Hey arati, "Cave of protection" was the title that popped into my head the moment i looked at this image. Love the way the baby elephant eyes balances rest of the frame. Image has a beautiful feel of elephant emerging from a cave into spotlight ( Reminded me of show stopper in a fashion show entering into spot light ).

Nicely framed using curve Arati. Love that inquisitive eye. I think it can take a little more brightness. During my last several trip to Corbett I too tried such compositions - here are couple of them - one and two.

Lovely, ganesh. These are such special creatures. That wet and muddy mother and calf is special. i was looking through my sri lanka aaneys and making a whole series - i felt like i was spending time again with them as i worked on the images.

This particular image i have burned quite a bit, to reduce state-space and keep focus on the curve and the eye
Glad you liked it.

Thanks Mahesh! It is a cave - a safe place, one the calf constantly disappeared into, the whole evening.

A

Hi Arati,
Beautiful seeing here. I would crop about 50 pixels on the left. That makes the composition tighter for me.
Thanks for sharing

thanks nirlep,
and funny you should mention that - i had the same dilemma while processing - i had cropped it tight at first. But it felt suffocated to me, and i released about 50-70 px on the left so the baby elephant could "breathe" a bit

Hi Arati,
There was a discussion I read about editing photographs that photographers while making a picture carry a lot of mental load . And because of that their pictures are not published as clicked. They are often edited by photo editors for out of may ways to construct a meaning re-framing a picture is one. I pondered over the discussion and it has rested since. Your feelings "i had the same dilemma while processing - i had cropped it tight at first. But it felt suffocated to me, and i released about 50-70 px on the left so the baby elephant could "breathe" a bit" here and the calf sharing name with your daughter brings me back to the subject. Would you have framed it tighter had it not been for your affinity for this one calf? Or would you have suggested tigheter framing if this shot was taken by some other photographer?
Your words please...

Hi Nirlep,
I wish i could say it was for affinity to the calf ~ that is a beautiful thought ~ but no, it was purely from the lack of negative space, to my sensibility.
Here is the original crop which i did not like.

i felt the balancing of the hind leg of the mother with the hint of the front leg of the mother (in heavy shadow) completed the "Shelter" for me ~ it was purely what i saw... not what i felt. At least this time.

That said, your comment on "baggage" has brought to the fore what is in the back of my mind.
i have been very conscious of the "baggage" i seem to carry sometimes when i frame - even SEE - a scene. working to shake it off and become light of mind, of one mind only (like what zen/ buddhism teaches)... A beginner's mind is fresh and light - the possibilities in it are many. As compared to the expert's mind... striving to retain that beginner's mind throughout the journey.