Family portrait
A group of giraffes gather to observe the photographer.
Visit www.oe-photo.com for more photos from the series.
A group of giraffes gather to observe the photographer.
Visit www.oe-photo.com for more photos from the series.
Read less
Visit www.oe-photo.com for more photos from the series.
Read less
Feb, 2020Views
465
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Awards
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 22
2020 Choice Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Emotions
Impressed
Happy
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Top 20 rank
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This moment was captured during a boat safari on Lake Manze in the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania.Time
The photo was captured close to noon. We had an early start to our day and were out on the lake around 7:30 in the morning. The goal for the day was to experience the wild life on the like in the early hours. Our boat guide new the lake very well and he was certain that there would be a tower of giraffes crossing the far side of the lake close to noon. He was right! A big group of around 60-70 giraffes were gathered on the banks just a she thought. This group of five curiously watched as we sneaked in on our boat. We must have spent close to 30 or 40 minutes just admiring these amazing creatures.Lighting
I was hoping that once the moment came, the sun would be just in the right position so that all the features of the giraffes would be clearly visible. You can't really risk cranking the boat engine to maneuver to a different position when trying to capture wild life. Lucky enough, the lighting was just right from where we were positioned.Equipment
For this shot I used a Nikon D600 and a Tamron 150-600mm telephoto lens. I had originally purchased the lens second hand exclusively for this trip, thinking that I would sell it afterwards. I had such a blast shooting with this thing on the trip that it opened up a completely new world of photography to me. I think I'll hang on to it for a little while longer.Inspiration
It's not every day you get to be so close to such magnificent wild animals. I really wanted to capture a nice portrait of as many animals as I could on this trip and I didn't want it to look like a candid shoot from miles away. May main goal was to capture a moment that looked as if the animals had acknowledged that I was there, I wasn't there to disturb them, and most of all that they looked relaxed in their own environment.Editing
This photograph was originally shot in color but from the moment I saw their stance I knew that this had to be a powerful black and white. For post-processing I therefore turned it to black and white, cleaned up the background just a little bit and balanced the contrast.In my camera bag
My go to lens is the nifty-fifty Nikon 50mm f/1.4G. It's my absolute favorite and I always keep in in my bag. I even use it for landscapes on occasion. I'll also keep my Tokina 16-28 at hand if I need to get wide, especially if I'm shooting architecture. At the moment I'm doing a lot of bird photography so I'll definitely pack my Tamron 150-600mm for that. If I know I can't pack too much gear I'll bring my 28-300mm for travel. On commission my favorite peace of gear is the Frii Design TriLens lens holder. It's an absolute life saver if I need to switch between lenses.Feedback
First and foremost patience is they key to a great wildlife photograph. You need to study the animal, it's environment and anticipate their movement in that environment. Be ready, the moment you are waiting for might come without warning. It is also crucial to understand that you, the photographer, are the guest, and you need to be respectful of the animal and their environment. Oh, and of course... these are wild animals, so don't do anything stupid!
