Karoo Gemsbok

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 28, 201095 views6 comments

So far I've only posted a few Brown Bear photos from my recent trip to Alaska but my wife and I also took a trip to South Africa this past September so i figured I'd start sharing a few of those. We did a big circle trip from Cape Town to Karoo NP, across to Camdeboo NP then down to Addo NP and back towards Cape Town along the Garden Route, stopping at Bontebok NP. I'll keep it short by saying that South Africa is incredible and anyone who loves wildlife photography and doing it on their own should definitely put the RSA on their list. We'll definitely be going back, next time to Kruger. We saw pretty much everything we were hoping to see plus a few bonus critters but I'll start with one of my favorites....the Gemsbok. We saw a number of them in Karoo NP but this was my favorite even though it wasn't the closest. What I like is that this image shows the stark, arid environment they are so well adapted to. Any suggestions and critiques are very much appreciated. Thanks for looking!

Canon EOS 7D
Canon 100-400L IS @ 400mm
ISO 500, F11, 1/1,000 sec
This is about a 70% crop

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on November 29, 2010 at 11:38 AM

I am in agreement that the strength of this image is that you found a great pose with him on the edge of that impressive, bleak background. I think it communicates very well. Technically, it appears a little soft as posted, so I would a try some selective sharpening on just the gemsbok. It is hard to tell if it is possible at web posting size, but it would sure be nice if there were a hint of light reflection in his eye!

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Darren Colello on November 29, 2010 at 12:11 PM

I would love to observe gemsbok. Wow, thanks for sharing.

Registered on July 27, 2009, 175 Posts, 1100 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on November 29, 2010 at 12:35 PM

Hi Joe, I have to agree with you that SA is a wonderful country with lots of wildlife and amazing scenery. Here you managed to combine the two very well.

The pose and comp are solid and that backdrop is simply impressive. The light is a bit harsh for my personal taste, BUT it does fit the scene well when your objective is to convey the harshness of the Karoo environment and how these incredible desert-dwelling antelope can deal with it. There are even heatshimmers in the BG.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Joe James on November 29, 2010 at 9:59 PM

So I forgot to do the second pass of sharpening when I resized the photo like the instructions tell you to do. Hope this looks a bit better! BTW - Glad you all picked up on the heat shimmers. Hard to believe the day started with us shivering and the temp hovering just above freezing. By 9:00 AM, when this was taken, it was pushing 30C and rising! Thanks again for the comments.

Lon - As for a catch light, I got pretty close to one Gemsbok (not this one) and still couldn't see his eyes, even with him staring directly at me for 5-minutes! They blend in with the black stripe so I think the light has to be just perfect and the Gemsbok's head has to be at just the right angle to get a reflection. Had the same problem with Red Hartebeest and Bontebok as well.

Registered on November 20, 2009, 89 Posts, 808 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on November 30, 2010 at 1:08 PM

Joe, the repost comes through much better with the added pass of sharpening!

Hmmm, regarding the eyes, that is an interesting observation and they join a list of a few other animals that provide few opportunities for eye reflection. Maybe, given they are an animal of harsh desert-like environments, they have evolved with their eyes more set back and protected from direct sunlight? From now on I will be looking at gemsbok photos with a new "eye."

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by David Sewell on November 30, 2010 at 1:21 PM

Joe, I think this is a great shot and I would love to have taken it myself. If I am being really pedantic, I would have liked to have seen the animal a tad more to the right, so that the eye was on a compositional third. No big deal though.

David

Registered on September 10, 2008, 63 Posts, 801 Comments