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Evening Swim
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Evening Swim

by Vincent Grafhorst

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 25, 2012770 views14 comments
Bull elephant crossing the Chobe River at dusk.
What attracted me to the scene were the colourful reflections on the rippled water surface. I do wish the tusks were visible, but strangely enough I have images from this sequence with tusks and images with the trunk surfacing, but not with both in one frame... :rolleyes:

Chobe NP, Botswana
Camera Model Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
Shutter Speed 1/250 Sec.
Aperture Value f/6.3
ISO Speed 800
Lens EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 45mm
FF, HH
From small boat

Comments

14 comments
Comment posted by Richard Olsen on November 25, 2012 at 2:34 PM
This is very cool Vincent. Not something I'd expect to see. I'd love to witness this myself!!
Registered on October 19, 2006, 306 Posts, 1571 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on November 25, 2012 at 3:02 PM
Unusual and attention grabbing. I like both the submergence of the elephant and the eye contact. I have mixed feelings about the centered horizon. You could crop some of the sky and gain a more traditional 1/3, 2/3, but I am not sure it's at all necessary. I'm curious to know your thoughts on it.
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Gulash on November 25, 2012 at 3:34 PM
Fantastic scene with a very cool subject. Excellent exposure and colors. Only nit would be to consider leveling the horizon, looks to me like it may need a very slight ccw rotation. :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments
Comment posted by Max Waugh on November 25, 2012 at 4:24 PM
Wow, this was unexpected. I thought it was a whale (from the thumb). A unique shot, and I think you did well to get enough detail out of the elephant despite the challenging light... though having some white of the eye showing really helps. As for the composition, I think the elephant is just low enough in the frame that it works pretty well.

Max
Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Archer on November 25, 2012 at 5:26 PM
Certainly an unusual elephant photograph. This is awesome, great looking sunset color and good detail visible in the elephant. The eye contact and the emerging trunk makes this photo for me.

Sweet One Vincent!!!

Ken Archer
Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments
Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on November 25, 2012 at 6:18 PM
Wow! Looks like you were close to this guy! I love the sunset and the colours it made in the water. Overall a superb image!
Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments
Comment posted by Rob Graham on November 25, 2012 at 10:33 PM
The beautiful colors in the sky and water really make the image. I like that you managed to get details in the elephant also. I think the 50/50 comp works because of the position of the elephant.
Registered on August 22, 2006, 842 Posts, 2824 Comments
Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on November 25, 2012 at 11:59 PM
Thanks for the feedback folks. I must say I had not seen the centered horizon as a problem here, but I do understand the point made and made me think about it. Personally I feel that because there is interest in both halves of the frame that creates balance, the center split is not an issue here. Further the horizon might seem tilted, but that is optical illusion created by the distant shore line and the nearer shoreline of an island. :wink:
Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments
Comment posted by Brad Hill on November 26, 2012 at 9:05 AM
Hey Vincent,

VERY cool scene, very cool image. Love the colours and the almost metallic look to the water. I don't miss seeing tusks here at all. Such a unique scene and captured (and processed) very well...major congrats on this one!!

I think the positioning of the subject is optimal and that this has to dominate your composition more than concerns about splitting the frame differently. On the distant shoreline - my initial gut reaction (before reading any comments) was "tilted distance shoreline" but then when I looked closely I noticed the differing distance of the two shores (i.e., receding shoreline causing the illusion of a tilted shoreline). So a toss-up there: do you tweak it a tiny bit to please those that won't look closely enough to know it IS level or leave it as is and live with the perception of a tilt? Tough call.

Cheers...

Brad
Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments
Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on November 26, 2012 at 9:42 PM
Beautiful scene, Vincent! I thought, when I first saw the thumbnail image, was that you had succeeded in capturing the Loch Ness monster on film! Love the white of the eye showing, and all those colours in the sky and the reflections!
Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments
Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on November 27, 2012 at 7:41 AM
Glorious skies n beautiful image.
Jagdeep Rajput
Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Sharp on November 27, 2012 at 11:47 AM
Vincent, the rich colors and very unusual scene carry this one! Cool. I like the eye, keeping track of what the camera is up to.
Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Hackley on November 28, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Wow, what a fascinating and unique image. I like everything about this image and would not change a thing. The wonderful cloud formations and rippled water really add but seeing that eye just above the water level really makes the image for me. Excellent shot Vincent, the larger image was a pleasure to view.
Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments
Comment posted by Guy Runco on November 29, 2012 at 12:23 AM
Very unique shot Vincent, great job as always!
Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments