Storming Elephant

Gallery: WildlifePosted April 6, 2011242 views11 comments

The title is a pun, actually, as the elephant wasn't being aggressive, but the weather was threatening to do so!

This bull elephant was photographed in the central Kruger National Park, South Africa. The setting sun was providing warm side-light, while the brooding sky was a contrasting cool blue. I processed a separate RAW file for the sky and blended it back in to best resemble what I saw with my eye but what my camera's meter couldn't handle in one exposure.

All critiques welcome!

Techs:
100mm @ f8.0 @ ISO-400

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on April 7, 2011 at 12:30 AM

I love the rich colours in this image Morkel, and the subject and composition are wonderful :^)

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on April 7, 2011 at 1:01 AM

Very impressive bull, Morkel, and thanks for sharing the workflow!

Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on April 7, 2011 at 8:56 AM

Before reading your technique, I thought you used the PL filter.

It offers great mix of warm n cool colors and I like the placement of Ele in the frame. However I'm not very pleased with the bush behind the Ele.
Just keen to know, if the sky was a different frame of the same scene or the same frame processed twice?
Jagdeep Rajput

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on April 7, 2011 at 10:52 AM

thanks guys

Jagdeep - it is the same frame processed twice!

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on April 7, 2011 at 1:25 PM

Lovely light, great moody sky and very well processed Morkel. Like Jagdeep, I also find that bush behind the ellie a bit distracting.

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

Comment posted by Ken Archer on April 8, 2011 at 2:36 AM

A wonderful wildlife scene Morkel, the elephants body language seems to reflect the stormy feel of the clouds. Nice PS work too.

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on April 8, 2011 at 11:18 AM

Really nice job handling this light, Morkel!

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

Comment posted by Steve Canuel on April 8, 2011 at 4:27 PM

Nice shot Morkel. The blend looks very natural to me and I love the habitat.

Registered on September 12, 2010, 53 Posts, 660 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on April 8, 2011 at 5:48 PM

thanks a lot for the generous feedback, folks! glad you like it...

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments

Comment posted by John Blumenkamp on April 10, 2011 at 11:00 PM

Gorgeous image Morkel! And an excellent job of processing for the two exposures and then combining them into this stunner... great stuff!

Registered on February 26, 2011, 58 Posts, 313 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on April 12, 2011 at 7:02 AM

thank you John

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments