WATERHOLE ETIQUETTE
The difference between kneeling down and bending over.
The difference between kneeling down and bending over.
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Feb, 2017Views
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Wildlife And Water Photo Contest
Runner Up in The Talent Awards
Contest Finalist in The Talent Awards
Peer Choice Award
Contest Finalist in Creative Compositions Photo Contest Vol3
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Genius
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rank
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
Another shot from the Bence Mate underground hide at Zimanga Game Reserve, Zululand, South AfricaTime
Around Midday. The hide is usually booked out months in advance, but I was offered a few hours between booked overnight shifts... and I took it despite the unlikely lighting conditions. .Lighting
Not the most favourable time for wildlife photography... but then you just never know. Here a group of impala approached the water and as they jostled for position, for one brief instant they arranged themselves into a pleasing composition without any of the hard midday shadow falling on and breaking essential composition flow.Equipment
Nikon D3, Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8G ED. manfrotto tripod and Wimberly gimbal head.Inspiration
Impala are common and the most plentiful antelope throughout their southern Africa range and over a lifetime of wildlife photography I have photographed them countless times under varied circumstances. But the low angle and relative close camera position makes for striking compositions of even the most ordinary and commonplace subjects. here they conspire to produce a remarkable and unique intimacy that no photographer could pass up.Editing
i took my simple raw and produced 4 masks at differing e.v.'s ; -1, -2, +1 +2. these were merged into a single image... the point being to stretch the tonal gradient and detail in the highlights, while simultanously opening up the harsH shadow cast by the high, bright sun.In my camera bag
i travel with a pair of D3 bodies, as well as a range of old analog lenses from 24mm f2.8 through to a 500mm f5.6 mirror (circa 1971~1980). To this I have added the trilogy of 14~24mm f2.8ED, 80~200mmG ED and the 200~400mm f4g ED VRII. You never know what conditions will be and so I also lug around an ancient Metz mecablitz flash unit. wildlife photography takes you into remote locations where electricity is often not available,so extra batteries, for camera bodies, for flash head and for laptop.Feedback
When opportunity and preparedness intersect images are the reward. But really the magic ingredient is simply patience. This opportunity came at the tail end of a six hour session remarkable mostly for the unremitting boredom of endless hours with absolutely nothing happening. My companions who had entered the hide with me had long since given up and taken themselves off to go do a game drive in the hope of more action. My unswerving belief is that the best close up wildlife photos cannot be chased. They must come to the camera. It's the only way that the photographer gets to share in the intimacy of authentic wildlife behavior unmodified by the presence of the camera .
