On the hunt

[Martin Dunn]

Young lioness on the hunt in Maasai Mara
http://www.wildlifephotographyafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/lioness-hunting1.jpg

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Martin - Welcome to BPN and the Wildlife Forum. Please note I deleted your second thread with the elephants crossing because as a Forum Participant you are only allowed to post one image every 48 hours in each Critique Forum. If you become a paying member then you can post one image every 24 hours in each Critique Forum. Please post it again after the 48 hour period.

Also please post the Exif data for each image including the camera and lens used, the shutter speed, aperture, ISO, any other relevant info including if a tripod or filter was used, and also a brief description of the post processing. The more information given, the easier it is for us to give suggestions to improve it either in the field, in post processing or both.

As to the image, it's a very nice first post. I really like the stalking pose and the placement of the lioness in the frame. Sharpness looks good too. I did take the image into CS6 to make certain adjustments. First, there was no embedded color profile for the image so I assigned sRGB which is best for viewing on the web (See the sticky at the top of the forum on saving for web). It looks like the light was a bit harsh so I applied a luminosity mask at 35% opacity to tame some of the highlights, I then applied a midtone levels adjustment selectively to the lioness (moving the middle slider to the left to 1.15). I thought the reds, particularly on the lioness, were a bit too strong so I dropped them by -20 in hue/saturation adjustment. Finally, I lightened the eyes slightly in a screen adjustment. A lot of these things come down to individual taste. If you are using a pp program other than PS let us know. Looking forward to seeing more of your images, including the ele crossing image.

TFS,
Rachel

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Martin, I think Rachel has given a very good, detailed, and in-depth feedback, so from my perspective there is not much more to add. Perhaps posting an image that had been taken a few moments later if you had one, may have been better, as the grass blade may not have been over the face?

FYI you can post bigger, 1200px wide max, by 900px high, which does help and gives the viewer a far better image to view.

TFS
Steve

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi again Martin, I forgot to say that you shouldn't hesitate to jump in and give your thoughts about other people's images. We encourage everyone to comment on at least 5 other images each time they post an image. It helps to foster the community atmosphere. Critiquing and following other threads is also one of the best ways to learn. A critique doesn't have to be technical but can simply be what you like or don't like about an image.

Thanks,
Rachel

[Martin Dunn]

Thanks for the tips Rachel.
EXIF info as follows:

Nikon D80
Sigma 120-400mm lens @220mm
1/1000s
f7.1
ISO400

Handheld.

Yes the light is/was very harsh. We were on our way back to camp after our morning game drive when we spotted this pride showing an interest in a lone Imapala male.
We watched them for about an hour as they failed with the imapala and then 3 of the lionesses went on to fail with family of warthogs.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Good to see you here, Mr Dunn! :5
I really can't add to Rachel and Steve's excellent feedback and welcoming notes. I look forward to seeing more of your work here and having you participate in critiquing the work of others.
Please do try and post a bit bigger as Steve said.
:cheers: