Spot the Cheetahs

[Morkel Erasmus]

Hello BPN'ers!
I am back from leading an amazing photographic safari to the Mara Triangle. This female Cheetah and her 5 cubs were some of the rockstars who overjoyed our guests with their antics in this special place. I will share more stories and images later, but suffice to say she is a very efficient hunter and provider for her cubs as she made 2 kills in 2 days in front of us. Here she and her cubs are resting on a typical termite mound of the area, with some inquisitive Plains Zebra looking on in the background, against the backdrop of the Oloololo Escarpment.


I have many images to catalogue and sort out before I can even think of processing, but wanted to share this one with you. Will get to critiquing ASAP...


Have a super day and week!


Techs:
Nikon D4s
Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f8.0 | 1/1000 SS | ISO-1100
Exposure Bias +0.3

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Morkel, this is a superb composition. Beautiful scene, amazing clarity & colours. Love those little ones and the fact that they are looking your way adds so much to the image. TFS.

[Dvir Barkay]

very nice shot Morkel, saw this on your facebook. Nothing to critique, just very nice.

[Gregor Bergquist]

Hi Morkel

As usual for you, you showcase super pictures. This is such a nice moment, I love cheetahs. I think the cheetah family (as one object in the pic) is very well balanced by the Zebra group, and also creates depth. Well done.

TFS / Gregor

[Marc Mol]

Agree with Gregor that the inclusion of the zebras balances nicely with the cheetah family and know only too well the trials of getting ALL 5 cubs + mum (had 6 + mum a few years back)
looking in the one direction, so full credit here buddy.
The lighting does look like typical Mara o'cast cond's, how did you fare in that dept over your stay?

TFS


PM sent

[Nancy Bell]

Super image of the "big picture"! Amazing that all the cubs are looking forward and each face is fully seen. The inclusion of zebras, acacia trees, golden grasses, termite mounds, etc. makes this classic. Well done, as always.

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Beautiful shot combining a bunch of complementing colors, Morkel! I think these little guys are just as curious about the safari group as vice versa! Thanks for posting - looking forward to more!

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Morkel - Beautiful image design. This just works really well for all the reasons mentioned above. Looking forward to more from your trip.

TFS,
Rachel

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Morkel, saw this already. Great image with all cubs in. I agree with the others with the zebras, that really adds very well to the image. Very well done

have a great eve

ciao Anette

[Mike Poole]

I love the depth in this image, and the way everytime I look at it my eyes wander round in the same direction - Cheetahs to Zebras to the background. It shows so much more than a portrait ever could. Techs are obviously spot on, and the head angles of the cats finishes things off beautifully

[Marina Scarr]

What a super image, Morkel. There's so much to see and absorb, and it all tells such a magnificent story.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks for all the kind comments!