Time out with mum.

[Marc Mol]

6.34am and a mother and 2 of her 3 cubs pose for me as they spend an early sunrise bonding session on the dry Mwagusi riverbed.
A giraffe bull that died from natural causes was the reason for the blood on mum's belly.

Unsure what has caused the horizontal lines in the water either side of her head, but are there in the RAW file.

F/F, bean bag- front pax seat, curves, levels, TK adj's in ACR & PS CC '17.

Ruaha Nat Park- Tanzania

Nikon D500
Nikkor 80-400 AF-S
f/5.6
1/1800s
ISO 1250@ 400mm.

Cheers
Marc

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Marc a lovely tranquil looking scene .I am fine with Mum being partly hidden by the cub and it is nice that all are looking in the same direction .
Colors look good and overall exposure too, just think the darks are a tiny bit to strong as light does look quite soft, so a matter of taste .
To me the image appears quite soft ...? Any idea why ?

TFS Andreas

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello Marc,

Lovely trio of lioness mom and cubs and pose is superb.

Don't really mind the lines in the water, it could be just ripples from a slight breeze.

I do agree with Andreas above, the image looks a tad soft despite correct techs. I have experienced a similar issue when using the 200-400 mm first time and was advised by Nikon to send it for calibration together with the camera.

Love the pink light, it certainly enhances the mood of the scene. Those little ones are a picture of innocence in contrast with mom who is evidently a skilled hunter:)

Wonderful scene overall and I look forward to see more from your travels - thank you so much for sharing.

Kind regards,

[Marc Mol]

Many thanks Andreas & Gabriela

Hello Marc,

Don't really mind the lines in the water, it could be just ripples from a slight breeze.

I do agree with Andreas above, the image looks a tad soft despite correct techs. I have experienced a similar issue when using the 200-400 mm first time and was advised by Nikon to send it for calibration together with the camera.

Granted the image does appear a tad soft and as my 80-400 is fine (AF cal/tuned and sharp), and as no USM was used it would benefit from that, my mistake.

The horizontal lines aren't ripples Gabriela, besides this being a still morning they are also evident across the frame, just a little puzzling?

[Gabriela Plesea]

A little puzzling indeed but the lines don't bother me that much. Not sure what caused them. Angle of the sun, perhaps? Reflections? I would not stress about it as they are not that obvious, Marc

[haseeb badar]

Hi Marc -- lovely scene , with all of them looking in the same direction. Surprisingly the image is quite soft as mentioned above , also to me the IQ appears to be quite low as compared to your usual standards , by the looks of it it feels that it is a big crop. This isn't working for me Marc , Sorry !

TFS !

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Marc - A very nice moment and the comp works well. However, I also noticed that it was soft upon opening it and before reading the other comments. The lines don't bother me but the softness does.

TFS,
Rachel

[Jonathan Ashton]

I like the scene but Marc you have set yourself some very high standards and I think this one isn't quite up there. There is the sharpness issue and also the DOF is a little short from my perspective. I presume it wasn't practicable but if it had been possible to take the image so they were a little more head on I think it would have more impact.