If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Just for Bret: real wildlife
This past weekend I stayed at a private game reserve here in Kwa-Zulu
Natal and of course a bag full of Nikons came with. I have a new respect for nature photographers, because this is a very difficult field to get good shots in. Unfortunately most of mine suck, but I thought I would share these few with you anyway. http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Rhino_1.jpg There we were driving along the rutted path and lying under a fig tree right next to the road were these two white rhino. The park keeper told me prior to me venturing out on the reserve that they were pretty docile, but that I shouldn't get too close. I think I got too close! http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Rhino_2.jpg As I tried to inch my way around them they got up and started snorting abuse at me. You don't want a rhino sized hole in your Ford, so I backed away and took a different route around them. http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Buck_1.jpg These are some or other type of buck (I'm no expert). It's about as close as I could get before they began to run away down the hill. These were taken with the D70 and 70-200mm f/2.8 VR. This is a half-assed attempt at landscape photography. http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Vista.jpg I lost the highlights but managed to keep the detail in the foreground. Again, D70 but with the 18-70mm DX. I think I have much better film shots (waiting to be processed) that I took with the F100 and 17-35mm f/2.8. Will be dropping them off at the lab this am. The biggest problem with this type of photography is getting to the animals at the right time of day. At the time these were taken it was about 11am (except for the landscape one) and the sun was high and sharp. We came across a group of giraffe who were grazing in amongst some flat-top trees, but I couldn't get a decent shot under the conditions. Maybe next time I'll go on my own and leave the wife and kids at home. Hey Bret, you keen on some adventure??? -- DD www.dallasdahms.com Central Scrutinizer |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Just for Bret: real wildlife
Why do digital shots all look so flat and lifeless?
|
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Just for Bret: real wildlife
I have a new respect for nature photographers, because this is a very
difficult field to get good shots in. Unfortunately most of mine suck, but I thought I would share these few with you anyway. You'll get no argument for me. Maybe next time I'll go on my own and leave the wife and kids at home. Hey Bret, you keen on some adventure??? Always. Send me a ticket. Putting me in that game reserve with my 20D ... man, that'd be like shooting fish in a barrel. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Just for Bret: real wildlife
This is a half-assed attempt at landscape photography.
http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Vista.jpg Can you e-mail me the NEF file? You were shooting RAW, I hope. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Just for Bret: real wildlife
In article ,
DD wrote: This past weekend I stayed at a private game reserve here in Kwa-Zulu Natal and of course a bag full of Nikons came with. I have a new respect for nature photographers, because this is a very difficult field to get good shots in. Unfortunately most of mine suck, but I thought I would share these few with you anyway. http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Rhino_1.jpg I like photographing wild animals. Or trying to. From my ratio of almost decent shots to animals simply centered in the frame, I've concluded that wildlife photography is a lot harder than hunting. But photography has been something to do while I'm in the woods rather than the reason to go out there, so I've never felt that my time was wasted. More often than not I could spend hours in the woods and go home with nothing at all. But from watching the way the animals behave when they do show up I've decided that a lot of hunting equipment, like dirt-scented wafers (Dirt scented? Like you can't find dirt in the woods?) are more for the hunter than for the animals they hunt. I think a lot of those folks go out to the woods once per year in November, don't want to take any chances on missing the opportunity to bag a buck, and otherwise can't think of enough reasons to go out there during the rest of the year to notice how much good their gear is doing them. -- "Will we be suturing the anus?" |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Just for Bret: real wildlife
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Just for Bret: real wildlife
DD wrote:
This is a half-assed attempt at landscape photography. http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Vista.jpg I lost the highlights but managed to keep the detail in the foreground. Yeah, obviously washed out, but I like it in the fact that it could have been interesting with better exposure. I kind of liked the simplicity of the composition, and so on. -- "I ain't evil, I'm just good lookin'..." |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Just for Bret: real wildlife
DD wrote:
