WINNER CATEGORY BLACK & WHITE
Paul Goldstein | Cross to Bear

Name: Paul Goldstein
Picture title: Cross to bear
Category: Black & White
Nationality: UK
Occupation: I am a wildlife photographic guide, conservationist and co-own four eco conservancy safari camps in Kenya

Technical information
Camera: Canon 1DX
Lens: 70-200 ll & 1.4 Converter
EXIF: 0.6 secs at 165mm F45 ISO 50
Accessories: Bean bag and polarizing filter

Paul Goldstein says:

I have watched the movement of wildebeest for many years, always fascinated by their herd mentality. The Great Migration is a journey of constant movement involving over a million ruminants; to think of it as just a series of river crossings misses the true scope, though the crossings are still a remarkable sight. It’s also perhaps the most photographed wildlife phenomenon on Earth, which makes originality a constant challenge.

While guiding along the Talek River, a tributary of the Mara River, I observed a large herd gathering on the southern bank. I wasn’t interested in simply capturing the scene with countless shots; I had envisioned this image for some time. The intense brightness posed a challenge, especially since I wanted a very slow shutter speed, a risky choice here.

As they charged across, I wedged my Canon firmly onto a beanbag and set it to a two-second delay. I used a polarizer, which was essential, and added a converter, not for reach, but solely to reduce the light and allow for a shutter speed longer than half a second.

I love using very slow shutter speeds; it reminds me of the anticipation of sending off film for processing. You can’t be certain what you’ll get, but you know the image will be unique, a critical advantage when capturing a widely documented event.

I took a series of shots; most didn’t work, but this one seemed to capture the feverish panic of the crossing. I’m grateful for that one animal that remained still, adding an anchor to the chaos. I’ve taken thousands of river shots before and since, but I’ve never come close to replicating this effect. I also realize that these in-camera effects don’t appeal to everyone and may even leave some indifferent, but wouldn’t it be boring if they did?

Everyone keeping still in the vehicle and a two second delay on the shutter was crucial, we all experimented that morning. The rest was down to the wildebeest.