The Bornean Orangutan is an endangered species. Although it is fully protected by law it's forest habitats are being exploited for minerals & timber or being converted to oil palm plantations; in addition hunting for meat and the pet trade are still major threats. Orangutans are the largest arboreal animals in the world and are mainly fruit eaters when fruit is in abundance. I was thrilled to see this awesome orangutan near our lodgings in the Danum Valley, Borneo.
Canon 1Dx, Canon 200-400 f/4 L IS with internal 1.4 ext @ 560, tripod, 1/80, f5.6, +1 exp. comp., IS0 2500.
Great pose by the Orangutan with nice clear shot of the head and upper torso with the leaves framing him nicely. Tech look god for the given light and good PP work Nancy. I see a tinge of magenta, wonder if thats the normal colour? TFS.
Hi Nancy -- Very good details and a very nice pose . Sharpness is spot on and the comp works for me . As far as colours are concerned i think they are more on Orange side with the orangutan ( with the many images that i have seen of that specie ) like Sanjeev , I also find magenta cast on the Orangutan , but you were their . TFS !
Hi Nancy - Great that you got to see an orangutan in the wild. I like the comp and sense of it sort of hanging or swinging through the branches. I also see the magenta, particularly around the face. I never really noticed the texture of the face of an orangutan before. If it were mine I would tame the highlights in the bg a bit with a luminosity mask. Minor tweaks will take this already excellent image up a notch.
Exposure well handled, I know how difficult it can be shooting in those conditions. Man I'd love to get back there.. Last time I was there I was shooting 100 ISO film.. Can't imagine with todays gear. Well done!
Very late to the party and so I apologise... just wanted to add my thoughts here briefly, for this is one very special capture portraying a threatened species and I also appreciate the story behind the frame.
I especially like the pose, there's something relaxed but at the same time weary about this Orangutan. Set aside some possible colour cast and a degree of noise due to lighting conditions, I find this very attractive because you framed it and presented it so well. I know not much about Canon equipment but if I were in your shoes I would have pushed ISO more. At the same time, a slower SS gave you this nice effect when it comes to the surrounding vegetation so the subject really comes through, it is prominent, it stands out beautifully.
If you can afford the time I would really like to see an RP, simply because I would love to see the subject in its "true colours".
Wonderful image Nancy, the subject is truly fascinating and so is that look in his/her eyes. I would have loved to be there and witness this. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Nancy , this is so lovely to get this close to these wonderful and very special creatures .
I like the crop and the overall image expression .
You did well considering the given techs and the shooting conditions in the rainforest , always very difficult .You did well with the + 1 compensation , as you now have loads of detail in the darker areas and the sky will be blown anyway !!!There is almost very time a trade off when it comes to shooting in the rainforest and you shot sky wards .
Overall i think the image is a bit light and thin in the tones , plus for my taste it does appear tiny bit over sharp. In the low res file you have some noise appearing in the BG , just where some detail is appearing , guess this comes from processing .
My idea is as follows for this frame , worth a bit of exploring with the tones and colors .
For Gabriela these Orangs vary a bit in color , but can be gloomy orange/red when i.e. they get hit by the sun , but agree the magenta is creeping in a tiny bit too much , i also reduced the reds a bit in myRP .