'Nature' Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

This was taken at the entrance to the Khutse Game Reserve. I guess that the game rangers find many carcasses of animals that were eaten by predators in the reserve, and then take it back to the main camp to keep the horns.

Here they displayed the horns in the sun, to dry them out.

The light conditions were really bad, because it was right in the middle of an exteremly hot and sunny day, and the only way I could "save" this photo was to convert it to black and white and play around with the brightness and contrast.

The horns are, from left to right, a Kudu, an Oryx and an Eland, all very big animals.

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Critiques | Translate

Edwin (2039) 2004-02-13 3:42

The high contrast and the B/W works really well here and I like how the tree branch breaks the composition diagonally. A bit oversharpened perhaps? A nice one Henry!

olli (2091) 2004-02-13 3:45

Wow – great horns. And the B&W works very well with white skulls and dark horns. And the tree behind them is also like a horn itself... Well framed.
I like this shot very-very much.

Midnight_sun (1939) 2004-02-13 4:34

The B&W is perfect for such subjects. Its interesting to see the three different types of horns next to each other. I like the texture too of the tree and horns, good shot.

jrj (34779) 2004-02-13 4:37

An interesting collection Henry. How long will they last. Some times we fine horns and skull from reideers and elks up here but if they stay in the nature termits and other insects will attack them and after a relative short time they disappear.
Well composed and good sucsess in BW.

clodreno (0) 2004-02-13 4:55

Interesting shot Henry. a bit spooky but.... Nice you chose to shoot it in Black and white.

PechePassion (483) 2004-02-13 5:50

Un bon choix que le noir et blanc pour cette scène. les deatails y sont très bon

J'aurais peu etre préfére une scène plus large pour bien voir qu'il sont seuls au milieu de nul part .

avigur_11 (21307) 2004-02-13 6:11

Thiis is a great shot of wils life (or wild death), Henry. Amazing horns. The b/w is the best choice here, not just because of the quality of the photo, but because of the subject. The overexposure of the ground adds to the atmosphere, too. You did a perfect job here, and I like it very much.

orme (6746) 2004-02-13 8:54

A very unique shot, Henry. Great ude of B/W. The skull on the right is particularly 'spooky', with the black eye and sharp horns. Nice texture on the tree. Well framed.

joseelias (367) 2004-02-13 9:00

Even if you had good light conditions I guess BW would allways be the best option for this photo. It suits really well the theme. Also like the high contrast and the details.

Interesting note as well.

Ebbe (9571) 2004-02-13 12:40

A fine graphic composition with just white and dark grey. Well seen. The banana shape of the trunk is also interestiong.

dsidwell (9745) 2004-02-13 14:53

The b/w works very well here, Henry! I really enjoy the stark contrasts, and the richness of both lights and darks. It seems appropriate for the subject, too.

dob_31 (0) 2004-02-13 23:56

Beautiful result in spite of the light conditions... This representation of the "circle of life" is interesting, I like the way you framed it and the note is very educative. Good job!

jhm (83352) 2004-02-14 4:07

Interesting shot Henry, a little bit spooky, but beautiful trophy! Proficiat voor uw nederlands Henry!!!

eelliott305 (776) 2004-02-14 12:47

The wildlife shots you have shown from Botswana are great. This is different and great too. If you see a sight like this you have to take a shot. The harsh sun on the sand makes things difficult but you have done well.

PLD_images (7141) 2004-02-15 0:49

A great shot Henry. It looks like the entrance to an american cowboy town 200 years ago... Well maybe not because I dont think we can find these animals here.

The light might not have been good, but this B&W has very contrast and lighting. Good subject and well processed.

JudyH (700) 2004-02-15 8:31

I think you did well to turn this into B&W - suits the composition! Eerie ... Well done. The contrast and brightness are just right.

gepall (1808) 2004-02-19 10:50