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Thread: Wild Dog Kill II- Extreme Gore Warning

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Default Wild Dog Kill II- Extreme Gore Warning

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    I had posted the story of this sighting and another image from it a while back here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...=wild+dog+kill. I mentioned that I had one of all 4 dogs vying for the kill. A few people asked me to post the image even though it had more gore. This was only 20 seconds after the one in the above link. The light was so low that getting all 4 in focus was pretty much out of the question at acceptable ISO levels for me. I thought with this month's theme I would share it. I seem to be posting gory images lately.

    Canon 5D3
    300 II
    1/200
    f4
    ISO 3200
    Monopod from safari vehicle, ff, levels, curves, selective color adjustments, sharpened in CCPS.

    C&C welcome and appreciated. Thanks,

    Rachel

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    This is one gory image Rachel! Very powerful pic that showcases the teamwork and power of these wild dogs! Very well composed and great techs giving the low light situation.

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    Forum Participant Thinus Schoeman's Avatar
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    Hi Rachel, this is certainly a powerful image. What a sighting! An animal cornered by wild dogs certainly die a horrible painful death, as they start eating before killing the animal.

    I certainly know how difficult it can be in low light to take sharp images of wildlife. I experienced it myself again early October this year in the Timbavati, when lions only started feeding on a giraffe they killed earlier the day when the light was really low, and I had a real battle to come away from there with acceptable sharp images.
    The composition works and the colours look very natural. No issue with the techs, as I can understand you didn't want to push the ISO any higher. Thanks for sharing!

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Rachel must have been thrilling to witness this , no problem to see that , i do not see anything looking gore . I just see a great documentation of real life of the WD and their behavior .
    I like the color and the overall tone/contrast , does look better than the first image from that POV. Think you made the best out of the kit from composition POV .

    I would have pushed the Iso way higher to get a sharper image with more DOF , instead of less noise and motion blur inn the moving animals . I think we can deal better with eliminating noise rather than eliminating Blur ! But sometimes we have to pay a price.

    TFS Andreas

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Thanks Sanjeev, Thinus and Andreas. Andreas - you're right about blur vs. noise.

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    Difficult to get a sharp image of feeding dogs at 1/200, they jerk and move a lot while feeding. You do seem to be posting a lot of gory images lately...Looks like your trip to SA provided lots of action.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Rachel, it was incredible to see just how fast the whole episode took and how quickly they despatched the kill. I feel I'm with Andreas, although now with hindsight, higher ISO on this, the movement within the shot is a little great for me and is good to show depiction, but it's one I might quickly skip in selection, but just my take., sorry.

    TFS
    Steve

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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    I would be in the least concerned about gore, it is a natural sight and I do not believe you are glorying death or pain, It is a good shot. Now I don't expect too may of you to agree with me but if you were in manual mode using the setting you wanted for a sharp image you would have gotten the shot with Auto ISO. I am not stirring things I don't want to cause friction but Auto ISO and manual mode (which can be over/underexposed in any event) I don't think you could go wrong.

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Thanks Dumay, Steve and Jon. Jon - I was in manual mode but don't shoot on Auto ISO. Quite frankly I almost never want an ISO greater than 3200. I shoot mainly to print rather than for web display so what might be acceptable for web display due to size/noise is often not acceptable IMHO to print. I consider this more of a record shot and shared it because people had asked me to and it fit the theme.

    Thanks again,
    Rachel

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Dearest Rachel,

    I am so glad you shared this image with us, now I have the guts to post some of my own "blood and guts" shots I have been keeping to myself

    Dramatic content here and I like to see those bloodied faces close to each other, a tug of war indeed but no aggression visible between the dogs, they are in fact doing what they do best, which is tearing apart their victim in seconds and satisfying hunger before other predators join in...I would have tried a couple of shots at higher ISO if I had this opportunity, risking a bit of noise creeping in

    Warmest regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Intense image Rachel!
    I like it, and I also like that there's movement with the dog second from LHS's sharp eyes a good focal point for me to rest on.
    Morkel Erasmus

    WEBSITE


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    Nothing wrong with a little gore, I do not understand people having objections to it in a nature image. For me this is powerful, intense and simply a great image.

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Thanks Gabriela, Morkel and Neil, much appreciated.

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