Look into my eyes, into my eyes... + colour RP

[Steve Kaluski]

Piggy backing on Grants nice cub shot, here is another Leopard cub, about a month old (although taken a while back). As usual, the cub was buried by Mum in the thick bush, but like all youngsters the inquisitiveness got the better of this one, only to emerge partially as you will see with the OOF grass covering the nose and jaw, but the eyes for me were just too engaging.

With colours mixed, ideal for camouflage but not for the image I converted to B/W then Selenium toned it just to soften it. Not sure about the highlights in the eyes?:2

Sadly the cub did not make it.

Steve
MKII 500f/4 1/100 f/4 ISO500 (HH, cropped to format)

[Grant Atkinson]

Hi Steve, nice strong v-shape made by the angle that you shot from, and the position of head and ears. It is almost echoed by the whiskers. Fantastic detail in the eyes, and textures of the cubs spotted fur sets off the eyes strongly. Like the conversion, and the techs look good, well done with sharpness at 1/100sec. Would have liked the tip of the ear to be in frame. The unusually shaped reflections in the cubs eye's appear to be the reflection of the rear part of the game viewing vehicle...
TFS
Grant

[Morkel Erasmus]

the eyes are lovely with great detail - and the conversion has worked well to make the cub stand out...
I too see the reflection of the game-viewing vehicle

[Hilary Hann]

Mesmerising eyes indeed. I really like the graphic nature of this portrait and Grant has described it perfectly with the 'V' shape. Sad the cub didn't make it, usually we casual visitors never find out but it is probably more the truth than not. Like the conversion with the hint of selenium. I wouldn't touch the eye highlights as it adds extra interest in looking to see what the reflection is!

[Dumay de Boulle]

I like it but I cant help but think how awesome it would look in color. With the piercing blue eyes and the fantastic yellows. Very nice pose and IQ.

[Rachel Hollander]

Steve - I agree with everything said above. It all works, the strong v, the crop (except for the slight cut of the ear), the conversion, the sharpness. Well done as usual.

TFS,
Rachel

[Marc Mol]

Agree with Grant's comments also, good use of DOF here Steve, nicely highlighting those sorrowful eyes.
TFS

[Robert Amoruso]

Nice sharpeness on the eyes and nose but I am wishing for a bit more DOF.

Un-clipped ears would have been nice and a tad to tight at the jaw.

[Vivaldo Damilano]

I also find the image a bit tight Steve but still love the superb detail captured TFS

[Shaun Boycott-Taylor]

Up to your usual standard Steve.

A well composed image. I to like the triangle of the face and whiskers. Great conversion to B&W IQ superb as you would expect from a Canon user
Only nit for me is the clipped ear..............but personally I'm used to that I'll get my coat.



Shaun

[Pieter de Waal]

Hi Steve, all has been said above, just love those enquiring eyes and texture, B&W conversion has worked well.

[Steve Kaluski]

Thanks again for all the comments and I think having mixed POVs is good as it proves things are always subjective and never straight forward, well perhaps in a few cases.

As I mentioned this had been shot a while back, so there was always going to be room for improvement if I shot this recently. The image was shot landscape, so sadly no room for extra depth and although I cannot remember everything from the image, perhaps a portrait format might have been better. Personally I am not a great lover of square crops, but I felt this worked well to focus the viewers eyes within the image. The clip ear personally doesn't worry me as I feel/felt it was the strength of the eyes that made it, but perhaps a tighter crop might be better so that the right ear is clipped too, to balance things?

Robert I was fighting for SS hence the settings otherwise I would have gone for a better DOF and it was the MKII.

I will add the colour version next week when I get back home, so watch this space.

Many thanks
Steve

[Brendan Dozier]

Very nice detail, and the eyes are amazing. Really captures the cub's sense of wonder & curiousity. Well done!

[Steve Kaluski]

OK folks, thanks for being patient, just back, so here is the colour version with a slight crop to balance the ears.

Thanks again.
Steve

[Hilary Hann]

This is one occasion when I think that the colour and the black and white have equal strengths. Just love those eyes. Like the way you've balanced the ears.

[Rachel Hollander]

Steve - I think I prefer the b&w although the eyes are mesmerizing on the color version. It might be interesting to play around with an even tighter crop on the color.

TFS both versions,
Rachel

[Grant Atkinson]

I prefer the colour version of this one....
cheers
Grant