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Peace in Solitude
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Peace in Solitude



A lone acacia tree stands tall among the dry grass of the plains in Masai Mara, Kenya.

A lone acacia tree stands tall among the dry grass of the plains in Masai Mara, Kenya.
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upload_dateJul, 2014

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Awards

Contest Finalist in Remote And Isolated Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The African Continent Photo Contest
Runner Up in Rule Of Seconds Photo Contest vol1
Contest Finalist in Rule Of Seconds Photo Contest vol1
Runner Up in Fields and Forests Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Fields and Forests Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Isolate And Simplify Photo Contest
Winner in Trees Only Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Less Is More Photo Contest
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Confalonieri mikemiller_2169 RetinaEcho billdoll lenwareverson Legammare JGMorlan +871
Superb Composition
jdmarks64 davidcarpenter_9546 bjoernbartsch LorisPhotography jackbochow scottsinclair mygalle +151
Absolute Masterpiece
paullanderos HuaweiP30Lite MALVAS Tmac IBGVisuals joepvanrheenen _0234 +64
Top Choice
ErnieF GNikolovPhotography James-Evans miaraquelmoralesbuenaventura Shalamazing darrenfellows Pamelabole +59
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mejonhuv kennethmikkelsen BrunoHeeb awholebrookofjewels Stevedadd DariuszPinski Txilekoa +18
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richardeaton_9707 petunia15 caroleturner estercastillo08 mariadel KatPagett ResQgeek +10
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shanecorby daydreamsbymary0710 Boldhunter ArthurGCowan photosdude robbyticknor kimjones +7
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russellgaughen MelodyPepper barbaranelson shaundasmithroberts Forfarlass phuongngocnguyen sherryVsmith +2
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MadisonWPics FrancoisHorne
Great Find
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A View To Relax Photo ContestTop 20 rank
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The African Continent Photo ContestTop 20 rank
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artFix Exhibition ProjectTop 10 rank
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Creative Landscapes Photo Contest vol3Top 10 rank
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A Lonely Tree Photo ContestTop 10 rank
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Grasslands And Meadows Photo ContestTop 10 rank
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Geometry And Composition Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Geometry And Composition Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
Centered Compositions Photo ContestTop 10 rank
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Show Minimalism Photo ContestTop 10 rank
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Fields and Forests Photo ContestTop 10 rank
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Isolating The Subject Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Right Down The Middle Photo ContestTop 30 rank
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Categories

15 Comments | Report
Camo129
 
Camo129 November 11, 2014
THIS PHOTO IS SOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!
sdondero Platinum
sdondero November 26, 2014
Thank you!
gondmagdi Premium
 
gondmagdi November 26, 2014
great shot !
sdondero Platinum
sdondero November 27, 2014
Thanks!
LADYBABS22
 
LADYBABS22 June 29, 2015
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
sweetpea72
 
sweetpea72 January 29, 2016
this is perfect ~ Congrats!
sdondero Platinum
sdondero May 24, 2018
Thanks!
p_eileenbaltz Platinum
 
p_eileenbaltz January 31, 2016
Lovely! Congratulations on another award.:)
Forfarlass
 
Forfarlass January 31, 2016
Congratulations. Its a beautiful image.
werol
 
werol May 05, 2016
Perfecto!
jadenemeyer
 
jadenemeyer June 16, 2017
so good!
Jaebee77
 
Jaebee77 June 16, 2017
Love this
EdithNero
 
EdithNero October 14, 2017
Superb minimalism ????????????
cahit
 
cahit March 25, 2018
Wonderful
cahit
 
cahit March 25, 2018
Very great
sdondero Platinum
sdondero May 24, 2018
Thanks!
RamyDelariarte
 
RamyDelariarte May 23, 2018
Awesome
sdondero Platinum
sdondero May 24, 2018
Thanks!
maxparisot Ultimate
 
maxparisot October 17, 2018
Superbe
DAsEye Platinum
 
DAsEye August 26, 2021
What a great shot
sdondero Platinum
sdondero August 26, 2021
Thank you!

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#Masai Mara #acacia #africa #solitude grass #kenya #plains #tree
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Behind The Lens

Location
"Peace in Solitude" was taken on safari in the plains of Masai Mara, Kenya.
Time
This photo was captured outside of the ideal "golden hour," just before lunch. However, as is often the case in the plains, a scattering of dust helped diffuse the harsh light, and provided a golden opportunity while many other photographers were settling in for their mid-day siestas.
Lighting
This photo was taken between golden hours, yet I was pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous, golden light, courtesy of a hazy dust layer that was blowing across the Kenyan plains. At this moment, the sun peeked through a grouping of clouds, and laid down a beam of light seemingly right upon this lone acacia tree. The moment swept me off my feet, and I had to yell up to the driver to thrown on his brakes to stop for this must-have photo.
Equipment
This was shot handheld--though braced on the safari jeep--with a Canon 5D Mark II and an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II lens.
Inspiration
The golden light focusing just on this tree, and the sheer solitude of it among an endless plain of consistent grass, grabbed my attention and "forced" me to capture the scene. I considered a variety of compositions, playing with the rule of thirds, and ultimately decided that this was best represented while breaking with those rules and positioning the acacia tree dead center to provide an almost unexpected composition, but one that balanced the foreground grass and background sky perfectly around the lone tree. I felt this best communicated a sense of solitude, but also one of peace, relaxation, and balance, hence the title "Peace in Solitude."
Editing
In Lightroom and Photoshop, I did basic adjustments including contrast, whites, blacks, vibrance and clarity. I also slightly strengthened the natural vignette that already existed at the lower edge of the frame.
In my camera bag
Camera Bodies: Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon 5DS. Lenses: Canon 16-35mm f/.8L II, 24-70mm f/2.8L II, 70-200mm f/2.8L II, 200-400mm w/ 1.4X f/4L, 35mm f/1.4L, 85mm f/1.4L, tele-extenders (1.4X and 2X), and the Sigma 14mm f/1.4. My tripods are all Manfrotto, and I also always carry Canon SpeedLights, PocketWizard remote triggers, cable shutter releases, and a handful of filters (ND, Graduated ND, Polarizers, etc.). For studio lighting and modifiers, I'm all Elinchrom.
Feedback
As mentioned, I think this photo works so well specifically because it breaks with the rule of thirds. Often times, breaking the rules can bring the greatest rewards, though it is critical to first understand the rules in order to pull it off effectively. Reflections often lend themselves to this type of horizon-at-the-center composition, or scenes such as this where a singular stationary object needs to communicate a sense of place, but not a sense of motion.

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