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My 400th Photo


My 400th Photo
Photo Information
Copyright: Radu Xplorator (Xplorator) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 714 W: 58 N: 1517] (7614)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-08
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Nikon CP 8800
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2006-10-12 5:39
Viewed: 1346
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Exactly two years ago, this month I joined TrekNature and had fun ever since, fun learning, fun meeting other people that share same passion and more than anything admire their work! Here I am now, celebrating my little two year "anniversary" with a 400th photo posted. I did not plan this photo, I just rolled "whatever" incognito image I bumped into my library, nevertheless its a pretty cool one I think. But enough with self praise...
The White Bengals of His Highness, the Maharajah :

A common myth surrounding white tigers is that these felines originate from the far north Russian cold, densely forested lands of Siberia and their fur color acts as natural camouflage between snow and bushes. It makes perfect sense but in reality, couldn’t be more far from the truth. All white tigers in the world today are not Siberians (Pathera tigris altaica), but descendants of an Indian wild tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) cub captured by Indian royalty in 50’s.
So, fact is, in May 1951, H.H. Shri Martand Singh (1923-1995), the maharajah of Rewa in Rajasthan, was hunting in the jungles of Bandhavgarh, central India. On the 25th a report came in that a tigress had been sighted with four cubs, one of which was white. The maharajah cruelly shot the mother dead but collected its offspring, of which only one was white, and he raised them and starting breeding them. That first white cub was the grandfather of all white tigers today and remains the most famous. His name was Mohan.
Despite his passion for hunting, Maharajah Shri Martand Singh was one of India’s foremost champions of wildlife preservationists, much in the fashion of Theodore Roosevelt, also well-seasoned traveler and sportsman.
Mohan, the original white tiger died twenty years later and left the world the genetic legacy of all white tigers in captivity, from zoos to Siegfried & Roy in Las Vegas. Farms specialized in felines would sell white tigers for ten times the price of a red one, reaching fabulous amounts of money.
Many beliefs, false or true, surround these legendary beasts. Perhaps the most common myth is that white tigers are albinos, but without pigment they would also not have stripes, colored noses and paw pads, and lip mottling. Their skin would lack color pigment and fur would be all milky and not striped. Its slightly different but still reverse similar in effect from melanism for example, present in black panthers.
The white tiger is not a separate subspecies; it would perhaps be more accurate to call it an aberrant coloration. Because they are not a separate tiger type they are also not an 'endangered species.
A little-known fact is that white tigers do not always have ice blue eyes; they may be green or amber. Again, this requires pigment in the eyes that an albino would not have.
In the kingdom of Assam the belief existed that anyone sighting a white tiger would soon die. It's a myth that remains today.
fartash, LordPotty, blakitan, thor68, claudine, Calianis, ramthakur, Signal-Womb, Hil, TheMystic, peter_stoeckl has marked this note useful
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To claudine: Re:Xplorator 1 10-14 15:16
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Critiques [Translate]

Congrats on your 400th Radu.
She's a cracker pussycat Bruce!

Hi Radu,
Excellent choice of picture for your 400th. Congratulation! Superb shot of this white tiger. Darker BG really makes the big cat stand out. Love to see the way he/she looks at you.

Ben Lakitan

Wonderful, I love this animals.

Congratulation Radu,

Superb shot
Great Composition , POV , DOF , Colours , sharpness , BG

TFS Thijs

*happy 400!*, radu! :-)
did you treat yourself with a little siegfried & roy? *g*
what a pretty white tiger, although he looks a little bit angry
or hungry? good pov and some great motion-blur in the bg.
terrific job & looking forward to the next 400, thorsten.

Hi Radu.

The positioning of the tiger is breathtaking.It seems you've succeeded giving the image a motion effect, tiger looks as if she's moving.Colors and composition makes this photo worth looking.Congratulations for your 400th post.

Well Done & TFS.

Hey Radu
Very great shot of white tiger,
Good composition and colors,
Excellent

Regards
Fartash

  • Great 
  • pvs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1159 W: 255 N: 2639] (11925)
  • [2006-10-12 10:57]

Hi Radu,

Congratulations with this milestone and that many pictures may follow,well captured shot with good POV and colors well done and TFS

Paul

Congratulations on your 400th post. That's a lot of participation for TN Radu, well done. I watched one of these White Bengals Tiger in Belfast zoo and I was fascinated by the beast but also a little sad because of the enclosure. Excellent composition and pose, well done.

Hi Radu,
Congratulations on the 400th post. What a milestone, and what a dedication and contribution to this site.
I love the intensity of the eyes of the tiger. Great colors and a beautiful tight composition.
TFS,
Niek

  • Great 
  • Hil Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 750 W: 11 N: 1441] (4949)
  • [2006-10-12 18:06]

Hi Radu,

Superb post for you 400th shot, excellent composition and the stalking pose is perfect, the detail is nice and sharp and the colours are perfect and I love the green eyes.

TFS Hilary :o)

A great and rare sight, Radu. Congratulations on your 400th post! I just hope that seeing a picture of it won't be fatal! Great and interesting note! I can see where people may think it's a different breed, like Snow Leopards are a product of their environment.
Cheers
Otto

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3091 W: 234 N: 5896] (19880)
  • [2006-10-13 1:01]

Congratulations on your 400th post, Radu. : )
Your images have taken me over many continents
and introduced me to a number of exotic species.
Moreover they have presented many aspects of animal behavior
that only a bold photographer can capture and bring back.
I have enjoyed your friendship and your excitement,
and am looking forward to following you to more corners of the world.
Cheers,
ManYee

About this post... just superb.
This white tiger is nothing short of majestic.
Beautiful details and colors!

Hi Radu,
Congratulations on your 400th post!
First of all, your well-researched note sheds new light on the white tiger. It is an eye-opener.
Secondly, this is a beautiful picture of this great tiger. I find the expression on its face rather friendly.
All in all, a great portrait of this majestic feline.
Thanks for making your 400th post really very interesting.
Ram

Hello Radu,
pretty cool one, as you said! Singapore Zoo does offer some very impressing encounters for those ready to seize the right moment in merciless tropical humidity.
I like the image for its calm approach, its composition, and some kind of understatement coming with a little motion blur and low contrast. Maybe the image might look even more exciting with contrasts slightly raised, but I do not know if any kind of flashyness would have been intended by you.
Congratulations my friend - for posting 400 and the whole remarkable gallery you are sharing with TN!
With thanks and best regards,
Peter

UP DATE! Mistake in the calculation. I read my critic again and then, I saw the mistake I made in my statistic about the numer of picture that you published since two years :) Update!

"Hi Radu,
Congratulations for your 400th post! You know that when you count it, it gives a result of 0,54 picture published by day :-) That's something! And this one is wonderful! I love this great eye contact and this sense of movement we feel by looking at it. It's an impressive animal in an impressive picture :) Your notes are very interesting too. Thanks!"
Claudine

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