One of the most amazing moments of my life was watching the wildebeest cross. It is this rush of excitement and energy charging towards you from this wild herd. The hippo and the wildebeests are all herboviores, not really a threat to each other, tho it was clear neither really liked the other being there. The beests, stopped crossing long enough to let the hippo cross.
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Place: 3 out of 833 Avg (all users): 7.5950 Avg (commenters): 8.9737 Avg (participants): 7.5097 Avg (non-participants): 7.9753 Views since voting: 24066 Views during voting: 783 Votes: 442 Comments: 142 Favorites: 150 (view)
Thank you for this image being posted. It is so fortunate that you were in position and with the right equipment to get this image with such clarity and grasp of the action. Wishing you many more moments as perfect as this one.
Wow, what an outstanding shot! "One of the most amazing moments of my life..." Yes, I believe this without a doubt! This tells more about nature than words can ever tell. I would love to see something similar in reality too :)
Everyone has congratulated your fine piece, appropriately. It is fabulous and belongs on a wildlife cover. But I would have loved to see the shot of the wildebeasts waiting for the hippo to cross. That might have been amusing. Like traffic in LA.
I haven't taken the time to read through all the comments here (...I can't take my eyes off your photo long enough to do so). If it hasn't already been said (and I can't imagine it hasn't), this image belongs on the cover of National Geographic. Absolutely awe-inspiring!!! Congratulations, Lynn.
just as a side note on the hippos (i LOVE hippos), they are mostly herboviores, but occassionally, often when herb-beasts migrate, they will pick off a week beast and consume it. They have also been known to take food from a croc, and occassionally the males adults will maul and consume baby males that are not of thier own seed, or eat the flesh of a dying hippo.
It wasn't until just recently that film crews were able to capture hippos in any of the above behaviours. Understandly, since hippos are the deadliest beast to man in africa.
That said, What an image! Do you have any more of the hippos??
I don't think I've said 10 words on this website this year. But it's time.
I would imagine that if I ever saw this in real life I would look back at it for years as the most amazing scene I've ever ingested. I'm glad that you wrote the same thing in your comments. Congratulations on a few things. First, that you were there. To me, that is the most exciting thing about this photo...imagining somebody (you) standing there with camera in hand, jaw dropped, eyes wide open and heart racing. Secondly, of course, I'd like to congratulate you on capturing the moment so that we could all experience it with you. Very nicely framed and toned, especially. I'm ultra-jealouse in a good sort of way. I hope to see something similar one day! Well done!
Unbelievable picture... Have seen wilderbeast crossing photos many times, but never anything like this. As an alternate title, I'd also like to suggest "respect".
i tend to hold back giving out 10's, but this one deserved it. this is quite an amazing event and im not sure i would have been able to even raise a camera amidst such an experience.
I visited Kenya a few years back, and I saw this same scene, except the hippo was a crocodile, and the crocodile snuck up and attacked a young wildebeest. The mother didn't notice untill she crossed. It truly is an amazing sight isnt it!
A stunning peice, i can almost hear the hoofbeats. Some of the otherwise lovely shots in this challenge lacked a verb, this almost suffers from too much action!
Wow
I didnt see this in voting Just too many to go through
But what a spectacular image
This has to be and is one of the best
Congratulations on Your Yellow
The first thing that crossed my mind when I saw the hippo was: "stupid wilderbeast rush hour...". Excellent capture. The hippo adds so much to this image. The larger, uncompressed version of this image must be awesome. Thanks for sharing.
This picture is simply awesome! Wish I could have seen it all blown up to take in all the details. It's a little lost at DPC because of size limitations.
This looks Goodmanesque...Have you ever seen Mitsuaki Iwago's 'Horned avalanche' photo. This conjures up the same visceral feel...you can almost hear the hooves from this side of the screen. The hippo looks like it's getting a kick out of watching this inexplicable blind panic.
Outstanding. Only crit (at risk of hubris) is the rather open, flat feel to the light...this feels like it could benefit from some vignetting especially in the top right.
This photograph is VERY powerful - all the senses are imagined here. You could have pointed and shot - or waited for a specific moment - it really doesn't matter.
10: i love the choas at the top and the neat little row at the bottom with the hippo standing and watching. The dust makes a cool effect. this shot reminds me of the stampeede from Lion King.
Wow! A lot of action here. Great capture. Looks like this could make a magazine. The dust in the background and the line of buffalo(?) really bring your eye through the photo. Good job.
brilliant --- 8 ... the compostition is the only thing that's not the coolest photo I've ever seen ... other than that ... so cool -sooo huge - the hippo even wants a camera.
Despite the fact that they run out of the frame with their legs a very cool photo. Love the way the water and dust show the motion and action. The hippo makes the shot, they all seem to want to get accross in front of it. :)
an incredible sight and excellent shot, beautiful warm hues would look great on my wall:-) really impressive shot - and what the heck is that hippo doing there LOL LOL
I envy you that you had the opportunity to not only witness this but to photograph it as well. The hippo in the shot really makes it for me. Good luck.
Front page of National Geographic... Stellar work! WOW What a thrill it must have been to experience that - and thank you for sharing it so beautifully!
What an exciting image! I love the hippo, who looks like he's waiting to cross the street. Beautiful tones; one of my favorites.
Just came back after finishing my voting - I can say with confidence that this is by far my favorite. Really wonderful. Good luck & thanks for sharing!
I'm coming back to this and it is compositionally perfect. The tones are divine and the story it tells is wonderful. The title is spot on. But you know what really does it for me??? The hippo. It is like the cherry on top of the cake! Perfect!! 10
Wow. If I came across this shot in National Geographic I'd be pausing to gaze at the page and drink in every detail. This is fantastic. It tells a story, I love that it is in color, yet almost monochrome, and I feel I'm right there watching this. Definitely a top 10 contender. Congrats!
This shot is such a thing apart from the other images posted in this challenge. I love the story it tells. I love the way it lets me experience something I've not and likely will not ever experience. I love that you opted to muted natural colors instead of pushing the saturation to point of digital temptation. Just very well done, all around. 9
Wow! What a sight! I'm extremely jealous and would love to have been there when you took this. I like the way you've created a diagonal within the frame and the hippo makes a great focal point. Nice one!
Migration Interupted
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