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Dreaming of Africa
Dreaming of Africa
Hussar1812


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Best of 2010 (Advanced Editing VII)
Collection: Portfolio
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR DG IF-ED
Location: Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Date: Sep 19, 2010
Aperture: 7.0
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/100
Galleries: Nature, Animals
Date Uploaded: Jan 22, 2011

 This image was taken on a rainy day in Masai Mara, Kenya. We were on a game drive and animal activity just wasn't there. The weather was no cooperating, the skies were white the colors were dull. Suddenly, in the distance I noticed a lone giraffe walking towards a tree. I picked up my camera and took a few snaps. In post processing I increased the highlights to completely white out the sky and boosted the blacks to turn the image into the full silhouette. I really like how it turned out. Thank you for stopping by and as always; appreciate comments and constructive critique.

Post-Challenge: I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to all the voters and especially those who took the time to comment. I appreciate everyone's input. However, I also wanted to clarify that the decision to leave the composition centered and not tightly cropped was an intentional artistic choice (I wanted to show the vastness of the Savannah with the negative space). I am absolutely thrilled with my score and a new PB. Thanks to Anthony_D_Archer for suggesting that I enter this image.

Statistics
Place: 12 out of 429
Avg (all users): 6.7895
Avg (commenters): 8.2500
Avg (participants): 6.7658
Avg (non-participants): 6.9063
Views since voting: 2143
Views during voting: 329
Votes: 190
Comments: 36
Favorites: 6 (view)

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AuthorThread
 08/25/2011 12:52:40 PM
beautiful :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/25/2011 10:02:03 AM
Almost iconic in it's simplicity - yet tells a whole story.

Very nice.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/24/2011 02:00:05 AM
wonderful
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/23/2011 02:37:27 AM
Best of the bunch. What a great eye you had for this shot. Beautifully processed as well
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/22/2011 04:14:17 PM
this was a tie for my fave in this challenge. so simple yet amazing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/22/2011 04:03:52 PM
VERY well deserved personal best. I applaud your choices in presenting this as well. Congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/22/2011 01:09:34 PM
terrific image! You made an absolutely correct choice of the framing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/20/2011 10:08:23 PM
Congratulations on such a good finish Mike and a new PB
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/20/2011 09:40:22 PM
So glad this did well! Congrats Mike
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/20/2011 07:40:41 PM
Re: your post-challenge comments: well, *I* would have liked it better cropped tightly :) but then, you can't please everyone, and your reasons for leaving the loose crop certainly make sense. And given your score, it seems that your cropping choice was also quite the solid one! Congrats on the high placement and the new PB.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
02/20/2011 06:48:34 PM
Would have been dazzling if you cropped tightly.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/20/2011 03:15:57 PM
remarkable silhouettes
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/20/2011 01:58:02 PM
lovely image 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/19/2011 04:08:30 PM
Back to comment... Beautiful! I do dream of someday going to Africa and seeing this with my own eyes.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/19/2011 03:26:29 PM
Beautiful picture for a beautiful dream
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/19/2011 07:03:38 AM
Breathtaking on so many levels.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/18/2011 06:55:12 AM
Lovely simple image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/17/2011 05:19:20 PM
OMG! Seriously fantastic.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/17/2011 01:19:03 PM
neat
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/17/2011 05:50:23 AM
wonderful silhouettes...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/17/2011 04:00:24 AM
Best of luck! (Not voting)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/17/2011 03:32:45 AM
10 ribbon winner right here
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/16/2011 09:17:04 PM
Nice simple comp and love the B&W processing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/16/2011 04:43:08 AM
Love the high contrast silhouette. Love the B&W. Not so much a fan of the centered composition. I have the feeling the this shot would be even more powerful with the left 1/4 removed. Good work.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/15/2011 09:28:16 AM
I was going to start off that I think a vertical orientation would have better complemented/subtley alluded to the height of the giraffe and the tree, but studying the composition more I think you made the better choice of horizontal. I get the feel of a wide open savanna - wide and majestic in scope and then, one lone tree with this great giraffe strolling up to it. The B&W and the silhouettes of the main subjects with the negative space of the sky just focuses my attention all the more to the tree and giraffe. Simple and beautifully minimal in presentation.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/15/2011 02:47:35 AM
great silhouette...would make a great large print
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2011 11:35:06 AM
Love it!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2011 10:34:02 AM
Totally cool! (not voting)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2011 08:44:22 AM
Simply great 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2011 07:39:02 AM
simple. beautiful. 8.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2011 07:33:05 AM
Excellent composition
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2011 05:43:16 AM
I love it. That is the perfect African Plains/ Serengeti image that everyone associates with. Superb shot. I hope you do well with this. Africa in its simplest and most raw. My 1st 10 after 218 votes.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2011 05:14:40 AM
wow. i love, love, love this.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2011 05:10:36 AM
Oh this is wonderful.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2011 04:38:24 AM
oh, wow! Fantastic! Good luck!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2011 08:00:17 PM
A little too centered for my preferences, otherwise a wonderful shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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