The start of the hunt

Gallery: WildlifePosted December 1, 2010221 views13 comments

This leopard was all relaxed up in this tree when an Impala snort caught his attention. It got up and, completely focused, moved into a better viewing position. Moments later it descended and disappeared out of our sight. Even later the entire Impala herd was giving alarm calls, the cat had obviously been spotted somewhere inside the dense forest. Suddenly there was a flash of movement; the leopard started a chase after some small lambs. They were out of sight again for a moment when unexpectedly around the corner of a bush the impalas came running towards us on the track, dashing past our vehicle. The leopard was not far behind but screeched to a stop as it faced our vehicle. Next it sat down and looked at us with a sour face; we had ruined its hunt. All happened so fast and unexpected and in low light that none of us got a very good action shot. Nevertheless the experience was unforgettable. This also goes to show again how we as photographers/tourist can influence the course of events in nature even if we do our very best in just trying to be observers only.

In essence I made two B&W conversions, one for the leopard and one for the surrounding forest, and blended these to make that leopard stand out against a dark forest.

Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Moremi Game Reserve, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Camera Model Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Shutter Speed 1/800 Sec.
Aperture Value f/5.6
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation -2/3
ISO Speed 800
Lens EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x
FF

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on December 1, 2010 at 2:11 PM

I like the way you chose to treat this, Vincent, emphasizing the contrast between cat and surroundings.

It's certainly unfortunate that the presence of the vehicle interrupted the hunt, but I've had lions use my vehicle as cover while stalking zebras, so it can really go both ways.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Joe James on December 1, 2010 at 10:06 PM

Hi Vincent, I love the way you composed and processed this. Thanks so much for sharing the photo and for telling us how you put it together.

Registered on November 20, 2009, 89 Posts, 808 Comments

Comment posted by Ant on December 2, 2010 at 1:45 AM

An excellent result, and I like your treatment of the B&W... The image is somewhere between an old picture and a dreamy vision, and the tension of the hunt is all made clear. Splendid!

Registered on April 13, 2009, 27 Posts, 474 Comments

Comment posted by Andrea Marzorati on December 2, 2010 at 8:32 AM

A beautiful photo, very fascinating, there is a great deal of attention in the leopard ready to jump. Excellent use of black and white

Registered on December 1, 2005, 86 Posts, 589 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Davies on December 2, 2010 at 2:02 PM

masterful conversion.

Registered on February 3, 2009, 21 Posts, 327 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on December 2, 2010 at 4:18 PM

Interesting story and a very unique way too showcase the leopard with the B&W approach, really makes the leopard pop, well done.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on December 2, 2010 at 8:40 PM

I like how you have made him pop, Vincent. The only thing I would wish is for all of the legs & maybe tail to be visible rather than have that one unfortunate bit of foliage, but of course that was a matter over which you had no control.

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

Comment posted by David Sewell on December 3, 2010 at 8:43 AM

I would never have thought that b&w could work as well with a leopard as it does here. This shot shows truly excellent techniques.

David

Registered on September 10, 2008, 63 Posts, 801 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on December 3, 2010 at 11:08 AM

The leopard just jumps out at you. An image I think works so much better in black and white than I imagine it in color. I am not usually a fan of black and white, the world is definitely in color. You have changed my mind with this image. It is great.

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

Comment posted by Marsel van Oosten on December 3, 2010 at 6:35 PM

Great shot Vincent, and I like the BW conversion. However, I think the leopard is a bit too bright, if you tune down the brightness a tad it will look more natural imho. Also, if this were mine, I'd be tempted to crop the empty, that is: leafless area near the urc out to have the frame filled with leafs, and a sliver from the top and bottom to keep the aspect ratio.

Registered on March 9, 2004, 285 Posts, 2277 Comments

Comment posted by Ingrid Vekemans on December 5, 2010 at 10:29 AM

Wow, I love what you've done with this image! And the second time today that I read about this unfortunate leopard ;-)
Shame you didn't get more action, but this alert pose is gorgeous as it is.

Registered on August 2, 2010, 138 Posts, 780 Comments

Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on December 6, 2010 at 8:08 AM

Wow, Vincent, this is a superb rendition in B&W! Thank you for mentioning how it was done. Makes me want to try something like this....maybe, one day!

Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments

Comment posted by Luca Mussato on December 10, 2010 at 10:45 AM

I like this B&W conversion. I agree with Marsel about "deluminate" a bit the leopard. But the hounting feeeling is absolutly well captured.

Cheers, Luca

Registered on November 14, 2006, 118 Posts, 855 Comments