I liked the proud pose of this bull with all 4 legs separated as well as the special lighting as a result of the incoming rain clouds. Like in my previous elephant post, the springbok in the BG were not being all too co-operative, moreover the ones behind the elephant.
That, however, is something one just cannot control.
The vignetting in this image was not applied in PP, but is a result of the light conditions combined with the fact that a camera with a Full-Frame sensor was used. FF sensors have significantly more light fall-off than a cropped sensor. This is normally more noticeable on wide angle lenses though and with wide open apertures. Prime tele lenses will not or hardly show fall-off, but I have noticed that the 100-400 zoom (which is a variable aperture lens) does tend to vignette when used wide-open on a FF sensor. Of course I could have easily corrected the light fall-off, but felt that it kind of suits this image and the lighting thus I left it as is. In principle I see light fall-off as a negative, but in certain images this can actually turn into a positive. If I had shot this with a camera and lens that did not show light fall-off, it would have never occurred to me to add vignetting in PP!
African Elephant Bull
Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana
Camera Model Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Shutter Speed 1/1000 Sec.
Aperture Value f/5.6
ISO Speed 200
Lens EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM @ 390mm
FF (small rotation correction)
Comments
11 commentsThis one clearly show the majesty of this elephant, proud and confident. The springboks are really not as intrusive as the previous post.
Vignetting doesn't bother me at all, nor do the antelope.
Sandy
Interesting shot - I like the pose of the bull but can't decide if it's a "proud" pose or an "I'm about to rub my butt on something 'cuz it's itchy" pose!
I like the springboks in the image - tho' I'm in agreement that the ones overlapping (or visible under) the elephant aren't optimal. The detail on the elephant itself is excellent - especially as seen on the larger version. Wonderful texture.
RE: the vignette: to me this looks like classic light fall-off and I instantly think of it as an equipment "flaw" (before I can stop myself!) - so I tend to see it as a negative thing in an image. I agree it tends to be worse on full-frame sensors (which makes total sense when you look at the size of the image circles needed to cover cropped vs. full frame sensors). But in Nikon Land (and I assume this is the same in Canon Country) this varies with more with the quality of the lens than the focal length. Most of the newer high-end Nikon lenses which bear the "FX" label on them have show very little vignetting, while with the lower-priced "consumer lenses" it can be pretty bad. BUT, it is very easily "cured" either during raw conversion (most raw converters have lens correction functions that include adjustable vignette removal) or in later phases of post-processing. But it's definitely something to watch for - and worth pointing out!
Cheers...
Brad
PS Maybe you are right about the itchy back-side, but there was nothing in its vicinity but springbok to scratch it on.
Luca.
Normally, I don't mind a little vignetting, it can even help, but in this case with a clean blue sky it is just too dominant. I'd try to get rid of it, or make it even stronger.
Nowhere in the world do elephants look as pretty after a shower as in Namibia - the light grey is simply awesome. Composition and light are fine, and I like the springbok in there. The ones attached to the elephant are unfortunate. If this were mine, I'd take them out - they really don't add anything to the shot. Sure, you can't enter the shot into the BBC WPOTY anymore, but you'll end up with a much better shot. In my opinion anyway...