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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Two: On Safari -- expressing the essence of nature > Mudbath, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, 2006
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09-JAN-2006

Mudbath, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, 2006

An African Cape Buffalo and her calf, seen following a roll in the mud. The rainy season ensures an amply supply of it. The mud has incongruously abstracted the animals, changing their appearance to seemingly fictional creatures. I used a 420mm lens to move in and make the heads as large as possible. I then cropped the image, retaining only about one quarter of the frame. Because I use an eight megapixel camera, this cropped area becomes equivalent of just two megapixels. Yet it still retains adequate detail and
significant meaning. The juxtaposition of the large, heavily caked, old head and the smaller but smooth young head create a final incongruity, symbolizing the opposite ends of the age spectrum.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/500s f/5.6 at 88.8mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Sue Robertson08-Feb-2006 04:05
This is a great shot. I like the colours and tone here, not to mention the tight crop.
Phil Douglis26-Jan-2006 06:33
What you are seeing is the byproduct of extreme cropping, John. This is a very small segment of the original picture. We always lose a bit of sharpness when we blow detail up this large. But sharpness is not always required to make a picture function as expression. I don't insist that my images be exercises in critical focus -- as long as the image makes its point and makes it well, I am happy. And this one, due to the crop, fulfills its mission. I will gladly exchange a bit of sharpness for such expression as this.
John Reed 26-Jan-2006 04:22
I like the shot a lot; somehow it looks just a little soft in focus, though, and that detracts from my viewing pleasure. Maybe I need to clean my glasses!
Phil Douglis25-Jan-2006 05:17
You express identical feelings to mine, Christine, on this one. I saw them as statues as well. Statues are fiction, not fact. That is why I said in my caption that the mud has changed these animals to seemingly fictional characters. I agree with you that color is important here as well -- it makes the image more real. That tension between that reality, and the unreality of the appearance of the buffalos, gives this image its energy and much of its meaning.
Guest 25-Jan-2006 01:37
This is a powerful picture. The fact that it is almost monochrome brings out the texture, but I think that it is still better in colour than it would be in black and white because it adds a different dimension to the photograph. The two buffalos look almost like statues. The calf reminds me of the golden calf that was worshiped in the Bible. Christine
monique jansen24-Jan-2006 14:46
Very much "in your face", those buffaloes
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