Showing off

Gallery: WildlifePosted May 21, 2012300 views11 comments

I knew I had extremely tricky lighting to work with when I decided to shoot this Hippo, yet it was also exactly that back lighting that attracted me to the scene in the first place. Technically speaking a few spots in the water turned out 'hot', meaning that the maximum colour value in all 3 channels reaches the maximum of 255. Reaching the maximum values in all 3 channels (whether 0 or 255) is something we at all times try to avoid, but sometimes, moreover in high contrast scenes, this is hard or even impossible to achieve. The second question one should ask if blocking does occur, is whether it is even a bad thing and whether it ruins the image. You be the judge.

Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Camera Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Shutter Speed 1/2000 Sec.
Aperture Value f/6.3
ISO Speed 400
Lens EF500mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4xTC
Crop 80% of original.

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by James Campbell on May 21, 2012 at 8:40 AM

Hey Vincent, beautifully handled and a very compelling image. I particularly like the way that the back lighting interacts with the water, and also the parallel lines in the reflected portion. As always, so much of photography is personal interpretation - and for me the simple "do I like it?" wins out over which areas are hot or blocked. I enjoy experimenting with deliberately overexposing and unexposing scenes, often with exciting and fun results... Thanks for sharing - as always, food for thought

Registered on January 12, 2009, 48 Posts, 377 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on May 21, 2012 at 8:41 AM

Great action shot of a hippo IMHO! Hot spots don't seem to be an issue for me. I like the way you have kept detail in the hippos skin with the lighting you were working with. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Andreas Edman on May 21, 2012 at 8:42 AM

Great shot, good light and great sharpness. Well done.

Registered on September 19, 2011, 19 Posts, 22 Comments

Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on May 21, 2012 at 10:17 PM

Nicely done, Vincent! Love the action! My favorite parts are the open mouth and water flying everywhere.

Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments

Comment posted by John Launstein on May 22, 2012 at 1:17 AM

Gorgeous, Vincent! Love pretty much every part of this image, from the dramatic lighting to the action itself to the story told to the reflections. And of course the comp and techs are perfect for my taste, whether or not you hit 255.

Beautiful bokeh on this one, too. I mean gorgeous!

If I were to stretch for anything that could possibly be any kind of an improvement, I wonder if you could open up the details around the eye a touch, while still keeping everything natural and consistent with being on the shadow side of the animal. In any event, I think this one could stand out in the big contests and certainly sell as a print.

Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments

Comment posted by Stephen Kaluski on May 22, 2012 at 3:56 AM

Hi Vincent, are you happy with a RP? Have some thoughts but add a RP will illustrate my points.

cheers
Steve

Registered on March 25, 2007, 189 Posts, 1064 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on May 22, 2012 at 2:22 PM

Steve feel free to do a RP.

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

Comment posted by Stephen Kaluski on May 23, 2012 at 3:01 AM

Thanks Vincent. Although away at present so I not that comfortable about the end result, but it might provide some additional thinking

All I did was:
Duplicated the original to retain the warm BKG colours
Dropped the Red and reduced the Blue from the Hippo downwards
Opened up the Hippo with a hint more Shad/Highlight
Added a fraction more USM

Ideally, working on the original would give the better result, rather than the limited web image, however...

Just a thought
cheers
Steve

Registered on March 25, 2007, 189 Posts, 1064 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on May 24, 2012 at 2:49 AM

Hi Steve, I appreciate you putting in the time and effort of doing a reworked repost for me; that is what these forums are all about, sharing ideas and suggestions!
It is amazing how a few quick tweaks can alter the appearance of an image isn't it? I wonder what you will think after seeing your repost on a calibrated screen though as I feel it is slightly overdone. I do understand the opening up of the shadows, this I initially did as well, but later reversed that as I felt the dark hippo looked better. I must say though that one of my personal attractions to the image is the textures and warm colors of the FG, which in your repost has been changed to a cooler look.
All matters of personal taste of course.

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on May 26, 2012 at 12:02 AM

I happen to like those bright highlights. Thumbs up.

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

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on July 3, 2012 at 11:02 AM

Great light n dramatic effect here!
I must admit, I prefer the first post, although I'm a fan of Steve's processing.
Jagdeep Rajput

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