Impala

[Glenn Pure]

Another Impala shot. I do like photographing them! This one taken in Timbavati Private Reserve, South Africa. Also, apologies for those who don't like OOF animals in the background. It's something I like. Taken in soft early morning light. This is about half the frame area.

Thanks for looking and any comments you may have.

Technical: Canon 80D with Lens EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 400mm handheld. Manual exposure 1/160, f7.1, ISO 1600. Processed in Canon DPP 4 (digital lens optimiser @ 50, Sharpness = 3, crop, lighting adjustments, default luminance NR) then exported 16 bit TIFF to Photoshop Elements. Very modest NR to impala and a whisker of USM. Stronger NR to background. Highlights on in focus animal reduced and midtone contrast added. Sharpened in focus impala only (sharpness function: remove Gaussian blur, radius = 0.4 pixels, 50%) after final size reduction.

[Stuart Philpott]

glenn I know the species but not enough to really comment on colour but I do like the way it's processed,such gorgeous antelope Glenn I find then beautiful to stare at. Presented in light like this they make a stunning image.

I don't normally have much a problem with other oof beasties in the frame Glenn ,but here I think the head of the OOF impala is hurting your frame. I think it's the black markings Glenn they pull ones eye so much. i've seen this with my hares Glenn and their ear markings,if two heads are together even if one clearly sharp one way oof it messes with me every time

I find your placement of the infocus impala superb, I wouldn't change it at all !!

Lovely frame buddy a privalige to view the colours and detail on the foreground beast are wonderful

stu

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Glenn - I like the rich tones and colors here as well as the pose. We often overlook the impalas. For me the problem with the oof impala is how it intersects the subject particularly the head. It needed to be more offset and to the left for me. Sorry.

TFS,
Rachel

[Glenn Pure]

Thanks Stu and Rachel - no need to apologise Rachel. I'm happy to accept that the OOF animal is something you both think is not helping here. I take the point that it does draw attention away from the in focus impala. My thinking, though, is that it's fine to have more going on in a frame than the main subject. A simple shot of a single animal in focus with blur all around and no other distractions is always a nice thing to look at and I'm always happy to catch shots like that myself. But having a frame with more going on and the eye wandering on to other parts isn't always a negative. It adds complexity and interest and can bring the viewer back for another look and think. Just my odd take on this.

[Arthur Morris]

Sharp with nice ears. As for the second o-o-f animal, the problem here is the position of the 2nd impala. The trick with juxtapositional images is that the o-o-f subject in the background be nicely positioned with regards to the subject, a sort of background mirror image. With the photo here the 2nd animal is nothing but a big distraction. If you would like to learn more, you are invited to visit my blog and type the word "juxtaposition" into the little white box top right. Thirty-four years ago I never wanted a 2nd bird or animal in the frame. But I learned on a bear boat trip that juxtapositions, when well executed, can be powerful. Of course if you like distracting elements in the background that ruin your images I am fine with that too :)

with love, artie

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello Glenn,

Impala are lovely subjects to photograph and this female is no exception. The main subject is well positioned in the frame but I must admit I find the OOF one distracting. I completely agree with Artie in regard to juxtaposition, it can make or break an image. It is meant to create a "story" or some sort of "tension" within the frame. In this particular image - I feel - the second impala does not complement but instead takes away from the main subject because of the awkward angle. I like the colours though and tonality as well as detail. The impala's eye and reflection just lovely. Well processed Glenn, thank you so much for sharing

Kind regards,