The African lion is mentioned in the IUCN red list as 'Vulnerable' (Faces a high risk of endangerment in the medium term). Lets hope & pray that they will survive the test of time & we do our bit to protect their habitat.
Here is a male lion late in the evening, pushed the 5D III ISO to as high as I think possible.
100-400 II @ 400mm
1/200
f/5.6
ISO 6400
Sanjeev, nice portrait. IQ and tones are great. And I like the flies too! Colour looks a little weak but maybe that's what the scene was like. I'm unsure about the crop though. I wonder if a tighter crop with less at the bottom (no legs visible) would work better. Also cut-off hair at top of frame probably should be recovered or alternatively, cropped a bit more down from the top IMHO. I don't think it works as well to just have a little bit of a feature like this missing: either go all the way and crop hard or bring it all in at the top?
Excellent result from what must have been very challenging situation tech wise - I doubt many people would guess the techs correctly if you didn't tell them.
The muted colours fit in well with how the scene must have looked at the time of shooting.
I'm not sure if the crop could be adjusted slightly. I see why you've framed it the way you have with the mane and the front paw, but I feel it needs a little more on the right due to the slight head turn.
I can never resist looking at a lion image Beautiful male, the stare from him and eye contact with you are just priceless. And I find the composition to be very pleasing although I would have liked a tad more at the top - but not a big issue.
SS quite low and IMO it did affect the quality of your image to some extent. I do not know Canon equipment so not sure how much further you could have pushed the ISO, curious what Canon users have to say?
If this were mine I would up exposure (excluding the whites on muzzle and chin) and work on saturation a little. I do find the colours a bit bland, or rather "muted", as Mike observed. All depends on what you are trying to achieve, of course. I just feel that - as author of an image - I have the power to play with light and colour and make my subjects look their best despite adverse lighting conditions etc.
Thank you so much for sharing, Sanjeev. Give me a lion image every day and I'll be happy! I sincerely hope you continue to delight us with your posts
Hi Sanjeev - 6400 is about as high as I have gone with the 5D3 from what I remember. I do think this has the look of a high ISO image with less detail and muted colors but also you said this was late evening so it fits with the conditions. To me it also looks sharpened rather than sharp if you know what I mean. I too wish you had the top of the mane. Easy to say in hindsight to zoom out slightly. Keep them coming.
Hi Sanjeev, kudos in pushing the ISO, nicely exposed and great clarity, detail & sharpness, the detail has certainly not been effected by the ISO and goes to show that if you get the exposure right and have faith, the camera will deliver.
The slightly clipped mane, I can live with, as for me it's the intense start that draws the viewer. Yes the image looks flat and even if it was taken towards the end of the day, tweaking the exposure panel and Tonal Curve in ACR and then reviewing the overall colour, the image I think, takes on a greater presence and where it should go, but that's my own tastes I guess Sanjeev, but it still doesn't take away that you did a fine job in capturing the image.
Just watch the whites in the chin don't go too white and standout.
Lion Portrait
Sanjeev Aurangabadkar thanked for this post
Beautiful male, the stare from him and eye contact with you are just priceless. And I find the composition to be very pleasing although I would have liked a tad more at the top - but not a big issue.
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