Leopard at night

Gallery: WildlifePosted July 24, 2010270 views7 comments

This is my first posting on NPN. Since 1990 I have worked in India as a wildlife naturalist, mostly in Bandhavgarh NP in Central India. Tigers are my usual subject, but my favorite wild cat is the leopard.

This photo was taken in 2009 on a scouting trip in Rajasthan. This place is where David Attenborough filmed leopards walking through a herding village at night, using infrared cameras in BBC's "Life of Mammals" series.

Specific details: D300, 70-200mm VR, aperture 2.8, shutter 1/60, ISO 1600, handheld. No flash was used. Leopard was tracked and photographed using a spotlight.

I am seeking constructive feedback. Your critique will be appreciated.

Butch

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Brandon Sideleau on July 24, 2010 at 4:40 AM

Love the shot Butch, the spot light works wonderfully here...you have drawn the viewer to the leopard and the exposure looks perfect to me.

Registered on October 6, 2006, 79 Posts, 173 Comments

Comment posted by Pete Bengeyfield on July 24, 2010 at 10:55 AM

Great shot! I like the way the boundary of the shadow is right at his feet. His stare is eye-catching as well.

Registered on December 2, 2003, 1247 Posts, 3439 Comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on July 25, 2010 at 3:30 AM

Welcome to NPN! Very interesting frame, the eye contact and body language is wonderful here. I may prefer to reduce the red here and subdue the green leaves a bit.
Jagdeep Rajput

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on July 25, 2010 at 1:37 PM

Hi Butch and welcome to NPN

I must admit I am not a big fan of night shots with the use of artificial light in general, mostly because they look so unnatural. That said, I do like this one quite bit. I like how you treated the light (and torch is mostly better than flash), although i agree with Jagdeep about the reds and the greens. Further I might consider cropping a sliver off the bottom. I am looking forward to seeing more leopard and tiger images from you!

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on July 25, 2010 at 4:20 PM

Very cool, I really like the composition and lighting here. Really a terrific overall feel to the shot.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on July 26, 2010 at 7:00 PM

Very good job with getting good detail on the leopard in the lighting conditions you were working with. I might consider a smaller crop and just showcase the leopard and not the other out of focus area within the frame. In any case, well done and welcome to NPN.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Anand Narayanan on July 26, 2010 at 10:26 PM

A leopard at night is always special ! What a great way to start !

Registered on October 25, 2009, 110 Posts, 835 Comments