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Forum Participant
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Wildlife Moderator
Hi Ed, a big warm welcome to the wildlife Forum, cracking first image and I like your approach and thinking. It's not just about posting images, but participating in other threads within the Forum, as it 's a great place to learn and make some great friends too.
Firstly for all postings on the web you need to change your profile & settings to sRGB from ProPhoto, this ensures that you image is portrayed correctly and to it's best. If you are unsure there is a Stick call saving for Web, have a read as it's on the first page of wildlife, note the KB file size has changed.
I like the composition and overall the image shows how Leopards are incredibly relaxed although it doesn't look that comfortable, how did you get the POV? Nice placement within frame and very little you can do with the highlights poking through the canopy. Just be careful that you don't choke the blacks, especially when adding contrast. I would try to selectively reduce the exposure on the chin to reduce the whites. Sharpening looks OK on the subject, but would ease off a little on the tree as it's just starting to look a little crunchy to me, always good to do this as an adjustment layer.
LR works well coupled with PS as you can do things in PS you can't in LR. The best way to learn what the sliders do is to move then aggressively to see what effect it has, then you can pull back and be then more sensitive with your actions. In PS it's best to do things as an adjustment layer, you can the toggle on or off if you don't like it or go back to refine your adjustments.
Great to have you on here & posting, any question just shout or ask anyone, as we are all friendly and don't bite.
cheers
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
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Post a Thank You. - 1 Thanks
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Lifetime Member
Hi Ed - Let me also add my welcome to BPN and the Wildlife Forum. Great first post and I am partial to leopard shots these days. I am also interested to hear how you got the straight on pov. As always, Steve and Morkel have given excellent suggestions. I look forward to more of your posts and your participation.
TFS,
Rachel
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Hi Ed, Lovely exposure and detail on the Leopard. Morkel has already mentioned a crop which would be in line with my thinking. Having the paws visible at this angle makes him look powerful. Fantastic shot !
Hiran
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Wonderful image, and welcome!!
With the light sky areas, a crop from the left would also work. The rather prominent branch there isn't contributing a lot, for me, and is pulling my eye away from the gorgeous animal! A little off the right could also work with that crop. A subject off-center is usually very nice, but sometimes isn't the only (or best) option.
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Hi Ed.
Welcome and I too think this is a great first post, and could be a pretty tidy 100th also... I agree with both the cropping suggestions, both right and left as the light comming in from the left through the trees detracts, and cropping from the right just to tighten it up a bit... I just love the paws and the eyes and would want them bigger in the frame.. beautiful!
DON
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Forum Participant
Thank you all for useful comments and nice compliments. I have been trying to avoid the temptation to crop too tight (creating just portraits which I have done for a long time) and I try to show animals in their environment more. Hence my reluctance to crop closer. Also, I feared cropping too much from a 10MP file (above is a 6.5MP crop which is acceptable I guess). However, I tried with all your suggestions and see that a slightly closer crop does improve things considerably.
Diane - thanks for your comment about the branch. I initially considered that it acted as a lead-in line that guided the viewer to the main subject, but I see that it might just appear as a huge expanse of bark!
The eye-level angle was a bit of ingenuity and a lot of luck! I found her in a low tree (this branch is only about 4m off the ground) but she was facing away from me. I waited for a long time for some antelope to appear behind me (I knew they would eventually as there was a waterhole there) and she turned to keep an eye on them. During the time she was facing away from me, I repositioned my vehicle onto a raised area of ground, quietly climbed into the back seats and stood up very slowly so as not to bother her. By the time I was standing, with the lens on a monopod, I was almost eye level with her. She's a leopard who I've watched many times and she has even gone right past my seat while I've been watching her hunt so I knew that a bit of movement wouldn't disturb her......see that notch in her left ear, that's how we know it's her.
Yes Morkel, I've been guiding in the Luangwa for 5 years, including many hours with a camera and photo guests, and many hours on foot leading walking safaris. I've been following your work and enjoy it immensely. I particularly admire how you maintain apparent contrast in your images without blocking up the blacks......any clues as to how you do it!?
Cheers for now.
Ed
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BPN Viewer
A late welcome and a wonderful shot to start with. Nice detail, color, and clarity. I really like the leading line of the trunk and that hanging paw.
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Hello Ed,
Welcome to the forum; and quite an opening here with this lovely shot!
The environment and the pose have made for a great composition here, and my personal choice would be to crop off a tad bit from the bottom.
You're lucky to live in SL - am wondering what more a resident of this place has in store for us 
Shreyas