This is the large male lion that charged Steve as we pulled up to the sighting. He was in the early stages of mating with the lioness that normally traveled with the 3 Machaton brothers we saw feeding on the buffalo carcass. Here he is resting in the shade near the female waiting for her to be receptive again.
Canon 5D3
300 II plus 2x III
1/500
f7.1
ISO 800
Beanbag from safari vehicle, slight crop from above and left for comp, levels, curves, selective burning of HL in bg, color adjustments, sharpened in CCPS.
C&C welcome and appreciated. Thanks,
Rachel
12-07-2015, 03:18 AM
Sanjeev Aurangabadkar
Ha ha Nice title Rachel! Glad Steve is OK!! Very nice portrait with great detail and sharpness. Colours look great too. TFS.
12-07-2015, 05:39 AM
haseeb badar
Hi Rachel -- Lovely Portrait ! Superb details and Sharpness , like the framing as well .
Recently I saw a Lion in Mara with similar markings on both eyes like the one above !
TFS !
12-07-2015, 10:20 AM
Mark Needham
Hi Rachel -- Lovely tight portrait of this magnificent male lion. Great eye contact and light in the eyes. And, great processing too (sharpness, colors, etc. all look good to me). The only thing that is slightly distracting and catches my eye is the tree stump running through behind the ear to the right, but there is nothing really at all that can be done about this and it is certainly not a deal breaker. Hope Steve has recovered from the shock! :Whoa!:
12-07-2015, 02:28 PM
Andreas Liedmann
Hi Rachel this just simply works :cheers: . Tight framing , lovely colors , good tonal range and very nice fine detail and sharpness .. what more to ask for ?
Love the gaze of this big boy , luckily he did not get Mr K into his arms ....
TFS Andreas
12-07-2015, 03:00 PM
Gabriela Plesea
Hello dearest Rachel!
Glad we get to see more of this male who dared challenge Mr.K! I am not surprised though, the lion must have felt threatened by his powerful presence:S3:
Beautiful portrait and the tight framing works for me too, love the vegetation and the sun barely touching his face here and there.
Well exposed and I like your processing, which is consistent with the lighting conditions at the time. Nice detail in the blacks, face as well as mane. Sharpness is spot-on.
What I find most attractive is the gaze of the subject's face: distant yet very alert, also a tad arrogant - a wonderful portrait of a confident male lion and I enjoyed viewing this, tremendously.
Thank you for sharing Rachel, I am unable to process and post for the next two weeks but I do manage to pop in every night, taking great pleasure in viewing the latest posts:w3
Warmest regards,
12-07-2015, 08:13 PM
Rachel Hollander
Thanks everyone for the kind comments. I'm glad you like this one.
Rachel
12-08-2015, 09:19 AM
Jonathan Ashton
Rachel that's a gorgeous image you have captured the texture of his mane beautifully. I also like his regal pose - something rather superior about his manner don't you think?
12-08-2015, 11:48 AM
Andre Pretorius
Hi Rachel
Love this one!
With that perfect mane hairdo, maybe he was expecting a special guest?
The bit of sunlight filtering trough adds to his mane and size, agree with Jonathan re that Regal look/gaze.
Well done!
12-08-2015, 11:57 AM
Stu Bowie
Hi Rachel, we all wish for good light when we see the cats, but you have really exposed this very well in the shade. Excellent detail on the head and mane, sharp, and although Im one for having a bit of space around my subject, I like your tight comp here.
I bet Steve a had a few doubles when you guys got back to camp. :bg3::w3
12-08-2015, 12:58 PM
Rachel Hollander
Thanks Jon, Andre and Stu. Jon - yes, he was clearly the biggest male in the area at the time and knew it.
12-09-2015, 08:01 AM
keith mitchell
Rachel think it's all been well covered above, you must be very proud of this I know I would be.
Keith.
12-09-2015, 11:46 AM
Steve Kaluski
Hi Rachel, a very regal posting of this guy in some flattering light. Good detail and nicely processed, although I might try to balance out the lighter parts of the grass at the bottom so they almost become tonally as one and less likely to catch the eye, but then you get away from the scene.
Yes, I'm glad he stopped when he did albeit very close to us, as I certainly was in the firing line for his ULTIMATE attention!!!!