Jan or Freek??

[Mark Wiseman]

I found this male with a lioness at Kousant waterhole. I was with my 8 month old son and my wife, who was pregnant at the time. I decided to drop them off in Nossob camp and come back to take photo's of the two. This was a 100km round trip, but it was well worth it. This male was mating with the lioness and had also killed the biggest eland that I have seen and had hidden the carcass underneath a large camelthorn bush where the water tank is now placed. He was very passive in character, while the lioness was extremely aggressive and at one stage nearly popped her head into the car. I like the head angle on this male, his thoughtful look and the eye sharpness.
Camera details:
Canon EOS 1Ds Mk III
Canon EF 500mm f4 LUIS lens
Aperture f7.1
Shutter speed 1/40
ISO 100
The image was processed in ACR and CS5. I only applied a little sharpening in the post processing.
Any comments and advice welcome.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Mark, good detail considering your SS, would have certainly have increased the ISO, but looks at this size you did very well. How does it look at 16x12?

Personally I might try to get a little more detail from within the darker nose area and if you were inclined to, clone out the lighter bit at the foot of the image, LHS, but no big deal, just might work better tonally, by your signature? Is this FF, as a bit more at the foot might help, or a slightly tighter crop loosing some from the top & RHS, just a thought?

TFS
Steve

[Mark Wiseman]

Hi Steve,
Thanks for your comments. It is full frame, so I did no cropping.
Thanks for your help and I will try your recommendations. I think I really did well with the shutterspeed considering the sharpness I achieved. The ISO settting is a habit from film days and something I have since learned not to do.
The original file size is 5500 x 3750, so sharpness should not be a problem at 16 x 12 dimension.
Unfortunately the highlighted background does me no favours, thanks for your help, it is gratefully appreciated.

[Tom Graham]

Tis good for 1/40 at 500mm. But case of too much lens me thinks. Less lens mm or backed-off and you would have some canvass to play/crop with - obvious I suppose. Of course sometimes just can't happen, so .... Yes, film days, 35mm transparencies, what-you-shot-was-what-you-got. Took me long time to break that habit, thank God for digital.
Tom
ps - "Jan or Freek??" I don't get it, a UK thing?

[Mark Wiseman]

Hi Tom,
Thanks for your comments. The Jan or Freek is a reference to the name of the lion. This male forms part of a two male coalition. They are the two males within the Bedinkt pride of lions in the KTP. It is very difficult to distinguish them apart, the only way is to check there whisker pattern and I dont have two images of them. Although I saw them together in April of this year, I was unable to photograph them together and at close range to make that identification.
:cheers:

[Hilary Hann]

I love the detail in this portrait and the wistful look in the lion's eyes. The yellowing teeth balance the eyes, strangely. There is something quite sad about this image, but very nicely presented. I won't comment on whether a wider shot would have been better or worse, or whether a different comp would work because on balance the photograph has wonderful emotional appeal and at the end of the day, I think that carries more weight than some of the technical considerations.

[Harshad Barve]

tight vertical will be my choice , excellent details
TFS

[Steve Canuel]

Hi Mark,
Lots of character in that face and some good detail captured.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Lovely techs indeed Mark...steady hand eh? :bg3:
I like the compo as posted, though I might be tempted to experiment even tighter crops...

[Mark Wiseman]

Hi Morkel,
I was suffering from bacterial meningitis when I was on a course in New York in August 2007 which Artie presented. I nearly died but one thing I can remember from that course was what Artie mentioned, that was to determine sharpness hang a piece of newspaper on the wall and see how low you can go with your shutter speed before you get camera shake, then you know how slow you can go. That was a very important lesson.
I think I forgot most of the rest of the course, but that is understandable, I at least survived the meningitis.

[Pieter de Waal]

Great detail and expression in this image Mark, reinforced with those battle scars. I too might consider a tighter crop.