Floodplains of Fantasy

Gallery: LandscapePosted September 6, 2014303 views10 comments

There is a place that will connect you to Africa in a way that few other places can...
A place where you walk with wild elephants, lions, buffalo and painted dogs...
A place where trees dwarf the elephants and the elephants dwarf the man...
This place is called Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe, and it's a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We mainly visit it for the fantastic wildlife experience, but the beauty of the place has really gripped me since my first visit. On previous trips I found it difficult to portray the endless winterthorn forests and floodplains using a wide-angle lens, instead resorting to a 70-200mm lens for compression and panoramic framing of the trees themselves.

The last sunset of the recent wildlife photography safari I led there provided some nice high clouds, and I found a spot along the banks of the Zambezi river where a composition does somewhat justice to the place.

Techs:
Nikon D800
Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 @ 14mm
f8.0 | ISO-200
Blend of 3 exposures for the dynamic range

PS: best to click on the large version!

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Sharron Sims on September 6, 2014 at 8:33 PM

I love your composition. Perfect placement of the tree in the foreground, whose limbs dominate the upper part of the frame, but leaves just enough space for the trees in the background and for the nice sunset. I think you have portrayed the beauty of the place very well.

Registered on April 28, 2014, 54 Posts, 166 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Kearl on September 7, 2014 at 12:20 AM

Way too much tree for me obscuring a beautiful sky.......

Registered on September 2, 2013, 209 Posts, 1514 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on September 7, 2014 at 2:27 PM

That's a neat tree leaning in from the left and you done well isolating it from it's neighbors. The colors in the sky make a fine background. It's a very gentle, inviting scene.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on September 8, 2014 at 9:36 AM

Wonderful sky. I thought the main tree was boab from the thumbnail, nevertheless I find it and the composition striking and cohesive.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on September 8, 2014 at 7:05 PM

Really beautiful color and I really like the composition. This is just a great image.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on September 8, 2014 at 7:07 PM

thanks for your fabulous feedback, folks!

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

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on September 8, 2014 at 7:30 PM

This is real nice. I love the patterns of the branches of the leaning tree against the sky.

Well done, Morkel

--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Reid on September 11, 2014 at 12:11 PM

Just a wonderful image Morkel with beautiful colors and a nicely put together comp with lots of mood to it. Surprised there's not more comments as this is a great image. Real nice.

Registered on January 27, 2013, 65 Posts, 2460 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on September 12, 2014 at 5:06 AM

Really nice image!

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on September 15, 2014 at 4:43 PM

Thanks everyone.

Kah Kit - the trees are Winterthorn/Ana trees (Faidherbia Albida)...typical of the area.

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