Spotted Beauty

Gallery: WildlifePosted January 9, 2015250 views11 comments

A female Leopard posing beautifully on a rocky outcrop in the Mara North Conservancy in Kenya. We were very fortunate to spend more about 3 hours with her and her mating couple in a stunning setting with nothing obstructing our visibility.

EOS 1DX - EF200-400mm f4.0L IS USM - 560mm - 1/800 sec @ f5.6 - ISO 1600

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on January 9, 2015 at 1:11 PM

Simply stunning!. I love the look she is giving you. Her tail peeking up is an added bonus. Techs are spot on. Well done.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on January 9, 2015 at 4:25 PM

What a thrill it must have been to have been in the company of such a beautiful cat. No nits here... pose, background sharpness are all great. Thanks for posting.

Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on January 9, 2015 at 5:19 PM

I like the subtle side lighting here, Mario. It helps her pop a bit from the background. I feel like there's a very slight magenta caste to this on my screen, but otherwise I love the way it looks.

Max

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

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on January 10, 2015 at 12:24 AM

Mario,
Glorious pose, nice to see a leopard not hidden by leaves or trees

I too see a slight magenta cast

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on January 10, 2015 at 5:09 AM

Love the gaze n pose as well ! Raised tail is a big plus.
Agree about magenta cast.
Jagdeep Rajput

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Sandipan Dutta on January 10, 2015 at 1:04 PM

This is a fantastic portrait ...I like her stare ... it's so hypnotic !

Registered on March 9, 2009, 171 Posts, 493 Comments

Comment posted by Karen Kane on January 10, 2015 at 9:08 PM

Beautiful animal, great eye contact and perfect lighting Mario. Thanks for sharing!

Registered on August 4, 2012, 66 Posts, 726 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on January 11, 2015 at 8:39 AM

Hi Mario,

Classic and very appealing shot. Besides the obvious here (good techs, great pose, nice light, etc.) I particularly love how the apparently "disconnected" tail seems to be in "up-periscope" mode and taking a look!

Just so you get a feeling for how many folks are seeing it - I also see a faint magenta cast on this one.

Thanks for sharing this one!

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on January 17, 2015 at 6:12 PM

Relaxed posture and deadly stare! And gorgeous. How exciting for you, Mario, to be able to watch and photograph her for so long in such good conditions. Congrats on the experience and for the Pick for this amazing image.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on January 18, 2015 at 9:38 AM

Hello Mario

I had missed this earlier and late to the comments. A keeper, with beautiful light and relaxed subject! Like Brad, I really enjoy the periscope!

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Joe James on January 19, 2015 at 10:26 PM

Beauty you have there Mario!

Registered on November 20, 2009, 89 Posts, 808 Comments