Leopard rests on a tree

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Hi All,
Am back after a gap, got busy with work and family matters. Here is a simple image of a a leopard on a tree looking intently down at us. Had posted a similar but wider image earlier. Cropped this closer & vertical to bring more focus on the subject.
7D II
f/6.3
ISO 400
1/320
100-400 II

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Sanjeev i like your " simple" Leopard looking down at you or us .
The subject does look framed with the tree trunks which i quite like .
You have nice detail and sharpness even with that low SS , oops Steve :bg3:.
I think you should burn the HL for a bit more depth and tone , and i think you have a green tinge across the image , specially visible in the subject , could come from the surrounding foliage .

Nice one Sanjeev :cheers:

TFS Andreas

[Jess M. McKenzie]

Very impressive cat, Sanjeev. I like the bright, clean color and --especially -- the composition.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Sanjeev - Great eye contact and the dof works well for me. Andreas has summed it up well. I thought about a crop up from the bottom so that edge is all branch but then it becomes a bit too square for my taste.

TFS,
Rachel

[keith mitchell]

Never seen one of these in the wild Sanjeev but looking at this I can see how you could easily miss it, excellent detail and pose.

Keith.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Sanjeev, I very much like the overall colour palette and the composition works really well, I would just burn that bottom RHC to reduce the lighter areas.

Andreas, regarding SS that is down to the individual now, as I have said it enough times. However you now know how clean images are at highish ISO (i.e.: 12,800), therefore images can only be sharper if a good SS is obtained. :S3:

TFS
Steve

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dear Sanjeev and Friends,

I completely agree with everyone above, this is a stunning capture - congratulations, Sanjeev! Love the pose, eye contact, this is well exposed and the colours are great.

Still, I wish we could see the same image at ISO 800 or 1000:) I am in the same camp with Steve as far as ISO is concerned, and fearless when it comes to raising ISO values if needed. Been experimenting for about a year now and convinced that SS is the key to crisp clear images - some get away with less I know, just like you Sanjeev in this case - but all it takes is a tad of movement from the subject and one has to press the delete button later. Why risk it, if the equipment can take it? Getting the aperture and shutter settings right is more important I think, than using low ISO to avoid noise. Just my thoughts:)

This is a strong image in terms of composition, nice POV and eye contact - great work Sanjeev and I enjoyed viewing this frame so much. Missed you here on BPN. My comments on ISO might seem "out of place" since your image does not lack sharpness or IQ, I just wish to encourage you to experiment more and see what happens?

Warmest regards,

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Thanks you everyone. The kind of feedback I get here on BPN is why I like to post again and again. Great points from all, always something to learn. Yes, I will not hesitate to raise that ISO hence forth. But I must say like Daniel did in another post of his that the IS of the newer lenses is really amazing, which was not possible with lenses 1-2 generations before. Cheers all.
sanjeev.

[haseeb badar]

Hi Sanjeev -- I agree with what Andreas has to say . Very nice image with that eye contact . Nice sharpness as well . i like the crop as presented by you and their are always bright spots when shooting against the sky , you have managed to capture this image very nicely . TFS !

[dennis greenwood]

That's a lovely natural looking pose...all good to me

[Mark Needham]

Hi Sanjeev -- Another wonderful leopard shot from you - you had some awesome leopard sightings on your trip! Excellent detail, sharpness, and comp, and you handled the shadows from the trees very well. Agree with Andreas that I think you could extract a tad more depth out of the leopard. Great shot! :5