Curious cub

[Martin Dunn]

136106

Nikon D300s
Sigma 120-400mm zoom @120mm
1/800
f4.5
ISO1600
hand held

RAW conversion in Nikon Capture. I reduced brightness on the branches in the lower right hand corner and on the brigher parts of his neck.
sharpened in Photoshop Elements.

We watched this young leopard and his sister playing in the undergrowth for about half an hour.
At one point he surprised us by scampering up a fallen tree and giving us a long curious look. It happened so fast I didn't have time ot change lenses or grab a different body. Hence the missing tail tip. I couldn't zoom out any more.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Martin - First as a member you can post 1200px wide and 900px high. It really makes it easier to view and critique. It's a cute cub and I like the pose. Where was the AF point? The face could use some more sharpening. Unfortunately some of the whites look a little hot and some of the blacks choked. I'm not sure if you can recover them more in the raw converter that you are using but it would be worth trying. There's also some blue coming through in the shadows, most noticeable on the tail and the inside of the front paw. I agree with you about the tail and if the IQ would hold up then an alternative might be to crop to a portrait oriented image. Did you get any of the 2 cubs together?

TFS,
Rachel

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Martin, the clipped tail is annoying, but these things happen. Agree on the blue, a quick fix, likewise dropping the highlights/whites to resolve the hotspots on the cub, but I might to do this selectively and perhaps through Exposure to bring back any subtle detail? The blacks are showing clipped, but ultimately in the deep shadow areas. I like the front paws clinging to the log and showing the extended claws, on this one having the face to camera might have taken it up a notch. Not sure whats happening bottom RH corner, looks a little blurry/soft/ghosting?

TFS
Steve

[Martin Dunn]

[QUOTE=Rachel Hollander;961610] Did you get any of the 2 cubs together?

I did Rachel, but none I am really happy with. Most were in dappled light amongst the undergrowth giving strong highlights and shadows.

[Gavin Slabbert]

Shooting cubs or any animals in broken shade leads to some really challenging situations and most end up being thrown away, so typically I say to my clients get your documentary image and then lets move and see if we can get better light. With that being said, more often than not it is nearly impossible for the animals in the wild are really not that cooperative.

This image to me looks a little soft, especially in mid body, but it is all about the eyes, get them sharp and the rest is secondary. The clipping of the tail bothers me a lot, the green in the background may be a tad over saturated, but excellent use of the tough situation in the broken light.

[GertOoms]

Hi Martin

I think you did a great job taking into account all factors. A lot has already been mentioned, but what distracts the most are the highlights.

TFS
Gert

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Martin,

very nice image and agree with the tail. I thought I throw the tail in here again, that you might remember next time to include it if possible. :bg3:
The most has been said already above.

Ciao
Anette

[Morkel Erasmus]

These situations are tricky indeed, Martin. You received some good advice above - with the tail clipped where it is I would play with tighter crops?
All in all, I hope there are shots from this sighting that allowed better exposure and framing...

Happy 2014 to you!!