Crazy Eyes

[Morkel Erasmus]

A moment from my recent trip to the Chobe river in Botswana. This young bull was enjoying a good frolick in the water, and came out head swishing and eyes all crazy.
Captured from our specialised photographic boat, I was sitting on the floor with my lens resting over the side. In hindsight I should have gone to f8 for more DOF, but I'm happy with the sequence I got.

Techs:
Nikon D3s
Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f5.6 | 1/1600 SS | ISO-1100
Full frame except for slight crop due to rotation (to get water level in front of ele level)

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Nice one displaying the ears beautifully, Morkel! I think it saw a HUGE croc underwater!

I don't think more DOF would have added much more value (except for the tip of the trunk) - you've got proper sharpness where it's important - the full head. Well done!

[Marc Mol]

Craqzy eyes indeed , what an expression, the open ears really make this for me.
Good detail in the dark/wet skin as well, and yes another guilty DOF victim.......we've all been there, that's for sure (he says being the first to raise his hand! )

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Morkel -those eyes certainly are crazy and the boat has given you a good pov. I like the symmetry of the fully extended ears and the tusks as well. Nicely done.

TFS,
Rachel

[Loi Nguyen]

Hi Morkel, so rarely one gets to see images of elephants at eye level. You made the most out of it. Those eyes are crazy indeed. Great details and sharpness. Personally i would wish to have more room all around to not clip the elephant rear end, but it is a very appealing image as is. TFS. Loi

[Neil Burton]

I would have been happy with that dude. I remember being on the Chobe, changing lenses when something similar happened... D'OH!

[Nancy Bell]

Very dramatic with the splayed ears and that crazy look! Composition-wise, the light tusks add good contrast and interest against the dark gray body.

[Andre Pretorius]

Love the moment and those EYES, Morkel!

Looks like his last night was a hard one.., can I suggest some steroid eye drops?

Well exposed with lots of detail in darks and not blowing the water.

DOF works for me, placing emphasis where it matters.

Any D&B on trunk?

Andre

[Gabriela Plesea]

Yo, Morkel, this is WILD! Love it! I also love those thin little hairs sticking out from the trunk! And those tusks - they kind of follow the ears (or is it the other way around?) Brilliant capture, made my evening, this shall be my last "sighting" before bed

Well processed as always, DOF is good enough for me, oh man those eyes are really somethin' ...

Have a great Monday!

[Martin Dunn]

Ears and eyes are both very dramatic Morkel.
The composition works for me too.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks folks. Andre, minimal processing on this one...

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Morkel,
stunning shot for me , all looks very good and balanced. Those eyes are really looking crazy , you captured a very nice moment, think i can see his mood in those eyes.
Comp is good , too.
I might think about , dropping the blues ? Did not take in PS , just a feeling…...

Well done, Morkel .

TFS Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Morkel, I would have preferred the whole elephant in frame, being 'truncated' (no pun intended) the crop for me jars a little, but as we know, cropping/framing is oh so personal. Quite a strike look you have captured though.

Captured from our specialised photographic boat, I was sitting on the floor with my lens resting over the side.

Good to get low isn't it, but if it's 'specialised' do they not cater for low level POV, whats is the USP about the boat, be good to know, as holding kit over the side is never ideal!!!

TFS
Steve

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks Andreas & Steve.


Steve - it's full frame on RHS edge, would you rather I crop closer around the head?

The boat is customised with swivel chairs and stainless steel gimbal heads mounted to them, all of them can rotate and maneuver so you can track and follow movement of animals despite motion of the boat. These chairs offer quite a low viewpoint, especially for animals on the banks, but yes on the water level you often want to be a tad lower.

There's a space upfront in the nose where guests can sit down comfortably on the floor for a low angle without risking their gear, though I was sitting at the back doing as I described...only the lens hood was resting over the edge in my case .

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Morkel,

what a look, indeed crazy look.

Great capture of this one. All said above already.

Have a great eve

Ciao
Anette