Meredith Bain
July 2025 - Nose In Next
About the Image(s)
I took this image at a free range zoo. I find hippos fascinating to watch and on this particular sunny afternoon a few of them were out of the water taking in the warmth. Eventually though they ambled to the water's edge and glided in one by one. I was using my telephoto lens and got a few good shots. This is one of my favorites.
Fujifilm X-T4, 100-400 @ 113mm, ISO 3200, f6.4, 1/1000 sec, hand held.
Edit: a significant crop (somewhere between 1/3 and 1/4 of the frame), exposure adjustments, contrast, black and white points in Lightroom, then to Photoshop to remove some gunk around the hippo's eye. Finished back in Lightroom using a radial mask inverted to create a subtle vignette."
4 comments posted
Great image of the hippo. They are really big and can be dangerous. The T4 does really good at iso 3200. Posted: 07/12/2025 16:17:02
I'm glad you didn't find this creature out in the wilds of Africa; I hear they can be quite dangerous.
I love the closeup ! He's looking right at you - I wonder what he's thinking. I love how you can see the texture of the skin - and the hairs on his ears. This is really a nice shot !
The only change I might make is lowering the highlights on him - maybe just on his face.
Great shot, Meredith ! Posted: 07/12/2025 18:50:10
I love the closeup ! He's looking right at you - I wonder what he's thinking. I love how you can see the texture of the skin - and the hairs on his ears. This is really a nice shot !
The only change I might make is lowering the highlights on him - maybe just on his face.
Great shot, Meredith ! Posted: 07/12/2025 18:50:10
Great image. I love the eyes and the detail on the skin. Posted: 07/15/2025 12:47:56
I really like the great detail in the hippo's hair and how the lighting emphasizes the bone structure of its head. You've also managed to get detail in both eyes even though they are on opposite sides of this huge animal. Another distinguishing feature is the curved folds of skin at top which internally frame the head. Nicely-done! Posted: 07/25/2025 21:37:54