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Too close for comfort...
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Too close for comfort...

by Morkel Erasmus

Gallery: WildlifePosted May 20, 2012211 views9 comments
Snapped this one in the African bush. For conservation reasons I will not disclose exact locations on rhino images. :frown: :mad:

Techs:
Nikon D3s with Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f8.0 @ 1/640 SS @ ISO-4000
handheld, on my belly :eek:
99.9% full frame (cropped a sliver off the RHS)
Overcast weather

Comments

9 comments
Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on May 20, 2012 at 8:11 PM
Wow, Morkel! Awesome image! The pose is just awesome, couldn't be better :wink: . Definitely wouldn't be on my belly with this guy, for fear of being trampled! My heart woulda been racing, and I totally would have gotten a huge adrenaline rush :biggrin: . :jump:
Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments
Comment posted by John Tobias on May 20, 2012 at 11:37 PM
A very impressive white rhino photo! Like the nice sharp detail you captured. Thanks for sharing.
Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments
Comment posted by James Campbell on May 21, 2012 at 8:45 AM
Hey Morkel, I really like the movement of the left leg here, it gives a great feeling of a fleeting glance from the rhino - the animal's movement goes across the frame, while you have a great head on stare! I also like the composition, nice and tight in the frame :toast:
Registered on January 12, 2009, 48 Posts, 377 Comments
Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on May 21, 2012 at 12:48 PM
Morkel, the super low angle combined with that active pose, strengthened by that raised front leg, make this a very powerful image indeed. Luckily for you White Rhinos are not very aggressive animals at all and rather run away then confront:wink:, but their looks do certainly give a different impression and this image sure does convey exactly that. Some may argue that the OOF grasses would ideally not have been there, and agreeably that would have been better aesthetically, but that is definitely not a nit. Great work! :toast:
Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments
Comment posted by David Schwaegler on May 21, 2012 at 4:46 PM
Excellent in every way.
Registered on December 4, 2003, 232 Posts, 1652 Comments
Comment posted by Guy Runco on May 21, 2012 at 9:13 PM
Great shot Morkel - that huge head really makes those legs look spindly.
Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments
Comment posted by John Launstein on May 22, 2012 at 1:20 AM
That's a beauty, Morkel! Very dramatic thanks to your proximity and low angle, and of course his pose and look isn't hurting the matter whatsoever! Love the lifting leg for extra drama and sense of motion as well. The detail and resulting texture is probably what puts this over the top, though.

Nice one! (understatement) :cool:
Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments
Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on May 25, 2012 at 5:19 AM
Thanks so much for the kind comments, folks...
I must say it was exhilirating, even if they are more 'docile' than their black cousins... :wink:
Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Sharp on May 26, 2012 at 12:01 AM
What a cool, engaging pose!! Nice.
Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments