Stalking Wild Dog

[Rachel Hollander]

I know this will not be everyone's cuppa but it certainly fits the theme and I've always sort of liked it. This is from our sighting of the wild dog pack at the waterhole/dam and he was stalking another pack member. It was late morning by this point so the sun was a bit strong and high in the sky. There was no way to get lower as we parked on the bank of the waterhole so slightly above it. I left the ripples at the top because that gave him a target in his stalking.

Canon 5D3
70-200 II @ 200 mm
1/1250
f5.6
ISO 400
HH, slight crop for comp, luminosity mask, levels, curves, selective color adjustments, sharpened in CCPS.

Thanks,

Rachel

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

A very nice walking pose, though away from cam. Still it does portray intention and the splashing water from his/her feet and the ripples on top do add interest. Certainly a good one for the theme.

[keith mitchell]

Rachel even though this breaks the so called rules,think what the animal is doing tells it's own story without looking at it's face,think the ripples at the top add a bit more mystery,what was it?got to be a good theme one.

Keith.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Rachel, a nice encounter indeed, albeit a rather smelly one at times, the diet of theses dogs leaves a lot to be desired.

I like the stalking pose, but the fact the WD is moving away I do find a little less engaging with the viewer. Personally I would crop to loose the dark ripples at the top, as they really don't add anything to the overall image. The water was really that green folks, almost luminous!!!

TFS
Steve

[Andre Pretorius]

Hi Rachel

Image well processed and dog sharp.
The first thing that I realised is the algae in the shallow water- has been stagnant for some time..
Love the stalking pose of the dog, although from the rear...
Those big ears are listening...

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dearest Rachel,

You already know how much I love Wild Dogs, this image certainly tantalises my taste buds and leaves me wanting for more:)

The light is beautiful and helps show the true colours of the species: vibrant yellows and browns, rich blacks. Love the stalking pose, concentration, water running off the subjects' paws. Nice and sharp, great IQ. This frame is about intention, anticipation, let us call it "tension". I would have liked it even more if some of the face was visible (not necessarily the eye). Or the subject of the WD's attention was present somewhere in the frame. I personally would not change the crop - I was tempted to agree with the others at first but soon realised that space is needed to create the "story" - so good thinking here.

A challenging image for me in terms of critique and I took some time to figure out how I felt about it. I could perhaps write a whole story on this stalking WD because this does satisfy my passion for narrative. It is a bit like a chapter in the middle of a story though, excites me and leaves me wondering at the same time. But I need a little more: when it comes to content I feel part of the plot is missing somehow.

Warmest regards,

[Rachel Hollander]

Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions, much appreciated as always. After getting the more conventional images, I like to experiment with a few unconventional shots if time, subject and light cooperate. Here it did. Even if it's not to your personal liking, it at least gets people thinking and discussing.

Thanks again,
Rachel

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Rachel, any Wild Dog image is a great image, if its facing you or not. Love the raised right foot with the falling water, and I do like the dirty green water from the WD disturbance. Im sure you captured more than enough images of this encounter. :w3

[haseeb badar]

Hi Rachel -- This one doesn't grab me but still it is a different perspective altogether . The ripples on the top for me are not adding anything to the image , rather some part of the subject would have been an interesting thing , must have been a great sighting though and nice to see you experimenting . Sorry .

TFS !