zebra scape

[peter delaney]

tried out new compositions my last trip... be interested in your feed back if it works for you or not...

etosha.... D3 70-200mm 1/000 f8 iso 400

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Peter, can you expand on what you were trying to achieve here, also is it me, or is nothing sharp, if so, is that part of the concept/thinking behind the image. Is it a composite?

thanks
Steve

[Steve Canuel]

Interesting to see the different animals each going about their business. Reminds me of a page in a children's book about Africa. I think it would be better if the OOF gnus weren't blocking the second row of them.

[Sid Garige]

Hi Peter, can you expand on what you were trying to achieve here,
thanks
Steve

Agree with Steve on this Peter. Your images are generally pretty direct and powerful. I guess a new style.

[Rachel Hollander]

I'm curious too as to what you wanted to achieve/convey but I am most drawn to the 3 zebras interacting in the image.

Rachel

[Ken Watkins]

Peter,

I find the front tow of Gnu too distracting, if you just had the seond row iMHO it would be better.

[Stu Bowie]

Peter, this actually works for me - why - because your focus is on the playful zebbies, and thats what draws my eye. The inclusion of the other animals adds more interest too.

[Harshad Barve]

Peter , One more vote for explanation , very interesting image
TFS

[peter delaney]

Thanks for your input eveybody , really appreciated...

I will try and explain my thinking behind this image...

We as photographers are always chasing the action trying to get as close to the subject as possible,filling the frame, leaving the viewer in no doubt as to what the viewer is looking at.

I wanted to challenge myself in making the 'subject' of the image just part of a 'bigger picture' so to speak...but still keeping it as the main focus but not so obvious.
This is how it is in nature. Often action is going on but the non effected parties just continue with their daily toil.

Steve , the subjects are sharp as can be. But as with at all distant subjects in heat haze and dust does effect overall sharpness.. even the best lenses have their limits..

Thanks Stu ,that is what I was trying to achieve

Thanks everybody, hope that answers your questions..

Peter

[Ken Watkins]

Peter,

Thanks for your explanation, on first looking you certainly look at the sharp Zebras.

But as I said for me the FG is just to "busy".

"Often action is going on but the non effected parties just continue with their daily toil."

I could not disagree with that.;);)

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Peter thanks for this.

My initial reaction was that it was a composite of images, as to see this 'Ark' of animals is rather unusual, well on here at least apart from Hilary's a while back. In addition the very soft, gentle light is a slight departure from you normal style too. IMHO at f/8 perhaps you might not get the clarity that perhaps f/16 or 22 might give you for a landscape image such as this? As a shot that captures the daily event, it works well.

Would be interested to get Hills (Hilarys H) POV on this as to me this is bordering on her thinking.

Good to see some variety.

cheers
Steve

[Robert Amoruso]

Peter,

I understand the approach, but I generally do not find it translates well to a 2D image in viewing. When viewed live, our brains minimize the FG distraction, we look right past it to the BG action.

In the 2D image, our brain has to move through the FG to the BG as we scan the image to find the center of interest - here the BG zebra's IMO. The OOF animals in the FG distract us from that seeing.

Even with them moving, you might have been able to selectively focus on different areas (layers or depths) into the image and focused merged them as layers in PS later.

[Hilary Hann]

Peter, I love the idea of this image and I really enjoy seeing many different species in their environment. The zebra action is fantastic and if (big if) the front row of wildebeest were absent so that the second row were the first animals seen, I would fall for it in a big way. I love the colours and tones in the background, this may be zebra, wildebeest and antelopes on an open plain, but it could never be mistaken for the East African savannah so it is perfectly showing what is beautiful about the Etosha eco-system - the colours, the dust, the ethereal nature. I hope you have more on this theme to share.