Papa's Advice

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 18, 2009304 views6 comments

I've been conflicted by this image since I shot it.
It took place just minutes before my last post (see "Family Man") and until cropped 8x10 ratio, losing the top oof background grass, didn't seem right. Might not be still. The cub climbed up on the male and got this reprimand. I didn't notice the missing tooth until much latter. The head turn took about 1 second and was gone.
Taken in sRGB jpg as I was starting to learn digital. Oh Well!

Please share your thoughts!
Thanks for looking.
Neil

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on November 18, 2009 at 10:47 AM

Very interesting shot. It looks like "Papa" has lost a canine tooth. Good detail.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on November 18, 2009 at 1:15 PM

A lion shot with exposed canines (even if its only 3) is always impressive Neil. Somehow though the aggressiveness of the male conflicts a bit with the sweetness of the cub in the BG, which makes me wonder what is going on and what the image is really about. If for example the cub would have looked terrified or shocked there would be a relation if you know what I mean. Further I find it a bit tight on the left, but also realise you were contrained by an OOF bush.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on November 18, 2009 at 1:50 PM

I love it especially that open mouth showing those big teeth. I wonder if a slightly wider crop would make it more obvious that the cub is standing on the males back. That would put this growl into perspective. I would clone just the bit of OOF purple flower on the left side to keep it from distracting. I would love to witness something like this.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on November 19, 2009 at 9:21 AM

Hi Neil,

The canines are certainly impressive! Watching this interaction evolve must have been fascinating - I'm envious of the experience!

I think Vincent has a good point about how the ferocity and tenderness in the same frame is a bit puzzling, tho' I'm not certain that's a bad thing. It does encourage the viewer to look twice (or more), which I always consider a bit of a victory with any photograph. Personally, I kind of like how tight the framing/cropping is - the image contains the key elements and nothing else to distract. Shame that the original capture was an sRGB JPEG - there's a few technical issues with the image - some related to the file format, some not (noise in the background, high contrast nature of the overall image, etc.) - that will be harder to deal with now compared to if you had a raw. Live and learn, eh?

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on November 19, 2009 at 10:41 AM

This is quite an engaging closeup. My only suggestion would be to desaturate the blues on the lips, nose and eye.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by JACK NEAL on November 19, 2009 at 4:28 PM

Good story here! The cub is not afraid of daddy at all. Great picture! I recently switch to raw, so I share your pain of what extra could be had. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 26, 2009, 131 Posts, 554 Comments