Chilled out...

[Steve Kaluski]

Here is another from Meerkat manor at Tswalu.

Like Dumay's image, these Meerkats are photographed early in the morning as the group warm up in the sun and I can assure you, there were not alone!!! When we set off from the lodge it was -4 at 6.00pm, temperatures I'm more used to in Canada's winter whilst skiing. The overall colours are a lot more redder because of the soil & location.

Thanks to those who posted or viewed on the last posting.

Steve

Subject: Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) warming up
Location: SA
Camera: Canon 1DX MKII
Lens: 200-400f/4 MKII HH
Exposure: 1/1600s at f/9 ISO1250
Original format: Portrait, slight crop top & RHS
Processed via: LRCC Classic & PSCC2019

[John Mack]

Really like the title of this one. The meerkat does look very chilled out. Wish it gave you just a slight turn of the head. The light is very nice and i like that red dirt.

[Dumay de Boulle]

Lovely pose, detail and texture. Colours look spot on and a great shooting angle.
Comp feels very tight for me and cutting the tail will be brought up as it usually is by many...or will it? Let's see!
Like John I would also like more head turn.
Thanks Steve!

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hey Steve.... i am surprised to see you pushed things a bit in terms of color and tone . But think you did a very good job !!!!!
The colors are looking not only realistic , they are looking great , i think. Love the red soil ....stunning natural hue !!!!!
Pose is good ...abeit looking he is falling over ....LOL.
I am fine with the head turn , slightly facing away ... would be better to have the head turn more to the viewer ....but no big deal .
Personally i think the cut off tail is not ideal .... but it is nature , and we take what we can get at times.
Technically stunning work ....

TFS Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Hey Steve.... i am surprised to see you pushed things a bit in terms of color and tone . But think you did a very good job !!!!!
The colors are looking not only realistic , they are looking great , i think. Love the red soil ....stunning natural hue !!!!!

Hi Andreas, you have to be in this location to really appreciate how vibrant the colours are in the early morning light, but it just comes back to what the camera data captures and not letting Canon/Adobe sway you. For reference I have some soil in a bottle, but you would have to really raid the Piggy bank for 6 days here.

Comp feels very tight for me and cutting the tail will be brought up as it usually is by many...or will it? Let's see!

Personally i think the cut off tail is not ideal .... but it is nature , and we take what we can get at times.

Hi Dumay/Andreas, I wanted a tight crop because I wanted to emphasis the subjects: pose, 'dog' like face (facing to camera would have been lost), the fine detail in the fur and just that 'classic' Meerkat lean. If I had included the tail I would have had to shoot landscape and some of the distracting vegetation would have then crept in, something I wanted to avoid and so for me, the tail isn't a big deal.

Technically stunning work ....

WOW thanks Andreas, but very lille in PP (even with that crappy LR ) and at f/9 you can get a very nice bokeh backdrop (no need to shoot wide open), no PS tricks there, just wished I had the additional 5D4 then for these type of captures...

[Gabriela Plesea]

A very good evening to you, Steve:)

Meerkats are incredible subjects to photograph and I think I know why you liked this frame and chose to share it - it's really cool by the way I personally like the crop and detail is stunning, love the silky look of the fur. And yes the subject is leaning backwards, but they often do that and don't fall over like us humans, LOL. The tail gives them balance and support

Superb colours and the BG is to die for. Let's not forget the FG...I have many bottles with this beautiful red sand which I collected over those twenty trips I've taken to the magic place. Someone once accused me of trying to build my own Kalahari desert in the garden

Do not think including the rest of the tail would have added anything to the image, and in fact - like you said - what makes this frame is the "tilt" and pose from the subject...

Beautiful light and colours... excellent PP work and good thinking out there in terms of techs...Such a pleasure to view

Warmest regards,

[Gabriela Plesea]

PS. And I forgot to mention, the title is really cool

[William Dickson]

Beautiful detail Steve...The colours and texture of the fur capture my eye, they are so nice. Love the pose. Very nice, no nits from me.

Will

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Steve .... is it , that expensive to stay in your home ....LOL ..to see the bottle of red soil , did not know that you offer something this .
Understand your point about the tail ....still think it is not ideal , though . But easy to say from here ....would have taken the frame as well i guess .
Wonder what you call ' minimal PP work ' and the opposite .... just for the sake of interest , and do you use tricks for your PP ? I for myself never use tricks .... only knowledge . My next post will be minimal PP .... as you might like to call it .
Surprised to hear you missing the 5D .... also surprised you have a third body . You must have your reasons ...

Cheers Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

I for myself never use tricks.... only knowledge

Exactly, get to know PS properly .

Surprised to hear you missing the 5D .... also surprised you have a third body . You must have your reasons ...

5D4 only for portraits, the two 1DX MK2's are the workhorses.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Would be interested why the 5D for portraits ? What are the advantages from your POV ?

[haseeb badar]

HI Steve -- I loved the pose and the colours , though i haven't been to the place or had seen this subject in person , but what i have gathered from the images of this subject it really feels very natural. Excellent details as always and nice techs.

Agree on the tail it is not ideal IMO . But a fine image .

TFS !