Kobus leche (Lechwe)
Written by Wednesday, 18 March 2009 00:00
"To shoot poignant pictures we only need follow the path of our enthusiasm . I believe that this feeling is the universe's way of telling us that we are doing the right thing. The viewing public will always disagree over the intrinsic merits of a particular photograph, but no one can deny the enthusiasm that originally inspired us to capture and offer that image to others." Timothy Allen
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Kobus leche (Family: Bovidae, common name: Lechwe, Souther Lechwe) The Lechwe, or Southern Lechwe, is an antelope found in Botswana, Zambia, south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, north-eastern Namibia, and eastern Angola, especially in the Okavango Delta, Kafue Flats and Bangweulu Swamps. Lechwe stand 90 to 100 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 120 kilograms. They are golden brown with a white belly. Males are darker in colour, but general hue varies depending on subspecies. The long spiral structured horns are vaguely lyre-shaped, they are found only in males. The hind legs are somewhat longer in proportion than in other antelopes, to ease long-distance running in marshy soil. Lechwe are found in marshy areas where they eat aquatic plants. They use the knee-deep water as protection from predators. Their legs are covered in a water repelling substance allowing them to run quite fast in knee-deep water (1). This antelope is perhaps the most widely known animal of the African savannah. The characteristic shape of the male’s horns is, of course, a “must shoot” for any photographer. We waited till the male turned to us and then pressed the shutter release button, a smooth photo showing the animal at its best. We were lucky in that this particular animal was not tagged on the ear, which would spoil the photo. We also took a photo of the head of the animal from the side which shows the shadows of the ear and the horn on its neck. The female (photo 3) seemed a little bit “dull” in comparison so we looked for a less “ordinary” shot. Since she had her back turned to the camera we waited till she turned her head to the side and got what we were looking for. In this shot we were fortunate because the camera (set to shutter priority) opened the lens to f/7.1 which produced a very shallow depth of field with the long lens in use. Thus, the background was completely out of focus and this was a welcomed gift since, focused at the animal, we overlooked the fact that the angle we were shooting at had changed and part of the annoying background was now in the frame. The youngster in the first photo was grazing under some trees, way below us; while positioning the camera for a shot it looked up at us and we could not resist focussing on its beautiful eyes and long neck. Finally, the fifth photo shows a Scimitar oryx and a Lechwe looking at us fiddling with our cameras. A welcomed opportunity not to be missed!!! Photos by Marina Parha and George J. Reclos 1. Camera: Nikon D80 2. Camera: Nikon D300 3. Camera: Nikon D300 4. Camera: Nikon D300 5. Camera: Nikon D80
(1) Wikipedia |
These photographs have been taken at the Attica Zoological Park. They are the property of MCH Portal and cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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