Nyala calf & toothpick

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

This Nyala calf was a little less skittish than her mom and gave me just enough time to take a snap before following mom back into the bushes. I'd prefer not to have the grasses in the front but in a strange but pleasant way it reflects the animal's preference not to come too close. Mabalingwe nature reserve, SA.

Recovered shadows & sharpened a little in LR.

D600
Nikkor 70-200mm VRI f2.8 + TC14E II @ 220mm
f/5.6 | 1/800s | ISO-800
Handheld from inside car.

[Thinus Schoeman]

Hi Tobie, this is a nice sharp image in beautiful light with very good detail around the head area. The background is fairly busy, but it certainly represents the Nyala's natural habitat. Always difficult to get an open shot on Nyalas. Techs look good, but the blade of grass across the nose is distracting a bit from an otherwise very nice image in my opinion. Thanks for sharing!

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Tobie - it is a cute calf and the image looks sharp and well processed overall. You can still tone down the highlights on the side of the face a bit and bring out more detail there. Unfortunately though the oof grasses are just too distracting to overcome and ruin the image for me. Sorry.

TFS,
Rachel

[Nancy Bell]

Very nice to see this animal. Like the big inquisitive ears and that straight into the camera look, those fine white stripes and the lighting. I can totally appreciate how difficult it is to get a clear image of a shy animal, but the grass across the face is distracting. Funny how the eyes and brain can totally see through the grass but not the camera . Still this is an image to certainly keep.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Tobie, certain one of your best in terms of sharpness, detail & clarity, things are moving in the right direction.

I quite like the composition and look of inquisitiveness, however I agree with the above. The blade over the ear is perhaps borderline, but the one over the nose is distracting. I know what you mean in your thinking, but a portrait image like this really needs no elements to distract the viewers enjoyment.

TFS
Steve

[Marc Mol]

Looking good Tobie, although I have to agree that the OOF grasses are distracting, you could have gotten away with this had they been not nearly as wide.
How is the AF on the 70-200 performing now?

TFS

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Thanks for all the comments everyone! As indicated by my OP comments - I knew the OOF grass would be an issue...

Marc I've had the same prob again on Saturday but I'm to blame - I forgot to clean the contact points before the shoot. Cleaned it afterwards and it was really dirty so I'm hopeful. Will let you know after the next shoot...

[Morkel Erasmus]

Have to agree with the above, Tobie...your best yet in terms of colour, clarity, sharpness and overall quality - except for that plant obstruction in front of the cutie