Not sure you'll like this image, in fact I am not sure I like it myself. I do like the cub, a lot. I was so taken with the look on his face that I decided to process this, despite man-made elements in the background.
Lately I have been spending time with this cheetah family at a rehabilitation centre nearby. Owners plan to release cubs into a private reserve at about eighteen months and asked me if I was willing to capture their growing stages. I agreed to do so, even though I anticipated it would be a difficult task. Mom and cubs share a relatively small enclosure right now, the little ones are vulnerable and could easily be taken by eagles or other birds of prey. In two weeks' time they will be moved to a much larger enclosure and I look forward to that. For now we are crammed in this little space. While trying to photograph them I have been battling to avoid fences covered with green nets and a small concrete shelter built specially for them, also struggled to keep the cubs from chewing on my tripod and camera accessories. They are inquisitive and even try climbing inside this crate I now carry with me to keep my belongings safe:)
It has been quite an experience so far. My passion has always been to photograph animals in the wild but now I have this opportunity to sit in a corner and observe my subjects so closely as they interact or communicate with each other. In just two visits I have learnt so much about the species. Mom makes those loud purring sounds when the cubs disappear from view and is rather protective over them. Cubs play like crazy and I cannot keep up, their erratic movements do not make focusing easy! I am happy though that Mom tolerates me in her space as she seems to have a dislike of some visitors, including this nice fellow who brings food every afternoon. I was given carte blanche, so I walk in there on my own whenever I want. The owners trust me not to become too friendly with the cheetahs. There's no petting or interaction between us although every now and then I tap my foot on the ground to keep the cubs from nibbling on my gear. They hiss at me, back off for a moment and then return...
If my story above is boring to you please just take a moment to look at the image... I felt I had to describe to you the situation and circumstances. I also have to compete with my fellow photographer Stu, who is stealing my limelight with his Leveret narratives, LOL.
Techs: Nikon D5, Nikon 70-200 @ 165mm, ISO 5000, F6.3, 1/1600s. A soft vignette to minimise man made elements and I tweaked a bit the colours in the BG. Cloned out some grasses. Dealt with colour casts. More manipulation than usual but I had no choice. I just wanted to share this, love this little one grooming his foot and giving me that cute look. Processed in LR and PSCC.
I think it is just hunky dory Gabriela, the cub looks so innocent I cannot imagine for one minute it would be mischievous enough to go messing about with your gear!
The tight crop doesn't make me think about the unnatural surroundings ....I was so smitten by the kitten Great shot I don't think you need have any reservations whatsoever. I think it is commendable that you mentioned the man made surroundings.
I like the sharpening you applied, not too much but enough to show the individual hairs, the eyes are light and clear but not too bright, I don't get the impression they have been manipulated. Great shot!
Hi Gabriela - You already know that I like this one. There's just such a huge cuteness factor here. The eyes and the cocked head draw the viewer in. Thanks for the detailed explanation of the conditions and what you did in pp to overcome them. Looking forward to seeing more of these rascals as your project progresses.
Hi Gabriela -- This is amazingly cute ! loved the way it is nibbling its foot ! I liked all the adjustments you did, resulting in a very fine portrait. I really liked this image and the story behind it adds to the feel good factor here . Very nicely done .
The cub looks so coy and teasing.
I think the image is very good - I wold not have known it was a man-made enclosure from the image so you have done an excellent job in placement and processing in such a tight space. And I agree with Jonathan the processing is subtle and natural. I look forward to seeing more shots as the cub grows.
Too, too cute. What manmade BKGR elements??? Is that a second cub in the lower right? I love the cuteness and the grasses.
With love, artie
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Thank you so much dear friends, I truly appreciate your comments and time to view.
For those of you who wondered about man made elements, if you look carefully you will see two different shades of green in the BG just over the cub's shoulder: at the bottom there is grass, then a grey line which is just soil, above and all the way to the top of the image is a green net that covers the fence. Very bright green and I had to tweak the colours a little to achieve a more natural colour.
Artie, so wonderful to hear from you! No second cub in the right corner - just the left hind leg, raised in such a way that the little chap can groom his paw:)
I promise to share more images of those cheetahs, hope you all have a pleasant evening and a great weekend
Gabriela it's never a bore reading your stories wish I could do the same in fact I often think I should try to write more and was able to express myself better,until I get there I will be happy reading yours.I love the way you have captured this lovely little Cheetah with it's beautiful eye and the lovely texture of it's fur ,beautiful!
I must admit, I often spend more time writing my little stories than processing the images:) I really appreciate you taking the time to view and comment
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Great shot I don't think you need have any reservations whatsoever. I think it is commendable that you mentioned the man made surroundings.