This past weekend I stayed at a private game reserve here in Kwa-Zulu Natal and of course a bag full of Nikons came with. I have a new respect for nature photographers, because this is a very difficult field to get good shots in. Unfortunately most of mine suck, but I thought I would share these few with you anyway. http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Rhino_1.jpg There we were driving along the rutted path and lying under a fig tree right next to the road were these two white rhino. The park keeper told me prior to me venturing out on the reserve that they were pretty docile, but that I shouldn't get too close. I think I got too close! http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Rhino_2.jpg As I tried to inch my way around them they got up and started snorting abuse at me. You don't want a rhino sized hole in your Ford, so I backed away and took a different route around them. http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Buck_1.jpg These are some or other type of buck (I'm no expert). It's about as close as I could get before they began to run away down the hill. These were taken with the D70 and 70-200mm f/2.8 VR. This is a half-assed attempt at landscape photography. http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Vista.jpg I lost the highlights but managed to keep the detail in the foreground. Again, D70 but with the 18-70mm DX. I think I have much better film shots (waiting to be processed) that I took with the F100 and 17-35mm f/2.8. Will be dropping them off at the lab this am. The biggest problem with this type of photography is getting to the animals at the right time of day. At the time these were taken it was about 11am (except for the landscape one) and the sun was high and sharp. We came across a group of giraffe who were grazing in amongst some flat-top trees, but I couldn't get a decent shot under the conditions. Maybe next time I'll go on my own and leave the wife and kids at home. Hey Bret, you keen on some adventure??? Not at all bad given the conditions. The Rhino photos show a common problem when photographing either people or animals, that both seem to want to stand in the shade when it is sunny. Scott |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Just for Bret: real wildlife
"DD" wrote in message ... This past weekend I stayed at a private game reserve here in Kwa-Zulu Natal and of course a bag full of Nikons came with. I have a new respect for nature photographers, because this is a very difficult field to get good shots in. Unfortunately most of mine suck, but I thought I would share these few with you anyway. http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Rhino_1.jpg It might have helped the shot if you had used the curve tool to increase the lighting of the rhinos without further destruction of the grass. There we were driving along the rutted path and lying under a fig tree right next to the road were these two white rhino. The park keeper told me prior to me venturing out on the reserve that they were pretty docile, but that I shouldn't get too close. I think I got too close! http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Rhino_2.jpg It is so very hard to get good exposure in these conditions. The curve tool may provide some help. As I tried to inch my way around them they got up and started snorting abuse at me. You don't want a rhino sized hole in your Ford, so I backed away and took a different route around them. http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Buck_1.jpg There is no real demand for shots of the back of these animals. These are some or other type of buck (I'm no expert). It's about as close as I could get before they began to run away down the hill. These were taken with the D70 and 70-200mm f/2.8 VR. This is a half-assed attempt at landscape photography. http://www.dallasdahms.com/photos/Vista.jpg I lost the highlights but managed to keep the detail in the foreground. Again, D70 but with the 18-70mm DX. I think I have much better film shots (waiting to be processed) that I took with the F100 and 17-35mm f/2.8. Will be dropping them off at the lab this am. The biggest problem with this type of photography is getting to the animals at the right time of day. At the time these were taken it was about 11am (except for the landscape one) and the sun was high and sharp. We came across a group of giraffe who were grazing in amongst some flat-top trees, but I couldn't get a decent shot under the conditions. That is the wrong time of day. Think early morning or late afternoon. The high sun contributes to the dark shadows which is why you should avoid taking shots in the middle of the day. Jim Maybe next time I'll go on my own and leave the wife and kids at home. Hey Bret, you keen on some adventure??? -- DD www.dallasdahms.com Central Scrutinizer |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Just for Bret: real wildlife
On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 17:50:28 GMT, wrote:
I am sure this can be improved in the future. Is this just some types of sensors, the way they pick up light, or some other factor? Digital sensors behave like reversal films (hard clipping in the highlights), and most people are used to shooting with negative stock, which is much more tolerant of overexposure. What we perceive as "flatness" is the resultant lack of highlight detail, and overall loss of contrast. -- Central Maryland Photographer's Guild - http://cmpg.org Strange, Geometrical Hinges - http://rob.rnovak.net |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Oxyride batteries - a real advance? | Steve | Digital Photography | 159 | April 23rd 05 02:48 PM |
Oxyride batteries - a real advance? | Steve | Digital Photography | 0 | April 9th 05 05:20 PM |
Getting published | Thistlegroup | Photographing Nature | 30 | May 31st 04 11:31 PM |
Where to get real (i.e. non-digital) color prints? | David Nebenzahl | In The Darkroom | 8 | May 14th 04 08:11 AM |
Looking for real neutral tone w/ fiber paper | Nicolas C. | In The Darkroom | 4 | February 28th 04 10:51 PM |