Spotty

[Gabriela Plesea]

Good evening Friends,

I have a cute and very friendly young Spotted Hyena for you tonight...

Should you wish to see a few more images from this encounter, kindly pop in to the Story Sequences Forum! Yes, I am trying to entice you to join me there and share some of your own images, a couple of members have already contributed with some awesome frames and for that I thank you from the heart:5

Nikon D4
Nikon 500F4
ISO 2000
F7.1
+0.3 EV
1/1000s

Kindly note, the green tinge here and there, and especially under Spotty's paws, is due to algae from the water she had been drinking. Do let me know what you think, would you have captured this differently in terms of camera settings? Would you have liked more DOF? How would you improve this image when it comes to post-processing? All comments and critique welcome, thank you so much for viewing:S3:

Wishing you a great week ahead,

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Gabriela - I really like the pose here. He looks very relaxed in your presence but still keeping an eye on you. Interesting about the green. I am fine with the dof. I do feel the image is a bit thin in the midtones and darks though. A simple fix if you are so inclined.

TFS,
Rachel

[haseeb badar]

Hi Gabriela -- Cannot get any better then this , a very tight frame perfectly works here . Nice details and sharpness , and good call on DOF. I like the way it is giving you that glancing look . No changes for me , looks perfect . TFS !

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Gabriela, love the pose, outstretched legs and that eye just watching you. Like the strong diagonal lines and the way the nearest leg leads you up.

I'm not sure if by increasing the DoF and having the pads 'in focus' too, would the image improve (?), but the key elements - nose to eye are sharp. Tonally I too am OK as presented.

TFS
Steve

[Gabriela Plesea]

Thank you Rachel, Haseeb and Steve,

Rachel, I had this thought of working on the mid-tones here and there but changed my mind before posting, the main reason being I had already shared this image in the Story Sequences Forum as is. This youngster was lying in the shade and I remember the way the sun barely touched its face, it was a weak afternoon and a lemon-coloured sun was peeping between scattered clouds. The light was frail and temporary and so was my encounter with the Hyena - she was so lovely and flirtatious that not for a moment I considered putting my camera down.

Steve, I saw beauty in this creature and a challenge to capture her to the best of my ability. So I experimented. I will share a few more images from this encounter in the future, a variety of poses and the frames were taken at all possible settings. I am not sure whether I should have gone for more DOF here, yes it works pretty well but not sure it is perfect, just thinking the greenish tinge on the pads might draw attention to some extent and therefore the need for them to be sharp?

Warmest regards,

[Steve Kaluski]

I will share a few more images from this encounter in the future, a variety of poses and the frames were taken at all possible settings.

Great, don't hold back, or indeed wait, post!:S3:


I am not sure whether I should have gone for more DOF here, yes it works pretty well

You know my thoughts about this and so do most who post here, experiment!!!

[Gabriela Plesea]

I will do so, thank you Steve:5

[keith mitchell]

Gabriela not the cutest animal in my eyes but having said that you have captured it beautifully,do like the way it's got it's eye on you.

Keith.