Duelling White Rhinos

[Glenn Pure]

Listed as 'Near Threatened' by the IUCN. The rhino on the left was a young male and adult male on the right. They were not in a serious conflict but apparently the young one was practicising his duelling skills. The interaction went on for quite some time - maybe 30 minutes although it appeared mainly driven by the young rhino. Our guide said he'd never seen such animation before. It was getting quite dark when I took this (don't look at the SS and ISO). The shot was underexposed as well so I've had to do a bit of work to clean up the noise and IQ has suffered somewhat. Crop is about half the frame area. I have other frames although IQ a little better on some. Taken in South Africa.


Technical: Canon 80D with Lens EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 182mm handheld. Manual exposure 1/50, f6.3, ISO 2000 handheld. Processed in Canon DPP 4 (digital lens optimiser @ 50, Sharpness = 3, crop, lighting adjustments, default NR) then exported 16 bit TIFF to Photoshop Elements with Neat Image NR plugin where very modest NR applied to the rhinos along with some sharpening and stronger NR to the background. Sharpened (sharpness, radius = 0.4 pixels, 50%) after final size reduction.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Glenn - This is a tough one. The interaction is special but it appears that the elements were against you. The image does still seem a little dark and flat. I agree with you about the IQ and don't think the large crop has helped. Still interesting interaction to see.

TFS,
Rachel

[haseeb badar]

Hi Glenn -- Agre with what Rachel has to say , though i would cherish the interaction here. Why dont you try a monochrome / BW version ? the grains might be of help .

TFS !

[Gabriela Plesea]

Thank you dear Glenn for this special Theme image. This is one kind of interaction - or behavioural aspect - one does not often see from the species. Well composed and nice HA from both, the raising dust a bonus. I would not hesitate to try and capture such encounter myself, regardless of lighting conditions. Yes, 1/50s not near enough and all that movement made things even more difficult, not to mention fading light. But I would happily keep this frame for my records and even attempt a B/W version that would allow for some grain ( I like to play )

Some time ago I was in a game reserve on my own, relaxing and watching a male rhino following a relatively placid female with young. It was late afternoon and I was about to put my camera down, but instead decided to wait a few minutes, anticipating some action. As soon as the male got too close for comfort she began to chase him all over the place, the old girl was so fast and furious that I had to remove myself from the scene immediately. While mom ran around huffing and puffing I looked back and saw her spitting at the pursuing male. The little one looked confused and squealed a few times with fear, nevertheless he did not leave her side. I did manage a few images at high ISO and in such a rush... I probably only have one to share from this sighting, not sure it is good enough for the nitpickers of this Forum

The young rhino in your image looks old enough and probably no longer needs mom's protection. He is not a threat to the older male, so why not share the same space? Four eyes better than two Or rather ears, because their sight is relatively poor. The rhino is known to be solitary and territorial, but from what I have seen their home ranges often overlap and males tolerate each other quite well. Until a pretty female happens to cross their path, that is...

Once again thank you for sharing, Glenn. Your frame prompted some memories and made me tell stories, just wonderful:)

Have a super week-end, kind regards,

[Glenn Pure]

Thank you for your insights Rachel, Haseeb and Gabriela. Haseeb, I've tried a monochrome version below... I think it works well although it's not an option I normally try. Maybe more in the future.

[haseeb badar]

Hi Glenn -- Thanks for the Monochrome version , i feel that sometimes when the lighting is extreme then B/w version helps to rescue the image provided the basics are correctly implemented on the field. Here it is not a 'wow' conversion but atleast somehow helps in getting something out of the image.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Thank you Glenn, appreciate your time and effort to do an RP. It does look better IMO.

Kind regards,

[Stuart Philpott]

Glen ,with all the constrains you have done so well,it's also been a fine read this thread ,thank you. Glenn I'm not a fan of band W by nature this also works for me with a definite preference for the monochrome version. The one thing that feels lesser in the mono is the dust ,somehow it doesn't work so well for me in mono,I am unsure why.
A remarkable encounter thanks for sharing this mate

take care


Stu

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Glenn, at 1/50 and a large(ish) crop the IQ will suffer no question and with knowing your passion for 'Wildlife/Avian' I wished you had bought a more flexible camera body like the 5DMK4, as this would have given you the range of ISO required and ultimately, the IQ your images well deserve. I'm not really in a position to talk colour etc, but initial impression is that the OP looks a bit flat and as mentioned earlier the IQ quality is lacking. I do however like the fact you have both faces visible. The framing looks OK and the dust kicked up by the feet is a nice touch, but again with more tonal depth this might be enhanced? I'm 50/50 on going colour or B/W, but if going B/W you need more 'tonal range' I feel to provide the depth within the overall capture. B/W might be a tad too harsh and so going Duo, Tri or Quad tone to introduce some colour might help?

