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Morning Beauty
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Morning Beauty

by Neal Cooper

Gallery: WildlifePosted April 3, 2012155 views6 comments
On a recent trip to the Kgalagadi a drive out on the first morning presented me with a beautiful female Leopard in stunning morning light. Here she had already crossed the road and lay down in a clearing next to a tree she had just scent marked. The sun was not ideal at this point, but I like the interesting lighting.

1/800
F/4.0
ISO 400
Canon 1D MKIV
Canon 500mm f/4.0

Comments

6 comments
Comment posted by Max Waugh on April 3, 2012 at 2:59 PM
It's always tough (wait, I mean near-impossible) to shoot leopards without some sort of annoying grass in the foreground. The grass obscuring her body is unfortunate, but at least it's not interfering with the view of her face.

I really like the lighter warm tones here in the cat's fur and the surroundings. Perfect choice for the composition as well.

Max
Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on April 3, 2012 at 3:29 PM
Beautiful animal, well caught. I really like the very natural lighting, and do appreciate you haven't "juiced" it up. Nicely composed. The OOF foreground grass doesn't bother me. In point of fact, the OOF grasses surround and nicely frame the subject.
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on April 3, 2012 at 9:01 PM
I also don't mind the OOF grass in the FG Neal. It;s just part of the surroundings and the important and emotional part of the image are all exposed. Nice work!
Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments
Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on April 4, 2012 at 8:04 AM
No problems from me regarding the oof grasses in front of the body. The larger image shows off clarity much better. Maybe, you could warm the image slightly in ACR?
Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments
Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on April 4, 2012 at 1:29 PM
What a beauty Neal! :cool: I am not bothered by the FG grasses either as they match th ones in the BG, creating, like Phil said, a nice framing effect. The back lighting work well and is handled well. I like the image as is, but do at the same see possibly even more potential in this if you would have been closer to the subject to go for more of a portrait image with the head and part of the body included. But now I am thinking as if I am in the field and I know you were probably constraint by distance to the track :wink: .
Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments
Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on April 8, 2012 at 7:09 AM
I am properly green about this sighting Neal...you have much better luck in KTP than I have with leopards, but then again I am known as the 'cheetah-man of KTP' haha :wink:

Love the use of back-light here, a very soft feel created, and the grasses do frame her nicely.
:biggrin:
Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments