Posted by Dave Sewell on December 4, 2007 at 2:06 PM
Not the greatest shot ever but I just wanted to share one of the most thrilling moments of my life! This fantastic creature was the culmination of a marathon 12 hour day in Yala NP, Sri Lanka in September. I was so excited I could hardly hold the camera! Unfortunatly it was miles away so this is quite a heavy crop but frankly, who gives a ****! Later another one crossed the road in front of the vehicle. I was ill-prepared, on centre-spot metering and concentrating so much on getting it's eye in focus that I cut the tail off!
Techs are 1D2N, 500 + 1.4x, f8, ISO 200, 2500 sec (yes, I can't quite work out why I used that combination either!)
Cheers all,
Dave
Posted by jack chapman on December 4, 2007 at 2:10 PM
lovely atmospheric shot David, the foreground vegetation really adds to the feel
Posted by Paul Ashton on December 4, 2007 at 2:23 PM
A once in a lifetime opportunity. Probably the most difficult African big cat to get to see and seldom out in the open during daylight. More usually found sleeping in a tree near to its larder.
A splendid shot. Is it possible to bring out a little more in the face so that we can more easily see the eyes?
Posted by Dave Sewell on December 4, 2007 at 3:12 PM
Hi Paul,
Once I've mastered Layers I'll be having another go at it. (It's an Asian Leopard BTW) I'm about to look at your work on my Egret and calf shot which I'll post back into the thread.
Cheers,
Dave
Posted by Graeme Lee on December 4, 2007 at 4:33 PM
I was going to say an African cat in Sri Lanka??? Was it in a zoo??
I must agree with you that that buzz of this must be incredible. Having been born in Africa and been to many many parks, I still haven't seen one, so I'd take anything! Great atmospheric shot Are these a rarity in Sri Lanka?
Posted by Dave Sewell on December 4, 2007 at 5:36 PM
Hi Greame,
I think Leopards are pretty scarce anywhere but Yala has 35 of them so you've got a fair chance. There's another NP on the north west that is bulging with them but unfortunatly it's out of bounds due to probs with Tamils (bombs and the like) and the way things are going it won't get any better soon. One thing I must say to anybody thinking of visiting Sri Lanka is don't be put off by what you see on the news. It's as safe as the UK and the people are crying out for visitors. I'm already planning my third visit!
Dave
Posted by Dave Sewell on December 4, 2007 at 5:37 PM
Hi Greame,
I think Leopards are pretty scarce anywhere but Yala has 35 of them so you've got a fair chance. There's another NP on the north west that is bulging with them but unfortunatly it's out of bounds due to probs with Tamils (bombs and the like) and the way things are going it won't get any better soon. One thing I must say to anybody thinking of visiting Sri Lanka is don't be put off by what you see on the news. It's as safe as the UK and the people are crying out for visitors. I'm already planning my third visit!
Dave
Posted by Andy Astbury on December 5, 2007 at 3:28 AM
Discussion
7 repliesTechs are 1D2N, 500 + 1.4x, f8, ISO 200, 2500 sec (yes, I can't quite work out why I used that combination either!)
Cheers all,
Dave
A splendid shot. Is it possible to bring out a little more in the face so that we can more easily see the eyes?
Once I've mastered Layers I'll be having another go at it. (It's an Asian Leopard BTW) I'm about to look at your work on my Egret and calf shot which I'll post back into the thread.
Cheers,
Dave
I must agree with you that that buzz of this must be incredible. Having been born in Africa and been to many many parks, I still haven't seen one, so I'd take anything! Great atmospheric shot
I think Leopards are pretty scarce anywhere but Yala has 35 of them so you've got a fair chance. There's another NP on the north west that is bulging with them but unfortunatly it's out of bounds due to probs with Tamils (bombs and the like) and the way things are going it won't get any better soon. One thing I must say to anybody thinking of visiting Sri Lanka is don't be put off by what you see on the news. It's as safe as the UK and the people are crying out for visitors. I'm already planning my third visit!
Dave
I think Leopards are pretty scarce anywhere but Yala has 35 of them so you've got a fair chance. There's another NP on the north west that is bulging with them but unfortunatly it's out of bounds due to probs with Tamils (bombs and the like) and the way things are going it won't get any better soon. One thing I must say to anybody thinking of visiting Sri Lanka is don't be put off by what you see on the news. It's as safe as the UK and the people are crying out for visitors. I'm already planning my third visit!
Dave
Paul addressed my only nit