Tails and horns

Pretty special. I thought the same about what I would clip if I had too - tail wins, horn looses. Besides that, the stop action here is fantastic. The cheetah's bite on the neck seems to seal the deal and the antelope seems to know this is the end. An impressive view into life and death in a broken world.

Based on the previews you've been posting, this is just the beginning of a lot of good action from your trip.

I think I'd rather keep the full head of the gazelle, but really I can go either way. I'm just glad you didn't lose the expression on the antelope's face or the back claws of the cheetah. Those are my favorite details about this.

Max

Very powerful photo Morkel, the action is caught at its peak with great clarity. A shame that the horn got clipped. Is the 200-400 (with its built-in 1.4) too short for your usual shooting situations?

Wonderful shot Morkel, you pretty much caught the climactic moment of the chase in my opinion. I think if I could choose I would clip the cheetah's tail rather than the horns, I guess because the action is "leading" to the right side of the photograph, but it's a shame to have to clip either. The expression on the gazelle's face is amazing. Well done.

Thanks folks.
Gary - can't switch brands again, cost too much the last time and besides that particular lens is wayyyyy overpriced for a middle class guy with a growing family
(though it's a wonderful lens)

Neat action Morkel, just a shame about the clipped horn, bit of a bugger that, great moment captured.

I thought you had the Nikon 200-400, that with the D4 would be a good combo.

TFS
Steve

Wonderful action shot that tells the story.
Good that the light was overcast and even so you have no harsh shadows.
A bit more space all around would be nice but the shot is still a winner.

Thanks Morkel, not sure what I was thinking re the Canon lens, I knew you used Nikon....

Hi Morkel and WOW quite the drama-filled action image! The expressions and postures of both animals are just phenomenal. I have to admit the clipped horn is a definite bummer, but more in the sense that it takes it from a 20/10 image to a mere mortal 9.5/10 type thing.

The back paws of the cheetah and desperate strain of the antelope, along with all the frozen bits of flying dirt, are strong assets to the image, however I couldn't help but wondering if you cropped even tighter if it might make the clipped horn a non-issue and bring even more in-your-face dramatic power to the image. I played with it on my phone for a bit and got a little intrigued with a square(ish) crop of the front half of the cheetah and antelope, but I kept thinking back to the amazing elements of the story that I had cropped out by losing the hind legs. I guess I'm just suggesting you have a look at it that way if you hadn't already done so...if you DON'T think about what you lose, it does result in a very, very strong, impactful image. But the same description is accurate on the fuller view presented here, so...

Looking forward to seeing more!

Really amazing Morkel - I think I also would've rather cut off the tail instead of the horn, but I can't see complaining about a shot as good as this. Kudos!

Incredible action photo Morkel By the looks of action captured in this image, just keeping the action the frame looks like a supreme challenge. Great expressions and awesome detail.

Morkel,

This is a beautiful image of action, and you have captured it just right. I think your decesion on the horn is right. The tail wins anyways.

Balan Vinod

Morkel.

You know me I really do not like clipping, especially important parts. This is a great pity, better luck next time

Great action packed shot, will always leave you with mixed feelings !
Jagdeep Rajput

Superb action image! Honestly, at first I was thinking "too bad the horn is clipped", but seriously, what can you do in a moment like this! I completely agree that loosing the horn is WAY better than loosing the tail! I seriously need to get there one day...

Fantastic Morkel ! cheers to you on a once in a lifetime shot.

Just a great action shot. The sharpness and detail is spot on. Absolutely no nits.

Thank you all very much. You win some, you lose some. I'm happy with this one. It's not going to win competitions due to the horn, but it's still a moment in time of a blistering sighting.

I do have some other interesting frames from this sequence which I might post in future, and some of them have "all in" LOL...

Considering the drama and rarity of capturing such a moment at point blank range I would say worrying about a slight clip of the horn is way irrelevant. You were blessed and you were good!!

It has all been said...stunning action, well captured.

This is an amazing, dramatic shot that is an intimate look at nature in action. I'd be curious to see a re-post with the horns instead of the tail, or maybe another crop that just focuses on the right half of the image. You were really lucky here!

Powerful Image either way Morkel,
Congratulations on the WP . . .

Exceptional image - sure hope to get something like this on our 6 weeks next spring.
Congrats on the WP!
Sandy

Morkel,
Now you have won "Weekly Pick", I feel that it is only fair to explain my somewhat negative comment to you and others.
My trouble with this type of image is that I always compare to similar images I have seen, and to my mind nothing has ever come near to these
http://portfolio.austin-thomas.co.uk/african_wildlife/photo/1
http://portfolio.austin-thomas.co.uk/african_wildlife/photo/2