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Thread: Cheetah cub

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    Default Cheetah cub

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    I travelled 100 miles to try and find a female cheetah and her two cubs in the Auob river bed. I found them as they were enjoying there first kill and I took this image of this 8 month old cub as it walked towards me having quenched its thirst following the second kill they had consumed. I like the rounded appearance of the full tummy. The mother went on to make four kills on this day, a truly amazing feat.
    Camera details:
    Canon EOS 1 Ds mark III
    Canon EF 500mm f4 LUIS
    Shutter speed:1/3200
    Aperture f4
    ISO: 400
    The image was processed in LR4 and CS5 on a 15" MBP.
    Any comments and crits welcome.


    Last edited by Peter Kes; 10-31-2012 at 04:59 PM.

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Mark - nice low pov and head on view. I too like seeing the full stomach. Looks like the light was already a bit strong. If it were mine I would consider a luminosity mask at 20-30%. 4 kills in one day is amazing, sounds like she's a great mom and hunter.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Lifetime Member Marina Scarr's Avatar
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    Love this vertical and centered presentation. Thank you for pointing out the full belly. I would not have known. The soft BG works really well here.
    Marina Scarr
    Florida Master Naturalist
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    Hi Mark,

    Outstanding image. The low perspective and eyes looking straight at us makes this image. If it were mine, I would crop some off the top so the face was more above center.
    How did you get so low? Well done.

    Roger

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    Hi Rachel, Marina and Roger,
    Thank you for your comments, they are gratefully appreciated. Roger, I always try with predators to get as low as possible and in this case I was able to by positioning the landcruiser on the right side of the road. The roads in the Kalahari are dragged so there is a little bit of a sandy verge and once the car was positioned I shot the image from the passenger side of the car which was much lower than the drivers side which is the side I would have normally used. It has created a nice low angle and that is what I am always after. The next time I am in the KTP, I am going to use a monopod, a remote shutter release and a wide angle lens to take images of these predators close up and invert the image in photoshop. We will just have to see how those images come out.
    Best wishes and many thanks,
    Mark.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Mark, nice head on shot and I like the slightly open mouth.

    With the SS as high as it was, I would like to have had more DOF for the face, and this really would not have effected the diffused surroundings. Personally I would crop slightly tighter, as I feel the subject is floating within frame.

    TFS
    Steve
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    nice angle here, Mark, and harsh Kalahari light well handled
    the face does seem to lack some fine detail, easy to retain in a rework I would presume (unless it is a DOF issue as per Steve)
    I am also keen to try the monopod-method you describe...maybe I'll give it a bash at the end of the month...
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Hi Morkel and Steve,
    Thanks for your comments. I don't think the lack in fine detail is a depth of field issue and most likely is due to the edge and surface masks used, so a little bit of fine tuning will resolve the matter, I am sure.
    Morkel, give the method a go, I am sure that the method will provide amazing results.
    Best wishes,
    Mark.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thanks Mark. We'll just have to resort to doing it when on our own, as some people see it as breaking the rules of not hanging out of your car and might report you at the camps and you'll get fined. No kidding - another photographer I know was reported for shooting with his 500mm lens resting over his side mirror...
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Hi Morkel,
    That will have to be the case, I just cannot believe it that some people are so pedantic. I have seen lions walking on vehicles on you tube in the KTP and the people were teasing them. I just cannot believe it.
    Best wishes,
    Mark.

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