Cheetah Snuggles


Posted by Morkel Erasmus on Fri Sep 23, 2016 1:32 am

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A bit of a different composition here.
A cute fluffy cheetah cub we saw at Leopard Hills in the Sabi Sand last year snuggles on its mother. I liked the flow of cheetah through the image, and appreciate that the composition might not sit well with most who prefer traditional image-making.

Sad story: they were 4 cubs, and by the time we visited, only 2 remained.
Both were killed by other predators within a month after this photo was taken, and the female has moved to a different area since.
Cheetah cubs have very high mortality rates, and that's even without them being captured for the exotic pet trade in the middle East... :(

Techs:
Nikon D3s
Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f5.6  |  1/400 SS  |  ISO-2800
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by RichardMittleman/Gon2Foto on Fri Sep 23, 2016 10:10 am
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Composition is outstanding
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by Gary Gulash on Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:04 pm
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This works nicely Morkel, intimate and interesting. I think I see an out of focus vertical zone in the middle that I find a bit confusing though. Good work mixing things up with this unique composition involving two great subjects.
 

by Morkel Erasmus on Sat Sep 24, 2016 1:12 am
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Gary Gulash wrote:This works nicely Morkel, intimate and interesting. I think I see an out of focus vertical zone in the middle that I find a bit confusing though. Good work mixing things up with this unique composition involving two great subjects.

That would be OOF grass. Not the cleanest area where they were lying.
:)
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by Cindy Marple on Sun Sep 25, 2016 2:13 pm
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This really works for me with the faces in such similar poses. Glad you included mum's eyes. So sad that it didn't make it :( Hopefully mum has more luck the next time.
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by Carol Clarke on Mon Sep 26, 2016 4:41 pm
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Love the composition Morkel!

I agree, these beautiful cats have enough to contend with in their fight for survival, without the barbarity of the Middle East cub pet trade.
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by Jeff Munoz on Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:38 pm
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Great way to call my attention to the young one... Did you get the chance to get a second shot with more DOF? I like it like this, just wondering how it would look like with both in focus.
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by Morkel Erasmus on Tue Sep 27, 2016 12:33 am
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Jeff Munoz wrote:Great way to call my attention to the young one... Did you get the chance to get a second shot with more DOF? I like it like this, just wondering how it would look like with both in focus.
Nope, it was a fleeting moment at best. 

Thanks everyone!
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by hastorga on Thu Oct 06, 2016 9:31 am
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What a wonderful image Morkel. Fabulous!!!
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by Missy Mandel on Sun Oct 16, 2016 8:22 am
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Markel, this is exceptional for the conditions you had. If it were mine, I may crop mama out ..... it is evident that the cub is resting on her..... of course that is such a personal vision, but as I look it.... I feel like that comp could also be effective.
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