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Thread: The lioness must feed.

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Default The lioness must feed.

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    We watched this female for over an hour as she lay in waiting at the top of a waterhole with just her ears & nose barely visible, in a split second she raced down and grabbed this hapless Zebra foal in the blink of an eye,
    I captured many frames of this action sequence of which a greater portion were clouded by the plumes of dust that both she and the rest of the zebra herd kicked up in the melee.
    The young foal was mercifully killed quickly with the lioness snapping it's neck within seconds.
    This mother had young cubs to feed.
    Did my best with this image and used the clarity slider judisciously as it had a heavy dust layer to remove that blocked the quality somewhat, I've pushed the contrast on this as it is leaving an amount of gritiness still?
    Still worth submitting I feel, as one doesn't get to document this everyday.

    I leave for South Luangwa- Zambia late tonight and will see you guys in 2 weeks time!


    Serengeti - Tanzania.

    D4 500f/4 VRII f/5.6 1/640s ISO200. Almost F/F.

    All C&C most welcome.

    Cheers
    Marc
    Last edited by Marc Mol; 06-17-2014 at 05:29 AM. Reason: wrong techs.


  2. #2
    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    The term you snooze, you lose, certainly comes to mind here, I had put down my 500 for no more than a few seconds to watch the surrounding scene with my binos, when the action snapped.
    Missing the actual takedown, everyone else missed it as well, as we were waiting for over an hour for something to happen..................Murphy's Law of course.

    If the mod's will indulge me for a minute, here is a (low quality) video snapshot captured by another client that was actually on the ball. Video snap shot images used with permission and courtesy of Leo & Beth Cyr.
    Last edited by Rachel Hollander; 06-17-2014 at 09:12 AM.


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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Marc - We've all been there when for whatever reason we miss the action we've been so patiently waiting for. I missed a male lion charging and snarling at Steve because I was checking my settings . I do agree with your self-assessment that the image is gritty and perhaps as a result lacks your usual IQ but still a dramatic image with excellent eye contact. She certainly zeroed in on the foal as they often do. You might consider as an alternate crop coming down from the top to eliminate the sand and have all grass.

    Have a great trip.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Marc good story around the image .
    Comp works very well with the killer stare , would not want to get closer .
    Colors does look good , maybe backing off on the yellows a fraction or give it a slightly cooler look , with glasses .
    I would give the tip of the tail , some clarity , too .
    Have fun on your upcoming trip

    TFS Andreas

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    Beautiful moment well captured, Marc! You have perfect sharpness and minimal dust where it counts most - well done!

    Those eyes are evident of a still-adrenalin-filled cat, for sure! Always a pity that an animal's life has been so short, but that's nature for you!

    (PS: I'm always amazed at how often the real action starts just after my decision that nothing's going to happen and I've put down the camera - or started to move away from the scene! )
    Last edited by Tobie Schalkwyk; 06-18-2014 at 12:04 AM. Reason: spelling

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    Hard luck Marc !
    About this image, what strikes me is the look in the lioness' eyes - staring at you directly with her 'catch'.
    A fine moment indeed. The brown patch on ULC is a bit distracting but hey, this image is more about the 'moment' than the surroundings.
    Might try adding a bit of vignetting to see if it brings more focus to the subjects in this case.

    Congrats !

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    Agree with everyone, cracking capture.

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    This is certainly a nature-in-the-raw moment. Great composition with that incredible intense stare of the lion and the bowed head of the zebra foul with the eye visible, still clasped in the lion's mouth and tucked into her body. I agree with trimming away just that top strip of tan, as the lightness of it detracts some from the lion. Good catch in spite of the moments lost. Yeah, we have all been in that exact same situation.

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Well done. I love the stare and her grip on the Zebra. Needs a crop from the bottom. And the single bright grass just inside the lioness's left ear should go if you are OK with that as it is a distraction.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Morris View Post
    ...the single bright grass just inside the lioness's left ear should go if you are OK with that as it is a distraction.
    ????

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tobie Schalkwyk View Post
    ????
    If you are OK with getting rid of that single blade of grass.... Still confused?
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Fascintating stare and moment, Marc - I'd crop from the bottom too as Artie suggested.
    Colours look fine to me.
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Morris View Post
    If you are OK with getting rid of that single blade of grass.... Still confused?
    Yep - don't know what you're seeing but for the heck of me I can't see it...

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    Forum Participant edwardselfe's Avatar
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    Tobie - I think Artie's talking about the paler grass/stick that is coming out from the top of the lioness's head between her left ear and the crown of her head....
    Ed

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    Quote Originally Posted by edwardselfe View Post
    Tobie - I think Artie's talking about the paler grass/stick that is coming out from the top of the lioness's head between her left ear and the crown of her head....
    Ed
    Aaaah! Never even saw it, shows how different things make an impression upon us / bug us... Thanks Ed!

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    Quote Originally Posted by edwardselfe View Post
    Tobie - I think Artie's talking about the paler grass/stick that is coming out from the top of the lioness's head between her left ear and the crown of her head....
    Ed

    Thanks Ed. That is it!
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

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