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Thread: Sinister Ballet

  1. #1
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Default Sinister Ballet

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    Hello Friends,

    I found this image among my older folders and decided to share it with you. At the time I almost deleted it to make space but was quite taken with the eyes of the lioness and therefore changed my mind. Not sure it deserves a rework, it was shot in the harshest possible light and is way too overexposed for my taste. And kind of crunchy. This folder is full of amazing and dramatic scenes but the lighting conditions were not ideal. I positioned myself where the action was best but ignored the direction of the light, a lesson I shall always remember.

    The lion pride was feeding on an eland female and its foal; the kill occurred during the early hours of the morning in the proximity of our camp site. There is a possibility the foal was dragged out of the mother's womb, we shall never know for sure. What we know for certain is that the eland herd we saw nearby the previous evening did not have any young amongst them and there were two pregnant females.

    This is a powerful and skilful lioness we observed on a few occasions during our Kalahari trips, she has brought up a few generations of young and is the kind of girl one would not want to mess with. After dragging the kill for some distance (all on her own) she is busy lifting one of the eland's hind legs so that the youngsters can feed on the softer parts. I have seen a similar scene on Discovery Channel recently where a lioness was doing exactly the same in order to help her sister feed (her sister having had some injuries to her jaw).

    So I hope you understand my reasons for posting this, there's much more where this comes from but I shall take my time to process them, I have better software now and learnt a lot from you all so hopefully I can do a better job in the future. You are more than welcome to pass a critique of any nature, it will help me process those images I am so kin to show you.

    Techs:

    Nikon D3S (used here for the first time, I remember reading the manual as we sat in the car by the water holes, camera arrived just days before our departure...)
    Nikon 300 F2.8
    ISO 400
    F6.3
    1/1600s

    Wishing you a great week-end,
    Gabriela Plesea

  2. #2
    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Love the title, btw
    I can see this image being used as part of a guides prac exam for hoof ID
    Really like this Gabriela, if not for the simple reason of a great behavioural image, with the bloodied carcass adding good drama and yes, I think I've seen the same doc as well.

    Agree, lighting conitions don't look great but have been handled well here, the down the lens stare takes this above the norm also.

    BTW, the D3s is still one heck of a fine lens. enjoy.

    TFS


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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Gabriela, a good read as ever and a nice insight to the image, both dovetail nicely and gives the viewer/reader a greater understanding.

    For me, its well framed with good eye contact and I'm pleased that you kept it as per the reasons above. The light doesn't look that harsh, but you worked hard to achieve what you did with a good understanding too, plus you learnt from the encounter which is a huge bonus. Techs look fine and the image to me doesn't look crunchy. Personally I do think it looks a little flat and cool overall, the shadows in part are choked loosing detail. I can't retrieve the shadow elements, but with some simple adjustments I think they brings a bit more life, vibrance and depth to the image, however I'm second guessing here, WDYT?

    Not sure if this is the image you talked about, but I think there is mileage in it and definitely worth exploring the original file again, let me know, enjoy your Leopards.

    Cheers
    Steve

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Gabriela - one well worth taking a second look at. I like the level of intensity of the stare. The raised hoof certainly helps to tell a story. I also like the flicked tail showing. Techs look good and it looks like you handled the harsh light well. Steve's rp has given the image a nice lift.

    We saw a mother leopard lick a duiker kill to break the skin for her cub so that the cub would be able to feed easier.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Thank you Marc, Steve and Rachel!

    Just got back moments ago from a trip to Wildebees Eco Lodge - just outside our village - where we took some images for the owners' website. We had a wonderful time and could not refuse to sit down and enjoy some great food accompanied by lovely red wine towards the end of the evening. A bit of rain around the time dinner was about to be served in the boma outdoors and some difficulty setting up the studio lights indoors, so a bit of a challenge tonight but it all worked out in the end!

    Steve, we were hoping to see leopards but we didn't. At the time we were saying good-night to our guests a neighbour called to say a leopard was spotted entering their property. Since we had no immediate access to that particular area, we resigned ourselves to watching some recent videos recently taken by the owners with their trail cameras: amazing stuff, and it looks like there are two males and one female leopard roaming around, one of them captured on a short video just the other night as he was dragging an impala under the fence.

    Steve, thank you so much for taking the time to do an RP - I love what you did! I do not know why I removed so much of the yellows and reds, I must redo this, it just seemed to me at the time that the image was too saturated. I really appreciate your help here, gives me hope that I can manage more images from this lot, all shot under similar conditions. This is not the image I told you about, I found this in the same folder while looking for the other one...which I did not dare touch yet. I will process it using your RP as a guide in terms of colour, vibrance, etc. This is exciting, I look forward to post something again soon...

    Rachel...you must have more stunners there from your last trip, I know it...I am so happy about your successful visit to our game reserves and I relate to your experiences, when I view your posts I always try and imagine the excitement you must have had while taking it all in and capturing those wonderful moments. And of course, thank you for comments on my lioness here, I am very grateful.

    Marc - I love my D3S, just paid for a new D4 to be delivered next week, very curious to see how it handles noise

    Have a great Sunday dear friends
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gabriela Plesea View Post

    Marc - I love my D3S, just paid for a new D4 to be delivered next week, very curious to see how it handles noise
    No discernable difference with the D4 in High ISO noise handling Gabriela, they are pretty much even in that regard, I got my D4 for the better AF acquisition and the slight increase in MP.
    Having said that my D4 is @ Nikon Switzerland repair for a smashed rear LCD screen and subsequently also a new PCB (main board) after getting out of the vehicle @ Tafika, carrying it with my 500 plate handle (screen first) going straight into the back
    of some timber steps they use for getting in/out of ther vehicle.......OUCH!!!
    Repair cost........US$900! Thank god for insurance.


  7. #7
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Thank you Marc for the feedback on D4, and so sorry about your camera, hope it is back in your hands soon

    I am off to "hunt" for some images to post

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Gabriela , for sure a keeper .
    The intense stare of the lion and the raised leg make this different and working very well.
    Issues from the tonal/color POV are covered by Steve with his RP and comment.
    I personally do not feel it looks over processed and to crunchy . Well worth to start from scratch.

    Good luck with the new cam , my 1Dx just died today during a shooting in the Zoo ............ will cost a couple of Euros !!!!

    Cheers and a good start into the new week.

    TFS Andreas

  9. #9
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Thank you dear Andreas,

    And I am distraught at the thought of your camera just dying out on you-have you other cameras you have to use in the meantime?

    Hope your Monday is a good one and that you hear good news from Canon soon, thinking of you

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Hi gabs, great image, not much more to add here as Steve nailed it and has pretty much said everything with his RP.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Intense image Gabriela!! All been said, Steve's RP takes it up a notch.
    Don't want to jinx things - but I know a pro tog in Durban who got a D4 when his D3s was stolen...and promptly sold it to get another D3s as he believes the D3s is still the superior high ISO machine
    Morkel Erasmus

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  12. #12
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Thanks Morkel!

    ...I bought the D4 because: no.1-I cannot get a new D3S, and no.2-I am trying to prolong the life of my D3Sby using the D4...Saw some second hand D3S here and there, but I never bought any equipment from other people and really wondering why would one want to sell one's D3S? ...Sold my D300S's though, the "noise makers" are gone...


    Have a great afternoon Morkel,

    Warmest regards
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Forum Participant edwardselfe's Avatar
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    I like Steve's RP and I think this image is certainly worth keeping - nice composition, eye contact, story.
    Ed

  14. #14
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Thank you Edward, much appreciated. I too love Steve's RP

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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