Teatime on the Chobe

[Morkel Erasmus]

I'll kick off the April theme then! Monochrome and toned images it is...
This was taken on the recent Chobe photo safari I led. Our photographic boat allowed us to get really close to elephants drinking and goofing off in the water on numerous occasions. This was late morning but the clouds played along nicely...

Techs:
Nikon D800
Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 @ 32mm
Kenko Pro Circular Polariser
f4.0 | 1/320 SS | ISO-640
EV +0.7
Pretty much full frame

[Marc Mol]

Love the dramatic sky BG here Morkel, befitting the conversion.
Pretty close @ 32 Would be interested to see that CPL effect in a colour version at a latter state.

[Morkel Erasmus]

No need to wait for later, Marc...I figured folks would be asking for it, so here it is

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Morkel - dramatic sky and nice scene. The low pov from the boat works well. I like both the toned version and the color. On the toned version I would open up the elephants selectively. They feel a little too dark to me overall.

TFS,
Rachel

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

I love both versions, Morkel - although if I'm forced to choose, I'll go with the colour version. In the BW the clouds look very dramatic (in a good sense). In the colour version the dead tree at the back somehow demands its own piece of attention and the scene would be poorer without it. I might have removed the tree trunk on the right in the colour version.

Great photo, well done!

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Morkel,
like both versions in the same way …….
Great details and very nice POV of the scene. Sky looks more interesting in the Mono version.
Good job in capture and PP

Well done , TFS Andreas

[Martin Dunn]

The B+W shot is very dramatic. Great POV, the extended trunk of the LH ellie is neat and the sky is super.
I much prefer the B+W version to the colour one.

[Gabriela Plesea]

A real beauty this is, Morkel! Dramatic skies indeed and I certainly prefer the B/W to colour version. Lovely detail, stunning scenery, I wish I was in the same boat...

Warmest regards,

[John Robinson]

Colour for me all the way Morkel,Great image. I treckon you could even enhance the sky in the colour version too if you wanted to go down that road.
Cheers
John

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Morkel, I feel both are standalone images, and as such have different merits, for me I'm happy either way. Like the ratio of water to sky and the wet legs of the elephants, looks like they have little boots on. Was it that overcast based on the techs, as the sky looks quite bright, but guess the CP cuts down the light, however I guess you pushed it in the B/W to get tonality? Is this the same boat as you Grant uses?

TFS
Steve

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks for your feedback and comments, folks.

Steve - I used an infrared process for conversion, with limited selective dodging and burning where I felt it needed it. It's definitely a similar boat to the one Grant uses, with a slightly different seating configuration and I think a tad smaller, but marginal.

[Andre Pretorius]

Hi Morkel

Skies very dramatic in toned version, like the image.

Just thinking, a lower POV with more sky would be more dramatic. Not always possible from boat, maybe with Brendon's new toy?

Andre

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks Andre. I was sitting flat on my jack in the boat already, could possibly have held the camera over the side right above the water...next time

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Morkel,

both versions work for me. You got already a few suggestions for this one.
For me is the prob that the sky is so dominant. I have that as well in some Oryx images. Most of the time my eyes are drawn to the sky instead to the subject!
Oh well can live with it

Ciao
Anette