Catwalk

[Hendri Venter]

I photographed this young cheetah at Mashatu Private game reserve in Botswana. The cheetah was in the shade from a hill behind me while the BG in its autumn colours still sunlit.

Canon 1D4
Canon 600mm F4 L IS
ISO 800
F4.5
1/1250 sec
Beanbag support

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Hendri, I like this a lot, but mainly for the fact of the almost surreal BKG, it's different and in my book, great and eye catching, Autumn colours worked well. Will look later on the iMax screen (whopper) :S3: to get the full weight of the image. The low angle works, likewise the yawn adds interest.


If you have it, then a bit more at the foot of the image, it's too tight I feel. Would have liked a fraction more DOF, as you had plent of SS. One question, can you tell me where the focus point was Hendri, but it might be my eyes. :bg3:

TFS
Steve

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Hendri,
love the catwalk,lovely colors,DOF great,walk into the frame works very well.A bit tight on the bottom for my taste.

I tried to give the cheetah a bit more form, would be nice to start from raw with this one. WDYT?

Cheers Andreas

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[Hendri Venter]

Thanks Steve and Andreas. UnfortunatelyI dont have more space at the bottom. Steve the focus a fraction behind behind its left eye.

Andreas the repost looks really good on screen but for me its not a true reflection of what I captured. I know you worked from a small web image but the contrast seems a tad to much. The question is where does one stop when giving an image oemf?

[gail bisson]

Hi Hendri,
I think this is excellent.
The BG is so unusual in color and I love it.
I am OK with the FG as it gives the feeling a walking a tightrope or catwalk.
The yawn is fun as well.
I prefer the OP but wouldn't mind a touch more sharpening or contrast on the face only.
Gail

[Dumay de Boulle]

Prefer your OP, colors look perfect. A little tight at the bottom but not sure if incl that FG that we can see will work...I like it a lot

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hendri,
it is always difficult to find something that is fitting in all viewers opinion. in this case it is me, who made a RP and i was for sure not there when the picture was taken and i look slightly different to the image, then you !!
And it is up to each viewer to decide which version of an image posted here , he or she finds more attractive , for different reasons.
To make it shorter, this is my view to your very good image.

Cheers Andreas

[Morkel Erasmus]

Wonderful POV here Hendri...and the light on the autumn colours at the back rocks.
Soft light works a treat. For me also a tad tight at the bottom - I'm very interested in how you got this POV? Was he walking on a berm or something? And why the tight crop at the bottom?
I think you could have stopped down to f5.6 or even 6.3 in exchange for some ISO here?

[Rudi van den Heever]

Simply stunning Hendri, although a tad more at the bottom would have added! Wish it was mine!

Also curious about how you achieved the super low angle here...:S3:

[Robert Amoruso]

I agree with Morkel.

[Gregor Bergquist]

+1

Fabulous picture, especially the background. Love it :S3:

[Rachel Hollander]

I also agree - bg is great, a little tight at the bottom, great pov. I too prefer the OP, the rp appears oversharpened on the cheetah's sides to me.

TFS,
Rachel

[Ken Watkins]

The question is where does one stop when giving an image oemf?

For me a simple answer, where you think it looks right based in how you believe it should look and most certainly not based on a low quality web conversion.

This is a magnificent capture, the tight bottom does not bother me at all, the yawn is a wonderful extra.:cheers::cheers::cheers:

[Hendri Venter]

Thanks you folks. The angle I got from the elevation of the land. The cheetah was on a small hill and the vehicle positioned on a lower level for the photographers to get a eye level view.

Yes I know I could have gone for more space at the bottom but on the other side I like this as is and the foreground would have been completely out of focus as from the horizon of the hill up to the cat was at least 2 meters. A branch lower down would have been half way in the frame too.

For stopping down to F5-F6.3 yes I know but this is nature and things happens fast. I used this settings for portrait shots of another cheetah and there was just not enough time to change when I noticed this one got up and yawn. When the situation allows I will most certainly use the settings I know will produce the best result.

Have a good weekend folks.

[Stephen Earle]

I like the fact that you cropped so close at the bottom. To me it elevates the image from a standard cheetah shot into one where the viewer is engaged in wondering why the cheetah seems to float. Excellent Hendri.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks you folks. The angle I got from the elevation of the land. The cheetah was on a small hill and the vehicle positioned on a lower level for the photographers to get a eye level view.

Yes I know I could have gone for more space at the bottom but on the other side I like this as is and the foreground would have been completely out of focus as from the horizon of the hill up to the cat was at least 2 meters. A branch lower down would have been half way in the frame too.

For stopping down to F5-F6.3 yes I know but this is nature and things happens fast. I used this settings for portrait shots of another cheetah and there was just not enough time to change when I noticed this one got up and yawn. When the situation allows I will most certainly use the settings I know will produce the best result.

Have a good weekend folks.

Thanks Hendri - makes perfect sense. I think personally you could have achieved the same effect by just including a small sliver more at the bottom - but it doesn't detract from the impact of the image overall - it's a personal taste thing.

I fully understand the fact that sometimes we just shoot with the settings we have if the action takes place suddenly...I was making an "in-an-ideal-world" comment and very much preaching to myself hehe.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hey Folks no sharpening added on my RP, just pushed the contrast. Just for information purpose.

Cheers Andreas

[Hilary Hann]

Well, this background, pov and pose are just outstanding. Love it.

[Hendri Venter]

Thanks you folks. Your views and input appreciated.