Leopard at Sunrise

Gallery: WildlifePosted October 7, 2011914 views28 comments

Canon EOS 7D, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM MK II @ 70mm, Manual Settings @ f/5 (1/3000-4000 sec), 0 EV, ISO 100, Handheld, JPEG from RAW, Each Copped Approximately 40% from Full Frame

Couldn't decide which of this series of four has the most impact, so I thought I'd show you a composite in the hope that those of you who can spare a little time would be willing to let me know which one is your particular favourite, that is of course working on the assumption that you might like at least one of these images ;^)

For those of you willing to offer your opinion or preference, we can take it from the top left-hand corner going in clockwise rotation and call that one A, followed by B (top right), C (bottom right), and D (bottom left).

For the record: This female Leopard is a part of the breeding programme at the Big Cat Reserve (Limpopo Province, South Africa), where I spent six days back in August shooting captive felines. Being that the weather was somewhat temperamental, it took a few mornings of waking up at 4:30 am and being in place before the light I was hoping for at sunrise lit up the sky just right, but for me it was certainly a project worth the pursuing!

Comments

28 comments

Comment posted by Hussain Nalwala on October 7, 2011 at 3:29 AM

I think Ashley all the fout pictures are beautiful and is hard to select one ....

Registered on April 18, 2011, 298 Posts, 339 Comments

Comment posted by James Campbell on October 7, 2011 at 4:38 AM

Hi Ashley... Definately a lovely selection of images you have presented. Personally I like A and C - the visible tail is what I'm drawn to here. The bonus would have been to not have that left hand tree in the frame, but thats just wishful thinking

Registered on January 12, 2009, 48 Posts, 377 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Mclean on October 7, 2011 at 5:54 AM

Super set of pics Ashley.
B and C for me.

Phil.

Registered on March 16, 2010, 30 Posts, 153 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Balcken on October 7, 2011 at 8:12 AM

C!...why?...tail, peaking sun, and visible horizon. All are stunning, however...and I like the presentation of all four as well.

Registered on November 29, 2009, 48 Posts, 249 Comments

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on October 7, 2011 at 8:22 AM

They are all excellent Ashley, I like C the best also for the tail. Beautiful images.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by shirley gaisser on October 7, 2011 at 10:39 AM

B for me--I like the angle of the cat in that one.

Registered on May 30, 2011, 64 Posts, 72 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on October 7, 2011 at 11:21 AM

Tough call. I think I prefer C simply because the full body is visible, making it the closest to an obvious leopard silhouette. Plus, the sun is positioned nicely. It would have been ideal if the head were raised slightly... I actually prefer the poses of the first two, but the back half of the cat is lost in the tree.

Lovely colors in all of them.

Max

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

Comment posted by Anand Narayanan on October 7, 2011 at 1:07 PM

Thats difficult ! A is the winner for me, followed by B. Tail like in A and forefeet like in B would be the bestestest

Love the sun in C and D, but the poses are not as dynamic.

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on October 7, 2011 at 2:08 PM

Very nice silhouette series Ashley, definitely a project worth pursing. I happen to like A first then D, being able to see most of the cat with the tail makes the image complete for me. Excellent composition, well thought out and well seen.

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

Comment posted by Carol Nichols on October 7, 2011 at 3:05 PM

Ashley, I like C the best because I can see all 4 legs and the tail, plus the sun is a bonus! What a fun shooting experience this must have been.

Registered on November 7, 2007, 161 Posts, 1420 Comments

Comment posted by Keith A Anderson on October 7, 2011 at 3:38 PM

B and C for me, Ashley. I really like the head and foreleg positions of B the best but the overall comp of C with the horizon, sunrise and being able to see the whole body make that my overall choice. Regardless, I like them all. What a great opportunity and you made the most of it.

Registered on February 13, 2006, 166 Posts, 1818 Comments

Comment posted by John Launstein on October 7, 2011 at 10:07 PM

Ashley: OH MY. Wonderful stuff! I really, really like these. As with several others, I think A and C would have to be my choices. The reach by the cat on A is just incrediblly intriguing and captivating, but in the end C just has too much going for it not to get the final nod...an iconic image IMO.

You have been spoiling us since your return! :)

Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Runco on October 8, 2011 at 12:05 AM

Excellent shots, so hard to decide. I choose C for the same reasons as most, love that full body and tail!

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

Comment posted by Danny Laredo on October 8, 2011 at 7:01 AM

Stunning!

Registered on March 18, 2008, 71 Posts, 332 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on October 8, 2011 at 8:08 AM

Ashley, I like the combination, very nice. My single image choice is the #4, the lower RHC. Glad you made the effort to get these shots. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on October 8, 2011 at 11:26 AM

For me A. I would like C best, but the tail is not as visible, plus C and D also have the distracting tree intersecting with the Leopard and that really bothers me on silhouettes especially. Both A and B do not have the distracting tree in the way (do wish the sun was peaking though) and A is the only one out of the two that has a very visible tail.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on October 9, 2011 at 3:46 AM

Many thanks for your time, consideration, and for stating your preferences and the reason behind it Hussain, James, Phil, Joseph, Ray, Shirley, Max, Anand, Jim, Carol, Keith, John L, Guy, Danny, John T, and Kurt, very much appreciated :^)

Seems than "C" is the runaway winner, so I'll post a larger version of that up for you next. Thanks again and wishing you all a great weekend!

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on October 9, 2011 at 4:00 AM

C for me too - like the full silhouette.
Wonderful captures, all of them!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on October 11, 2011 at 12:56 AM

This is a very striking series of images Ashley. 'C' is no doubt the strongest in the series. I must say it is rather clever of you to make a composite like this, that way, even after cropping to 40% of the original images you can still make one large print with enough resolution.

Nice work, even taken into account that this is a captive leopard.

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

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on October 11, 2011 at 8:09 AM

Thanks for sharing your preference too Sandy and Vincent :^)

Vincent: I really have to find a better way to word the amount I've cropped so it's more clear; i.e. my fault not yours ;^)

What I meant to say is that each has had approximately 40% cropped from it, in other words, around 60% of the full frame of each respective image is what you see here.

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on October 14, 2011 at 1:02 PM

Congrats on another excellent WP!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Graham on October 14, 2011 at 1:10 PM

congrats on the EP, the image is beautiful

Registered on August 22, 2006, 842 Posts, 2824 Comments

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on October 14, 2011 at 11:11 PM

Congratulations on the EP Ashley, wonderful images and well deserved!

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on October 14, 2011 at 11:58 PM

Congrats on the the EP Ashley

A wonderful series, personally I like the last photo (c).

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on October 15, 2011 at 10:52 AM

Congrats Ashley - well deserved !

, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on October 15, 2011 at 1:17 PM

Congrats Ashley, my favorites are B and C

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on October 18, 2011 at 3:40 AM

Many thanks Jim and/or Donna and anyone else who may have been involved in selecting my composite for the WP. Also, thank you Sandy, Rob, Ray, Ken, Hans, and Nate for adding your approval too :^)

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

Comment posted by Mark Deibert on October 22, 2011 at 9:16 PM

C is probably the best, but all are excellent! Seems you are on fire with all of these great captures! Purely inspirational!

Mark

Registered on September 30, 2011, 48 Posts, 125 Comments