Topi in the Tall Grass : camera angle and lens choice

topi in tall grass with dark storm approaching

Dark storm clouds were moving in. We had been hearing the thunder for hours, and now lightning flashes were arcing across the sky. Our evening game drive would be over soon. Heading back to the camp I decided to stop beside several topi grazing on a hillside. We had driven by literally hundreds of topi, but something about the position of these topi; the clear background, dramatic sky, and soft light caught my eye.

My first few shots did not do justice to what I had in mind. I wanted less clutter and more drama.

topi in short grass

One of the best ways to eliminate distracting things on the ground is to get lower and point the camera up. So that’s what I did. In this case it meant moving the vehicle to a lower place finding a topi on higher ground. I took some images without the the tall grass in the frame, but I decided that I liked the foreground framing that it provided.

Satisfied with the shot recorded on my card we started to move away. Looking back a wider view caught my eye. So I switched from my 400mm lens to my 70-200mm set at the 70mm end and captured this frame before moving on.

single tree on open plains with approaching storm

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

About Mike

Mike has lived in Kenya for 14 years and been on over 50 photo safaris.
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