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Wild Dog


Wild Dog
Photo Information
Copyright: Henry Engelbrecht (henrye) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 51 W: 2 N: 70] (268)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-02-14
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Nikon D100, Sigma 50-500 F/4-6.4, UV
Exposure: f/4.5, 1/125 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2005-10-18 16:50
Viewed: 1829
Points: 22
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
A young Wild Dog I came across during the late afternoon at the Lion Park just outside of Johannesburg. These are some of my favourite animals, and I just love to see them in the wild.

I struggled to get the cropping right here, and I still don't know if I did. I tried to emphasise those intelligent eyes, and also to show something of the colours on its body. Any suggestions are more than welcome!

Due to the low light I went up to ISO500 and f/4.5, shooting at 1/125 sec from my car window.


African Wild dog (Lycaon pictus)

The African Wild Dog is a rare wild dog that wanders the plains, grasslands and lowland forests of Africa. It is a very social animal that lives in groups. These wild dogs can run over 30 mph (48 km per hour).

Anatomy: The Cape Hunting Dog has short, spotted fur. It has large ears, sharp eyes, and a keen sense of smell. Adults weigh 45-80 pounds (20-36 kg) and are 30-38 inches (76-112 cm) long. They have a life span of about 11 years.

Hunting and Diet: These wild dogs hunt in packs of 10 to 20 dogs, mostly males. Before the hunt, a pack will make excited sounds and lick each other's faces. These carnivores (meat-eaters) can run down and kill even large mammals, like wildebeest and antelopes. They swallow meat in large chunks. When these wild dogs return to their group, they regurgitate food for young pups and dogs that were not in the hunt. They do not scavenge at all.

Enemies: These dogs are sometimes killed by by lions and leopards, but man has exterminated many of them, calling them pests and bringing them to the brink of extinction.
odin, Deepforest, red45, gerhardt, scottevers7 has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Merlin: Yes, sorry, right photo, wrong note!henrye 2 10-18 17:36
To Toucadoo: Yes, sorry, right photo, wrong note!henrye 1 10-18 17:24
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • odin Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 183 W: 1 N: 207] (1157)
  • [2005-10-18 17:11]

Nice shot Henry, The face is very sharp, the colors are beautyfull, Bad point a little bit of overexposure around is left ear. Still a very good shot. Well done
Sébastien

Excellent photo this big predator! Fine details, good natural colours, very good quality; well done! Congratulations!
Andrzej

Hi, Henry:
Nice doggy :)
Regards, Nigel

Good close-up of this painted wild dog (Lycaon pictus).These animals are very contrasty and sometimes it's difficult to get the right exposure for the dark and light patches this animal produces, the white burn-out on the right proves that. but still a nice shot. Paul :)

  • Great 
  • chiliu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1494 W: 0 N: 1175] (6494)
  • [2005-10-18 21:14]

Excellent shot, Henry
Great sharpness and detail, very nice colour,
good tight framing.
TFS!

Personal assessment of the photo: good.
Power of evocation in me: strong.
Strong visual impact.
Aptness of the photo for the site: excellent.
Personal assessment of the note: complete.
Thank you Henry.

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3066 W: 231 N: 6160] (21048)
  • [2005-10-18 22:15]

Sharp shot of this African wild dog. They well deserve their nickname of "painted dogs" because of the patterns on their fur.
Wonderful face on him. I can imagine that it would be thrilling to see them in the wild. Well done and TFS. ; )

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2005-10-19 5:06]

Great porteait Henry. I like pose and its vigilant face. Good picture with African mood.

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1490 W: 72 N: 1427] (4744)
  • [2005-10-19 6:56]

Great shot! Sharp detials and fantastic, natural colors. Exposure is very good too. Too bad you clipped one ear ... Well done & TFS!

Regards,
Pieter

Ahhh... the painted wolf. I love them as well.

Nice use of the low light conditions. What I like the most is the application of the DOF for effect. Nice and sharp where it counts.

My five cents worth... I think if the head where turned more towards the photographer the compo would rock. Still a nice capture though.

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2156 W: 322 N: 4258] (16906)
  • [2005-10-19 17:04]

Henry, this is really amazing.

Excellent sharpness, composition, pov and details.

I do enjoy pose and colors too.

Congratulations.

Hi Henry,
I think you did an excellent job here. I love the close tight crop. Some may say something about the top of the one ear, but when you get this close and this good, I think it is fine. I would clone out the two littile wjite spots in the left ear. Other than that, This shot rocks!
Scott

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