Golden Hippo Morning

Gallery: WildlifePosted July 24, 2012210 views8 comments

This was one of my favourites from a recent trip to the Timbavati, South Africa. Basically just enjoyed spending a few mornings watching a small pod of hippos doing nothing in particular. There was however a small period each day when the light caught the water so beautifully...

Nikon D700
Nikon 200-400 @ 400mm
f6.3
1/5000s
ISO 200
-2/3 EV

Thanks for looking

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Ian Plant on July 24, 2012 at 8:44 AM

really sweet - dark, backlit, and mysterious - perfect in every way

Registered on July 7, 2008, 271 Posts, 1657 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Turner on July 24, 2012 at 9:13 AM

Very nice mood James. I like this very much

Registered on February 18, 2012, 534 Posts, 2755 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on July 24, 2012 at 1:50 PM

Hi James, it is not difficult to imagine why this is one of your favorites; I like this a lot too. In fact it reminds me of similar images I made earlier this year of a similar scene with similar lighting. This is technically very well executed, meaning the exposure is just spot on. Did the BG came out this dark or did you darken it further?

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on July 25, 2012 at 1:03 AM

Nice work!

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

Comment posted by James Campbell on July 26, 2012 at 8:00 AM

Thanks for your comments guys. Vincent, this is actually very close to how the unprocessed RAW file looks so yes, the background was this dark. Basically just looking toward a well shaded bank area did the trick

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

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on July 26, 2012 at 5:46 PM

This is sweet James! And by 'sweet' I mean 'awesome'

Love the sparkling bokeh on the water, and as Vincent says, exposure just right!

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

Comment posted by Jim Hansen on July 26, 2012 at 9:39 PM

Love the composition. Just wish the hippo was a bit brighter.

Registered on May 5, 2011, 161 Posts, 908 Comments

Comment posted by Jorne de Bruin on July 30, 2012 at 7:36 AM

Very cool image, love the early morning light on the water and the superb angle!

Registered on June 26, 2008, 178 Posts, 2136 Comments