Male Lion - Serengeti

Gallery: WildlifePosted April 20, 2011427 views13 comments

After sitting with a sleeping pride of Lions for over an hour, they decided to get up and move, all of a sudden one of the females spotted this small baby Thompson's Gazelle and gave chase, 3 other females joined in but the big male stood and watched. To his surprise - and ours, the poor little Thompson's ran straight at him in an attempt to escape and he simply opened his mouth and caught it in mid air.
He then proceeded to walk with the small body in his huge jaws, up to a shady tree where he devoured his small prize within minutes.

Canon 1DMK4
500mm
1/800 sec
f 8
ISO 200

All c&c welcome

Cheers Stu

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on April 20, 2011 at 2:49 AM

Wow! What an amazing encounter Stu, I can easily imagine the adrenaline surge your must have experienced watching it all unfold :^.

By the looks of the way the Lion's ribs are slightly protruding, it appears as though it may have been a while since his last meal, you reckon I'm right with this assumption?

Don't think I've ever seen a Lion with such a small kill before, more usually it would be a Cheetah or a Leopard.

Technically speaking, there's absolutely nothing I can pick up on; I'd be very proud indeed to have a shot like this in my collection, here's hoping ;^p

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Craig Myers on April 20, 2011 at 3:47 AM

So this lion is guilty first of sloth, then of gluttony. What's next? Really good anecdote to accompany your excellent image.

Registered on September 1, 2008, 85 Posts, 757 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Canning on April 20, 2011 at 10:06 AM

That's great Stu, a compelling image! I really like the comp and the gentle stroll of the lion as it walks off with its snack.

One minor comment, there is some cloning duplication on the LHS BG

Registered on February 10, 2004, 88 Posts, 549 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on April 20, 2011 at 11:19 AM

That must have been amazing to watch. I really like this image, mainly due to the disparity between the tiny prey and the hulking apex predator. I can't say I've ever seen a male lion toting a baby anything before. You were blessed to have short grass to work with too. Nice job, Stu.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on April 20, 2011 at 11:59 AM

A smashing shot !!!
I love the gaze, the gait and the trophy ! Not a great day to be a Gazelle.

Jagdeep Rajput

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

Comment posted by Guy Runco on April 20, 2011 at 12:24 PM

Really amazing shot Stu, great capture!

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on April 20, 2011 at 3:19 PM

Incredible capture showing off the size difference of these two animals. . . I would suggest warming up the WB a bit as the colors fall flat

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on April 20, 2011 at 6:15 PM

What a story, and told well in the image. Like the slow gait and pose. Lots of power here.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on April 20, 2011 at 7:43 PM

Wow, this male with a mouthful of gazelle makes for a compelling image. Congrats on witnessing and the capture. I like that he is quartering towards the viewer, rather than broadside or away. I like Luke's idea of adding a touch more warmth, but that may or may not be true to how you viewed the scene. I, too, see a little bit of clone echoing...

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Canuel on April 21, 2011 at 12:17 AM

Simple but powerful image Stu. I like Lon's comment about his position relative to the viewer. I think the lack of gore makes it easier to view the demise of baby animals.

Registered on September 12, 2010, 53 Posts, 660 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on April 21, 2011 at 9:00 AM

Hi Stu,

This male lion has really got it all figured out! I like the causal, confident ambiance this lion is emanating. While it's a little thing, I think the raised paw adds a significant (positive) impact to this image. Very dramatic and compelling as posted - I see merit in the idea of warming the image up slightly. To me the image feels just a tad tight top and bottom, but that's both a minor thing and simply personal preference.

Cheers...thanks for sharing this one...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on April 21, 2011 at 1:31 PM

What a cool story Stu, that must have been some hilarious sighting (although not so much for the poor gazelle of course). The image is quite dramatic. A lower POV would have made this even more dramatic though, but I am well aware of the frustrating constraints you probably had to deal with in that regard. I would only suggest to tone down the whites on the gazelle's belly just a bit.

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

Comment posted by Stu Porter on April 27, 2011 at 4:55 AM

Many thanks for all the comments, much appreciated. There were some oof elephant droppings to the back left which I cloned out, thanks for pointing out the duplication. The light was flat here, it was midday with partly cloudy conditions, the boost I have made pulled it up from the original, but might try a bit more, thanks for the suggestion. Many thanks everyone, cheers Stu

Registered on March 10, 2011, 8 Posts, 58 Comments