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More than a Scarecrow!


More than a Scarecrow!
Photo Information
Copyright: Japie Venter (japie) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-04-22
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Sigma 50-500 F/4-6.4, Digital ISO 400, Skylight
Exposure: f/8, 1/120 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Mammals of Southern Africa, 40-49 Points (Chapter 5), 50-60 points chapter 3 [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-07-23 15:35
Viewed: 2413
Points: 64
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I have not been able to post here on TN for the last couple of months due to work related pressure, but I can see now how much I missed. TN is truly flourishing and there seems to so many new people posting amazing work. I decided to post this Southern White Rhino as it was the most memorable taken during my absence. This giant gave me a very big scare. It was late in the afternoon and since Rhino’s eyesight are notoriously bad, it could not see me but it must have smelt my “presence”. I used a flash and the moment it went off he saw the flash, spun around and charged – fortunately not very far. Needless to say that this is the last image in the sequence :-).

Although White Rhinos are not as bad tempered as the Black Rhinos, this one wasn’t about to make new friends.

More about the Southern White Rhino:

Two living subspecies of white rhino are recognised: the northern white rhino, and the southern white rhino. Recent studies have confirmed that the two subspecies are genetically distinct.

While the southern white rhino subspecies was almost extinct 100 years ago, mainly in South Africa's Umfolozi Game Reserve, the species is now relatively secure thanks to successful conservation efforts.

Physical Description

White rhinos have almost no hair. They are larger than the black rhino, and have a squared (not pointed) upper lip, a longer skull and less sharply defined forehead, and a more pronounced shoulder hump. White rhinos have two horns, the front one averaging 60 cm long, but occasionally reaching 150 cm. The species name actually takes its root from Dutch, "weit" (wide), in reference to the animal's wide muzzle.

The white rhino tends to avoid the heat during the day, during which it rests in the shade. It is therefore usually active early mornings, late afternoon and during the evening. During peaks of heat, the rhino cools and rids itself of ectoparasites (external parasites) by bathing in mud in shallow pools. Adult males can spend almost their entire life in these areas, unless water is unavailable, in which case they follow a narrow corridor to a drinking site every 3-4 days.

The white rhino measures 150-185 cm at the shoulder. Females weigh about 1,400-1,700 kg and males 2,000-3,600 kg.
Colour
White rhinos are slaty grey to yellowish brown in colour.
red45, Janice, sAner, PDP, LCannon, coasties, marhowie, Fisher, LordPotty, chiliu, christophe, carper, wallhalla15, gerhardt, ellis49, sandpiper2, dew77, doubleg57, Comandante, AndyB, touristdidi, Luc, TAZ has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Great picture, Japie.
Nice to have you back, I have missed you.
The rihno looks a bit mad ;-) Well composed, nice colours and good details.
Very well done, my friend.

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2816 W: 75 N: 7977] (26975)
  • [2005-07-23 15:48]

Wow, Japie is back!!! I've missed you and your great African shots! Very good return with this dynamic rhino. Lots of action here, especially I like pose and cloud of dust. I hope we'll see more often from you!

Hi Japie,
this is an wonderful picture of an bad (or mad?) looking rhino. Perfect picture. Good job and TFS.

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3464 W: 145 N: 5943] (17794)
  • [2005-07-23 15:54]

Hi Japie, excellent capture. He 'smelt' you and we can see 'see' his anger with the cloud of dust behind him. Good to see you made it out that day. Great action-packed photo. Well done. Welcome back.

Hello japie!
Long time...
Just superb action photo! Wonderful moment and very well done!

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1648 W: 79 N: 1438] (4742)
  • [2005-07-23 17:11]

Hi Japie,

It's absolutely great to see you post again!! Welcome back! :) This is a great picture of a charging rhino. Well composed, nice POV and great details. Not an average day scene. Well done & TFS!

Regards,
Pieter

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2951 W: 366 N: 3779] (11763)
  • [2005-07-23 17:40]

Hi Japie, good to see a post from you. I hope you are well.

Lovely shot! He looks like he is working on a building site doing a bit of excavation.

Excellent composition and a very nice capture. Great note too.

Paul

What a dramatic photo Japie! I'm so glad you are okay after this scene, he certainly looks about to charge full tilt at you. You have been missed, sorry to hear work is so stressfull, too bad we can't all just quit work and roam the world taking photos. It's nice to have you back however and this photo is another masterpiece by you. Very well done, the color and lighting, the focus is wonderful, I wouldn't have been able to hold the camera still with this guy charging at me! Well done.

Hello Japie

WELCOME BACK!! It has been a very long time.... Too long!

Action packed shot here. Lots of dust and the head down in charging mode. I can imagine that the heart rate increased and swet was on the brow. Nicely composed. :-)

Hello Japie, Good to see you posting again. Great impact this big had on you..sounds like he gave ya quite a scare!
COMPOSITION/PLACEMENT: ****
EXPOSURE: *****
FOCUS/SHARPNESS: ****
DOF: *****
POV: MENACING ;-)
IMPACT: ***** OVERALL: ****

  • Great 
  • Fisher Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1540 W: 309 N: 2234] (8915)
  • [2005-07-23 21:29]

Hi Japie,
glad to see you back. missed you.
Beautiful capture and the action is superb. excellent composition and details.

Mike

Nice to see you back Japie.
I'm so glad it was just a short charge.
They are certainly a lot more dangerous than ducks.
Have you thought of birdwatching instead?

Excellent shot of this great wildnature photo!
Perfect exposure, nicely composed and good framing.
SUPERB!
TFS!

Nice to see you again Japie,
we all mis your input, your fantastic photo's. I am glad to see something from you,
very good capture, and I think you must run too, very good composing shot, great job Japie.
gr. Jaap

Hi Japie
it's a terrible capture
TFS
In a friendly way Christophe

Hello Japie, beautiful natural shot - very clear and colorful. Fantastic composition and great details. Superb colors. Well done & TFS!

It's about time. ;) So nice to see your work again. What a moment, very dramatic capture, Japie.

Composition/placement: ****
Exposure: ****
Focus/sharpness: ****
DOF: *****
POV: *****
Impact: *****

Overall: ****

*Acceptable, **Average, ***Good, ****Great, *****Outstanding

Good to see you back on TN.
By the look of that broken horn, you might have been the first person he's charged.
Great action shot of the beast (lucky you). Considering the circumstances, you did good with the composition, love the dust...very dramatic.

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5171 W: 297 N: 4050] (13069)
  • [2005-07-25 2:13]

Hello Japie!
Wonderful action capture.POV,colors,POV and composition are excellent.Welcome back and
TFS...:-)

  • Great 
  • Midi Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 156 W: 27 N: 184] (2417)
  • [2005-07-27 11:16]

Fantastic shot! He is ready to attack? I hope you were in a car?

Be scared and take such an amazing picture?
In your place I'll be running not taking pictures ! ;-))) Fantastic shot.
Great work
Guy

  • Great 
  • Graal Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 787 W: 31 N: 20] (5002)
  • [2005-07-28 3:30]

Good shot. Dynamic pose. I like the composition, colours and DOF. Well done.
Rgs, Aleksander

Hello Japie!
Nice to see you back.Magnificent composition of the angry rino.Lighting,framing,details and composition are excellent.Thanks for sharing.

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2306 W: 324 N: 4306] (16856)
  • [2005-07-29 14:12]

Japie, I've never seen one of them; it must be indeed a great experience.

Great pov, composition and sharpness.

A very nice action, a great shot.

  • Great 
  • nofer Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1219 W: 367 N: 805] (2225)
  • [2005-07-29 21:47]

Muito boa foto!
Excelente composição... cores... contraste...
Tudo muito bom.
TFS
Reynaldo

  • Great 
  • CTP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 774 W: 6 N: 1107] (3183)
  • [2005-08-01 0:09]

Great White Rhino photo Japie.
Nice sharpness,dof,pov and focus.TFS
CT of Chicago

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1586 W: 32 N: 1350] (3980)
  • [2005-08-03 19:33]

Hello Japie,
Its an excellent capture and I'm pleased that you escaped to tell the tale!
I like the cloud of dust and the rhino's expression and stance.It must have been a frightening experience but thrilling at the same time!
A great shot,well done.

TFS

I rode an elephant in Nepal thru the jungle, and saw the one horn rhinos in elephant grass. They we not happy to be surrounded by elephants with tourists. They had babies. Next day, we walked in th ejungle, around a curve, before we arrived, a rhino attacked a japenese woman. Her e guide stuffed his arm up the rhinos mouth, and it left. He was torn up bad, but the hero of the day, probably the entire year!!!! Guys in my group used their shirts to stem the bleeding, and carried him to the village. The moral of this story, is that they are wild animals, what are we doing walking in their territory? Are we nuts? Your photo is wonderful however!!!!! Just incrediable!

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2052 W: 315 N: 4301] (14719)
  • [2005-08-09 19:24]

Sorry Jaoie, I have no time to write a proper comment. I give to you the well deserved smily.

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2385 W: 50 N: 3186] (10922)
  • [2005-08-19 3:34]

Oups! I missed this impressive and interesting rhino that you have well captured ! Composition, colors, light, details and sharpness are greeat ! Thanks for sharing Japie.

Very exciting, dramatic photo, Japie! The dust and posture of the animal really looks threatening. Nice tones here, and super use of light.

Amazing display of raw power... This image epythomises the idea of brute force we associate this magnificent animal with: bulletpoof armor, spear pointed horn, nerves of steel and more horsepower than a bulldozer! Still, so few left after the episodes of great white hunters and Arabian spice & curio collectors ...

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