Classic Elephant Image

[Rachel Hollander]

I thought I would post one last image for September's theme while also reminding everyone that October's theme is Black & White or Toned Images. The African Elephant is listed on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable. Since getting more into photography this classic image of a frame filling elephant's head with its ears out has been on my wish list. I had come close on other trips but the elephant was always slightly angled rather than squared to the camera/sensor or the ears weren't symmetrically opened. On my most recent trip I finally achieved the shot I had been hoping for with the ears fully flared out and the head parallel to the camera. I prefer it in black and white and did this conversion within ACR.

Canon 5D3
100-400 II @ 148mm
1/500
f8
ISO 3200
HH from safari vehicle, slight crop for comp, curves adjustments, sharpened in PSCC.

C&C welcome and appreciated. Thanks,

Rachel

[John Mack]

I like it. Has that fine art feel to it. Looks likes something you would see in a gallery. Love the texture on the elephant. The composition works for me.

[Basil Dardagan]

What a top class image !!! Such a fantastic result from fairly common oppurtunity (in the right location). The detail and texture are great however the comp is FANTASTIC and makes the image imo. Hope you dont mind however I am certainly going to try and do something similar....

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Rachel, being square on to the sensor just works perfectly, providing that symmetrical capture and the camera nails the image. Good choice in having the subject darker and the BKG light to provided separation (amplified in PP I assume), but I'm not a fan of the 'grainy/film noise' appearance. In an ideal world if the ears at the end were the same it would have been nicer, but that's nature. I can also see a scenario where the grain is less visible and toned.

TFS
Steve

[Rachel Hollander]

Thank you John, Basil and Steve for the comments and suggestions. Basil - I am by no means the first to attempt or achieve such a capture so by all means you should go for it. I will say that it was more frustrating than I had thought and over the course of a few trips it was always almost but not quite. I think the key here is that the elephant was inquisitive and lumbering slowly towards us to check us out rather than in a charge/mock charge situation. In the mock charge they always sort of shake their head as they get close causing the head not to be parallel to the sensor.

Steve - Some of the discussions we had in the workshop where both Villiers and Lance are accomplished b&w shooters is that the best images for conversion are often the ones where there is a dark subject against a light bg or a light subject against a dark bg.

Thanks again,
Rachel

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello Rachel,
Thank you for sharing this lovely Theme image

Impressive Ellie, superb HA and the B/W conversion certainly does it justice.

Nice framing, well processed and I like the amount of detail on the face and trunk of the subject.

I hope to encounter some Ellies during my holiday so I can raise you one when I get back, not sure about conversion though as I have not been that successful in this department

Hope you have a wonderful evening Rachel,

Warmest regards,

[Rachel Hollander]

Thanks Gabriela. Hope you're having fun in Kruger.

[Morkel Erasmus]

This is a beaut! Love the texture, the grainy feel and the square-on comp Rachel.

[Rachel Hollander]

Thanks Morkel