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Some Necking
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Some Necking

by Morkel Erasmus

Gallery: WildlifePosted September 11, 2013127 views5 comments
I couldn't resist posting some more images from my Etosha trip. Worth clicking on the larger version...

I was fascinated recently when watching the epic giraffe battle on the BBC Africa series, having never really seen it close up before. Well, on this particular day I heard a loud thud to my right while photographing some elephants at the waterhole, and lo and behold, these two were really slugging things out!

I got some nice frames in some less-than-ideal midday light, but quite liked the effect of the monochrome sepia conversion here. The one giraffe was much darker than the other, hence I converted to show that contrast as well.

Techs:
Nikon D3s
Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f8.0 | 1/800 SS | ISO-720
EV +1.0 in camera

Comments

5 comments
Comment posted by Gary Gulash on September 11, 2013 at 10:21 PM
Great action Morkel, very dynamic postures and the dust being kicked up accentuates the theme. Kudos for being able to show their faces amidst the excitement of the fray. Black and white definitely works for me here!!! :toast:

Doh, I meant to say "sepia"!
Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments
Comment posted by Martin Dunn on September 12, 2013 at 4:55 AM
B+W definitely the way to go with this shot Morkel. A real sense of action.
Registered on February 20, 2013, 198 Posts, 1011 Comments
Comment posted by Max Waugh on September 12, 2013 at 4:37 PM
I always love seeing these giants battle it out. Going monochrome was a great choice here. I suppose the top portion of the image feels a bit empty, but it works okay with the composition.

Max
Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments
Comment posted by Brad Clinch on September 13, 2013 at 6:31 PM
Good choice of sepia to accentuate the textures and hide patterns, and I think the big slice of sky works well as the tone is the same throughout. The action and poses are amazing, I can only imagine what that must sound like. :toast:
Registered on January 5, 2013, 37 Posts, 261 Comments
Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on September 17, 2013 at 3:43 PM
Thanks for your comments, folks :biggrin:
Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments