will ask how I got this perspective, so here it is: I was in an underground bunker hide at a remote research waterhole.

    Techs:
    Nikon D800
    Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 @ 24mm
    Kenko Pro CPL
    f8.0 | 1/320 SS | ISO-400
    Last edited by Morkel Erasmus; 06-02-2013 at 04:55 PM.
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Love the wide angle shot and the low POV. The choice of CPL added some interest, I wish there were some white clouds in the sky for it to add dramatic impact. It's great to see a wide angle shot on wildlife. Well done. Loi

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    BPN Member vishaljadhav's Avatar
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    Great choice of lens to get a superb image of these elephants, super angle
    i like the use of CPL
    very eye pleasing image , TFS

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel - glad you finally got up to Etosha. Trust it was all that you hoped for. Great and different pov with excellent sharpness and detail. Looks like you handled harsh light well. I might prefer a little more room to the rhs if you have it.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thanks folks.

    Rachel - on the RHS is both the end-of-frame and allowing any more during composition would have brought in the edge and top of the concrete hide
    Morkel Erasmus

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    This is a photograph I always want to find a way to take. Starting from the outstretched trunk in focus, the elephants in the BG and clear blue sky completes the scene to makes this a wonderful image.

    Hiran

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    Awesome perspective!! Great pose on the ellie with the outstretched trunk and the ear flapping just a bit. Nice having that line of elephants in the bkgd, giving a good sense of place. I especially like the distant elephant under the legs of the main elephant, with both facing the same direction & with similar head positions. I have tried to experiment using a wide angle on my dog but he is not keen on having the lens right in his face! But the idea has always intrigued me. Does one make reservations to use that underground blind?

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    Lifetime Member Andre Pretorius's Avatar
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    Love the comp, DOF, POV,perfect exp. What if his trunk moved a bit to the right?
    Regards

    Andre.

    www.gappimages.com

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    Hi Morkel

    So glad you got to Etosha, love the image.... great perspective from this Hide,

    crop I like as is...I did a very quick adj, just a little bit of localise midtone and highlights adj...just to make elephant "pop" abit ....and to add contrast to overall image...... obviously not ideal working on a very low res jpeg so u will see some banding etc in sky...

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    Great wide angle image here, Morkel.

    It seems sunken hides are popping up all over Southern Africa at the moment - Hwange has a couple too.

    Personally I feel the overall warmth of the image is a little too strong for mid afternoon/mid morning. I think there may also be a halo along the tree line to the right of the eles trunk.

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    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel,

    I like this one very much as it is. Love the long trunk and the eles in the back.

    Have a great evening

    Ciao
    Anette

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  22. #12
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    So awesome to get this close! Would this make a powerful B/W?

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  24. #13
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thanks folks, and thanks for the reposts Russell and Peter.

    The elephants in this area seemed to dust with white and reddish dust so the colours are true to what I saw IMHO.
    The "halo" is due to sloppy luminosity adjustments/selections thanks for pointing it out Russell!
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Stunning image Morkel, not much to add but i really like Peters repost, with some great adjustments to an already great image.

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    Late comer on this , Morkel ! All has been said. Great image !It would have been great to get the rear ellie fully in frame between the legs. Perhaps you have a frame like that ?

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  29. #16
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    The 'Bunker' has provided some excellent shots, and has provided the POV we all would love to achieve. In an ideal world no having the ele's around the front legs of the FG elephant would have been perfect, but with limited time and a moving herd it's always hard and I think you did a grand job Morkel.

    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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  31. #17
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    I agree 100% with you on the "true" color of the elephants in Etosha. More white on the western side, and whitish-red on the eastern!
    Beautiful shot....the POV, the dung bathed floor, and the trunk-ear-tail positions!

    Which waterhole was this?

    TFS

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  33. #18
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thanks guys.
    Shreyas - off the tourist grid, a research waterhole in the bush
    Morkel Erasmus

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