Only in the Kalahari...

[Morkel Erasmus]

...can you get this backdrop for a male lion. Thought this would counter well with the monochrome thumbnails in the gallery too

Digging into some unprocessed files from our November 2012 trip...this male was intruding in the Kij Kij area and I had JUST missed the most intense battle between him and the resident pride leader, due to us having to drive about 35km to get to this spot from our base in Twee Rivieren (Hendri Venter got some great images of the battle - he was camping in Rooiputs which is about halfway closer).

I went wider here to capture the red dunes of the lower Nossob riverbed behind him. At this point there were 5 lions behind my vehicle against the opposite "riverbank" watching him intently as he made his exit (it's a fossil riverbed). Gotta love the Kalahari!

Techs:
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR-II
f5.6 | 1/640 SS | ISO-100

[Don Railton]

Hi Morkel.

Love seeing this lion in its surroundings. I am glad you told the small story because it adds so much to the look on the lion. He looks in very good condition but also like he has just dropped his mobile phone into the toilet...very forlorn, and the countryside looks like a tough place to survive in. The landscaper in me wants to add a bit more oomph into the colour on the river bed..

regards

DON

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Beautiful photo reflecting a 'real life' moment in the Kalahari, Morkel - I can almost smell the dry dust! This guy is in prime condition and I'm sure he has settled down into a pride of his own by now (an over abundance of testosterone will drive him until he does)! I love the space reflecting a little bit of not only the vastness of this area, but also of the unpredictability of each day's own requirements.

[Marc Mol]

It's always good to have a nice mix of colour in all this B&W stuff here Morkel.

Love the scape here and might be tempted to go even wider if you have it to take in more of that nice Kalahari sky.
Have been to the CKGR in Bots and loved it but never to this area and I have to make it down here soon I reckon!

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Morkel - Great story, sorry you missed the action. He does look a bit dejected. I really like the placement of the lion in the frame and the scape. I realize the light was harsh from the shadow but feel you can tame it a bit more and also bring out more richness in the colors with a luminosity mask. Here's a repost with a 30% mask just to give you an idea. If it were mine I would also just give a little more depth to the midtones. Watch where the sky meets the land though there's a very faint halo/edge.

TFS,
Rachel

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Morkel, hopefully i am back ( if all goes right) after 9 years of absence in this magical place.
Love the colors and the animal scape kind of image. Nice placement of the lion in the frame with the dunes and the blue sky as BKG.
I think Rachel went a tad too far in her tweaks , so half way between OP and RP for me .
Sad to hear that you missed the action .

TFS Andreaas

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dear Morkel,

I love the words Andreas uses to describe this place: "magical". For it is magical indeed, and your image certainly gives it justice.

Rachel's version does have lots more punch, although I must admit your OP sticks to the original colours of this landscape, so beautifully shaped by climate and geography.

Yes, I do worship this place and all its intimations, they are so close to my heart. I am going to see my Kalahari only in October, the immediate motives of my journey certainly obvious to you - photography. But there is so much more than that - I am going there to restore the health of my body and mind, and most importantly - the harmony of my soul. This image dear Morkel, is as familiar as the sound of the owl in the tree above my tent at night, as exciting as the lion roar, and as beautiful as the Rooiputs morning light - it touches my heart hymns.

And while to some this might look like just a weary lion walking through the desert, to me it represents the perspective of happiness, a promise of life and travel through nature, and the antidote to the evils of a busy African village. No need to say more, I am sure you understand what I mean, right?

Warmest regards,

[Neil Burton]

Agree, somewhere between the two. Lion could be a tick more to the left. But I like the contrast of the blues in the sky. Would like to witness this one day.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks folks. Rachel, I like your repost. Light wasn't harsh by any Kalahari standards though, about 90 minutes after actual sunrise .