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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Madikwe, SA
Posts: 466
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After the bush fire.
We just had a bad fire come through our area of the reserve. It came too close to the lodge for comfort and we spent the whole night (literally until sunrise) fighting it before eventually containing it. (Fighting fires is never that much fun. Throw in the potential encounter with nervous elephants, lions, snakes etc, all trying to stay ahead of the flames and you have a less than enjoyable evening’s entertainment!)
Anyway, I walked through the area today, looking for any fatalities. It’s a stark, smoky landscape now, lots of the wood is still smoldering and just about everthing else reduced to ash.
Fortunately there was no sign of any large fatalities, but inevitably the smaller things like snakes can’t get out of the way quickly enough.
Tortoises are another species that can be caught, although this one had clearly been dead long before the fire!!
What is amazing though is how quickly the bush recovers. Less than 24 hours after the fire, still not a drop of rain in sight but the grass is already shooting up. Bulbs buried in the soil are not damaged and send up their flowers immediately afterwards to take advantage of the "bush clearing"
Most of the bigger trees in the area are a little singed, but otherwise fine!
Thanks for looking!
Anyway, I walked through the area today, looking for any fatalities. It’s a stark, smoky landscape now, lots of the wood is still smoldering and just about everthing else reduced to ash.
Fortunately there was no sign of any large fatalities, but inevitably the smaller things like snakes can’t get out of the way quickly enough.
Tortoises are another species that can be caught, although this one had clearly been dead long before the fire!!
What is amazing though is how quickly the bush recovers. Less than 24 hours after the fire, still not a drop of rain in sight but the grass is already shooting up. Bulbs buried in the soil are not damaged and send up their flowers immediately afterwards to take advantage of the "bush clearing"
Most of the bigger trees in the area are a little singed, but otherwise fine!
Thanks for looking!
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Kit 1 Canon 7D Canon EF 70-200 2.8 L IS USM Canon EF 17-40mm 1:4 |
Kit 2 Canon 40D Canon EF 100-400 1:4.5-5.6 L IS Canon Macro EF 100mm1:2.8 USM |
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Join Date: Jul 2008
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Some very nice photos in this set. I like the first and last the best.
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18mm Fujinon 35mm Fujinon 60mm Fujinon 18-55 Fujinon 55-200mm Fujinon |
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Join Date: Sep 2007
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Another nice set with story Sam - last shot is very striking!
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Kit 2 Nikon D40 Nikon 18-55mm |
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3, 5 and 6 are just magic. I really love looking at your work <3 it's a place I'd love to visit, and it's just fascinating 
xx
xx
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Join Date: Aug 2008
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Wow, love it when we get an insight into another part of the world. Poor old snake.
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Hi Sam
Great insight into the goings-on at the reserve as usual, but I'm afraid this time around I'm not so keen on the heavy editing you've done on these shots, mainly because it's not done well enough to look like it's not been edited ( if that makes sense? ) which is a shame because I do enjoy your pictures.
Less is more
MD
Great insight into the goings-on at the reserve as usual, but I'm afraid this time around I'm not so keen on the heavy editing you've done on these shots, mainly because it's not done well enough to look like it's not been edited ( if that makes sense? ) which is a shame because I do enjoy your pictures.
Less is more
MD
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Madikwe, SA
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Many thanks for the feedback everyone, much appreciated!
MD - shots 1 and 6 are my first attempts using some new HDR software - I was going for a more surreal-type (or maybe hyper-reality) effect by overemphasising the range on both (with very mixed results - the ghosting in the last image is terrible, hand held is clearly not the way to go!), but they are meant to look edited and over emphasised. The other images are barely edited at all, just levels and cropping.
MD - shots 1 and 6 are my first attempts using some new HDR software - I was going for a more surreal-type (or maybe hyper-reality) effect by overemphasising the range on both (with very mixed results - the ghosting in the last image is terrible, hand held is clearly not the way to go!), but they are meant to look edited and over emphasised. The other images are barely edited at all, just levels and cropping.
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Kit 1 Canon 7D Canon EF 70-200 2.8 L IS USM Canon EF 17-40mm 1:4 |
Kit 2 Canon 40D Canon EF 100-400 1:4.5-5.6 L IS Canon Macro EF 100mm1:2.8 USM |
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Very interesting Sam 
Really like the shot of the new flower emerging, absolutely fascinating. I love reading about your adventures xx
Really like the shot of the new flower emerging, absolutely fascinating. I love reading about your adventures xx