Always aware

[Stu Bowie]

I thought I would venture into wildlife for a change and share an image from my Botswana trip of last year. This lion cub had just finished feasting on an Eland kill and was walking back past our vehicle to join the rest of his family. I deliberately went in close to show the blooded face and got good eye contact too. The BG is a dry river bed. Taken at 8.47am, so the light was still fine.

Canon 50D
100-400 @ 320mm
1/1600
F/8.0
ISO 640

Exp Comp 0
Hand held from an open vehicle.

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Beautiful shot, nice sharpness and color! The eye contact is the icing on the cake.
Sanjeev

[Rachel Hollander]

Stuart - nice to see you posting in wildlife again. Nice detail, sharpness and color. Eye contact takes it up a notch. The only thing I am unsure of is the crop though I'm not sure what would work better.

TFS,
Rachel

[Steve Canuel]

Hi Stuart,
Nice rich colors on this cub. I like the shadowed eyes, still visible pupils with a touch of catchlight, and the light highlighted band beneath them.

[Dumay de Boulle]

Man your IQ is awesome. Great detail and colors look spot on...Nice one Stu!

[Steve Kaluski]

Hey Stu, nice to see you stretching you legs and walking on the 'wildside' of life :w3

Love the eye contact, good detail & depth, a lion on a mission. Just a thought for another option is portrait, with that look and outstretch front leg, still has the power the image conveys.

TFS
Steve

[Stu Bowie]

Thanks for all the feedback guys and Rachel.

Steve, when you say portrait, do you mean creating a vertical down through the head and including the extended leg?

[Morkel Erasmus]

Great IQ, eye contact and exposure here Stu. Good to see you venturing in here as well...interesting crop! I played around with it but in the end liked yours the most. :w3

[dankearl]

Great close up and as noted, your IQ is always first rate.
I like the comp as is.

[gail bisson]

Hi Stuart,
I have caught you on " the other side!"! This is a nice image. Eye contact is great with the slightly hooded eyes. I think I would like a tighter portrait crop- maybe even a square,
Gail

[Sid Garige]

Interesting image Stuart. Perfect techs and intense look. This is one cub with character.

[Ken Watkins]

Stuart,
Welcome back:bg3:
Marvelous shot on the subject of a tighter crop, I have had a go, obviously IQ is lost, hope you do not mind

[Stu Bowie]

Thanks a stack for the feedback everyone.

Ken, thanks for your repost too - I dont mind at all. :w3 That is what Steve K had in mind.

[Steve Kaluski]

That is what Steve K had in mind.

Think you might want to check Stu, a portrait/vertical option, not square, as it removes the powerful stride in the front leg that is important. :S3:

[Ken Watkins]

Stuart,

Just to set the record straight my repost is not square its dimensions are 21.8 x 28.02, clearly a vertical, also I think that the "powerful stride" is not conveyed without the full leg, hence my decision to lessen its length.

It would be interesting to what both you and others may think.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Ken, I must be honest and say that I wasnt thinking when I replied to your repost. What Steve had in mind was to include the striding leg, and was was shot as posted in my OP. Here is what Steve had in mind, and it does give a different perspective which I like.

[Rachel Hollander]

Stuart - I prefer your repost. I think the body posture here adds to the feel of the image and the uniqueness - the cub checking you out as he passes by. Ken's tighter repost loses the sense of movement and became more of a direct view similar to a lot of portraits out there. Just my $.02.

Rachel

[Ken Watkins]

Stuart,
I like your repost, as to whether stride is either "powerful" or conveys a "sense of movement", I really do not think so.
For me the head angle and shoulder position convey this perfectly, a sitting Lion would not look like this.
Just my opinion
Cheers

Ken

[Harshad Barve]

Liked your re-post most Stuartbhai , Can't wait to see them in Sept , This will be my third consecutive visit to Mara
TFS