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Thread: A Chilling Stare !

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    Default A Chilling Stare !

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    Hello everyone , wishing you all a very happy new year and a wonderful year ahead.

    Thank you everyone for the great learning throughout the year, it really helped me in many ways. Looking forward for your same cooperation in 2019 as well.

    Will like to start with an image of the King himself, giving us a chilling stare while approaching our vehicle. Well, the light had faded and the Lion made us wait for the whole day to come out in the open. The opportunity I couldn't have missed even though the light was not on my side. Lions are a pretty special cats and a big boy like this one is a sight to behold.

    DPP 4.8 , PSCC 2019, WB, curves, levels, colour balance, selective colour, cropped from the bottom and rhs for a tight framing, could be a 30 to 40 % crop, sharpening.

    Canon 1DX MK II, Canon 200-400mm f4, bean bag.

    ss 1/125, f/4.0, iso 12800. ( I definitely would have loved a higher ss here and could have gone for higher iso as well ).

    Looking forward for all your comments and suggestions.

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    Hi Haseeb. Happy new year to you too. Hope you have many more opportunities for wildlife photography in 2019! (Hopefully few trips together)
    A solid image despite the poor light and low SS. The bean bag really helped. Good use of high ISO. How about a slightly more tighter crop eleminating the OOF areas in corners? Details look good for the circumstances.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    The opportunity I couldn't have missed even though the light was not on my side. Lions are a pretty special cats and a big boy like this one is a sight to behold.
    Hi Haseeb, I would agree, but Tigers are still the ultimate in my book.

    Based on your description of falling light I might have expected it to be a bit darker, the light overall I find too even, but not seeing the Raw, it's just a feeling. I think at f/4 you did well with the limited DoF, but the 500 being a fixed lens may have offer better IQ at f/4. My thought here would to go darker, more mood, darken the surrounds add a bit more tonal depth both in colour (richness) & tonal range, and because of the direct gaze just rotate so the eyes are level, but that is picky. Light is coming from the LHS as viewed so a tad darker on the right, a little more sharpening too I think. Others may agree or disagree, just this is just my take, but lets see what others think.

    All the very best for 2019

    TFS
    Steve

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Hello Haseeb,

    Having read your intro I think you've done very well under the circumstances. Not bad at all for ISO 12800 Beautiful expression from the lion, those eyes are mesmerising. Composition is great. I did feel the OP was rather "pale" and lacking "oomph", so I really appreciate Steve's version which gives form and depth as well as great tonality to this frame.

    What beautiful male! Love the species so much and I feel you have something special here. That intense look reminds me of a few occasions when I encountered the species very close, I almost get a shiver down my spine viewing your image...Hope you have many more photographic opportunities of this kind in the future, always special and something you'll never forget.

    Regarding processing: I hope you agree, we all have something to learn from Steve. In this case, using colour more arbitrarily (as in "without too much restraint") really works. Instead reproducing exactly what lies before our eyes we can - at times - express ourselves a little more forcibly, but within reason

    Many thanks for sharing, and I wish you a wonderful 2019!

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    I like the tight crop and the eye contact here is killer. Details look very good.

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    Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions.

    @ Steve : I really liked your RP and based on that here is a RP from me.

    WDYT ?

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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    Well I like all of them! The question is what do you like? Which is closest to reality and do you prefer reality to an enhanced image? I haven't a clue which is "right", I do like the darker tones of the second image, can you recall how it appeared?

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    Thank you Jonathan. You made a valid point reg how were the conditions and what do I prefer. Well, as I recall, the light was low but it was not very dark. But I think it should be between the OP and the RP’s.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Haseeb, yes it's very close, mine was built up in layers so I could control and define the areas, not just in one go.

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Haseeb ...right in your face !!
    A stunning intense look /stare of this chap . The tight framing is working oh so well ... would have loved to see a Male Lion in Botswana .
    OP is a tad light i think and is solved with your RP with a little help from Steve ..giving the direction with his attempt.
    Matter of taste how far you want to take the image ....
    I think one can deal better with noise .... with the 1Dx II .... if the shot was well exposed .
    Why are you using still 4.8 and not the actual 4.9.20 ?

    Nice one Haseeb ... TFS Andreas

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    Thank you Andreas , certainly noise is not an issue with 1DX if well exposed .

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