Come play With Me:)

[Gabriela Plesea]

Good evening Friends,

Just saw Rachel's mommy and bear cubs image which inspired me to share something playful and fun.

Let me know what you think, hope you find the colours a little more "tame" than in my previous post, tried to keep things more natural this time around.

Image taken at Zuka Private Game Reserve on the 16th of December 2017.

Nikon D5
Nikon 500F4
ISO 800
F7.1
+1/3 EV
1/1600s

Have a lovely rest of the week,

Kind regards,

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Too cute for me.
I adore the soft light. Bet you had fun hanging with these youngsters.
Can I put a request in for weather to be sunny in the mornings and late afternoons and overcast during the day when we visit SA mid-year? LOL
That would be nice....

[Glenn Pure]

Gabriela, this is beautiful and you are really playing on the 'cute' so well here. Composition works really well IMHO. Ideally, the twig would not be across the face of the other cub. Not sure if you have others from this sequence but no doubt you have picked the one that looks best. The only significant issue I have is the colour which I think is a bit too 'cold'. But let's see what the more skilled say about this first.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Good morning dear Akos and Glenn! And thank you so much for your kind comments:)

Akos, got your email and will reply asap, I am on my way to work right now. Busy to put in a request for some stunning weather for you!

Glenn, I shall warm this up a bit if you like As well as try correct WB, it might be a tad off. Leaving for the Kalahari in ten days and packing feverishly, so much to do in so little time LOL. Please forgive me for short comments and sloppy PP work, it is temporary and things will change when I return, I promise!

Have a beautiful day,

Kind regards,

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Gabriela - Definite cuteness factor here and I am glad my image gave you some inspiration. I do think this is still a bit red in the tones and an adjustment of the WB/tint seems to take care of that. I also thought the cubs were a little thin in tone and gave them a slight curves adjustment. I am getting the impression that the eyes are not as sharp as I would expect but it may be a false impression from the elongated catchlight/reflected light. You do seem to have a nice portfolio of lion cub images.

TFS,
Rachel

P.S. Forgot to say you should try posting at a larger size under the new limits.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Thank you dearest Rachel! I did a few curve adjustments on this one but seems not enough, I like your subtle changes my friend.

Those little ones were very pale in colour and especially the one on the LHS. Been wondering about the eyes too, SS not too bad (1/2000s would have been better but I was playing around, I have a few hundred images from this sighting at various settings LOL). Not sure I was using a bean bag or shot without support, it has been a while:) We were five people in the game vehicle and some movement too with all the excitement. I was sitting right at the back (and on my own because of all the gear), subjects on my left so I probably took this hand held, afraid not to miss out on the action.

Posting size, I am aware of the new limits but due to lack of time (ten sleeps left) I am sharing images processed a while ago. Some without LR adjustments because I had software issues. Rachel, I am buying new hardware when I get back, my monitor is old and it has hot corners! My computer is slow. Time for new toys

Chat soon, hope you have a wonderful evening,

Warmest regards,

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Gabriela, you have been lucky with your encounters with cubs, great to see them.

Yes the colour does look/appear off, but a small tweak in the WB will get you back on the straight & narrow where you can then 'hone' the image further if you so wish. I like the playful antics, but wished the cub with the stick was looking at you, to engage, plus it would draw the stick a little further away from the cub lying down. If you have it, then a bit more below would certainly help the overall framing. Techs look OK, but no harm in going 1/2000 here. Not sure if you are 'pinching the Histogram on the Blacks or pushing the Levels but the Black do look a bit 'dark', not choked, just a little dominant IMHO.

Keep me posted re calibration etc, perhaps I can get Peter or someone to bring something over for you if you are having issues with Spyder etc???

TFS
Steve

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dear Steve,

Thank you so much for taking the time to view, and so grateful for your feedback as always.
I should not be posting those images, most of them went straight into PSCC without the usual LR adjustments. I guess you are used to better frames from me but I just could not stay away from BPN for too long. Well LR works now but I have a number of issues to sort out, unable to do so right now because of time constraints. Re. Spyder, there is a new one on the market but out of stock with my supplier, been waiting patiently as I have it on back order. I desperately need a new computer and monitor as you know, so as soon as I get back from the KTP trip I will get the best I can afford because I am really tired of struggling, difficult to process images if things don't go smoothly. PP work should be fun and rewarding, right?

Believe it or not, power just went off so I am relying on my backup battery now. Not sure how long it will last. Good news is, it's raining!

I will be in touch, many thanks once again Steve Lots more images from this sighting, will choose more carefully next time

Warmest regards,

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Gabriela must have been a lovely encounter with the small beasts ....
They can be very playful at times and you show that nicely with this frame. Overcast conditions helped to create an overall soft color/tonal appearance , which i quite like in this case .
Crop works for me , but i would have liked to see both fully in the frame. But not a deal breaker , for me.
Personally i am ok with the blacks , but see what Steve means .
I do agree with the colors ... WB does look a wee bit off ...easy fix though .

Keep them coming , TFS Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Lots more images from this sighting, will choose more carefully next time

A wise move Gabriela, but just wait and make sure both monitor & LR are running correctly, orherwise you will be wasting valuable time.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Major issues ? With colors ? .... mmmhhh nothing dramatic , if you know how !

[Joseph Przybyla]

Lovely image, Gabriela. Such cute little guys or gals. I love the playfulness of having the stick in the mouth, cats can find anything to amuse and play with. Thank you for sharing.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Gaby, its time to share some of my time in the wildlife forum. Lion cubs are always full of fun and mischief, and this shows what they can get up to. Im glad the twig falls below the other cubs eye, and I like the inquisitive look of the LH cub.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Thank you so much Friends!

Apologies for my absence, I am having major issues with Internet at home. I think Stu understands this very well from experience, thank you dearest friend for popping in

Will be back at the end of the month, hopefully with some nice images from the Kalahari!

Warmest regards,