Kudu

It has been a while since I posted anything, so thought that I would fix that with this image of a couple of kudu I saw at the Addo elephant park (in South Africa).



I love these animals. While most people are there to see the elephant (and of course the lion) I am very happy when I see Kudu. On this trip we saw more than 50 a day .. normally I consider myself lucky if I see one.

Excuse the post with the D300 but I am without a D40 at present .. although this shot was taken with the 55-200mm I got with as part of a D40 kit purchase.

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Happiness - I am always happy.
http://guyplatt.com

Picture of the day (two sites while I make up my mind which I prefer)
http://guyplatt.aminus3.com/ or http://www.blipfoto.com/4boys

I am a bit surprised that no-one liked this enough to comment. I guess most people want to discuss equipment and not really images.

I'm thinking maybe others like myself don't know what a Kudu is.. That was the first time I've heard of it and saw a picture (honestly, I thought it was some kind of photographing term :S)!

I was just watching a doco on photographing Africa, specifically wildlife, and they didn't even mention it. I guess it really is underrated.

I can't comment much because I am a beginner but I love that it's something I've never seen before. So for that. THANKS!

Hi!

In my opinion it is a good photo that needs some pp. Try darken it as it is obviously metered on the Kudus themselves instead of on the surroundings - the shot is what was once known as "contra jour" or against the light. The photo is therefore over exposed and by darkening it you retrieve some of the atmosphere of the shot and shows the animals' hair lit from behind. You could also try cropping to get closer in and give less redundant space in front of the beasts.
Just my opinion and I am definitely no expert, just an Olpharte!

Justin

Nice picture, a bit overexposed IMO.

I love South Africa. I was there some years ago in vacation. It was during the films days...
Thanks for sharing.
André

A Guy Platt said:

I am a bit surprised that no-one liked this enough to comment. I guess most people want to discuss equipment and not really images.

Click to expand...

Weeeell... maybe it's more about the former than the latter? Your image features poor lighting conditions and a distracting foreground element. So... maybe people really just skipped it.

On a lighter note, I ate some piece of one of these before I knew what they looked like.

A Guy Platt said:

I guess most people want to discuss equipment and not really images.

Click to expand...

Either that or the technical merits of an image.

I think this is a great image.

I disagree that it's overexposed; in fact I think the exposure is perfect. It's bright enough that there is no loss of detail on the shadow side of the animal, yet dark enough that the bright areas are not blown. Further, I think the hazy background combined with the brighter areas there convey a sense of heat that would be lost if the exposure were darker. Along those same lines, increasing contrast or saturation would also rob the photo of this feeling.

I somewhat agree that the out of focus brush in the foreground is distracting, but I think it would be a less dynamic photo without it. With it there, the photo gives a sense of being there, crouching behind a bush and watching these animals. Much of the wildlife photography I see in these forums is so clinical; the animal is perfectly framed with no distractions on a completely blurred background. This photo gives a good idea of how the animal exists in its environment that those photos rarely communicate.

The one fault I do see in this photo is the stalk of vegetation bending into the frame on the left side. It contrasts enough with the background there that it distracts the eye. Cropping it out wouldn't take too much away from the negative space on the left side, so it shouldn't affect the balance of the composition.

Lastly, I really like the composition. If the animals were centered, it wouldn't be as striking. The "widescreen" crop format is also nice; it creates a sort of cinematic feel.

binary_eye said:

I think this is a great image.

I disagree that it's overexposed; in fact I think the exposure is perfect. It's bright enough that there is no loss of detail on the shadow side of the animal, yet dark enough that the bright areas are not blown. Further, I think the hazy background combined with the brighter areas there convey a sense of heat that would be lost if the exposure were darker. Along those same lines, increasing contrast or saturation would also rob the photo of this feeling.

Click to expand...

I am not quite in agreement with this and my definition of over-exposure is probably incorrect. I tried to quickly make improvements using Levels in The Gimp. By simply clicking on Auto I found the atmosphere greatly enhanced and the image gets that classic Contra Jour look with the back lit animal hair forming a halo around the animals - really beautiful. Perhaps my monitor is inaccurate but to my mind the difference is well worth the two seconds it took. I agree that it is otherwise a beautiful image and has great atmosphere.

If I could figure out how to post an image in these forums without having to form a Gallery somewhere for just one image, I would show you how it looks but hey ho Olphartes are not too up with modern technology!

Here is an attempt to show you my version done in The Gimp

http://forumpics.foggydew.co.uk/kudus.jpg