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Cheetah on the hunt
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
This photo was taken in the late afternoon in the Ngorongoro Conservation area close to Ndutu Lodge,immediately south of the Serengeti. There were two cheetahs and they were constantly scanning the area for prey.
Cheetahs are regarded as being the fastest animals on the planet over a short distance and their prey, mainly gazelles and impalas, have to rely on swerving to-and-fro in order to avoid capture as they have no chance of out-running the cheetah on a straight line. |
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WOW! This isn't a zoo photo...this is the real thing. That's what impresses me...well, besides the clarity and detail here and the fact that you managed to photograph the fasted creature on the planet. ha ha That takes timing! :)
Hi Mike
It is a great capture of a lovely scene with the cheetah scanning the landscape with such intense concentration that it seems to be quite oblivious of your presence or actions. You followed all the guidelines for a well laid out composition with ample space in front of the animal to stare into. I like the low POV and the BG is free of any distracting objects making this "Kalahari Ferrari" stand out perfectly in the shot.
As a matter of interest and this is really no big deal – I am just curious, but although your notes mention that the photo was taken in the late afternoon I have to wonder about this since the exif data (photo or camera info) reflects the time of capture as 07:49. This (in my mind) could mean one of the following:-
1. Maybe the clock was not set to a 24 hour configuration which means the time of capture was actually 19:49. However, if this was the case it probably would have been almost pitch dark night. I've never been to Tanzania, but according to information I found on the Internet Tanzania time (Dar es Salaam) is ±1 hour ahead of South African time. I also found that the sunset time for January is 18:38, so it appears that I can dispel this scenario.
2. Perhaps the camera clock was set incorrectly and your "late afternoon" recollection is spot-on thus giving the photo that warm / rich late afternoon colour tones.
3. Alternatively the clock was correct which means that the photo was captured before eight in the morning. This too could have provided such lighting conditions to reflect a similar result as in point 2.
Whatever the case might be, it seemed to me that there was more potential locked in your photo than what the dullish colouring might display. I have prepared a quick workshop to try and bring out a little more of the lovely sunlight colours and I hope you like it.
Anyway, nice work and TFS.
Regards
Loot
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