Lion cub @ dawn

[Marc Mol]

An inquisitive 4/5 month old female cub approaches to the backdrop of a gorgeous dawn sunrise, she was one of 30 that made up the famous Vumbi* pride, led by a coalition of 6 males.

Central Serengeti- TZ. Camranger remote, curves, levels, TK adj's, reduced the flash "green eye" in ACR & PS CC '18.

NB. The magenta hued mid FG is representative of that wonderful pink/orange sky, I did pull it back a tad, but wanted to indicate what I saw that morning.

Nikon D810
Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 G2
f/9 & -1.7EV flash
1/250s
ISO6400@ 24mm.

1400px wide.

* The Vumbi pride are all very much alive, contrary to one US NatGeo award winning photographer claiming they were ALL wiped out by the Masai some 2+ years ago.

Cheers
Marc

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

This is spectacular Marc, gorgeous light, great use of gear and that inquisitive cub with those beady eyes makes this an amazing shot! No nits from me except a tad more room below if you had it. Looking forward to more!!

[haseeb badar]

Hi Marc -- What a magnificent POV, loved the stare and the amazing colours in the BKG. Excellent execution on the field . Loved this image . definitely a bit more space at the bottom of the frame would have been nicer, but with remote trigger it gets difficult to achieve the desired spaces. The BKG tree intersecting its ears is a bit distracting but again not a deal breaker for me in this scenario.

Brilliantly done , and do share more from your recent trip.

TFS !

[John Mack]

Beautiful frame. The color in the sky is amazing. Nice use of the flash on the cub. Good pose on the cub as well.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Marc - What a gorgeous sky and cub. Love the inquisitive walking pose and agree about a bit more room below. Those mud covered paws are huge! I'm the only one mentioning it but I think the cub's face can use a bit more sharpening.

TFS,
Rachel

[Gabriela Plesea]

Love this little one! Well captured Marc, great POV and BG is lovely. She looks so cuddly with that big belly and those huge paws:)

Pose is superb and the eye contact is awesome. Rachel is right about sharpening, and thinking maybe a tad more contrast on that cute little muzzle would also help a bit.

Feel like packing my bags and going to the Kalahari now...Miss my lions

Thank you Marc for sharing, I took great delight in viewing. More images please!!!

Kind regards,

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

What an awesome shot Marc, enhanced by that beautiful sky! Let's hope we hear it roar over the Serengeti plains in the years to come!

[Jonathan Ashton]

Absolutely super Marc, I like the composition and the limited foreground causes no concern for me. The only thing that I would consider changing would be the light in the eyes, the little white reflections look too well defined and attract attention. I would try to subdue them.

[Stuart Philpott]

Stunning again Marc,you really have a gift,I adore your work...sometimes I even get your name right too

Marc it's a stunning frame but for me that pov is what makes this image,this low is often missing in Africa images,for obvious reasons.

just beautiful !!

stu