PhotoShare: Kruger Kuduscape

Things are buzzing by my head now at a pace so frantic it's hard to keep up. I am heading off to Mana Pools in Zimbabwe next week, a dream destination for me. Afterwards I shall have plenty of time to wind down and catch up on things like regular blogging, etc.


In the meantime - here is an image to make you think. How often do you just wish for a longer lens? We always tend to want to get the tightest, most detailed shots of our subjects...and we forget to think about shooting "wider", and placing the animal in the context of its environment.


This was an occasion where I didn't have "enough glass", but it didn't bother me. I have many close-up portraits of the graceful Kudu antelope. In this instance I had parked in the middle of a road going through a dry river in the Kruger National Park. It was quiet, and I was taking in the morning sounds and smells with my window open. All of a sudden, a herd of Kudu came out of the dense riverine foliage and into the wide open riverbed. Kudus have a knack of surprising you, being able to stay perfectly still and hidden. Hunters have long been calling them the "African Grey Ghost".


This cow paused and noticed me. I snapped a picture. This picture tells the story much better than a closer photo would have. Don't you agree??

(Nikon D3s, Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II)  f5.6  |  1/1000 SS  |  ISO-640

Morkel Erasmus