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Thread: Scar in Stride - World Lion Day

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Default Scar in Stride - World Lion Day

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    It's ‪‎World Lion Day‬ as you've no doubt seen from social feeds today.

    Lions are in trouble all over the world - from human rural conflict, from poaching, from trophy hunting...
    Show your support for the National Geographic ‪‎Big Cats Initiative‬:
    http://animals.nationalgeographic.co...ts-initiative/


    This magnificent male called Scar (or Scarface) was photographed on our Wild Eye Great Migration safari last year. I cannot imagine looking at such a wonderful animal and wanting to end its life!

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    Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
    f5.6 | 1/400 SS | ISO-1250
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
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    I don't know if there is a swear filter on here so I won't test it with my thought of trophy hunters...

    Fantastic animal, the look really tells the story of his struggles and fights, great low POV and the raised foot walking pose adds extra interest

    Mike

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    Thanks Morkel on sharing this wonderful image. Great low POV, pose and details. Its sad that we as humans have evolved into intelligent beings and still resort to such things as trophy hunting! It hurts. These animals deserve a better deal in this world.

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Dear Morkel,

    I have to admit I jumped over the other threads below when I saw this thumbnail come up - I just cannot resist a lion. What an impressive male, love the black mane, the scars on his face tell his story, he is a fighter with not many enemies...except man?

    Morkel, this impressive fellow reminds me of a male lion we encountered a few years ago at Gharaghab...We called him Maximus, and he was was the biggest, longest (yes, longest!), most powerful boy we have ever seen on our travels. He ate a whole springbok - all by himself - in under one hour and then departed, roaring as he walked towards a nearby tree in February midday heat. When he returned to drink at the water hole we were seated on our little verandah, cameras ready. I remember him walking towards us and looking up for a moment as he got closer - for the first time ever I felt this shiver down my spine, I have never been afraid of a lion before but thought if he made another step forward I might have to go back inside and slam the door behind me. Maximus was about twenty meters away from us, no fences, only a low balustrade he could scale in seconds if he wanted to. Reason told me he has had his fill and could not - should not - be interested in us, KTP lions never caused us any trouble all those years. But the sheer size of him turned my awe into fear and up to this day I do not know what kept me glued to my chair for a couple more minutes. Eventually he stopped and looked up again, at that moment and without speaking both myself and Andre put our cameras down and just waited in silence. Don't know for how long, I remember Maximus hesitating and then turning away, his shape slowly disappearing behind some vegetation nearby. I never processed any of those images, just kept them for memory sake - the light was very harsh and the waterhole was somehow disintegrating, lots of cloning required to fix the unsightly bits...hope to have another chance to photograph him one day:)

    Morkel, your image has brought about so many memories. Forgive me for the long story above and for hijacking your thread, thought you would not mind me sharing this with you and your viewers. It was meant to be a short text but I could not help it...Since we are celebrating World Lion Day I feel I should leave aside the critique and focus not on the technical aspects of this image but on the Lion itself and what the species means to us. Well done in capturing this image, there's something about your subject that demands respect, something enduring and powerful, a hunter we don't like to see hunted...

    In my dreams I want to buy myself a beautiful lion, or print an image of a beautiful lion, frame it and hang it on my bedroom wall, beneath it the writing " This Is Why I Have To Go To Work Every Day" - it would certainly help with my moral disposition and motivate me to go to work every day...

    Hope you have a wonderful evening, Morkel:)
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Forum Participant christopher galeski's Avatar
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    Sad image,but it makes you think,thanks.

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    Hi Morkel -- What an individual ! super angle and lovely composition ! i find it a bit oversharpened , but magnificent animal u have got here !! TFS

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel what an impressive Lion Male !!
    No understanding either why want to shoot such animal , just for the sport or trophy , but guess you will not find a single positive comment about this here on BPN.
    Like the pose and framing of the lion , lovely colors and nice tones , not sure if it the sharpening , but the detail does look a bit roughing the fine mane hairs .

    Lovely shot , TFS Andreas

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    Landscapes Moderator Andrew McLachlan's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel, wonderful image of a beautiful animal!!! I love the over-cast lighting for this scene!!!

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    Forum Participant Thinus Schoeman's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel, this is a powerful image of an impressive male lion, despite the fact it is showing a a few battle scars. The lion stands out well against the contrasting background. All round a super image, well done!

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thank you all!
    Morkel Erasmus

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