Kalahari lions are famed for their dark manes...I found this lion sleeping on a cold winter morning ...when I turned my engine off he woke with this piercing look..... I actually froze as I looked thru the viewfinder at his stare..... I managed to squeeze off a few shots before he walked off to a nearby waterhole....
d2xs 600mm lens....small crop ...no more room at top...did think about removing grass in front of face,,,,but decided to leave as is....
He's a beauty! Too bad the side light cast such a deep shadow on his face. Some PS work might lessen the impact.
I don't mind most of the grass in front of the face as it adds to the feeling of the image, One piece that splits the nostril bugs me a lot though. Makes him look like he had a bad nose job or is really scarred up from a fight.
That stare would make me turn cold and sweat at the same time! I agree about the grass bisecting the face. The rest adds to the mood. I like the strong side lighting. It adds drama.
Very nice photo Peter. I like the light and the stare. I don't mind about the grass in front of its face since it is not in front of the eyes. It is a real pity though that you don't have more room on top, that defintely would have made this better.