Spot-lit

Hi Vincent,
I like the play of light and shadow here. The inclusion of the foreground sliver of light helps frame the image for me and adds depth, but some may have issues with it.
No desperation here for me, I've been revisiting older files (mining jewels) since joining NPN a year ago.
Nice find!
Neil

Talk about a leopard out in the open ! Sweet light on the eyes

The lighting is excellent, Vincent, but seeing that this is 80% crop of the original, I would have placed the leopard to the right of the frame, if this were mine. If you haven't seen leopards for a long time, maybe, when I am there, we might get to see them, going by the law of averages!

A very nice image. I really like the contrast between the overall subdued lighting and the spotlit head. I am surprised he wasn't in a tree.

I like the image a lot. The light is nice, the comp is good and the DOF is great. Nice work.

The face and the tail are beautifully spot-lit!
I may selectively burn the foreground edge and background highlights to enhance the effect.
Jagdeep Rajput

Hi Vincent,

Nice lighting and who wouldn't like the way the lighting is kissing the leopard's face?? I'm not 100% sure that the current placement of the leopard within the frame is optimal, but it's always really tough to suggest an alternate crop without seeing the original and what you have to work with. I am left wishing that the light was touching the leopard's face only (and not in the background)...so...any thought of pulling back the exposure in the background via selective exposure adjustment?? Just a thought...

In your tech specs above your second last line reads "Highlight tone priority Enabled". As a non-Canon guy I'm curious about this - in Nikon's world these kind of settings reside in the custom menu (e.g., Active D-lighting) and control the production of in-camera JPEG's, but have no effect on the RAW files. Same in Canon-land?? Or...is this setting something that influences the operation of your light meter (to avoid blowing out highlights)? Just curious (and I'm sure Canon-using clients of mine will have this type of question for me!). A brief explanation would be appreciated (and probably useful to some others as well). Thanks in advance...

Cheers....

Brad

That's a beautiful animal and wonderful shot Vincent. I agree with the comment on moving it to right of frame is all.

I like everything about this shot but the crop or placement of leopard within the frame. I kind of wish the leopard to be more over to the right since that part of the image does not have too much going on (maybe a closer crop just around the leopard). Otherwise a very nice shot with the light coming in on the head really makes this image. They are an amazing cat to look at, thanks for posting.

Brad, re your question about Highlight tone priority. In principle you are right that this settings influences the light meter. However it can have PP-ing advantages when working with the canon RAW converter software. Please check this link for a more detailed explanation.
I must admit that I hardly use it anymore these days, but about 2 years ago I had been convinced by some very well known bird photographers that this was a god send gift.

Very nice! Like how the sun is hitting the face and leaving the rest in shadow.

Wow, I have rarely seen a leopard in the open such as this. Wonderful image Vincent. The lighting is superb imo. Great encounter.

The light catching the face and tail is really great and makes the photo. I'm wondering what it would look like with a slightly tighter crop. The bokeh is perfect. But I don't think we need so much background to understand the animal's environment, especially since it is (appropriately) so far out of focus. Maybe take a little off the top and a little more off the right? But the bottom line is I'm jealous and wish I were there.

Beautiful, Vincent. I love the light. I think you captured a mood or emotion in the leopard, and I think the crop is interesting and pleasing.

I agree this is unusual positioning in the frame, but it seems to work for my eye. What I would like to see is a little more of the sunlit band at the very bottom of the frame, which I think would better balance (or explain) the light on his face and behind. It is special to see one on the ground!!

Very nice, the light here is magic
Desperate? Let us be the judge
I like this a lot

I like the splash of sunlight on the side of the face and the diagonal line formed by the bushes to the rear and the leopard's body. Nice to see one out in the open.