TFS
Steve

[Glenn Pure]

Hi Glenn, at 1/50 and a large(ish) crop the IQ will suffer no question and with knowing your passion for 'Wildlife/Avian' I wished you had bought a more flexible camera body like the 5DMK4, as this would have given you the range of ISO required and ultimately, the IQ your images well deserve. I'm not really in a position to talk colour etc, but initial impression is that the OP looks a bit flat and as mentioned earlier the IQ quality is lacking. I do however like the fact you have both faces visible. The framing looks OK and the dust kicked up by the feet is a nice touch, but again with more tonal depth this might be enhanced? I'm 50/50 on going colour or B/W, but if going B/W you need more 'tonal range' I feel to provide the depth within the overall capture. B/W might be a tad too harsh and so going Duo, Tri or Quad tone to introduce some colour might help?
Steve

Thanks for your comments Steve. Note your comments on IQ, tone and colour. I'm not familiar with Duo, Tri or Quad tone but will investigate. As for camera choice, the 5D Mark4 would give me one extra stop/EV only although a faster and better AF system and other valuable features. However, my choice to go crop sensor was a carefully considered one and not one I plan to revisit soon. If you want more details why, I'd be happy to go into more depth but essentially it is the lightness and portability while still achieving good IQ but with limitation of poorer low light performance. Major cost difference as well: $4K for my setup versus $16K for 5DIV plus a big prime.

I think I was pushing my luck a bit hard with this shot but I did like the interaction which is the main reason I shared it here.

I note from another post you are away - I hope somewhere nice - no doubt with camera and lots of photo opportunities that I hope you'll be able to share.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Glenn, thanks for the in-depth reply, always a good read .

From joining here you have posted some excellent work Glenn, but it's mainly the hefty cropping that is, I feel, letting the side down even with a crop sensor, but just my take. Loosing all that data just impacts on the final image IMHO. I think in the exchanges in the past we both are aware of the limitations of the 80D and pushing the ISO to get the SS and if required more DoF is not always available sadly. Low light is always an issue for both Wildlife & Avian and camera bodies have come a long way and we each make key choices and I know your decision will have be one that was not taken lightly I know, perhaps bolstered by Ian's thoughts too and so we both see things and requirements differently .

I think that in the future, if you can get closer to your subjects, choosing the right format i.e. landscape/portrait, and framing in camera with a bit of room for latitude in the final crop will definitely help as you seem to be getting to grips with DPP well.

The interaction is good, likewise the framing and perhaps there might be more that can be extracted from the file which will help get that 'tonal depth' I was referring too, but without seeing the raw it's hard to say which direction/adjust(s) will help. I feel Glenn this is another discussion which would be ideal as a one to one where we can exchange the different POV this has perhaps highlighted and where we could bounce of our thoughts in a verbal exchange?

No where that exciting, just tagged on some time away with a good friend of mine where we wanted to really push the 1DX MK2 camera bodies and really see how much the Firmware upgrade has made to the AF, which was substantial, but rolling around in a 20ft aluminium skiff in Norway's fjords I think push more myself rather than the camera kit we took. It also meant that the calibration stuff I had done by Canon meant I had no need to change the AFMA depending on what we shot, compared to the bodies that had not been to Canon. It just means you have to be always aware of your settings when shooting. Hope all is good with you.

Cheers for now.

[Glenn Pure]

From joining here you have posted some excellent work Glenn, but it's mainly the hefty cropping that is, I feel, letting the side down even with a crop sensor, but just my take. Loosing all that data just impacts on the final image IMHO. I think in the exchanges in the past we both are aware of the limitations of the 80D and pushing the ISO to get the SS and if required more DoF is not always available sadly. Low light is always an issue for both Wildlife & Avian and camera bodies have come a long way and we each make key choices and I know your decision will have be one that was not taken lightly I know, perhaps bolstered by Ian's thoughts too and so we both see things and requirements differently.

I think that in the future, if you can get closer to your subjects, choosing the right format i.e. landscape/portrait, and framing in camera with a bit of room for latitude in the final crop will definitely help as you seem to be getting to grips with DPP well.

Again, thank you Steve. I do value these exchanges. I agree that cropping should be minimised and it's best to compose in camera. Experience pays big dividends here and I'm certainly not up to the mark there but hopefully moving that way. I can see the great benefits of kit like yours Steve and it would be silly of me to say otherwise. The size and weight deter me (as does the cost) but I do admire people such as you who work with such gear and the results you produce. I'm sure it's quite hard work sometimes. Part of going out photographing nature is to enjoy it and I feel being encumbered with a lot of heavy gear would detract for me. So I'm aiming for a sweet-spot of reasonable IQ and maximum flexibility and portability. But every choice has trade-offs. As for the rhinos, you'll note that I was zoomed out a fair bit for this shot. I was trying different things and comps and unfortunately would have been better off zoomed to 400 for this shot. I was just in the wrong zoom level when this interaction happened! But that's history now!

The interaction is good, likewise the framing and perhaps there might be more that can be extracted from the file which will help get that 'tonal depth' I was referring too, but without seeing the raw it's hard to say which direction/adjust(s) will help. I feel Glenn this is another discussion which would be ideal as a one to one where we can exchange the different POV this has perhaps highlighted and where we could bounce of our thoughts in a verbal exchange?

Happy to take specifics off-line Steve. I'll send you an email but please only respond when you have time. There's no urgency to this as I'm not heading out on any wildlife adventures any time soon.

No where that exciting, just tagged on some time away with a good friend of mine where we wanted to really push the 1DX MK2 camera bodies and really see how much the Firmware upgrade has made to the AF, which was substantial, but rolling around in a 20ft aluminium skiff in Norway's fjords I think push more myself rather than the camera kit we took. It also meant that the calibration stuff I had done by Canon meant I had no need to change the AFMA depending on what we shot, compared to the bodies that had not been to Canon. It just means you have to be always aware of your settings when shooting. Hope all is good with you.

Sounds like an interesting trip, Steve. Hopefully we'll all get to see a few results from it. I can imagine it wasn't easy working from such a small vessel and hope you aren't very prone to motion sickness.