Young tree climbing lion @ Lewa, Kenya

[Steve Uffman]

this is one of several young lions that we found late in the afternoon in the trees at Lewa

Canon 5dIII w/ 500mm f/4L IS USM on a beanbag
1/5000 f/7.1 ISO 800

LR4, CS6, arash's sharpening technique

for larger image http://blackpearl.smugmug.com/Favorites/Favorite-Images/23735869_Rp3QK9#!i=2298885219&k=Xw23R6w&lb=1&s=X3
C & C appreciated


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[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Steve - Happy New Year! A nice pose in the tree and good separation from the bg. I'm wondering if a little midtone adjustment might bring out some more detail. Also is this full frame? A little tight on the right but not a major concern.

TFS,
Rachel

[Steve Uffman]

Happy new year to you as well...I have a bit of room available on the right....had a tad bit of cloning I will need to do on a tail but I can do that....I debated that room vs the head position in the frame....did not have a compelling reason one way or another....

On midtones, I actually had it a bit more detailed which I liked but since I tend to oversharpen or go to far, I pulled back on the throttle....I will repost...thanks for the input

[Morkel Erasmus]

Nice behaviour to see here Steve.
I know the branches are diagonal and that's fine, I just think the composition as a whole would be more visually appealling if the lion seemed to sit upright - ie that you get the legs straigt up and the eyes level...this will "diagonalise" the trunk even more which I think is fine in this case. WDYT?
I would also sharpen the face of the cub a wee bit more. :5

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Steve, I like the comp and don't have an issue about the cubs position, however if you have it, I would like more image below and above. Having more below lessons the feeling of the cub slipping out of frame, plus I would like to see the whole of the broken trunk, cropping the little bit I feel looks awkward IMHO. Although I'm viewing on the laptop, I agree the cub does need some more selective USM, as the diagonal trunk looks just a little more crisper, but probably optical. :S3: I do like the light and darker BKG colours.

TFS
Steve

[Steve Uffman]

Thanks all for the suggestions....I did what I could with the room on the right hand side and included more at the top so the point was not awkwardly cut off.....I like the suggestion to level the eyes but on this one I don't have enough frame to accomplish the rotation....

That is also why the lion's eyes are a big below the Rule of thirds lion where I normally try to place the eyes.

Did increase the selective sharpening on the lion and did increase mid tones slightly to try to get more detail. did not use USM as I was uncomfortable with how much sharpening with that was too much. so I used NIK output sharpener at 70% brushed on the lion and the logs.

WDYT? I have a whole series of these lions in the trees so looking for ideas on how to do the rest of them.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Steve, overall I think this is better, shame about the space below, however... :w3

Depending on your ethics and how comfortable you feel, but I would remove the little bit of stump coming in from the RHS, tone down the slightly lighter stem/branch in the BKG behind the cub, the brighter green highlight on the LHS and the little encroaching 'bump' on the LHS at the foot, at the start of the trunk LHS. These are very minor, but I do feel gives a cleaner appearance and helps keep focus on the subject, the cub.

Regarding sharpening, I do thinks it's personal preference on how you wish to apply it within your workflow and the amount, but I think you can afford to apply more based on the RP.

BTW You may wish to check on the Colour profile of your current post. :w3

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Steve,
overall i think the RP is better in all terms.
I like the position of the lion with the look in the distance.Good separation of FG and BG.
Agree about the room on the bottom and the sharpening in the face.

TFS Andreas

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Steve,
Yep....repost works for me better as well and if so inclined....adding a touch to the bottom will improve it still further.