Scar-face Lion

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

The male lion we spotted at Timbavati was quiet a fellow, with multiple scars on his face from various encounters which I though added character. I wanted to highlight the texture on his face here.
5D III
500 II
1/800
f/7.1
ISO 800

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Sanjeev, being in the shade has helped both the light coming in and the highlights. Probably my interpretation, but I like the way the head sits in a 'V' flanked either side by that thick mane and diagonal line of those folds of skin. Nothing much you could have done with the grasses by moving, so probably the best position, although if it was me, I might try to darken the light area in the corner of the right eye as viewed, probably the end of the grass. The light has 'sculpted' some nice 'form' in the face/head creating good definition, sharpness & clarity, defining this majestic animal nicely. Light plays such an important part in this, some people may have lightened the face and therefore lost the 'character' of the image.

Overall a very good job, nice PP too.

TFS
Steve

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Sanjeev - Very nice lion portrait. It seems that his scars are not too bad so perhaps he has been the victor in most instances. You handled the uneven light well and have good detail in both the shadowed and lit areas. Sharpness looks good too. Well done in the field and in pp.

TFS,
Rachel

[Douglas Bolt]

Very imposing creature. Well done. At first the blotchy light seemed a bit distracting, but I soon found that it added to the scar-faced look. Nice composition.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Sanjeev very well handled dappled lightning .
Great detail and tones for this difficult image . The subject stands out nicely from the BKG. Good choice of comp . Good job all around .

TFS Andreas

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello Sanjeev,

You have captured so well this war veteran, those shadows sketch his stormy past and that ray of light barely touching one eye somehow symbolise his future...at least to a lover of this species, like myself... I bet this "quiet" fellow's roar can be heard from miles away

Steve is absolutely right, if you took away those shadows you would have diminished the impact this image has on the viewer. I like your framing here and presentation, I do wish for less grass but this is how things were, nice point of view and good portrayal of this well seasoned male - very well done, a very special image of this old chap, enjoyed viewing, a lot, thank you

Kind regards,