Most lions have an inherent fear of water, none more so than when they are cubs, here this young female skipped across a shallow section of Lake Ndutu like it was on fire!
Light was at a premium here, so a monochrome conversion with a slight warming tint was more forgiving in this case.
Lake Ndutu- Nth Tanzania.
Nikon D4 500 f/4 VRII 1/400s f/4 ISO3200 Cropped to pano, HH from safari vehicle, PS CC, ACR, levels, curves, B&W in ACR.
Left the full reflection in even though it's not ideal, one could of course add more canvas on top and that could work also (partially cutting out the reflection). There were a few ways of framing this but happiest with this one.
Hi Marc - I like the raised tail and the splash. The comp with the full reflection works. Pity that the cub is angles slightly away but somehow that is often the case when special moments like these occur. I think I would prefer a bit warmer tone, with a bit of red for the conversion.
very nice "catch" of the cub splashing through the water. I as well prefer the reflection included. Love that the tail is up.
The conversion looks very nice to me. Wouldn't add a warmer tone, I might would add a tad more "white". Just me
A real shame the cub was facing away from you, but obviously there is absolutely nothing you could do about that. I think you've done the best possible in a clearly very tough situation and the framing and processing both work very well
Hi Marc , good choice for the B/W in this situation .
The comps great and good you left the mirroring in . Makes this work nice for me.I am with Mike about the cub running away from you , sadly.
As personal preference i like my B/W a bit more contrasty , but as i say it is me, so i would go for a bit punch in the blacks and whites.
The toning , also not my favorite , but in the end it is not mine, but no big deal.
Really like the minimalist approach to this image. All attention is on the movement of the cat and that great stream of water behind it, conveying the rush to the safety of shore. Reflection adds great interest and provides good balance to the leaping cat.
Marc, I am becoming quite a fan of your images and rather jealous of your sightings I like what you captured here, at the same time I am wondering what a B/W high key effect would do for this little lion?
Looking forward to more (I know there's much more),