Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: Cheetah Kill

  1. #1
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Hyderabad, India
    Posts
    5,088
    Threads
    1,356
    Thank You Posts

    Default Cheetah Kill

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    7D + 70-200 f/4 IS. The light was getting low so upped the ISO to 1600 to get this shot. PP in ACR, CS5. Warmed the image up with colour temp to 4800. Did some colour adj. NR to BG, Sharpened in CS5.
    Camera Canon EOS 7D
    Exposure (1/160)
    Aperture f/5.6
    Focal Length 106 mm
    ISO Speed 1600
    Exposure Bias 0 EV

  2. #2
    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Dortmund / Germany
    Posts
    10,906
    Threads
    1,196
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Sanjeev,
    nice sightings you had on your trip.
    From a photographic POV i think the angle is not very attractive and not ideal.Why haven`t you used the other camera? You could have gone higher with 5D, that you had more choices for SS and ISO.
    The comp is ok.
    You have more tonal variations in the shrub than in the main subjects, i think you should try to get more tonal variations in the subjects instead .

    Just my thoughts

    TFS Andreas

  3. Thanks Sanjeev Aurangabadkar thanked for this post
  4. #3
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Sanjeev - based on the techs and your description it does look like you struggled with light and ss. I would have dropped down to f4 to get as much light as possible. I agree with Andreas that the pov isn't the best. Looks like you were either close in the vehicle or the cheetah was in a dip off the road. There are some blues coming through in the bushes and also the very tip of the cheetah's tail. Again the whites on the kill look hot with no detail. Have you tried recovering them?

    TFS,
    Rachel

  5. Thanks Sanjeev Aurangabadkar thanked for this post
  6. #4
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Hyderabad, India
    Posts
    5,088
    Threads
    1,356
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thank you Andreas & Rachel, we were close to the subjects and I shot from the roof hatch, hence the steep angle. The 500 II was paired with the 5D3 and since it was getting late we only got a few mins to shoot, so did not bother changing bodies. Rachel, in ACR I did use alt click and recovery slider and there are no hot spots on the belly of the tommy. Appreciate your feedback a lot.
    regards,
    Sanjeev

  7. #5
    BPN Viewer
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Posts
    3,596
    Threads
    260
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Very sad when you get a good sighting but don't have time to give it justice. All I can say is that it sharpens your mind for the next time. Sometimes, the slider may not show up hot spots but the whites are too bright despite that.

  8. Thanks Sanjeev Aurangabadkar thanked for this post
  9. #6
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in the world
    Posts
    20,551
    Threads
    1,285
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Sanjeev, I agree with Andreas, the angle isn't great, however you have to make the most of the situation and invariably there will be other vehicles, plus other guess who clammer to get close and based on the kit, you were close.

    I would revisit the image back in LR/ACR, just a slight tweak in Highlights, Whites & Exp tones the bright hotspots back. There is also minimal clipping on the blacks (Dark shadow areas), but I wouldn't worry. Popping a Midtone adj just brings a bit more depth to everything I might just drop the blue in the whites of the kill. There is a bit of detail in there, but adjusting things certainly bring out more even on a web image. It also brings more depth & form to the body of the cheetah too. Certainly swopping bodies and cranking up the ISO would have been the better option, even with some cropping the IQ would have been better, but this is always with hindsight.

    I'll drop you a screen grab of the setting which may help initially?

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

  10. Thanks Sanjeev Aurangabadkar thanked for this post
  11. #7
    Forum Participant edwardselfe's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    South Luangwa, Zambia
    Posts
    701
    Threads
    26
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Think Steve's given some good ideas. there's more that could come out of this image I think. it's a frustration of mine that some guides sometimes drive too close to animals on safari. Nearly everyone has a 300mm lens, but even with a 200, it's possible to get nice images when people stand back a bit. and very hard to get a nice shot if you've driven up on top of the animal. I sympathise Sanjeev.
    Ed

  12. Thanks Sanjeev Aurangabadkar thanked for this post
  13. #8
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    7,738
    Threads
    455
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hello Sanjeev,

    What a great sighting and so sorry you did not have the best circumstances in this instance-I personally avoid going anywhere in an open vehicle with other guests, very frustrating since photographers and non-photographers don't mix well on a safari.

    Well this reminds me of an amusing story: we made one mistake of getting on a big game vehicle (the Unimog type) during an earlier trip in the Kalahari. Myself and my partner were staying at Mata Mata for a few nights and decided to go for a three hour trip, since one is not allowed to drive in one's own vehicle after sunset. We just wanted to see what happened at night around there. The truck was full of people talking and laughing and telling jokes in various languages, the ranger did not notice the hyaenas and the porcupine and the springhares so I had to shout at him to stop from time to time. He stopped for a few seconds eventually (usually a little too late) and before I got my settings right and the flash and everything, he was off without a warning and I nearly dropped my equipment as I fell back on my seat Eventually I gave up, swore under my breath, put my equipment in a bag underneath my seat, and grabbed a spotlight from a tourist who looked tired and not-so-interested-as-I-was in finding some wildlife.

    So well done under the circumstances, surely you can improve this image and lots of good advice from Steve above, looking forward to a repost,

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

  14. Thanks Sanjeev Aurangabadkar thanked for this post
  15. #9
    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Switzerland
    Posts
    1,818
    Threads
    95
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    HI Sanjeev,

    keep Ed's suggestions in mind next time you go on Safari. You can tell the driver not to drive to close. You pay for the driving!!!
    When I saw the image this was my first impression, to close. Oh well, next time you know what to do in such a case.
    You got good suggestion from Steve and others above. Nice sighting for sure.

    Have a great day

    Ciao
    Anette

  16. Thanks Sanjeev Aurangabadkar thanked for this post
  17. #10
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Hyderabad, India
    Posts
    5,088
    Threads
    1,356
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks Everyone for your feedback, highly appreciated. Steve & ed your points are well noted and I will take care. Gabriela, what a nice story and I can understand your agony at such times. Our vehicle had 4 people (we three were close friends) and another new acquaintance who did not have a camera but was insisting we move on as he wanted to see a leopard!!! And the driver was in a hurry to get back to the lodge :-( Well, in the future I will ask the driver to not go so close as it surely must be disturbing the animal while having his hard-earned meal. Steve gave some good ideas and I will work on the RP.
    Cheers
    Sanjeev

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics