Lone Striped Hyena

Hi Butch,

Now there's impressive catch-lights! I find this to be a very interesting shot - I often think images totally illuminated by artificial lighting are excessively harsh, but this one is much less so than most. I quite like the detail in the fur and both the hyena's pose and your composition work well together. That pronounced shadow is interesting but I honestly can't decide if I like it or not - it will be interesting to see what others think (I DO like that those great ears are included in the shadow).

Thanks for sharing this - nice to see an image that is "way outside the box"!!

Cheers...

Brad

Yeah, I think the shadow really adds something. Nice work getting a sharp image too. It's not always easy with just a spotlight illuminating the subject. A great look at an uncommon critter.

Max

The hyena looks great and the detail is nicely crisp. The shadow, to my eye, is unfortunate. It is too bad you didn't have a shooting angle or background where the shadow would have been lost or more disguised.

Butch, its very wonderful to see this incredible hyena. I always enjoy viewing the lesser know species. This composition works well imo, very creative. Well done.

A great species to photograph, Butch, but the strong light and its angle has flattened the image and gives the appearance of a wall behind the hyena. Having said that, the posture and eye contact are excellent.

the FG subject is well detailed, difficult under such a spotlight. I have some doubts about the BG: i don't know if it is the harsh light that make it seems a wall or if there was a climb behind the Hyena but it gave to me a sense of "occlusion" . I'm also in doubt with the shadow:initially i thought it was a plus, but after several times i looked at it i got the feeling of something artificial. Obviously it is only my opinion.
Cheers Luca

I appreciate all of the comments. Let me clear up the confusion about the BG and shadow.

This was taken in a desert, with large rocky outcrops the size of skyscrapers.

There is NO wall behind the hyena. The ground gradually rises toward the boulders, and is nothing more than scrub and short grasses. If you look on the left hand side, you can see the upwardly sloping ground.

As for the shadow, it is NOT artificial; it was thrown by the spotlight as you see it.

Processing was limited to level, contrast, saturation, and sharpening; the cropped image is 70% of full frame. This is the extent of what I do with my photos. I have no interest in artificially altering my photos. My priority is documenting wildlife. I am a wildlife naturalist first, photographer, second.

Hope this clears up the confusion. Butch

Normally not a fan of illuminated images but I like this one. Detail and pose are great, color looks good, and I like the shadow. Especially how just the tip of the ears start to bleed into the surrounding shadows.