Results 1 to 11 of 11

Thread: Masego

  1. #1
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    7,738
    Threads
    455
    Thank You Posts

    Default Masego

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    February 2016. This young leopard female is young and inexperienced so Mom still does the hunting. Masego has not yet mastered the skill to kill and that is not really her fault - the springbok herds have been scarce lately...

    ...this of course was a couple of months back when we had the privilege of observing her over a period of three days... Lots happened since and we have been able to follow her progress on a FB page dedicated to the leopard project in the Kalahari. It seems mom Miera has left Masego to fend for herself, she has struggled a bit at first and at some point looked quite thin and haggard, she does seem a lot stronger nowadays. Masego manages to survive by killing smaller prey like wild cats and jackals and even birds and squirrels. I sincerely hope she will make it.

    Image taken at H 12:07 in relatively poor lighting conditions, slightly overcast and a large tree threw some deep shadows which from time to time I managed to avoid. Getting the timing right was crucial, subject was moving constantly from light to shade and a fallen branch got in the way. I had to stick to my camera settings because of the uncomfortable position I was in, no support as I removed the bean bag for a better POV. One of my most challenging photographic opportunities ever, still a great sighting, I might have better images in this folder which I will post as soon as I get to them:)

    Nikon D4
    Nikon 500 F4
    ISO 1600
    F7.1
    1/1600s

    PS The green tinge on the lower lip and tongue is due to a reflection from the (very) green grass below - decided not to remove it as it makes the tongue look a bit like a leaf, which I quite like. 50% crop. BG is a tree trunk and some grass at the bottom, reduced saturation to help the subject stand out more.

    Thank you so much for viewing, I appreciate it:)
    Gabriela Plesea

  2. #2
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Gabriela - Techs, dof, sharpness and details all look good. Looks like she is a light colored leopard. Hopefully she will learn to hunt bigger meals rather than just appetizers. Did you blend the grass/branch coming in at an angle from the lhs? It looks a little sloppy so if you did not, perhaps do so?

    TFS,
    Rachel

  3. Thanks Gabriela Plesea thanked for this post
  4. #3
    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Somewhere else in the World
    Posts
    4,797
    Threads
    708
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Love that curled tongue and BG here Gabriela, just wish the eyes were a tad more visible, although I gather you have a collection here

    The green tone in the tongue is not a problem for me and understand fully why it is so.


  5. Thanks Gabriela Plesea thanked for this post
  6. #4
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Nagpur, India
    Posts
    3,837
    Threads
    245
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Gabriela -- Excellent portrait , loved the flick of the tongue and thanks for explaining the cause for greenish colour on the same, not a deal breaker . Nicely framed with lovely details and sharpness . I agree with Rachel's observation on that grass or branch on the lhs , acts like a distracting element , easy fix though .

    TFS !

  7. Thanks Gabriela Plesea thanked for this post
  8. #5
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    14,858
    Threads
    1,235
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    A lovely side-on portrait of this girl, Gabriela.
    She has not been doing well of late and I hope she can learn to catch bigger prey with more regularity soon!
    All good for me here, perhaps softening BG textures through selective use of the clarity brush can make her pop even more.
    Morkel Erasmus

    WEBSITE


  9. Thanks Gabriela Plesea thanked for this post
  10. #6
    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Centurion, South Africa
    Posts
    21,360
    Threads
    1,435
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Gaby, I like the soft light from the overcast conditions, and overall, great IQ in those conditions. Good DOF and detail on her coat, and I do like the show of her whiskers. I like how she is separated from the BG. Well captured.

  11. Thanks Gabriela Plesea thanked for this post
  12. #7
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in the world
    Posts
    20,551
    Threads
    1,285
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Gabriela, 'young' Stu has summed up my thoughts entirely, lovely portrait, clean, what's not to like?

    TFS
    Steve

  13. Thanks Gabriela Plesea thanked for this post
  14. #8
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    7,738
    Threads
    455
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Dear Friends,

    I am delighted with your comments, thank you. Masego is special to me, I have had very few opportunities to be so close to a leopard and this little one crept into my heart. Observing her failures and successes deepened my respect for the species, it also made me reflect upon its struggle to survive in a harsh environment like the Kalahari.

    Going back to the image, what looks like branches in the BG are in fact pieces of bark coming loose from a tree trunk. I did notice them yet their presence did not bother me - they are part of an environment I am so familiar with, to my mind they belong there:) So apart from reducing saturation on the more prominent bits of bark I did nothing to the BG. I do understand some of you find those areas a bit distracting so I did my best to diminish them, hope my RP addresses this issue to some degree.

    Once again, thank you so much for your time to view and honest critique, appreciated

    Warmest regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

  15. #9
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Russellville, Arkansas
    Posts
    5,189
    Threads
    674
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Love the little bits of character in this; the curled tongue of course, the turn of the ear, those long whiskers, and even the lowered eyes! She is thinking. Lovely detail in her fur. And the bkgd is nicely blurred.

  16. Thanks Gabriela Plesea thanked for this post
  17. #10
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Lincolnshire UK.
    Posts
    4,951
    Threads
    187
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Gabriela your OP is just fine for me,beautiful texture on the fur and very nice detail,gotta love those whiskers.

    Keith.

  18. Thanks Gabriela Plesea thanked for this post
  19. #11
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    7,738
    Threads
    455
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thank you Nancy and Keith, appreciated!

    Let us see if we can find some Theme images for this month...busy looking

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics