Good morning, Kalahari!

Wow, I have GOT to get there someday!! What an awesome image Morkel! I quite enjoy your "animalscape" type images, they are always so well done. Can't wait to see more, keep 'em coming!

Wow, beautiful light! Simply spectacular! I don't mind the sky either, I think that tree is a necessity in the image here. Are those Thomson's gazelles? As Jenaya said, can't wait to see more!
-Cam

thanks Jenaya and Cam...

those are Springbok Gazelles, same family as Thompson's Gazelles, but found in Southern Africa where Tommies are found in East Africa.

By the way - I have more space on the LHS to include the whole tree, but including the whole tree forces me to include a springbok that's "cut in half"...a bit of a double-edged sword here...

what do you guys think - rather include the whole tree with half a buck, or have the tree amputated on the side in favour of a "whole herd"...

Hey Morkel,

REALLY sweet light - just a beautiful 'scape! If I'm being honest I do have to say that the blown out sky does impact a little on my appreciation of the shot, but it looks to me like dealing with it via any form of cropping would do far more harm to the image than leaving it in would. I know you're quite a purist with respect to digital corrections/alterations to an image, but one thought might be to selectively add a warming filter to the brightest portion of the sky to at least give it a bit of colour and remove the "blown out" look (in this case I'd modify the mask with a radial gradient) - and you'd have to do it with "Preserve Luminosity" UNchecked.

On the amputation issue (tree or buck) - tough call. If you were comfortable with cloning I guess the answer would be to include the whole tree and then just "disappear" the half buck via cloning. But I'm guessing you wouldn't do this (good on ya')...and I'm guessing that including the whole tree and living with the half buck MIGHT be the best option (but I'm saying this without knowing how prominent the half buck is).

Cheers...thanks for sharing this - real pleasure to look at...

Brad

Mokel,
my Jealousy burns like the sun rays through your photo....some day....some day....what a fantastic light. I think the tree crop is better. I never crop animals...don't know why...it just bothers me...the tree doesn't. I do feel the blow out is a little overpowering...and if it were mine...i would add some colour. I used to be so pure...but now i know to compete you have to play the game...and sometimes colour, sharpening, softening. golowing etc.....just have to be done. If you stick to your guns you're a better man than me...... Well seen and captured.

Thanks Brad and Gary for your thoughtful comments.

@Brad, I will revisit the crop...perhaps I might be able to live with that amputated gazelle - they are quite small in the frame compared to the tree

@Gary...interesting statement, though I know what you meant, one of the reasons I am being "purist" about those kinds of changes, is because "if you want to compete (read: competitions), you need to avoid playing the game"
I try to minimise my workflow, which means if I process something I want it to be "club/competition-ready" without having to figure out if I did something "off-the-books"

Though I never quite had a scene like this, it certainly does take me back, Morkel. A special place, for sure.

Max