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Thread: What's Lion in that tree

  1. #1
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Default What's Lion in that tree

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    This lady from the Mara Triangle in Kenya is a real legend, and she loves this particular tree. Captured one morning on the safari I led last year.

    Techs:
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    f8.0 | 1/400 SS | ISO-640
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    Morkel Erasmus

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    Beautiful! So peaceful of a scene. Thanks for sharing it. I have nothing as far as how to make it better. I like it very much as it was photographed. Oh wait, I think there may be is a slight sensor smudge to clone out on the right third of the image halfway down from the top, in the grey part of the sky. Excellent environment shot.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thanks Joe - oops, I missed that dust spot!
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    Wonderful peaceful scene Morkel, quite unique as I have not seen many lions in trees, let alone one so comfy.

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    Nice one Morkel! I like the amount of space you've left in the scene - sometimes the portrait shots simply become too common (to just me, of course ) and this is a nice getaway from that - a true breath of fresh air!

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel , lovely peaceful scene. I like the wide open view with the single solitary tree and the subject rest very relaxed in the same.
    Basically i like the tonality and the overall colors and contrast.. You were there and should know the brightness at the time, i just feel it does look a tad too dark.

    And in a real nice world and with hindsight you could have avoid the two trees intersecting , it is kind of pixel peeping but it is just what i see now, in the field i would have not seen this , i guess.

    Nice work , Morkel .
    TFS Andreas

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel , quickly done ……..

    WDYT ?

    Andreas

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    I love the symmetry of the laid back lioness and the laid back tree, plus the contrast with the sky and golden grass ..................lovely animalscape, I gather you just forgot to "theme" it?
    Andreas RP has lifted the lighting and associated detail on her nicely.


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    Lifetime Member Andre Pretorius's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel

    Me with clinical eye LOVE the comp with rule of thirds!

    Me eye gets drawn to the lioness, and then exploring the BG .. (found the bunnies)

    Love the sky, did you use a CP?

    The underside of trunk going up looks a bit red to me, maybe it was this way?

    Hate normally shooting slumbering lions, this is an exception!

    Very peaceful and interesting image.

    Andre
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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thanks folks.

    Andreas - I like your brighter RP! - good point about the intersecting trees, didn't notice it in the field eh...
    Marc - I selected "theme" as prefix, it shows in the main forum list...
    Andre - will check out the tree trunk colour, and yes I should have mentioned I had the CP on the 70-200 here
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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    CP = circular polariser????

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Morkel Erasmus View Post
    Marc - I selected "theme" as prefix, it shows in the main forum list...
    Correct, my apology, was viewing it in the open post.


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  21. #13
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonathan Ashton View Post
    CP = circular polariser????
    Indeed - #forumspeak
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    Great image Morkel, been absent from here for a while but hopeing to get back into it. Andreas RP nailed it for me, and makes a poin about the intersecting trees, again prob something i would not have noticed out in the field either.

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andreas Liedmann View Post

    And in a real nice world and with hindsight you could have avoid the two trees intersecting , it is kind of pixel peeping but it is just what i see now, in the field i would have not seen this , i guess.
    Morkel

    I think in this case the BG intersecting trees aren't too much of an issue for me as they appear almost to be part of the FG branch.


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  26. #16
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Dear Morkel,

    I find myself to be quite impatient as I wait for this image to come up and I have started writing here before it has completely loaded ...I am doing so because I know it is going to be good and I was peeping at Andre's computer the other day as he was writing a comment here

    I admit to have my affections for a number of photographers on BPN, and that is simply because I see more than a great image when I open a thumbnail of a photograph they are sharing- I see an individual behind all that equipment who just loves the scene he or she is busy capturing and enjoys the sighting tremendously. I see passion and a kind of abandonment - this man or this woman is ready to experiment, kin to achieve something different, ready to take in the scene and no matter what the conditions (be it lighting or just simply distance), thinks of something that makes that image unique and so special, at least in my eyes.

    I only needed a glance at your post and now I am now sure I love it, this lonely lioness within this tranquil scene, resting before - or after- a kill (I cannot tell and it does not matter really), this vast landscape and a crazy, clouded sky above. I admit, Andreas has given it more "oomph" but I am certainly taken with the scene and right now I am seeing what you saw, the way you saw it - thank you Morkel, this was quite a feast for my hungry eyes

    Warmest regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel, nicely composed, we and I like the ratio of land to sky, gives the feeling of the vast expanse. Agree, Andreas took it up a notch. Seems the weight of the lioness was too much for the tree.

    Sorry to have missed you last night.

    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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    Hi Morkel
    the intersecting tree does not bother me. You have captured the subject very well in a typical "Mara" landscape.Some good detail in the background. Andreas has added some improvement in the repost. TFS

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Morkel - love the lion in the tree and the comp works well. In hindsight I agree about the intersecting tree but something difficult to realize in the heat of the moment. Andreas has taken it up a notch with the rp. Did you use LCE on the sky?

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Rachel - yes some kind of LCE - it works with five layers and blending modes and a blur filter applied to 2 of the layers - ending with two layers and a adjustment layer .All can be treated independently with the opacity to get the desired results.
    I got the beta version of this action for testing ……….. secret at the moment .

    I ran the action on various RP`s from you guys , mostly just that action and so far all said i achieved a better result.You can have a look at Gabriela`s Vervet monkey , Hammerkop or Andre`s image of younger Fred. Just used the action and i modified it slightly for my usage , do not know if it comes into the final version …….
    Mostly i use the action in combo with a mask or two and setting the opacity of the layers, job mostly done in a minute or two.

    Cheers Andreas

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Thanks Andreas, sorry for the confusion but I was actually asking Morkel whether he used LCE in the op.

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    Forum Participant edwardselfe's Avatar
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    This is great. We had a lion cub in a tree here recently. Not something I'd seen before. I think Andreas's treatment of the tree and lion is better but I prefer the surroundings in M's original post.
    Ed

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