Cheetahs on Mara plains

Gallery: WildlifePosted September 8, 2012479 views4 comments

This last trip of mine to Kenya and Tanzania just stood out for the very large big cat sightings - had 133 lion, 28 cheetah and 11 leopard sightings!!!
This was one of those 28 cheetahs - a mother and a fully grown male cub. I didn't realise then that they would be sharing with me their very last day together as a family. The next morning only the male cub was seen in this area, looking desperately for his mother, looking very terrified and calling out, pitifully, in the typical cheetah way that resembles the chirping of a little bird. But on this day, everything seemed hunky dory, and the two gave all of us who were fortunate to be there, a grand photo op. The lighting was terrific, and the two changed poses every few seconds, just like all those actresses at a film festival!
Species: Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Location: Masai Mara, Kenya
Date: July, 2012
Equip: Canon 5D Mlll, Canon 500 f4 with 1.4 TC
Specs: ISO 250, f6.3, 1/1600s, beanbag on vehicle.

Thank you for taking the time out to look, and for your comments/critiques.

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Morgan Casey on September 8, 2012 at 2:37 PM

I really like the isolation and focus in this. I might crop the top off a little bit as it seems to have too much space, but I know that is subjective. Nicely done!

Registered on November 16, 2010, 22 Posts, 269 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on September 9, 2012 at 5:37 AM

Wow, what an unbelievable number of sightings! So we can expect a lot more big cat images from you here.

The light is good here, which makes this simple image work. Personally I would have preferred a tighter framing.

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on September 13, 2012 at 2:11 PM

Agreeing with Vincent...I like the light but think closer up would have worked better, given you do not have other visually interesting background or location detail for the eye to study. I am extremely jealous of the kind of sightings you are reporting! Wow.

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

Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on September 13, 2012 at 10:09 PM

My own preference, not to the exclusion of others, is this kind of 'naturescape', which shows the habitat, and keeping the subject relatively small in the frame. The very fact that there is no other 'visually interesting background or location detail', as Lon puts it, is exactly why I like these kind of images - because there is no other distracting element in the frame, the eye of the viewer leads one only to the two cheetahs. Further, as my title suggests, the plains (there are no distracting elements - that' why they are called 'plains' in the first place), are a significant part of the image.
Yes, I do have 'tighter' images, which I'll share with all of you. However, I shall keep posting 'small in the frame' images, which appeal to me. After all, all images are so subjective. As long as it pleases the photographer, such images do have a place of their own!

Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments