Unexpected results

A very quick blog for the weekend. 

So the Gnu, or Wildebeest…best known for the incredible migration in the Masi Mara in Kenya. One day I hope to witness that spectacle myself with camera in hand.

I'll admit that when I see Wildebeest, they don't fill me with much enthusiasm photographically. They shouldn't take it personally!

They tend to be quiet skittish. When you approach they move away…and not just a little bit away, they tend to move far away. And I am always asking myself, how do you get an interesting shot of a Wildebeest that's just grazing?

Looking through my images from Madikwe in Lightroom I got a nice surprise: this image. 

It really was an unexpected result. I simply decided to try and pick one or two Wildebeest and track them with my lens to watch what they were doing. Using my lens like binoculars. The sun was low and the wildebeest were nicely back lit, there was some shade thanks to some tree cover. Then one Wildebeest looked back right at me. 

Its a striking shot: back light, eye contact, horns in full view, and a nice natural framing with foliage and trees. I had no idea at the time what the shot looked like, because of the low and bright sunlight, I could not see a thing on my viewfinder!

An unexpected result - often the best kind of image!