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Thread: Zimanga Hog

  1. #1
    Lifetime Member Andre Pretorius's Avatar
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    Default Zimanga Hog

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Another image from that amazing hide @ Zimango.

    Bit tight, but that was what I had.

    Nikon D3S with 300F2.8
    VR on, hand held
    (600 on gimbal…)
    1/1600 with f6,3
    ISO 2500
    -0,3EV
    Last edited by Andre Pretorius; 05-30-2014 at 12:31 PM.
    Regards

    Andre.

    www.gappimages.com

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    Hi Andre, amazing details, the side lighting works well here. The warthogs I saw all look greyish. This is beautiful color. TFS. Loi

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    Lifetime Member Andre Pretorius's Avatar
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    Thank you Loi

    The warthog typically takes on the colour of the soil of their environment due to their frequent mud baths...

    Combine the red soil with the early morning light…a red Warthog!

    Andre
    Regards

    Andre.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Andre, like the shot, just wished for the whole subject to be in.

    TFS
    Steve
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    Lifetime Member Andre Pretorius's Avatar
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    Hi Steve

    Bring your 200-400, no converter!
    Regards

    Andre.

    www.gappimages.com

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    Very nice. Amazingly sharp and clear. The side lighting really brought out the skin detail. One thing I picked up on is that the hog appears to be drinking out of an elevated water dish which makes me think manmade. The shot is ground level and I found myself expecting to see its feet. It is a great shot, but the setting just does not look natural to me.

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    I have mentioned elsewhere that the same type of shots have been around in europe for a while now. They are unfortunately beginning to all look the same (but with different species obviously)
    To me they don't seem natural and as I asked elsewhere- can you alter the set up. If 4 people are doing the same thing from the same set up and then another 4 , and another 4 - well you know what I mean.
    The techs are spot on etc but the "feel " of nature photography in the wild "seems to be a thing of the past. There have been a few posted recently on here that are all from the same set up and its pretty obvious. Is that what its all about ? I always like to think that my pics are as you might see the subject in real life. Would you really as a human see a bird ata pool at the same level as yourself???
    Fair enough.
    Cheers
    JohnR
    Last edited by John Robinson; 05-30-2014 at 07:55 PM.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Nice perspective on this old unit, Andre. Yes, having all of the feet would be ideal...colour looks fine for me.
    Itching to get there with your posts!

    Just a few comments based on John and David's responses here:
    1. I am headed to this reserve soon so I will have first-hand experience in a few weeks. However, I know the owner and what the current setup/plan is. This hide is specifically a bird hide, but some mammals do end up drinking here. They are busy building more large mammal hides which will have a more natural look.
    2. Shooting at a low angle/eye level does not make a shot "unnatural". John, you can get that perspective if you are able to crawl on your belly towards the subject, but we all know how skittish birds and small mammals are. Getting this low perspective works a helluvalot better than your standard "shooting from a vehicle looking down" angle, especially from an African perspective. This kind of thing is the best way to go if you still want to be in control and trip your own shutter...as it pertains to "keeping it natural" I'm far more concerned with the amount of remotely triggered photos winning awards these days (buggies, drones, camera traps) where the photographer is not even behind the camera.
    3. You will always get shots that are similar to shots that someone else may have taken who may or may not even have been in the sighting or hide with you. There's just too many folks lugging around a camera these days for something to be unique all that often - something we'll need to live with.
    4. If you want to start a discussion around the practicality/ethics of these kinds of shots - then do so in the general discussion forums - please stick to critique of the technical and artistic aspects of the images posted here.

    Thanks!
    Morkel Erasmus

    WEBSITE


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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Good points raise here Morkel, cheers.

    Interesting Andre this looks earthy red, the ones here are a dark grey, perhaps he/she had been rolling around in the soil? BTW, a Leopard just took one of these down less than 100m from us earlier this morning, brunch I think.
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Andre - I like the low perspective but agree I would have preferred the whole body in. Morkel makes good points on nature photography. Shooting thousands of images in a couple of weeks I realize just how hard it is to capture something unique. Hopefully, Steve and I won't bore everyone with similar images. We are experimenting a little too. I agree the discussion properly belongs in General Photography. Looking forward to more from the hide.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Lifetime Member Andre Pretorius's Avatar
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    Thank you all for comments!!

