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Majestic Pose
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Majestic Pose

by Ashley Vincent

Gallery: WildlifePosted June 29, 2011181 views9 comments
Canon EOS 7D, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM @ 145mm, Shutter Priority @ f/2.8 (1/320 sec), +1/3 EV, ISO 400, Handheld, JPEG from RAW, Full Frame

Subject: Jaguar

Been a while since I saw any big cats here so I thought I'd share with you one of my favourites. Most of the big cats at my local zoo are in glass fronted enclosures, which makes it real challenging to get a shot without something of a reflection appearing in the picture and also washing out some of the strength of the subject's natural colours.

While trying to think of a solution to this I came up with the idea of bringing an umbrella with me for future visits and, though it's a little awkward balancing the umbrella on one shoulder while handholding the camera, it is possible to line it up to prevent light striking the glass from behind me, and that's how I got this shot.

I would have preferred to have the Jaguar with more space around it, but that would have meant including other elements that that were even more obviously manmade than the “rock” it was lying on, so I chose to zoom in tight.

Anyhow, much as I like this portrait I'm open to your thoughts and opinions :^)

Comments

9 comments
Comment posted by Mark Zane on June 29, 2011 at 10:45 AM
Great capture - love the look of the cat! You did a good job at eliminating the reflection. I will have to keep that idea in mind!
Registered on June 4, 2010, 3 Posts, 14 Comments
Comment posted by Darren Colello on June 29, 2011 at 12:36 PM
Stunning portrait Ashley. I love that gorgeous gaze. Excellent detail and very well composed. :toast:
Registered on July 27, 2009, 175 Posts, 1100 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Sharp on June 29, 2011 at 1:50 PM
Techs look good! Given the upward gaze, I would have liked a framing showing more space above.
Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments
Comment posted by Brad Hill on June 29, 2011 at 3:32 PM
Hey Ashley,

I'm finding this one a little hard to critique. I do want to acknowledge that I think you've done a really good job of eliminating one of the major constraints you faced in capturing this image (i.e., the reflections from the glass). And, your techs look good - exposure and sharpness are spot on. And, you've nicely separated the subject from the background.

However (and I bet you anticipated a "However" :wink: ), I think the "other" group of constraints you faced (keeping the obviously man-made objects out of the frame) have hampered the success of the image as posted. To my eye, three of four sides are too tight, and having room on one of those sides (the top) is essential for this image to work. In other words, that cat just needs more space to look into! And...I'd also like to see just a little more room below that paw.

Given that this is full-frame and re-cropping "looser" isn't an option, I think the only way to make this image REALLY usable (read "saleable" here) would be to crop the head even tighter and then to digitally add some more space above the cat (given how softly you've rendered the background this shouldn't be too tough to do).

There ARE lots of positives here...but you were definitely up against a lot of really tough constraints (but there's probably still some lemonade to be made here! :wink: ).

Cheers...

Brad
Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments
Comment posted by John Tobias on June 29, 2011 at 4:18 PM
Very nice portrait of a jaguar. I do find the triangle off of his left side to be a bit distracting, more so than the material he is on. I do like the pose, with the upward look. Very sharp, good color and detail. One of my favorite cats, thanks for sharing such a nice image.
Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments
Comment posted by John Launstein on June 29, 2011 at 10:32 PM
Hey, Ashley! Really cool look from this cat...you captured it perfectly. I probably would echo most of Brad's comments here, but that doesn't take away from the fact I think you did a fantastic job in the situation you found yourself in and ended up with a really great image. Those whiskers and that eye just rock!
Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments
Comment posted by Venugopal Thantry on June 30, 2011 at 11:25 AM
Really majestic!......TFS :toast:
Registered on May 12, 2011, 33 Posts, 144 Comments
Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on July 1, 2011 at 7:34 AM
Many thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinions on this one Mark, Darren, Lon, Brad, John T, John L, and Venugopal, much appreciated :^)

Brad: In complete agreement with all you said, and thanks for the suggestion about adding canvas, something I may well try when I've freed up a bit more time to rework some of my images.
Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments
Comment posted by Harshad Barve on July 4, 2011 at 3:47 AM
Ashley
This is excellent image
Registered on July 25, 2010, 39 Posts, 210 Comments