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Thread: African Buffalo, Not Yet a Daga Boy

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Default African Buffalo, Not Yet a Daga Boy

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    Hello Everyone,

    I have taken upon myself the massive task of "cleaning" my hard drives, so you might get to see some of my older images. Every now and then I find one that is - I think - worth processing. It has been an interesting exercise so far, not only I can see the difference between old and new gear but I am also able to identify certain bad habits and errors I used to make out there in the field. I think my greatest downfall has been DoF. Or rather lack of it

    Herewith one frame captured in 2015 in Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve. I still remember the sighting, it occurred at lunch time and I was just about to exit the Park when I encountered this large herd of buffalo crossing the road. One individual came closer to investigate and had a certain expression on its face which I could not quite read. Was uncertain about his intentions but decided to listen to my gut feel, switched off the engine and waited until he stopped in its tracks so I could grab a few shots.

    Buffalo are quite unpredictable so one should be always always careful, I have seen a number of game drive vehicles with huge "dents" at the nearby panel beater They are great subjects to photograph and I plan to spend more time with them, albeit if light isn't good it will probably be a waste of time... I want those colours and textures! As you can see it was slightly overcast at the time, no gorgeous light but no deep shadows either. Really wish I had just a bit more DoF for those horns/boss but I forgive myself... been learning a lot since 2015!

    A little info about the species: they are not really territorial as some might believe but move according to availability of food and water. No strong relationships between herd members except for mothers and their offspring. Old, or no longer breeding bulls are not forcefully expelled from the herd but usually form separate groups which are informally referred to as "Daga Boys". Average height is 160 cm for males and 150cm for females, and they weigh between 700kg and 800 kg. The species need 21 L of water per day, so totally water dependant.

    Techs:

    Nikon D4
    Nikon 500F4
    ISO 1600
    F8
    1/1000s

    Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week-end, and many thanks for viewing and comments on my previous images - I truly appreciate it.

    Kind regards,
    Last edited by Gabriela Plesea; 07-28-2019 at 03:30 PM.
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Lovely portrait with great colors and a great BG. I really like the color scheme throughout with the tons in the buffalo from dark black to the reds and how they work with the green on the other side. More DOF for the horns as you mention, but I didn't really notice it until i read your caption. Great details on the face, and good exposure. I saw these guys for the first time last month, very intimidating! Very nice frame, enjoyed viewing it. Definitely worth going back through the archives for! TFS

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    Very nice in your face portrait. The detail looks great and i like the framing as well. That is alot of water to drink in one day. It's sharp where it needs to be. Also like the direct stare.

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Many thanks Alex and John, for taking the time to view and comment:)

    John, the giraffe needs even more water, 40 L per day. The elephant needs 100-300 L...Water consumption is high here in Africa

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Hi Gabriela, I like this 'old' frame a lot1 keep digging and am sure we will enjoy viewing. The stare, the details in horn and face with good eye contact really is pleasing. Nice colours and framing. TFS.

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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    That's a cracker Gabriela, I think just a tiny ween weeny bit of oomph how about Dehaze +1-2 and Highlights -10. also maybe a luminosity curve on the horns to lower the glare a little..

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Thank you so much Jon for your kind words and suggestions - I will try

    Is that shiny wet bit on the nose an issue at all, what say you? Reduced the brightness to some extent but it still bugs me.

    Hope you have a wonderful week ahead,

    Warmest regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Hi Gabriela,

    What a beauty and perfectly captured moment of inquisitiveness. Wonderful expressive eyes gazing directly at you. Looking forward to more.


    Geoffrey




    http://500px.com/geoffreymontagu

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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gabriela Plesea View Post
    Thank you so much Jon for your kind words and suggestions - I will try

    Is that shiny wet bit on the nose an issue at all, what say you? Reduced the brightness to some extent but it still bugs me.

    Hope you have a wonderful week ahead,

    Warmest regards,
    Gabriela the shiny nose looks ok there are a number of things you could try e.g. blending a couple of layers with screen and multiply or lowering luminosity. A certain amount of experimenting with Dehaze and or Clarity or Texture will possibly help but too much will lead to blocking the pixels. My first instinct would be to try luminosity if not happy maybe blending followed my small amounts of clarity or dehaze.

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonathan Ashton View Post
    Gabriela the shiny nose looks ok there are a number of things you could try e.g. blending a couple of layers with screen and multiply or lowering luminosity. A certain amount of experimenting with Dehaze and or Clarity or Texture will possibly help but too much will lead to blocking the pixels. My first instinct would be to try luminosity if not happy maybe blending followed my small amounts of clarity or dehaze.
    I will try, thank you Jon - let's see what I can do, haven't had a chance to reprocess yet
    Gabriela Plesea

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    This is fantastic post Gabriela, I loved the eye contact and the IQ is superb. Loved the tones and details, excellent rendition of colours as per the over cast conditions. Very nicely done.

    TFS !

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Thank you so much Haseeb
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Hi Gabriela, I like the contrast of the habitat on the LHS and subject to the right. Certainly a frame filler and good to see the detail in 'the Boss' albeit as you said, the shortfall of DoF is not ideal. Will leave it to you and others on colour,but I have a hunch it could go a tad warmer with a hint of magenta on the Tint, but... I would blur the branch top LHC and just perhaps open up the image in contrast?

    Not sure on the RP????

    TFS
    Steve

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Hello Steve,

    Indeed DoF not ideal and again I have learnt a great deal from just going through those older folders. Was in doubt whether to share this image because I am aware of its shortfalls, nevertheless thought others might learn from it as well.

    Shall look into the "warmth", and I do have another version with the branch a bit blurred. Will take a look at the contrast as well, did reduce it in LR but in PS I must have introduced some again. Thank you so much as always for your time to view and RP - I so appreciate it

    Warmest regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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