Eye of the Leopard

I was sure I'd already posted up a comment on this :^. Ah well, happy to do so again ;^)

I really like the feel of this image; feline slinking through the grass, eyes locked intently on it's target, seemingly oblivious of anything else but that :^)

Generally speaking, wildlife images presented in B&W always leave me wondering what they'd look like in full colour, and this is no exception, however, I have to say this works very well in monotone.

Always enjoy looking at your images Steve, thanks for sharing :^)

Hi Ashley, I think you need to be careful with the subject chosen when converting to B/W as some do not lend themselves to it, or the actual content is wrong. Elephants, Rhino, Zebras are great for this, but occasionally to through in something else I feel is a nice change, providing it works, but guess that is another subjective POV. Personally if the author has posted in B/W then I feel you need to run with hit, however I hear what you are saying and I will post the colour version later, as to include it early on I feel detracts from the OP.

Appreciate the feedback and will let you know when the colour is posted.

Cheers
Steve

Hey Steve,

As always, I find it impossible to judge the relative success of a B&W conversion without seeing both versions of the image (colour plus B&W). In absolute terms I like this image - the composition works for me and the leopard is very sharp (as always!) and the eye is compelling. In most B&W images I like to see some true blacks (which seem present here) and some pure whites (or at least close to pure whites) - here I'm left wondering if driving the lightest tones in this image just a tad more might make it a little more eye-catching. But, that may make the leopard (where those lighter tones mostly reside) seem a tad unnatural. Which leaves me wondering if this image is well-suited to B&W conversion (and most of what I like about it is unrelated to the conversion...).

Just food for thought - hope this makes sense...

Cheers...

Brad

Hi Brad, well here you go. I still think people with make comments more to the colour rather than the B/W but lets see, or perhaps I am being optimistic. Personally I still do not like the colour version, but perhaps it too needs a tweak?

Thanks
Steve

Many thanks for posting the colour version Steve :^)

Having scrolled up and down this page repeatedly looking at one then the other, I've finally made my mind up: I much prefer the monotone you originally posted :^)

I think the reason why though is because I'm much more drawn to wildlife images that have artistic appeal rather than one's with a more natural history feel about them; what strikes me about the full colour version is how well is depicts the way the markings of the coat are so adept at camouflaging the Leopard in it's natural environment but, for my artistic taste, I find the the monotone more compelling for the simple reason the image speaks less of the surroundings yet volumes about what the Leopard might be thinking.

You've caught me after my nightly glass (or two!) of wine Steve, so none of this might make much sense to you, or anyone else for that matter - though I'll restrain myself from deleting this tomorrow morning if I read it again and cringe a little ;^p - all the same, in summary, the winner for me is the B&W, thanks again for sharing :^)

Hi Steve, seeing both the color and B&W version I must say that I do understand why you converted this, it somehow isolates the leopard better from the vegetation. I like the eye here and the pano presentation also works well. What detracts from my appreciation though is that the snout is obstructed by that OOF grass...

Must of been fun and entertaining to watch the youngster pounce in the grass, I happen to like the B&W version after viewing the color image. The pano presentation works well, and the intense eye brings you right into the image, way to go.

Thanks everyone.

I assume the glass (or two) is purely medicinal Ashley, comment very clear.

I see your point Vincent, but guess that is wildlife for you.

Cheers everybody.
Steve

Stephen, I like this very much. Almost always I'll go for the color, but BW has it's place in my heart, also. In this case after studying both versions the BW wins. The reason for me is I feel it more closely represents the wildness of the animal, allowing the grass cover its due by not bringing in another element, i.e. the green streaks.

Hi Steve,
Another vote for the B/W version. Usually prefer color but on this one I find the green blades of grass somewhat distracting. Your conversion minimizes their impact. The clear view of the eye and the fact that the OOF blade obscuring the nose is pointing in the same direction that the cat is heading makes that a non-issue for me on this one.

I vote for the BW version. I like, when the shot or the subject permits it. In this case i like how the Leopard pops up and i also like the central position of its eye. A Vincent said unfortunately the grass covered the nose but he /she was stalking a prey so being hidden, almost invisible was its part.
Personally I would have darken the bg a bit to exalt even more the leopard.

Cheers, Luca

I have to agree with Vincent on this the missing "snout" makes this a no no for me.