The Sentinel

Nice image Ken ! I like the way you have framed the lioness with the tree. Good eye contact too. The only distraction here are the out of focus branches in the LLC …… Otherwise Great Work

Hey Ken,

In this case my comments are easy - ditto on what Mario said.

My only other comment is this - you say: "... it goes without saying that the light was not at its best." Hmmm. I love working in light like this - colours come through superbly and there's no issues related to dealing with harsh shadows. But I love indirect lighting and the often moody shots that can result (over what I think of as standard, front-lit "happy shots"). Each to their own I guess.

Brad

Mario,
Unfortunately I did not have a panga handy
Brad,
My comment about light or lack of it needs further explanation. As my 1DX had died (yet again) I had to use a MkIV and in my opinion at ISO 800 it is just about useful, whereas with the 1DX (when working) ISO 1600 is perfectly acceptable. I too like differently lit shots in particular side lighting, some animals do however require good light I am thinking in particular Sable and Roan.

I think this is a great shot. However, for me, it seems a bit over saturated. Pulling back on the greens and the tree trunk, i think, would strengthen this already amazing image.

Hey Ken,

Got it - wasn't a light problem, but a TECHNOLOGY problem. I could mention the simple but somewhat unmentionable permanent fix for that (and I believe I hinted at that before)...but that might get me in trouble!

I suppose the other approach to take would be just to think back to the Kodachrome 25 and Velvia 50 days and smile every time we take a shot with the ISO above 400!

Ken...you're making this teasing WAY too easy for me!

Appreciate the clarification - have a good one...

Brad

Hi Ken. That's a very nice pose she is showing with the forelegs slightly elevated on the roots of the tree. I also like the excellent eye contact and focused expression you captured. I do wonder if there was an opportunity here to zoom out to include more of the interesting tree on the right side and make it a stronger part of the composition. Obviously, I'm only speculating because I don't know how the scene actually looked.

Thanks for the further comments.
Gary,
I do have some landscape images of this scene, and will post one later. By the way the tree is a False Mopane, and has very dark, almost purple bark naturally.

I appreciate the low perspective and her stately pose. Too bad the tree is so prominent in the upper right.

I love the pose here Ken, the low POV adds a lot of power to the image as does the engaging stare. I would either like to see more of the tree or less of it, right now it seems to compete for attention. Overall a very nice image .