A big old bull and his two "askari" on the plains of the Mara Triangle at sunset after a massive storm. Older bulls gather younger bulls to them to impart to them the knowhow of being a stately elder of the elephant community, while relying on the young guns for protection and to be the old timer's eyes and ears. The term for these "cohorts" is ASKARI (which refers to the colonial term for local guards/gendarmes).
I hope you all have a fabulous New Year's celebration, and that 2014 will bring you good light and amazing photographic opportunities!
Techs:
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR-II @ 105mm
f5.6 | 1/250 SS | ISO-500
I used the grad filter tool in LR to get the sky and foreground exposure balanced (love the dynamic range of the D800 files!) - then did some further tweaking in PS to get to my intended vision of the scene as I recall it.
Comments
10 commentsHAPPY NEW YEAR Morkel !!
The sky has a very powerful and almost menacing look to it , I was drawn to this area first from my very first look!
Excellent details within the clouds, many small areas within this cloud formation that could stand on their own ,
the bulls are all in stride and moving in a determined destination feel. I like how the bulls backs are mostly below the horizon line which helps me see their defined topline very well, while positioned close to the lower part of the image, giving them a grounded feel too. Too bad about a couple of tall grass stems interfering with the bulls body, but nothing could be done about that and prefer natural look without cloning.
Overall a very powerful image with a real sence of drama included.
The images of the bulls is somewhat lost impact for me because of the very powerful clouds above drawing me back to them. this image could do well as two different and separate images.
a sweet image , thanks for sharing:)
Bill
All the best to you in 2014 as well!
In my books this is a well-constructed and appealing 'scape - well done (both in the field and behind the computer). I'm in agreement with you on the value of the DR on the D800/D800e - for some scenes that DR can make it an unmatched tool.
I tend to agree with Mr. Bickle that the dark clouds strongly draw one's eye in this shot. I don't view that as a problem at all - following visiting the clouds my eyes slowly explored the rest of the scene. Ironically, while the elephants are clearly the "anchor" of this shot, it seems as tho' they interested me less than the rest of the scene!
While not a nit, I'm wondering if the elephants are still perhaps just a tad too dark? I'm thinking that pulling out a very slight more shadow detail there and also brightening the lighter portions slightly (to maintain the contrast on them) might be worth experimenting with? Just a thought - great shot as posted...
Cheers...
Brad
All the best for you in the New Year also.