EastAfrica0422 by docsanjeev, on Flickr
7D and 15-85 IS USM Lens
This is more like a Lion Landscape shot. But we were happy to get so close and as a bonus got a scenic view as well.
1/250
f/10
ISO 320
Well this certainly an entirely different point of view, which results in an interesting image.
The light was clearly not on your side for this one, it is not clear how wide you had the lens, but if possible it should have been wider to try and avoid the clipping of the Lions head on the RHS. If you have no more I would suggest if it is within your ethics trying to clone it out. A little more room at the bottom would also have been nice.
I certainly like the mood captured, the look on the males is nice, the females rolling around. The head clip on the lower right side is noticeable. I am not to sure about the light. But I do like the scenic feel.
Hi Sanjeev, I'm really gad you posted this here too, as it's away from what we normally see.
I think you could have upped the ISO a bit more, only to give yourself some more SS, which is never a bad thing IMHO . Can you remember, but did you use a polarise filter, I just get the impression there was one attached? If this is FF then I think whatever you did you would have cut the lion on the RHS, so no worries, always a difficult call, but personally I would have liked a bit more FG. What I might suggest is using a Gradient filter, similar to an ND filter which you can apply to the image and darken it marginally from the top, to say the lions, plus adding an RGB layer and changing the blending and opacity just to add some more depth within the image. Also, and it might just be me, but a one degree CCW rotation helps, as I get the impression things are on a slight incline. The water might look level, but sometimes it can be an optical POV.
I've had to crop in because of the slight rotation and lack of image area after, but you get the idea and direction I'm going I hope, but view in PS.
TFS
Steve
Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.
Sanjeev - a great view here. Looks like a good spot. Did you get some action from them?
With the lack of space at the bottom, I would also have investigated a crop, but Steve's feels a bit tight for me...
Thanks Steve, Morkel, Ken & Grady. This was full frame, no crop. 15mm view. I did not include more foreground as there was lot of mud and gravel and we had approached too close to the lions and then retreated a bit, that left tyre marks and did not want to include those :-)
Morkel, it was evening around 5i or so and we were in a hurry to get to the lodge. The lions were just lazing, probably the had a meal earlier in the day.mwe waited for 15 mins and then drove off. What a treat it was to see em from such close quarters!
steve I liked your RP and no I was not using a polarising filter. Only a UV filter that lives on my lens (B+W).
i have decided to buy the 300mm 2.8 II lens. Hope it serves me well for wildlife and birding along with the TCs! Will buy the 500 f/4 II in a couple years I guess(my wife agreed to it finally hehehe!)
Cheers
Sanjeev
This was full frame, no crop. 15mm view. I did not include more foreground as there was lot of mud and gravel and we had approached too close to the lions and then retreated a bit, that left tyre marks and did not want to include those :-)
Hi Sanjeev, always good to add this in the intro, just helps those that view and the feedback given, now I can understand your thinking which was very helpful. Glad you liked the RP, just thought it gave it a little more oomph, however doing this is easily adjusted to suit your own tastes and the Gradient app is in most software, or you can make your own using the Layer palette.
A good call on the lens, although the 200-400 would perhaps be better, but the release date seems still to be uncertain, but also has a large price tag too, however having seen it last year it's a nice bit of kit. Regarding the 500, make sure you have that in writing.
All the best.
Steve
Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.