Zawadi + Repost

Great shot! The right place at the right time with the right stuff! Thanks for sharing!

Hey Neil

What is the element in the foreground, lower left corner? Other than that, this is a fine image of a beautiful cat.

Cheers

Carl

Great image, love the reflection on this one! Agree wiht Carl on the thingy in the LLC.

Hi Neil,

Very good shot - solid composition and having that tongue out while lapping the water is great. The only "distraction" to me is what Carl pointed out (in the lower left corner) but I'm sure this comes as no surprise to you. And, it's a VERY minor thing and completely trivial compared to the power of the rest of the image.

RE: the naming thing. Man, do I want to avoid debates right now! The good thing here is that my opinion on this is so wishy-washy that I'm sure no one will use me as a punching bag this time. I've heard at least two different viewpoints on the naming of individuals in a wildlife population. First, it can facilitate communication in a positive way between parties (be they biologists, photographers, etc.) in knowing they're referring to the same animal (assuming of course, they've named them the same way - I've seen some hilarious discussions where ridiculous conclusions were drawn about an animal's behaviour when it turns out the two parties had mixed up who Brutus and Barney the bears were). On the other side I've seen those studying animal behaviour shun naming owing to the possible influence it might have on their observations of their behaviour (i.e., anthropomorphism). And, I've seen situations were eco-tourists felt that the naming of the animal somehow detracted from the uniqueness of the experience they shared with the animal ("you mean someone else has seen this bear??") - kind of the "animals in a petri dish" thing. Personally - I don't care if they're named or not. In most cases I'm in situations where there's no one else around anyway and if I name them only I know! And, there may be many more for/against points on this one I'm unaware of - it's not something I spend much time thinking about or researching. And, as far as I know, it's miles away from touching any posting/ethical guideline for NPN.

Cheers...thanks for sharing this...

Brad

I don't think you need the whole reflection for the effect of the reflection. I would just crop to a 4x5 ratio and print it big!

Hi Neil, that was a great leopard sighting (and hearing ) you had there. Good photo. I especially like the way you have captured the tongue (which does look very pink btw). The BLC, as mentioned, is abit of a distraction to me as well. One more minor thing are the whites, to my eye they look a bit too bright.

Sorry, forgot to answer your question about naming animals. Personally I never name wild animals and cannot imagine why people would want to, but if they do wish I am not going to stop them or argue with them. Like in your case the name was probably given by some guide in the area and for lodges for example it can help to provide an interesting perspective for tourist and the starting point of a good story. Yet for me that does not 'work' and in a way reduces the wild character of the animal.

I really don't care wether people name wildlife or not. I think it can serve a purpose at times to identify individuals, but I think it's more for us than trying to make them less than wild.

Here is the crop I usually use on this image Lon, but it also cuts into the cat and I wanted to see what others thought. The near side of the water hole is distracting to me as well.
Thanks everyone!!!!!!
Neil

I think the crop from the bottom works well. Not so sure about the crop from the side but know you did it to maintain the ratio. I don't mind cutting off a portion of the reflection, which is still very strong. I love that pink tongue and the ripples in the water. Very pleasing image.

About naming animals, it is against policy in the National Park Service because they believe it will create a connection that will be painful/controversial for us/the public if the animal needs to be dealt with. Personally we often name individual animals that we see frequently because then we know it is that individual and not just any of its kind. Don't tell my bosses.

Hi Neil,
Great picture [both of them], but I like the first picture the most because in the second you lose the reflection of the cat in the water. Thanks for sharing.

Jack

love the second one Neil, it does work better even without the whole reflecion in the image.

This is a beautiful shot. Well done.

The first image shows more of the leopard and its reflection, and I personally prefer this to the second. About naming wild animals, there are pros and cons. The most serious drawback is that, in countries like India where poaching is a constant threat, an animal that has become 'famous' becomes a very desirable trophy to acquire!

Stunning animal and wonderful timing. I would love to give names to certain animals I encounter, unfortunately most of the animals I encounter are abroad as there are very few here (suburbs 40 miles from Los Angeles.) And, while abroad, many wild animals have names given to them by the locals (a big 7 meter Saltwater crocodile in the Adelaide River is nicknamed "Aggro" and the Jaguar I saw 2 weeks ago in Brazil was dubbed "Doodaa".) It's an easier way to identify them and adds a personal touch for sure.

Sweet image Neil and a great story as well.