From a Distance

A barren looking landscape whose harshness is enhanced by the colored light and shadows. The mountains provide a nice backdrop. I enjoy animalscapes myself but find the Gemsbok a little too small (narrow) in the frame. Keeping the animal this size, a little more of a profile view would probably have worked better for me.

I really love this concept Vincent, hopefully John (Launstein; Jenaya's dad) will get to see this, as I'm sure he'll really appreciate it too :^)

As you say, this is the sort of image that looks best blown up large, but the warm monotone colours in the fore- and background combined with the Gemsbok silhouette even in this size have me smiling ear to ear :^)

Very nice and thanks for sharing :^)

Vincent - LOVE it. Definitely second the "please do check the larger version" sentiment! The quality of light and great job of handling it certainly add, as does the overall warmth and balance of space and light/dark elements. I think the image is helped by the OOF foreground, though I'm sure it could be argued both ways. I guess I can see the argument that more of a side profile or even quarter stance by the Gemsbok would have been more ideal, but I like natural images as they happen, not just when the animate subjects pose for the perfect commercial photo shoot!

I think this is more of a wondering thought than a nit, but I have asked myself a couple times what the image would look like without the large dark bush running off the middle left side of the image. It could be argued that that balances the bushes on the right side, but something keeps intriguing me about what it would look like "open" to the left. Perhaps the fact that this bush appears to be the darkest element in the entire picture is what got me started, but if this were mine I might try cloning it out. You could just crop it out, but then you'd lose the wonderful symmetry to the background mountain. The thing is, the bush does help anchor the lower left side of the "Z" lines and flow that you've captured in the landscape, so it's a questionable prospect.

In any event, I really like this image and use of light...thanks for sharing it from the archives!

Cool animal scape with Gemsbok at the right spot, although I do miss the side profile.
If this was mine, I might go more pano, sacrificing some of the foreground.
Jagdeep Rajput

Hi Vincent,

You say: "I know 'animalscapes' are generally not best presented on-line" and "I get most satisfaction from creating successful animalscapes" - I'm with you on both accounts - I'm always watching for the right setting to grab animalscapes in but find the "perfect" opportunity arises on very rarely. I also find there's a good economic reason for shooting good animalscapes - it's my experience that they outsell (as prints) most more tightly composed wildlife shots!

I like the subtle layering of the foreground here. I personally like how small the Gemsbok is in the frame, but can't argue that a profile (perhaps of at least the head) of the subject might have contributed to the production of an even more compelling image. I also see merit in Jagdeep's suggestion in losing more foreground and going more pano, but you know me and out-of-focus foregrounds!

Cheers...

Brad

Vincent, I like this a lot. By the shadows it seems a good time of day for the Gemsbok to stare out to space, and perhaps contemplate.
Jagdeep makes a good case for making it more of a pano, losing some of the oof fg. But in playing with that idea I feel it loses a certain balance with the distant mountains. They need this fg, as it in part mimicks the softness of them.