The previous evening, cheetah tracks were spotted very near our camp. Two vehicles set out early the next morning to track the cheetah. Two hours later and fifteen kilometers north of the original spotting we found the cat again. It very nicely posed on a fallen tree and then slid down into some thick brush. We followed at a distance when the tracker called for a halt. In a small clearing, we could see some impala. There was a warning bark and the impala all looked up, turned around and fled.. Our vehicle went after the impala.
As we cleared most of the thicket, my wife saw the cheetah going up a small grassy incline. We followed and at the top, saw the cat with its fresh kill. Here's one of the shots from that encounter. D4, 80-400 at 400, f/8, 1/320 and Auto ISO at 250. This is uncropped. The lower right corner was burned. Richard
Comments
8 commentsRichard,
Perversely I always enjoy a Cheetah kill
They have a hard time and really deserve a good meal.
This is a great capture given the awkward lighting, I particularly like the small amount of white in the eye
great light in the cheetah's eye and i like how you framed it. Great job!
A bit of the wild world in a frame. Well exposed with the difficult light, and the color tells a story on its own. Great capture.
Hi Richard,
Very nicely done. Most "drama in real life" shots we see are largely on the "straight documentary" side, but the lighting here (and how you handled it) is excellent and elevates this shot to higher levels. Congrats on producing this strong and dramatic image!
Cheers...
Brad
Great shot Richard, to me there is an interesting juxtaposition in this one. The cat with the soft light on it's eyes looks like such a sweet, docile animal and then there's the bloody prey below it.
Love the spotlit focal point of your comp, very graphic.
Tack sharp, great use of the available light.. I can hear the bones crunching from here Richard.
Concendentibus ad victorem per ire spolia
Richard, I like the composition and the light/shadow. Like Nate’s comment. Bloody, but that’s nature's way. Wonderful capture!
Good capture of the very fresh kill! I love the soft light falling over the cheetah's eyes. Where did you take this photo?
Grt, Ingrid.