Raving Rhino

[Morkel Erasmus]

This young Black Rhino bull was very cantankerous...charging everything in site. We were busy photographing some lions when we saw him charging a small journey of giraffe on his way to the waterhole. On his way back, he decided to charge in our general direction, but stumbled over something and ploughed his head into the sand. This irritated and humiliated him even further, and the result was a poor Plover bearing the brunt of his next charge.

Taken in last light (just after actual sunset), and with the poor light I went for a slow SS to try and capture some panning images. This is the only one of the sequence that really was sharp enough with a decent head angle.

Techs:
Nikon D800
Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f5.6 | 1/100 SS | ISO-3200

[Andrew Merwin]

A humorous story to go with a neat image. I like the raised tail & the 2 feet off the ground. The plover, even without the story adds an interesting element to the image. Your excellent panning technique paid off well here as I like the sense of motion. TFS.

[Loi Nguyen]

Morkel, good action shot of a critically endangered species. I think your panning technique is super. Just wish the bird was a bit more sharp. The rhino is quite good with the flying feet and raised dust. Loi

[Gabriela Plesea]

A brilliant image Morkel, and the story behind it is deliriously funny, wish I was there to witness this! Some years ago I took a small group of people for a walk in the local game reserve and I remember the moment when a white rhino mom with young charged us- we were on foot and the guests felt rather vulnerable, but the old Zulu man I chose as a guide was so inspired and confident-all he did was raise his wooden stick and let it fall hard on the ground, consequently the rhino turned around and disappeared from view within seconds-it was unbelievable and we suddenly felt reassured. Despite their weight and bulk these majestic creatures are incredibly fast and have a temperament to match. I love this image Morkel, the eye of the rhino is a focal point and this is where the plot of the story starts for me-the rest is dictated by the presence of the bird and the dust and the movement you have captured so well-congratulations!

Warmest regards,

[Nancy Bell]

Just a great story! I love images of animals that show movement and this one is excellent. The dust, the raised feet, the raised tail and the fleeing plover all portray the action and good detail in the eye gives the viewer a solid focusing point. Super well done!

[Jamie Douglas]

Haha I can only imagine how grumpy a Rhino must be with all that brawn paired with poor eye sight. Nice work Morkel and your kids must love looking at your photos. My wee boy Ewan makes a growling noise every time he sees a bear photo or a bear now. Very cute. D3s does hold the colour `VERY well at higher ISO.

[Brendon Cremer]

Stunning image Morkel, i love the tail up in the air, well exposed for me and good enough detail where it needs to be, the plover in front of him adds nicely to the story of the image. Your choice of a pano style crop is also great. The only thing that catches my eye and is quite distracting is what looks like to be blades of grass on his risen front foot and leg. Tough one to get rid of tho.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks for your feedback, friends.