Nice one! Was the sun far too overhead? the light seems a bit harsh to me. Was this cropped or is this the full frame? A bit more space on either sides would ve been welcome. Looks a bit pale ( but probably its because i am an Indian doctor & find everyone, including Cheethas from mara, to be pale). Jokes apart i find it a bit desaturated.
Nice one at the start of the day though. TFS
Regards
Abhijit
Hi Sanjeev -- Light is definitely harsh but you have still managed quite well. Not the best of angle and settings but always nice to get a Cheetah. I too would have liked some space in the front , rest looks fine to me. Colours are definitely good , doesn't look desaturated at all .
Sanjeev I think this is great, I like the pose and the colours. There appears to me to be more detail in this than in some of the previous cheetah shots.
(Two tiny white specs, one on the eye one on the side of nose bridge - I would eliminate them.)
Hi Sanjeev - Nice timing to have the tongue out which I feel adds to the image. I think the colors look fine. I agree a bit more room in front of the cheetah because the inclusion of the tail, which I think is great, creates a slightly awkward placement in frame without the additional space. The pano crop works though. Yes, the light looks harsh but you handled it.
All nits already commented on above - difficult to get the framing right when having to include such a long tail from side on. The tongue adds an extra bit of interest and that is a seriously full belly!
Hi Sanjeev, you could always add a Luminosity layer to help on the body if required on any of the more lighter areas. Could you have moved to your left, you would have more of the head plus the body too? The FG looks a bit thin & washed out and the small OOG grasses may not have been there if you had moved. Be great if you later grabbed the 500 with the 1.4 and gone tight in and caught her drinking. I would have gone to 1/2000, the light was on your side and so was the ISO. Like the choice of frame, although I'm not sure if it needs a sliver more below or less above and the tongue poking out.
Cheetah images are always very special and yours is no exception. To me the strength of this frame relies on the subject's focused look and the tongue protruding (she must have been so thirsty!).
This is well exposed, colours and sharpness look good. I personally feel more punch is needed, both on the cheetah's body and FG. As well as a tiny bit of "gardening" ( small grass bunch in the FG at the bottom of the frame on the LHS).
From a compositional perspective I think you did quite well under the circumstances Difficult to be creative when you cannot control the environment? When on a game vehicle among other people, asking the ranger to reposition for your sake is sometimes impossible:)
Thank you so much for sharing, hope you have a lovely week-end,
Hi Sanjeev i do like the image as presented ...for sure always room to improve things if one likes .
I do agree you could go for a tiny bit more tonal depth in the HL , but i think you did well under the given lighting. The tongue is a nice bonus and gives more interest to the image .
I might try to go even a bit tighter to avoid the grass patch in URC ?
Nice details and sharpness