Wide angle orangutan

Hi everyone

I've debated about posting this one for a while - there's a bit of explanation required though.

This is a female orangutan with baby, photographed in Tanjung Puting National Park this summer. The great thing about this place is that it's not on the tourist trail, with about 2000 visitors a year for a place the size of Cornwall. TP is the home of the largest population of wild orangutans remaining in the world, and is also home to some rehabiltated (last released about 15 years ago) and the offspring of rehabilitated individuals. This female is one of the latter, and habituated to people as a result, but living wild. We came across her while trekking through the forest, and she just breezed past, ignoring us. She was about 2-3 feet from me when the shot was taken.

I've spent a couple of years getting the standard orang images, but this year planned something different. I used a Sigma 10-20mm lens at 14mm, and got this single grab shot as she moved past, panning with her and using a diffused slow sync rear curtain flash. The image here is a slight crop to correct verticals. At a decent size the sense of movement is there, but I suspect lost on the web.

So - my first problem is the flash (light levels under the trees are pretty appalling - making a winter day here seem relatively bright) highlights on the female. The second is that I can't decide whether the concept works for me. There's a big part of me that likes this, but another that's a bit unsettled by the 'in your face' aspect of being inside her personal space.

I'd be interested to hear what people think, and any suggestions for what to do next time!

Techs: D300, Sigma 10-20mm @ 14mm, 1/60 @ F5.3, PP in Capture NX2 and PS CS2.



Mark

Works for me in general Mark but it looks as though you may have oversharpened but that may be just me. The one other thing is that the upper arm looks as though it is coming out of the animals head to a certain degree.

Major.

Hi Major

Thanks for the comments. Definitely not over-sharpened (very little applied) - I think here it's a combination of posting size, flash and a wet ape (we'd just been through a downpour) creating the effect. Never occurred to me about the posture, I guess this is because it's how I usually see them as they use saplings for leverage as they move quickly between the trees, and so seems right. This is what I like about the forum - it makes you realise that some of your assumptions are not shared by everyone



Mark

I shot Orangs in Sumatra so know the problems involved-I like this-nice and sharp and the flash has helped make the image 'pop'

Dave

I find the pose rather akward but guess they are all over the place with their hugh arms and legs. STill a very nice image, great stuff.
Rene de Heer

Hi Mark

Great capture and detail. At first I felt your crop was a bit tight but it's growing on me - nice one!

David

Hi Mark,

An in your face image which you seemed to have pulled off well here!