Cheetahs on Trek


Posted by Morkel Erasmus on Sun Mar 15, 2015 6:26 am

All times are UTC-05:00

Reply to topic  
 First unread post  | 9 posts | 
Image
I have barely had time to process some new images this year, but here's one I got round to last night while preparing entries for a competition. This female cheetah, called "Kakenya" by the folks in the Mara Triangle, was leading her litter of 5 cubs (only 3 in the frame here) across the vast savanna in search of dinner. The zebras in the background made sure not to let them out of their sight (I always enjoy seeing how prey species react to predators nonchalantly strolling past them).

There's so much going on here, and as usual I tried to capture some context in my frame. The spots of the cheetahs vs the stripes of the zebras, the lighter grassland vs the shadowed backdrop of the Oloololo Escarpment, and the distinct shape of the Balanites trees so typical of the area - all working together to tell the story of this moment frozen in time.

Techs:
Nikon D4s (courtesy of Nikon South Africa)
Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f8.0 | 1/1250 SS | ISO-900
Morkel Erasmus
www.morkelerasmus.com

User avatar
Posted by:
Morkel Erasmus
Forum Contributor
Location: South Africa
Posts: 4869
Joined: 30 Jun 2009

   

by jerryb on Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:03 am
User avatar
jerryb
Forum Contributor
Posts: 3656
Joined: 1 Jul 2007
Location: Burnsville,MN,USA
Nicely framed. I like the different light on the 3 main trees. The brighter hind quarters of the zebra on our left draws my attention. I realize on a print there may not be as much contrast there.
Larger sized samples of my work can be seen on Google Plus at https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JerryBarnettPhoto
 

by Lerkes on Sun Mar 15, 2015 11:10 am
User avatar
Lerkes
Lifetime Member
Posts: 2322
Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Location: Lancaster County, PA
Member #:00178
Nicely composed. It looks like it could be from 100 years ago. Hopefully they will still be around in another 20. Steve
Steven J Berkowitz, VMD
Kirkwood, PA
http://www.pbase.com/lerkes
 

by david fletcher on Sun Mar 15, 2015 2:51 pm
User avatar
david fletcher
Moderator
Posts: 34402
Joined: 24 Sep 2004
Location: UK
Member #:00525
lovely interpretation Morkel. The cub looking back a nice touch too.
David Fletcher   Moderator.   Birds, Photo & Digital Art

Make your life spectacular!

NSN00525
 

by Carol Clarke on Mon Mar 16, 2015 3:24 am
User avatar
Carol Clarke
Chief Forum Administrator
Posts: 73245
Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Location: Lincolnshire, UK. In tune with Nature.
Member #:00067
As Steve said, this has a timeless feel with your choice of b/w.  Like you, I find the behaviour and interaction between the various species fascinating to observe.  :)
Carol Clarke
Chief Forum Administrator.


"When the power of love is greater than the love of power,
the world will know peace"....Jimi Hendrix.

NSN0067
 

by Matthew Pugh on Mon Mar 16, 2015 6:33 am
Matthew Pugh
Moderator
Posts: 38059
Joined: 1 Apr 2004
Location: Kent UK
Member #:00345
Hi

Works for me - I like the interesting shown throughout the frame


All the best
Matthew
 

by Mike in O on Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:13 am
Mike in O
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2673
Joined: 22 Dec 2013
The timeless part grabbed me also...I remember my wildlife books that I read as a child having shots like this.
 

by Morkel Erasmus on Tue Mar 17, 2015 11:29 pm
User avatar
Morkel Erasmus
Forum Contributor
Posts: 4869
Joined: 30 Jun 2009
Location: South Africa
Thank you all so much :)
Morkel Erasmus
www.morkelerasmus.com
 

by Marsel on Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:51 am
User avatar
Marsel
Forum Contributor
Posts: 0
Joined: 13 May 2004
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Foreground is nice, but the background is awesome :-)
Marsel van Oosten | Squiver Photo Tours

www.squiver.com
 

Display posts from previous:  Sort by:  
9 posts | 

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group