Family of Elephants
This picture was taken in a game reserve in Londolozi, South Africa.
This picture was taken in a game reserve in Londolozi, South Africa.
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Jan, 2014Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo while on safari with my husband in Londolozi, South Africa in November, 2013. Londolozi is a private game reserve which was established in 1926 and is part of Sabi Sands, situated on the western border of the Kruger National Park. We stayed in the "Tree Camp" in Londolozi which is just one of the five lodges that they offer. We were there for three days and went out into the bush twice a day with our guides in a jeep. We would get up at 4:30 am to have breakfast then leave by 5:00 am until 9:00 am. Then we had the rest of the day free. Then we would depart again at 5:00 pm and return to camp around 7:00 pm to have dinner. The animals tended to be out and about during these hours which was the reason for this schedule. They would hide in the shade during the middle of the day to avoid the hot sun.Time
This photo was taken in the afternoon at 3:30 pm.Lighting
It was slightly overcast on this particular day so the lighting was fair.Equipment
I used my Canan camera EOS Rebel SL1 and the lens that I used had a range of 55-250. I did not use a flash or tripod.Inspiration
I was so inspired by Africa in general, but elephants in particular are one of my favorite animals. Our trip wouldn't have been complete until we saw the "big five". Originally used by hunters, the big five refers to five of Africa's greatest wild animals which includes the elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino. We saw all five of these animals in three days. Our guides were expert trackers and drove us right to the spot where we could photograph the elephants that you see in this photo. We just sat in the jeep patiently waiting, then all of a sudden we saw this herd of elephants coming out from the trees to walk to the nearby water hole. To be honest, I didn't realize that I had captured a family (i.e. mother, father and baby) until I saw this photo on my computer screen. I was pleasantly surprised.Editing
In terms of post-processing, I didn't do much. I used Adobe PS Elements 12 to tweak the sharpness a little, the highlights and shadows to enhance the details of the elephants bodies, and of course the colors to bring out the beauty of the scene that my camera may not have captured.In my camera bag
I carry my Canon camera in my bag as well as two lenses: a lens with a range of 55-250 and a macro lens EF 100mm, 1:2.8. I've become passionate about take macro photos so I want to be sure I have this lens on hand just in case. I also carry the instruction manual, various filters, and an additional battery.Feedback
If I were to give any advice, try to be patient when you are on safari (this is hard for me). We just happened to have great guides who were experts in tracking the animals, but you are obviously working on their time table which is frustrating sometimes because you want to see "everything" right away. Just go with the flow, relax and have fun. Believe me there is something around every corner to see. Also, be prepared and research some of the animals that you expect to see so that you can learn about their behaviors and predict what they will do next to take the best photo. It was fairly easy to take photos of these elephants because they had a mission to drink water and weren't paying any attention to us per se so we were able to snap away.
