African Walrus

Gallery: WildlifePosted May 17, 2014192 views11 comments

Almost looks like a Walrus, doesn't it? But alas, it's not. A young African Elephant bull enjoys frolicking in the wide Chobe river that runs between Botswana and Namibia. The elephants of this area can be seen taking a swim and playing with wild abandon almost daily, and being on a customised photographic boat helps you get great photos of these interactions from the water.

Techs:
Nikon D800
Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f8.0 | 1/800 SS | ISO-3200

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on May 17, 2014 at 10:44 AM

WOW! This is really nice. I love the look in this guy's eyes. He looks like he is having a ball. The skin texture and those tusks really add a lot. Well done.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Kathy Barnhart on May 17, 2014 at 3:02 PM

This is such a fun photo...what happened to its ears?? Very cool viewpoint and unusual take on these magnificent animals.

Registered on November 11, 2011, 404 Posts, 1639 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on May 17, 2014 at 4:43 PM

Thanks Jerry and Kathy. His ears are just flat against the side of his head

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on May 18, 2014 at 11:00 AM

I really like this shot Morkel. LOVE the eyes and the position of the trunk. It also gives me a lot of anticipation on what he is going to do next after emerging from the water. Very nice image.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by James Blue on May 18, 2014 at 12:20 PM

Crazy Morkle - Ele's in water are always a good time. Interesting capture!!!

Jim

Registered on June 16, 2013, 16 Posts, 144 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on May 18, 2014 at 3:56 PM

Hey Morkel,

Nice angle of view on this one - just like from a non-customized Zodiac!

I like this shot - very unique and certainly makes the elephant look like some form of alien! And the eyes - especially on the large version - are very compelling.

I think the image is great as posted, but could be even better if you selectively decreased the exposure on the water about 0.5 to 0.75 stops (at least for my taste!). I experimented with this using a quick grab of the larger version to test this (and I did like it better), but will only post it here with your permission (and I will delete the file from my hard-drive either way!).

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on May 18, 2014 at 4:02 PM

Hello Morkel

A Very different aspect to a land based elephant! Well done to get this unique capture. Detailed tusks and trunk make this image for me!

Thanks for sharing

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on May 18, 2014 at 5:44 PM

Thanks folks.

Brad - bet you can't mount your large lens with a gimbal on a swivel chair on the zodiac

. Truth be told, I actually prefer sitting/lying on the floor of the boat with my lens resting on a jacket over the rim of the boat for an even lower angle, but wouldn't have gotten the "all water" surroundings that way here, would have gotten some land mass behind him. You're welcome to post your repost! I've already taken down the water brightness quite a bit as posted, and didn't want to "muddy" the midtones any more?

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

Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on May 19, 2014 at 7:24 AM

Don't know what to say, Morkel, except that everything is right about this image!

Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on May 19, 2014 at 10:25 AM

Hey Morkel,

Nope, can't mount a gimbal on Zodiacs, but have something even better - I can hand-hold the lens (even faster than a gimbal!)

Here's the re-post I was talking about with the selective reduction in exposure on the water...

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on May 19, 2014 at 2:51 PM

Cheers Brad. Looks good!

(Like I said, I actually prefer handholding of lying down in any kind of boat that allows it

)

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