Hyena Motherhood

[Morkel Erasmus]

A special sighting we enjoyed at Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve in the Sabi Sand recently...a female spotted hyaena carried a small cub for many kilometers between den sites.
Here she was walking in the 2-track road. Though it looks like the cub is hurt, it was actually fine, possibly just flesh from whatever the mom was feeding on prior to carrying the youngster.
Yes, the tyre tracks, I know...:e3


Techs:
Nikon D800
Nikkor 400mm f2.8G VR
f5.0 | 1/800 SS | ISO-500

[Stuart Philpott]

Morkel,all I can offer beyond what an amazing spectacle to witness,is I'd like just a bit more light on the cub. I love the dappled light and the blood adds some mystery to your image,making one wonder on several levels. Morkel ,may I ask how many times you have seen this? It must be incredibly rare,but obviously I have no conception of just how rare.

thanks as always for your posts ha ha yes the tyre tracks but what could you do:S3:

take care

Stu

[keith mitchell]

Must admit when I first looked Morkel I thought the cub was dead.Would it be right to try and make the cub a little lighter?or is it something that you would rather be left natural,hope I have put that right.You can certainly see how this powerful looking animal blends into it's BG.You always get a very natural look on the texture of the fur/hair.

Keith.

[haseeb badar]

Hi Morkel -- A special moment indeed and you have handled the light pretty well . I am so familiar with the tyre track stuff as most of our clear Tiger sightings are on tracks consisting of tyre marks . I would have give a bit more on the top as it is quite tight there but not a deal breaker .

TFS !

[Andre Pretorius]

Hi Morkel

Nice to have this Mommy with cub walking right past you!

The early morning light gave you a side lit subject, can't brighten the cub more..
I know it is as it was, but I would tone down a bit on red/orange.

What was your thinking behind the techs?

[Gabriela Plesea]

Extremely special sighting Morkel, I have only witnessed this once in the KTP. For those who do not know, these little guys are born with teeth! This one's certainly alive and happy being carried around, love that full belly and paws slightly lifted, he is quite relaxed and safe in mommy's gentle grip. Hyenas are amazing mothers and so caring, so patient with their young.

I do not mind the tyre tracks. And I take it lighting conditions were rather difficult. Not sure about the circumstances at this sighting, I guess you were shooting handheld and had no chance to change settings again and again as the subjects got closer. I would have liked a higher SS and a bit more DOF. I particularly like the POV and the pink light touching the subjects from the side which adds to the mood. Overall a wonderful and very memorable capture, thank you so much for sharing, I so enjoyed viewing:S3:

Warmest regards,

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Morkel - A nice moment. I am fine with the shadow and nice, warm light. Did the cub have littermates so that she had to do this more than once? Yes, the tire tracks are not ideal but they often like the road for quick movement as well as sight lines. I would prefer a tiny bit more room above if you have it.

TFS,
Rachel

[Steve Kaluski]

Lovely light here Morkel, although I think you were right on the cusp with the highlight on the shoulder/neck. Agree, a tad more SS would not have impacted on the image. Strong diagonal lines in the comp, but a tad/sliver more above would be good.

TFS
Steve

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks folks.

Couple of answers to get to, so here goes:

1. f5.0 - wanted shallower DOF to separate the mom/cub from BG foliage, also wanted mostly mom's head and the cub to in focus and the focus of the image.
2. SS choice - what I felt was a comfortable balance in getting a sharp shot at the pace she was walking, combined with optimising auto-ISO.
3. Tightness at the top - I cropped like this specifically (it's close to FF, but have space to work with) to focus on the carried cub and details around there.
4. Rachel - she took this one to the den where there were already other cubs, and then she and the whole clan moved back through the bush to possibly go and fetch other cubs, but we had to get back and pack up as we were leaving after breakfast to make it back for Mother's Day lunch at home!

[Marc Mol]

Excellent story telling image here Morkel and your detailed reasons for the techs sit perfectly well with me :5

Too much emphasis here on more s/s, where it's not needed, with excellent VR coupled with good H/H technique, granted the subject isn't fast moving,

s/s per lens length ratio (in conjunction with Auto ISO) is more than adequate for most situations. :w3

1/800s @ f/5 is perfect.