This is from my recent workshop in Nagarholle National Park. Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon EF 400mm f2.8 L IS USM. Full frame. ISO 200, f3.5, 1/1000 EV +1/3rd. Aperture Priority.
Would love your opinion about it. Do you prefer one with habitat or would you prefer a tight one? Do you think the habitat and the mood goes with its secretive nature? The Indian leopards are far more secretive than their African cousins.
I like the habitat image when they are well done as in this one.
Might crop the bottom with just enough room for the animal, would do away with the rock. About the only thing I wish it was not there is the light area behind the head. It is a very appealing image an wish we had more !!!
Sabyasachi, you get to take all the good animal photos! No fair!
Here's my idea for a crop...take a bit off the bottom (as Al suggested) and go just past the yellow leaf on the right. That eliminates the distracting stuff on the bottom and puts the photo a little more "in balance" to me. That right side of foliage just seemed to go on forever!
I also brought down the midtones just a touch with levels, brought the brights up a bit with curves and added a light vignette around the edges to add to the "elusiveness."
Hi Sabyasachi,
Taking your comments/questions in mind, here's my opinion in the form of another suggested crop. I like the habitat and the "peering over the rock" pose illustrates your statement about their secretive nature. I think there's a bit too much habitat however. I hope my version keeps your theme of secretive nature/environmental portrait. I cloned out the OOF branch in front of the rock mostly because I liked the texture of the rock. I also tried to keep him higher up in the frame and looking down as I thought that was something you were trying to showcase. Another nice image regardless of my suggestions.
Steve
Personally I think the follow up crops are too much. The only thing I would do is crop out the out of focus bottom rocks. Then I think you have an excellent habitat shot. The more you crop then the more you lose the environment. That's only an opinion and we all have one.
Personally I did not know India had leopards ,so this is an education.
I can see cats are your "favorites" from your posts ,so keep exposing us to them.
I love the photo and personally like Jules crop & slight exposre change as it retains the invirenment with a little dash. To be perfect IMHO, I would like leaves in BRC . . . :)
Well done Sabyasachi and Jules.
I love these type of photos depicting the subjects surroundings.
Thanks for your comments, crops and suggestions. The bottom rock looked like steps to me - a kind of hop, skip and jump. I think I should have tried to use a higher aperture than the f3.5 that I used.
Chas,
India had Cheetahs. They are extinct. Iran still has some Asiatic Cheetahs. Govt. of India had sent a request to Iran for lending a few cheetahs for cloning, but was refused.
Among the large cats, India has the Tiger, Leopard and the Lion. The leopard is secretive in nature. It has been persecuted in the past as it used to kill goats and dogs near the villages. It can live in very sparse vegetation. In India, it is difficult to sight leopards during the day time. I have seen them often during the night or late evening.
I am passionate about tigers. I can't explain the feeling, but those magnificent creations make me go that extra mile.
Comp wise, I would go Julie's way for the crop. I love the enviromental aspect of this, with the leopard hidden behind the foliage. I also like how there is space next to the leopard, which shows him up even more. All in all, a superb image, and well captured Sabyasachi.
Nice job with capturing this elusive cat. As a fan of environment shots I like this one. Pointing the camera a little left would have given a little more room for the tail end of the cat. A very pleasing image.
I would go with these two suggestions (a) moving left a bit for more room on the posterior and (b) for a crop, Chas' recommendation on the OOF rock on the bottom. Nice a sharp on the cat. Well done.