Hello everyone , thank you for all your comments and suggestions to my previous post , as always much appreciated.
This is an image made on my recent trip to Botswana. This family , especially the cubs were having a gala time with the prey ( a WB). Whenever the mum came to eat , the cubs tried to imitate her and in the process were irritating her. Then all of a sudden a loud growl was made and the cubs disappeared. This was the moment when one of the female was just observing the cubs from behind and kept an eye on the scavengers who were looking for an opportunity to pounce on the left overs. The cubs were just busy eating the WB as they had some solid backing.
IUCN Status- vulnerable.
DPP 4.8, PSCC v 19, WB, slightly stretched the canvas on the rhs, where the ear of the corner most cub was very slightly clipped , curves, selective colour, colour balance , NR 1 rnd , sharpening.
Canon 200-400mm f4 @560 mm, Canon 1DX MK II, Bean Bag.
ss 1/1600, f/7.1 ( the fp was on the LHS cubs eye, whereas the Rhs cub was also on the same plane. But the one immediately behind them was not on the same plane so I was in two minds as to where to place the fp), iso 3200.
All your comments and suggestions are most welcome and much appreciated.
love the eye catchlight on mum, DOF was always going to be problematic and I would have placed the FP on the Rhs cub with the tongue out as you have the face in full here, your blacks (inside ribcage) look a little strong here, where captured?
Would have liked a tad more room above mum if you have it?
For me it is the lioness - her "watchful eye" and physical posture - that make this image. I must admit I have spent quite some time tonight looking at this frame, the scene appeals to me tremendously and POV is superb. Colours look good and you have tamed those HL quite nicely. As Marc pointed out there are some issues ( I find the grasses in the FG a tad obtrusive, ribcage in the FG too dark, FP should have been on the cub facing you or maybe you should have just increased DoF, composition a bit tight...) but it is still a very powerful image, well done in capturing this And many thanks for sharing, I truly enjoyed viewing.
Hi Haseeb - I like what you tried to do here but I am going to me the naysayer and say that it isn't working for me as presented. I think you needed the adult in focus for this to work or at least the middle cub. I probably would have gone for more dof in the field and focused on the middle cub. Looks like there were some hls that you recovered on the side of the face of the middle cub too. I also feel like the kill in the fg is too dark. Sorry.
Thank you Marc, Gabriela , Rachel and John , as always your comments and suggestions are much appreciated.
I agree regarding the placement of the FP , had it been on the cub in the centre , the better it would have been.
I darkened the WB as give more emphasis on the lions , but will look into it as per your comments.
This is FF without any crop so no more space on top of the lioness .
@ Rachel - I really appreciate your honest opinion but this works very well for me even if the adult is not in focus as its solitary eye and the eye contact makes it for me. Also the main action was in the FG with the cubs all relishing the prey.
Thank you everyone for your honest opinion , much appreciated.
Hi Haseeb, a nice encounter with some nice warm light and good POV.
For me, the Lioness in the BKG is the killer to the image, any without her in shot? Her head is so dominant and because she is slightly OOF and central your eye gets drawn and bypasses the cubs IMHO. The two cubs left & right look on a similar plane of focus and so if you increased the DoF to say f/11 and put the FP on say the 'white' of the bone (so it's partially between the two sets of cubs) it may have been better??????? The rib cage needs to be 'lighted' just remove the adjustment so you have the 'shape & form', with perhaps some light highlighting the red if any on the ribs. You have a full stop to play with with the 1DX MKII, so if need be use it within PP, but you need to aware.
@ Steve -- Will have to check whether there is any frame without the lioness in it but as far as its presence in the frame , it works for me.
Agree with the DOF and placing the FP , i should have done it better in that department. But there is always a next time and lessons learnt here will help in similar scenarios in the future.
Feasting under the watchful eye !
Reply With Quote
And many thanks for sharing, I truly enjoyed viewing.
