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Grevy's Zebra
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Grevy's Zebra

by Mario Moreno

Gallery: WildlifePosted January 6, 2013273 views14 comments
A portrait of a Grévy's Zebra (Equus grevyi), also known as the imperial zebra. It is the largest wild equid and the largest and most endangered of the three species of zebra, the other two being the plains zebra and the mountain zebra. It is named after Jules Grévy and is found in Kenya and Ethiopia. Compared with other zebras, it is tall, has large ears, and its stripes are narrower. This image, however, was captured in Cabarceno Wildlife Park in "semi" free conditions while accompanying Marina Cano on one of her workshops in this park.


Canon EOS 5D MKII - 300mm - 1/160sec @ f4.5 - ISO 400

Comments

14 comments
Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on January 6, 2013 at 8:09 AM
Mario,

There are enough browns and subtle grays in your image to help pull the outline of the zebra out from the blackness. I like this image a lot...............Jim
Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments
Comment posted by John Clulow on January 6, 2013 at 8:38 AM
Ditto to what Jim said. Striking!
Registered on November 1, 2012, 155 Posts, 1079 Comments
Comment posted by Lorna Taylor on January 6, 2013 at 10:21 AM
Great shot !
Registered on November 12, 2010, 254 Posts, 3083 Comments
Comment posted by Balan Vinod on January 6, 2013 at 11:03 AM
I liked the perspective,,,,, something new ...the exposure is very artistic ...love this one ...

Balan Vinod
Registered on March 20, 2006, 889 Posts, 2312 Comments
Comment posted by Ingrid Vekemans on January 6, 2013 at 12:30 PM
The exposure makes this photo - I like it.
Grt, Ingrid.
Registered on August 2, 2010, 138 Posts, 780 Comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on January 6, 2013 at 6:25 PM
Love the light on this wonderful face, and the nice detail. The body fading into the BG is very effective. .
Very fine image - well-done!
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on January 7, 2013 at 4:51 AM
compelling portrait Mario - did you captrue this in controlled circumstances or in the wild? :razz:
Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments
Comment posted by Brad Hill on January 7, 2013 at 8:35 AM
Hi Mario,

This one is very striking - the complete lack of a background contributes to its effective and eye-catching simplicity. And the bits of orange-brown add interest beyond that which a simple B&W treatment would have. Very well done...

Like Morkel I'm curious if this was shot in the wild or in a more controlled setting. The lighting seems almost "studio-like", tho' I know this is achievable in the field with natural light (with meticulous attention paid to post-processing).

Thanks for sharing this eye-catcher!

Brad
Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments
Comment posted by Mario Moreno on January 7, 2013 at 9:08 AM
Hi Guys ! thanks for all the comments

Morkel ... you hit it on the nail. Although Brad is right and this studio effect can be achieved in the wild with a bit of processing, this image was captured in Cabarceno Nature Park in Northern Spain. The zebras have a huge enclosure that is shared with wildebeest, giraffes and some other antelope. It was a rainy day and this zebra found shelter in a sort of cave hence the dark BG
Registered on January 24, 2012, 163 Posts, 369 Comments
Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on January 7, 2013 at 1:13 PM
I really like this a lot Mario; a very graphic and striking zebra image. Thanks for further explaining the conditions under which the image was created. :toast:
Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Sharp on January 7, 2013 at 3:05 PM
Nicely done.
Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments
Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on January 7, 2013 at 6:49 PM
What a stunning portrait, Mario! I love that head on look!
Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments
Comment posted by Guy Runco on January 7, 2013 at 11:27 PM
Nice shot Mario, I love the "emerging from the darkness" look and the subtle browns are great! Thanks for clarifying the conditions under which the photo was created, always a good idea to disclose if the subject is captive.
Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments
Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on January 10, 2013 at 6:13 AM
You can find a lot of these in Samburu NP, Kenya.
Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments