Lone Lioness, Serengeti N.P., Tanzania

This is a very tough shooting situation with the lion in shade and the rest of the scene in very bright light. There isn't much you could have done here exposure wise. Compositionally its good but this would be one of those situations where you have a great subject but in an un ideal shooting condition.

What E.J sais is true, but as this is the way one sees lions most of the time... excuse me, most of the time is like this, but then the lion completely flat ... it's a shame that we don't get shots like this more often. It tells something about the lion's behaviour and that is a big part of what a photo is ment for. Telling a story. This shot might not be as attractive as a full frame head of a male lion, but it has more value in the sense of the story.

What I also like in this shot is the impact of the tree. See the green grass around the tree? Exactly. This is what a little shade can do. The rest is brown. If one hasn't experienced the savanna (you should try it), you can understand why animals like to sit in the shade.

One comment. The framing should be a tiny bit different for my taste. I don't like the extreme end of the brances beeing cut off. Either compose more to the left, framing only part of the tree, or frame more to the right, having the tree completely in the frame. Probably the first works better as you have more empty space in front of the lioness in which she is staring.

I like it!

Peter

Tough shot to take Andy, but I think you pulled it off well. Portays the harshness of the savannah along with those little areas of relief from it all. Well done.

Tough time of the day.

This is Africa and specifically the savahna area in eastern Africa and I think this is what you tried to convey. There is this very light blue nearly white sky without cloads, the heat with the lioness seeking the only available shade there is and then the tall red grass burned by the sun except in the shade areas.

Geurt

Geurt said it all. Tough lighting situation and I'm going to guess that the original has more vivid colors and more detail than the scan here. Hope you got some shots of the lioness's fighting. Like the composition, really placing the lioness in the typical environment. Only suggestion, since the lioness is already small in the frame, would be to include the entire tree.

Rich

thanks for the comments. I completely agree with all of them. Unfortunately, I couldn't compose any better, due to the lenses on this past trip. I only wish I could have captured the edge of the tree, though.

But the savannag can be an ugly place for predators. Eat or die. Stay cool or die. Too bad I didn't come across this opportunity with better light, or better clouds. Oh well! That is why I posted the image: to see how others think about it. I like to get comments from those near misses, instead of the dead ringers that everybody goes 'aaaahhhh' over.

Thanks for the comments.

I don't think we see enough environmental shoots in forums such as ours. I think it has something to do with the Wow factor. I think you made a great capture that honestly could only be made better with better light.

Cheers

Tom Hill wrote:I don't think we see enough environmental shoots in forums such as ours. I think it has something to do with the Wow factor. I think you made a great capture that honestly could only be made better with better light.

Cheers

I completely agree, Tom. When people book on one of my trips, the first question somebody asks is 'what lenses do I bring'. Well that depends. I love the 'wildlife in the environment' shots, but not everybody goes for that. As a side bonus, my lens selection is always much lighter and easier to deal with, too!

I guess the value of a photo has to do with its intended purpose. I personally find this photo informative of the scene and interesting. If submitted for publication, it might have competition from images that portrayed the scene with less exposure. Since our mission at NatureScapes.net is to display and receive constructive feedback, my solution would be to shoot with a polarizer or filter but never having been there, that's just a guess.