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Thread: Six Pachyderms

  1. #1
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Default Six Pachyderms

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    Seems there's a bit of a rhino motif in the last few threads. Thought I'd add to it.
    Not the best "photographic" sighting, but when last did YOU see 3 black rhinos and 3 elephants in the same frame??
    A special moment from one of the photo safaris I hosted last year...

    I know I haven't before this sighting and probably won't again soon. The female black rhino was lazing around with her youngest calf and her calf from the previous season - while the breeding herd of elephants merely ambled by in the process of feeding.


    With rhinos and elephants under immense pressure from poaching, illegal wildlife part trafficking and human encroachment - these scenes will be rarer and rarer to come across. Can you imagine the sights Hemingway and Livingstone must have seen, standing atop the hills? As Peter Sarstedt sings in his song "Hemingway":


    "Africa then, was a sight to behold...
    Rhino and elephant in numbers untold!"

    Techs:

    Nikon D3s
    Nikkor 80-400mm VR @ 220mm (the old version!)
    f5.6 | 1/400 SS | ISO-1000
    Full frame, slight crop from top and bottom
    Last edited by Morkel Erasmus; 05-25-2015 at 04:24 PM.
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel - a fantastic sighting! I once saw one white rhino approaching a herd of elephants. The elephants scattered. Unfortunately, Hemingway would probably look at this scene through the scope of a rifle. I do not know if Livingstone was also a hunter but my guess is yes. Colors, dof and pano crop all work well.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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  4. #3
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Hi Rachel!
    Yes, I know Hemingway was a hunter - it doesn't keep me from being riveted by his descriptions of how abundant Africa's wildlife was.
    Livingstone was primarily a missionary-explorer, but my knowledge of his pastimes is limited so not sure if he was a hunter as well.
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Lifetime Member Andre Pretorius's Avatar
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    Love this scene Morkel- looks almost like a certain spot in our local area!
    Scene like this are increasingly getting less common, we are doing all we can to prevent that..

    I am sure if Hemingway and Livingstone had a 500F4 with DSLR and BPN, they would have rather captured special images...

    TFS!
    Regards

    Andre.

    www.gappimages.com

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  7. #5
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Morkel, this so inspiring! Thank you for giving us some background on this image, love to know your thoughts at the time of this capture, and your thoughts now - in sharing those you have enriched this image for me, tenfold. Which reminds me that this Forum brings us together in so many wonderful ways.

    I like this image very much, it has a feel of Africa at its best - what a rich environment, what abundance of wildlife, those lush greens, a spot filled with life - it is all so precious. Love the presentation and colours are superb, good detail on the subjects and some nice attitude from those rhino moving forward, I enjoyed this tremendously

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Hi Mork, a rare sighting then, and no doubt, these days probably not. I like your pano crop, and I do like the eye contact from the rhino in the LLC.

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel agree a rare and stunning sighting .
    Love the comp and overall tonal range . The rhinos leading into the image and ending up with the ellies in the BG , well seen and executed .
    Lovely processed in general , from my personal POV i might go a bit lower with overall yellows , just to see how it looks .

    Very nice work , TFS Andreas

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    Very interesting sighting. Nice to see both species together look like the one BR is getting up from being disturbed by the Ellies.

    I was lucky enough to see 5 Black Rhino together in early January...Everyone I have talked to about it says they have never heard of or seen 5 together in the greater Kruger area. The group was made up of 3 adults a sub adult and a calf.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    A cool sighting Morkel, lets hope this is NOT all that we have, of such a wonderful event!!! Greens do look a little intense maybe Andrea's thought could address things/

    TFS
    Steve

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    Hi Morkel -- Have never been to Africa but have read and heard a lot about the plight of the Black Rhinos ! Your image can certainly touch a viewer like me who doesn't know the ground realities. But i can certainly relate their plight with the tigers in India , uncertainty is looming large and is very worrying !

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    Lifetime Member Ákos Lumnitzer's Avatar
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    I have never even seen one of either, let alone this many. Since it does not look like I'll ever get to Africa, I'll have to be content viewing the awesome shots from you guys.

    Great view Morkel!

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