Teaming with life!

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

I just love the Mara Region & the Mara river! There is always so much happening and such high density of wildlife that our cams seldom get rest while on safari. This is the mara river with hippos and wildebeests in dozens and moving around the river. I could have gone B&W with this image, do let me know your thoughts.
1/400
f/7.1
ISO 100
EOS 7D
70mm

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Sorry, forgot to add this to the theme.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Sanjeev,

This is one of your best images ever - it is simply stunning and I just love the composition!

I will certainly look again tomorrow, had a long day today so forgive me for not saying more...I will be back:)

Warmest regards,

[Morkel Erasmus]

Love the depth in this image, Sanjeev. The Mara sure does rock! River looks to have been dry at this time...
In an ideal world I would have loved a clear FG view towards the hippos...and yes B&W could work as well!

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Sanjeev - A really great scene here. Lots to look at and I like the depth. Interesting that most of the animals seem to be in horizontal lines. Well processed. Yes, it could work in b&w but I really like the lines of green too.

TFS,
Rachel

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Sanjeev this is a very nice animalscape with a lot of "action" going on , by the layered landscape and animals you have a great depth in the frame where the eye can wonder through the image back and forth .I only wish for a cleaner FG ....... but we cannot have all at times , so you did a good job all around for me.

TFS Andreas

[haseeb badar]

Hi Sanjeev , lovely animal-scape here. like the symmetry of the Wildebeest and the processing is very nice.

[D. Robert Franz]

Love the images intent and I think you did what you could with the curse of equatorial light! Sweetlight is so fleeting in Kenya. I might clone out the FG dung pile. Good job

[Gabriela Plesea]

Sanjeev - I am viewing again tonight, earlier and with fresh eyes, and like it just as much. A few small nits the members pointed out and which I only notice now, but they do not change how I feel about this image.

There are things you cannot change - like the bushes in the FG. You could go tighter on the bottom (just below the big hippo) but I am not sure it will make a big difference - try it if you like and see what you think. You could crop from the top as well for a more "compact" view, but then you'll lose some precious elements of this image.

I just love this scene and all that is happening in it, the vast landscape, the rich vegetation in the BG. Despite the number of wildlife present, the air seems quiet and I detect a lovely sense of tranquility - the opposite of what I have seen of Mara in photographs, which is mostly Wildebeests or Zebra tumbling down an embankment among clouds of dust towards crocodile-filled waters.
So here you have it, my thoughts after viewing this image a second time around...Congrats my friend

Kind regards,

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Thanks everyone for feedback. Much appreciated. The image is minimally processed with slight levels and curves adj, minimal sharpening on hippos and wildebeests. I could easily clone out the dung bit but wanted to portray the scene as the way I saw it. I liked the way the animals were in horizontal lines (as Rachel described) and the way the land curved on both edges as if to cradle the wildlife and the way it sloped upwards at the far end. There is a sense of tranquility (as Gabriela rightly put it) with the hippos resting by the river as if sun bathing and the wildebeests doing what they do best, i.e., migrate/wander. The light was what it was and as Dale says, the region is unique with fleeting light.

[Marc Mol]

Very nice animalscape here Sanjeev, and for me your best image to date for sure.

I love the central curved procession line that anchors this composition, and like how you've handled the difficult lighting here.

Overall a wonderful story well documented.

TFS

[Andre Pretorius]

Hi Sanjeev

Well spotted and captured!
This truly a slice of time in the Mara.
Love how the wildebeest are "stringing" along, like a pearl necklace...
The image convey the "big" space.
Well done!

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Snajeev,

indeed a very nice image with all the animals in there.

Well, not knowing if there would have been space to move 1-2meters forward. I think and just assuming, having the hippos in the middle of the image, as they are already and on both side the bushes/trees framing this scene would be awesome. You might would have not gotten all animals walking along the cut off hill, but still maybe enough to come up with another great comp!
Just my thoughts

Ciao Anette

[Don Hamilton Jr.]

Overall an outstanding image with strong composition Leading the viewer right in, and developing a story.. if you could have arranged less of the front bushes, perhaps even a stronger image! Regardless.. quite impressive my friend!!