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Thread: A view from above

  1. #1
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Default A view from above

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    I captured this photo from a hot-air balloon floating over the Mara Triangle in Kenya a few years ago.
    I love the sense of scale in this, and how it reminds me of that special part of Africa.
    Perhaps the buffalo are a tad small in the frame for some, but on the whole it works for me.
    I do wish I'd underexposed a bit more to protect the whites in the sky, and then pull back more shadow detail in post.

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

    I like the landscape, very much, just struggled to see the buffalo...they are so small in the frame and it's a bit dark down there. I do realise you were in a hot air balloon and it must have been very early morning, these guys take off at 4 am...

    Just my thoughts, had you underexposed more you would have had to up the shadows a lot... instead you could perhaps play with the sky and bring out some more colours and definition on those lovely clouds? Worth a try

    Thank you so much for sharing,

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel ... what an experience it must have been .
    Nice dramatic sky and the river is giving a nice curve and overall anchor point to the image .
    The dark tones do look a bit heavy for my taste and the buffalos get lost on the dark tones ... for me personally .
    But your call ...
    It has potential for a different interpretation

    TFS Andreas

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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    The image appears to have too much contrast to me and the greens are very heavy.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel, have done a few trips in these, great fun albeit you never know how long it may last for. A little ominous when you saw the guy with a very old Singer sewing machine stitching part of the ballon up before inflation!!!!

    Gives a different perspective for sure and with the rising of the sun, it creates some awesome shadows from the antelopes or large beasts.

    I'm in agreement about the heavy Blacks/Contrast, it just masks a lot of the fine detail and to a degree the Buffalo. Sun rays are a nice touch, but I'm always hesitant as I said previously, because of how things get so manipulated these days whether it's promoting a 4x4 in Land-rovers adverts, or a holiday brochure with folk looking out into the vista...

    TFS
    Steve
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

  6. #6
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thanks folks - agree I could rework the contrast and greens a bit.

    @Steve - agree this can be a precarious trip if you don't know what to expect and the "state" of some of the equipment...
    What do you mean by "hesitant"? Hesitant to believe that it's a real element in the shot? You know my style and preference by now.
    Though I have played with the new funky tools in PS, I would always state if I replaced something, exactly because I've always focused on a workflow of zero removal or additions. You know how reluctant I've always been to even take out a pesky twig or blade of grass.
    Morkel Erasmus

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  7. #7
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Morkel, indeed I do, I just think sometimes in 'tinkering/fiddling/tweaking' whatever we care to call it, our dabbling sometimes gets away from the original capture and because things are sometimes more enhanced, it looks manufactured, if that makes sense? Especially when you have Luminar, ON1 etc promoting this type of manipulation, I'll just shoot one and acknowledge the fact.

    Our first flight was in September 1990 which came with a caveat, if we get too close to the river we ditch this side, as Pilots and ballon we often held when straying across the border, Tourist well...
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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