Ranthambhore tigress II

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I had created this image in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, India. In most of the cases, animal looking away from the frame doesn't work. However, I always strive to take a contrarian approach.

Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, Canon EF 400mm f2.8 L IS USM lens, ISO 400, 1/640, f2.8, EV: +2/3, full frame image.

The previous image of this series is here:
http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ad.php?t=66051
You may note the different exif details in both the images. Since you guys want her back intact, here it is. Note the grass at the edge.

Look forward to your kind comments.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Steve Kaluski]

Sorry Sabyasachi, it doesn't really work for me.

1. The image is still too tight within the frame and including the rear of the the Tiger is marginal compared to the OP.
2. The colour also looks flat, but again, without knowing the time of day the shot was taken, it is hard to comment.
3. Head looking away doesn't worry me
4. I like the low POV, just wish for more space especially at the foot & to the rhs.

TFS
Steve

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Steve,
The image was created at 5.05 pm. Thanks for your kind comments.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Alfred Forns]

All good points by Steve Head does not bother me at all since the tiger is looking for something in that direction, there is plenty of room for him to look, works just fine.

The tightness does bother me, does take away from the image. PS tweaks just finish the image. I don't feel the straight raw conversion is or should be the final product... adjustments should be made.

For someone shooting in jpeg (not recommended) then the image is final but even then you had to select parameters in camera ... colors could be vivid, neutral, more sharpening etc basically what you would be doing in PS .... only other alternative is going back to slides :) .. and then you would have to scan opening the can or worms back up again :D:)

[Morkel Erasmus]

I like that you're going against the grain here Sabya...for me for this to work well you need more space for her to look "into"...ie more in front and maybe on top as well?

[Hilary Hann]

To be perfectly honest, this doesn't really work for me either and this time it isn't the lack of room on the rhs but for the following reasons;
I don't think the conversion from raw is finished … as Al has said above, it still needs a little bit more tweaking to make the cat zing;
For the turning away head to work I feel that the tiger needs a bit more tension in her body. By that I mean that if she is looking at something really interesting you would see a slightly different pose to her ears and some tightness in her neck. Something to indicate to us, the viewer that she is looking as opposed to just having her head turned away. If you had these things, the amount of room in front of her would be fine.
One other thing, with the head turned pose, it is an advantage if you can see a bit more profile of the (in this case) left hand eye brow bone.

Having said all that, not much you can do to alter her position except for moving and then you sometimes risk the animal disappearing into the bush, but those are my thoughts on the composition. However, it is always a treat to see photographs which display an attempt to get a different posing, lighting etc from the normal view.

I hope that isn't too critical … I would give a lot just to see a tiger in the wild but it isn't helpful if viewers don't give an honest opinion. I really prefer your previous post of this tiger.