dyoung850
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in Kruger National Park, South Africa on my first safari.Time
This was taken on a late afternoon/ early evening drive, I believe.Lighting
This time of year (June) is pretty much winter there, but it was a sort of late season so there was still a bit of color left and some green grass. This was my first ever safari and first time in South Africa so I was blown away. The scenery was absolutely beautiful no matter what time of day we were out and the lighting at this time of year was beautiful. Since game are more active, generally drives go out early in the morning and then later in the afternoon and are back at sunset, which is perfect for photography to catch the blue and golden hours.Equipment
I don’t have fancy equipment. I have a Canon Rebel T6i and used a Tamron 18-200mm lens. It’s forbidden to get out of the vehicle in Kruger unless you’re on an official guided walk, so this photo was taken inside the safari vehicle resting on the inside of the door.Inspiration
The beauty of the scenery, especially in this lighting, and the beauty of the waterbuck in that scene. I partially liked the texture of the waterbuck’s hair with the texture of the grass in combination with the waterbuck’s antlers/horns (?) with the trees on the horizon.Editing
Just some basic adjustments in Lightroom and slight cropping.In my camera bag
On this trip I took way more than I usually do. In fact, I took everything I own (which is not a lot). Usually I just have my camera and my 18-200mm lens along with some lens cleaner/blower and wipes in case anything gets on the lens.Feedback
Like any wildlife photography, persistence and patience are key. Since this was my first safari, I was of course obsessed with seeing the “big five”, particularly big cats and elephants. It took some time, and many game drives for that to finally happen, but on those drives I began to calm down and appreciate the amazing beauty that I was seeing and began to really appreciate the scenes and other wildlife I was fortunate enough to see. In fact, it ended up being a blessing that it took some time to see big cats and elephants because I got plenty of practice taking photos of other wildlife from the vehicle, which had its challenges, so I was well practiced for when we did find big cats and elephants that I was so excited to see. So, the advice is, hang in there! Sometimes the experience may not seem to be shaping up how we anticipated, but may end up getting there and/or be different but just as good or better.