Yawn...! (C)

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

A young male white lion having a good yawn at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve earlier today. The softer look of the lighter coloured white lions create the false perception that they're less ferocious than their darker brothers. But that perception changes very quickly after hearing a powerful growl rumbling up from deep within it's tummy...

D600, f/13, 1/320s, 95mm, ISO 1250. Tamron 70-300mm. Beanbag in car door. Photographed in late morning sun.

The light skin in full sun can be tricky at times. LR used to lower highlights, enhance contrast between darks & lights and for sharpening.

(Ps: Thought I've selected 'Theme' but it does not look like it... can our moderaters perhaps fix it? )

[Don Railton]

Hi Tobie,

A gaping mouth like that still looks pretty dangerous to me...! This image makes the lion look fat to me, not sure if it was or not, but it's not the sort of usual lion image with the majestic head & mane, and I think I am missing that in this image. I think its the fat rolls around the neck thats doing it... I also think I might have opened up the lens a little more to blur the BG and to draw more attention to the lion.

DON

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Hi Tobie,

A gaping mouth like that still looks pretty dangerous to me...! This image makes the lion look fat to me, not sure if it was or not, but it's not the sort of usual lion image with the majestic head & mane, and I think I am missing that in this image. I think its the fat rolls around the neck thats doing it... I also think I might have opened up the lens a little more to blur the BG and to draw more attention to the lion.

DON

Don, thanks for your comment! I had to smile when I've read it because a lack of context could easily lead you to these perceptions (my fault!). Having said that: it might mean that this particular crop does not work for a head shot like this. But: as mentioned below the photo, this is a young male so there's not much of a mane to talk about - more a mohawk hair-do which I wanted fully included in the crop. The teeth you see in this pic are actually very close to its full length, to give you an idea how young he still is - nothing close to 3.5" which the they still have to grow to. That explains why these young guys have to scramble for the bushes when the adult males kick them out of the pride - these baby teeth are not going to penetrate the adult's mane even closely!

The lion is lying down with its back angled 45 degrees towards you. Thefore the skin folds where its neck and head angles sharply to the right. No fat at all on this guy!

The BG was so close to the lion that I intentionally sharpened it to accentuate the lion's image - it's so different from the lion that it works for me. I know that it won't be everyone's cup of tea, though...

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Tobie - Nice detail and I like the undulating tongue. The highlights along the top of the head are problematic though as they draw the eye. I don't mind the dof.

TFS,
Rachel

[Don Railton]

Hi Tobie.. thanks for the explanation..