GeoffColeImages
FollowI watched the mahout bathing his elephant in the river, tenderly scrubbing her ears and head. When he was finished we talked as the elephant dried. He said she ...
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I watched the mahout bathing his elephant in the river, tenderly scrubbing her ears and head. When he was finished we talked as the elephant dried. He said she was a thirty-five year old working female, one of only a few dozen left in the country. I fed her bananas to gain her trust before photographing her amazingly intelligent eye.
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Large Photo Contest
Runner Up in Textures In Animals Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Textures In Animals Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Animal Eye Photo Contest
Member Selection Award
Featured
People's Choice in Uncommon Textures Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Uncommon Textures Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Using Zoom Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Sharpness Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
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Pamelabole
April 26, 2017
Amazing clarity, detail and focus on that eye!!! Congrats on your contest award!!! : )
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This image was made in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia near the Sesan River, close to the Vietnamese border.Time
I watched a farmer bathe his elephant in the river during the early early afternoon heat. It was March and the hottest part of the year, before the rainy season began.Lighting
The lighting was challenging - filtered afternoon sun through forest canopy. A bit of stray sunlight fell on the elephant's pupil, constricting it and revealing the color in her iris.Equipment
This image was made with an Olympus OMD E-M5, Zuiko Digital 18-180mm ED at 18mm, f5.6, 1/500 sec, ISO 800Inspiration
There are only a few dozen working elephants still logging and farming in Cambodia. Most have been replaced by tractors or relegated to tourist duty at the temples in Siem Riap. I watched how the mahout tenderly scrubbed her back and washed her ears in the river. This was a thirty year old female that was impressive to watch, yet the real beauty was up close in her eyes, and in the subtle colors and texture of her skin. I earned her trust with a small bunch of bananas and was able to get close enough with a wide angle to capture the gentle intelligence in her eye.Editing
I opened up the shadows in Lightroom 6 and adjusted contrast and saturation, and reduced highlights in selected areas.In my camera bag
Three bodies and five lenses. I carry two Olympus OMD E-M1 bodies and two of their excellent four-thirds zooms - the Zuiko 12-60mm SWD and 50-200mm SWD with weatherproof adapters and EC-20 2x teleconverter. The amazing weatherproofing on these bodies and lenses has taken me from rainforest to icy mountaintop. I also carry the M.Zuiko 14-150mm super zoom, and for a street shooter I carry the Olympus E-P5 with a M.Zuiko 17mm 2.8 pancake. For low light I pack a fast old OM 55mm 1.2 with a Metabones Speedbooster for an effective aperture of 0.95. In my shirt pocket I always carry the tiny Olympus 9mm Body Cap Fisheye.Feedback
Both animals and people will allow you to approach very closely only when you have won their trust. The smallest details are usually the most intimate, and that requires a slow, deliberate approach. The more time you spend with your subject before you press the shutter, the closer you will be to the truth.