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garys760

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Africa's giants were on the move filling the frame at the local watering hole.

Africa's giants were on the move filling the frame at the local watering hole.
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Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

settings

Aperture 4/1 ISO 800 Shutter 1/8000 Focal Length 88/1

location

Botswana

Feb, 2023

Views

1112

Likes

+165

Awards

Summer Views Award

Flawless Summer Award

Runner Up in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 90

Peer Award

+202

Top Choice

+23

Absolute Masterpiece

+19

Superb Composition

Outstanding Creativity

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank

Top 30 rank week 2

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in South Africa, Botswana while on Safari with the Mashatu Game Reserve.

Time

This photo is one of many favorites from an amazing trip to the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana. We woke at daylight for a quick breakfast and drove to a known watering hole for a morning shoot with two other companions. Early morning brought in varieties of wildlife from Wart Hogs to Black Back Jackels. It was an amazing site when a heard of wild Elephants all walking in a straight line one behind the other strolled in for their morning drink and play time in the watering hole. We were completely surrounded at times with these elephants almost close enough to touch. I snapped this image on the morning of July 22, 2022.

Lighting

I wanted to capture this image by filling the frame of the young within the protection of the older females. The light for this image was a natural diffused morning light, filtering through the wispy clouds in the cool, blue sky.

Equipment

With this being my first safari adventure, I loaded my camera bag with two Canon Cameras, a variety of lenses from wide to telephoto. I took this image with a Canon 5D Mark IV, handheld with a very fast shutter of 1/8000 within a hide and a 24mm-105mm F4 lens. My lens was at an 88mm focal length and ISO at 800.

Inspiration

The inspiration for this particular image was not planned or thought out. It was an opportunity to act quickly. I was fortunate to catch this group as they gathered into the position I captured. Knowing this image would fill my frame with young and adult elephants alike to become one of my favorite memories of photographing Elephants in the wild of Botswana.

Editing

The post processing of this image was done completely in Lightroom from a raw image. There was not much processing to be done except to make a highlight adjustment for the sky and shadow adjustment to bring out the dark areas of the scene and shadows of the elephant grouping, along with adding a bit of color saturation, luminance and contrast. I also did use the sharpening tool to bring out the details of the wrinkled skin and textures of the body.

In my camera bag

My camera bag will always carry the essentials I believe I need in the field from landscape to wildlife. First and foremost, I pack 2 camera bodies. The Canon R5 Mirrorless and the Canon 5D Mark IV. The R5 I have found to be an amazing wildlife shooter and the 5D Mark IV I normally use for landscape shooting. Both are built tough and weather resistant. My lens package consists of the Canon R100-500mm zoom, a 16mm-35mm f2.8 for wide angle and Astrophotography, as well as a 24-105mm f4.8 for a variety of landscape shooting. I will also carry along a variety of neutral density filters for long exposure images and a polarize filter to bring out richer colors.

Feedback

With this being my first trip to shoot wildlife on Safari in South Africa the best advice I could give would be to have a wide variety of lenses from wide to midrange zoom, but a telephoto zoom 100-500 or 500-600 f2 prime lens is a must. Pack two camera bodies and know your gear for quick changes in settings on the fly. Shooting an animal that's moving or birds in flight require quick reactions to change shutter speed, ISO and aperture at a moment's notice. Mostly, look at world around you in these type situations, having fun with it and taking in the abundance of nature will help you recognize shot opportunities and capture the images that others may not see.

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All Together Now