    Thank you David and John for comments, unlike in a zoo, at Zimanga we are in a cage, not the animals/birds

    It is tight, I know, but this is really a bird hide. If a big Pig comes around, I can't help but to shoot him!

    We have all used audio, food etc to attract subjects, we are always trying to attract our subjects and to get closer to them. What is the difference between a dam in Kruger Park with a hide? Both are man made.
    Man has been putting his stamp on the environment and is constantly destroying it by hunting (legally or poaching) and worse by habitat destruction.
    I am afraid everything now is man made, even the great Yellow Stone; Kruger etc…
    We are just too many… Animals are now behind fences...

    Around our area many of the old cattle farms has been bought up and converted to Private Game Reserves ( Phinda; Thanda, Zululand Rhino Reserve, Zimanga etc). They have been reintroducing species that
    were extinct for many a years from our area- lions, buffs, ellies, etc. I dare to say there are more of the Big Five in our area now than a hundred years ago.
    Man killed them, Man is bringing them back. This is not just a noble act, they attract visitors- high paying visitors- to experience the "man made" bush with the comforts and guaranteed sightings of at least some of the Big Five.
    They are prepared to pay big money, it costs big money to upkeep and establish such a Reserve. They have to charge it to be in existence.
    In the end-- more wildlife!!

    Like all things in life, it has to make finical sense to invest millions, you have to make a return on your money!

    I can continue about my Holy Land(have been going there for 20years); the Kalahari(no hides); where authorities is raping the earth to have MORE visitors paying MORE money,money,money…We can't stop it…I guess that what life is about now,we all want it.

    John; about the eye-level water images: ever thought of a pair of waders and an old tripod? Just not in our area, the crocs would love you!

    Morkel; thanks for comment and for setting the record straight.

    Steve; I hope you have had your converter on the 500! (no hides there!)

    Rachel; thanks for comment, good points made.

    Hope you both surprise us brilliant images!

    Just my half cent's worth
    Last edited by Andre Pretorius; 05-31-2014 at 12:47 PM.
    Regards

    Andre.

    www.gappimages.com

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Overall image quality & techs look good to me Andre, would only wish for a little more room all round.

    I have no problem with the angle and whether it's manmade or otherwise, this is the 21st century we all live in, let's accept it and adapt where possible.


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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Andre very good answer …………. !!!!!!!! and all right what you stated.

    Regarding the image , great sharpness and detail , good colors and overall tonality but i would add some ever so slightly mid tone for some more depth in the tones .
    Bit tight all around , but nothing you can do .

    Area around rock on LHS looks a bit strange (masking ?)
    Like the colors , have you used the PPW panel on this one ?

    TFS Andreas

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    Lifetime Member Andre Pretorius's Avatar
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    Thank you Marc and Andreas

    Thanks Marc, that is how we gain empirical knowledge- through experience! Next time I'll take the 70-200 with

    Andreas, will try my "mid tone boost" action! No Dan used here, waiting for you to teach me in October!

    Yeah, had a blob on there rock, thought no one would notice--you did!

    Had a hard day in workshop building many cupboards, cooked supper and going to bed now!

    Good night, good friends!
    Regards

    Andre.

    www.gappimages.com

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    BPN Member vishaljadhav's Avatar
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    I guess the tight closeup makes it very interesting
    IQ looks fantastic and i recognise the stone there from some other image i have seen here
    i like it all the way

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  18. #16
    Lifetime Member Andre Pretorius's Avatar
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    Thank you Vishal for kind comments
    Regards

    Andre.

    www.gappimages.com

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    Forum Participant edwardselfe's Avatar
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    Man-made discussion to one side, this is very nice to look at and the colours are excellent. TFS.
    Ed

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