Elephants
Apr, 2013Views
3860
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Wildlife Portraits Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Two Of The Same Photo Contest
Featured
Contest Finalist in The Battle Of Amateurs Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Elephants Photo Contest
Runner Up in Two Of A Kind Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Genius
Superior Skill
One Of A Kind
Jaw Dropping
Exceptional Contrast
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
PRO+
Ultimate
FrankSomma
June 03, 2013
Love these creatures, they just might be the coolest on the planet. Fabulous moment captured here CC, congrats on your winner!
Platinum
PRO+
ccotton
June 04, 2013
wow, very surprised to wake up to all of these comments. thank you all so much!
PRO+
Platinum
Platinum
PRO+
DaveLoucks
April 24, 2017
The most interestly composed elephant shot I've ever seen. 3 circles make it. The 2 eyes and the end of the trunk. Warm and wonderful
PRO+
jacquelinesmit
July 08, 2018
https:// viewbug.com/challenge/elephants-photo-challenge-by-jacquelinesmit
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken during a "photo safari" at the Columbus Zoo. Nikon representatives were on hand that day allowing those that signed up to use a multitude of lenses and bodies that day. Being that i had only had my Nikon D7000 for a short time before this photo, it was a great opportunity to check out some new lenses and gear.Time
I remember it being mid morning. It was a muggy day as it rained off and on but it hadn't been terribly hot that day.Lighting
The lighting was all natural light. It was an overcast day which worked to my advantage very well I think.Equipment
To get this photo I shot with my Nikon d7000 with a Nikon 28.0-300.0mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. I went back and forth from shooting with and without my tripod but I am fairly certain this was with a tripod. No flash or filters.Inspiration
Since the Columbus Zoo was hosting a "Photo Safari" the inspiration for the day was originally to check out some new equipment and to enjoy the animals. The first stop was always one of my favorites as a kid and that was the elephants. My goal quickly changed for the day once I saw these two elephants interacting with each other. I wanted to capture the story the animals were trying to tell. A lovers embrace? A heartwarming embrace between friends? A comfort from confinement? I wont ever know.Editing
I did slightly post process this image. The original was slightly more gray in color and the background of the concrete walls could be seen. I only edited this photo in Camera Raw through Adobe Bridge. I did very little to create the final look. I boosted blacks and shadows while warming the temperature up slightly to add the tone back into the elephants. I then slightly boosted the clarity to define the wrinkles in the skin.In my camera bag
Since taking this photo I have upgraded my body to a Nikon D610 for the full frame and a battery grip to go with it.. I never leave without my Nikon 50mm 1.8 and a Sigma wide angle. Something about a fixed 50mm and a wide angle that have always jumped out at me. I'm always sure to have my speed light, tripod, memory cards, and extra batteries on me as well. Various filters and remotes but they rarely get used.Feedback
This photo was partly luck and more so just going out to shoot. I had a goal that day and it was to shoot as much as I could. I got lucky that I could tell a few stories in that day. The zoo can be a good place to start with that. It was helpful that day to have a zoom lens and for it to be raining for multiple reasons. The first is that the crowds were low and the second was the overcast helped with the even lighting.
