Vantage point

[Marc Mol]

Keeping our Cheetah theme going..............

This is one of the 11 month old bros pair, who bounded up this tree for a higher vantage point to survey a small group of thompson's gazelle looking for baby snacks.
A storm was approaching and they used this opportunity with success around 30 mins later.
A pity I didn't heed the same with a poor selection of slow SS.
Undecided on the crop here, could work with the landscape taken out too, interested on your thoughts. ( I'll post that alternate in a moment)

D700 70-200VRII 1/30s f/8 ISO800@200mm Masai Mara, Kenya Oct 2010. approx 20% taken off top & RHS

C & C most welcome.

Cheers
Marc

[Marc Mol]

The alternate pano crop version here:

[Harshad Barve]

I am going with OP here, love the pose , tail , tree and never ending African plains , excellent
TFS

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Marc, I'm with Harshad, prefer OP.

I can only wonder and can't help think, wish this had been shot wider, illustrating/incorporating more of the habitat too, but still having the tree, cat to the rhs, but offering a bigger picture to the scene. As if the Cheetah was scouting, on the lookout for it's next meal?

TFS
Steve

[Marc Mol]

Hi Marc, I'm with Harshad, prefer OP.

I can only wonder and can't help think, wish this had been shot wider, illustrating/incorporating more of the habitat too, but still having the tree, cat to the rhs, but offering a bigger picture to the scene. As if the Cheetah was scouting, on the lookout for it's next meal?

TFS
Steve

Can't argue with that Steve, as you may know action like this happens pretty quickly,
after this image I went for the wider shot (out to 70mm) but it had moved, scrambling down that tree and my SS was even worse, resulting in blah !!

[Steve Kaluski]

Very true Marc, one has to seize the moment,I was thinking of a nice 24mm (Hilary POV) I bet you enjoyed the moment though.

BTW Didn't think the Nikon did 'blah' :2

cheers
steve

[Ken Watkins]

Marc,

I like the OP best for the reasons stated by Harshad, you can even see what he should be looking at.

The Cheetah looks remarkably yellow, moving towards orange on my monitor.

Cheetahs often climb trees to look for prey, they must be better than termite mounds?

[Todd Frost]

Nice view of the cheetah in search mode Marc. I too prefer the op for reasons mentioned above as well as a grounding effect for the cat. Agree with Ken re: colors, the cheetah looks over saturated/off on my monitors as well.
Steve, nikon does "blah" we just normally spell it different... sh**, but then it's normally user error

TFS
Todd

[Austin Thomas]

Original Post for me as well Marc.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but nature moves and we have to go with our best guess or first choice at times.

Cheers

Austin

[Morkel Erasmus]

OP for me too...great behaviour here Marc.

Cheetah does look a tad too saturated IMHO, and like Steve I would've liked the even wider perspective...with a little more of the gazelles showing in the BG

I think the SS caused you to lose crispness on the cheetah's face :(

[Marc Mol]

Marc,

I like the OP best for the reasons stated by Harshad, you can even see what he should be looking at.

The Cheetah looks remarkably yellow, moving towards orange on my monitor.

Cheetahs often climb trees to look for prey, they must be better than termite mounds?

Re. colour, he does look too saturated? Not sure what has happened here as I used sat level of +10 which is about my norm?? The darker skies intensifying the colour perhaps?
Just realized I used a lumo mask on this also, should have selectively left his colour out.

[Marc Mol]

Appreciate the comments everyone.

I would've liked the even wider perspective...with a little more of the gazelles showing in the BG

Yes, me too Morkel, however with only 2 bodies, one with the 500VR and the other a 70-200VR, my 14-24 often has to take second fiddle when the action happens quickly .
Three bodies would be ideal of course, but I got stung for excess baggage @ Wilson/Nairobi as it is.:eek:

[Hilary Hann]

I've looked at this image over and over again but wasn't sure if I could add anything to the other comments. I feel your pain at not have the perfect camera settings that you would have wanted, but it could be worse … i.e. you could be me, never seeing a cheetah in a tree at all!!!

Personally, I think you may have over worked the cat, and I vote for the OP.