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The Beast of Beasts
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The Beast of Beasts

by Vincent Grafhorst

Gallery: WildlifePosted September 18, 2011285 views21 comments
This lovely lady was not very co-operative, but I was glad she stopped and gave me at least one click for a tight portrait of her blood stained face. :smile:

Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) , Savute, Botswana
Camera Model Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
Shutter Speed 1/1600 Sec.
Aperture Value f/7.1
ISO Speed 400
Lens EF500mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4x TC
FF

Comments

21 comments
Comment posted by Stephen Kaluski on September 18, 2011 at 2:56 PM
Hi Vincent, I like the light and colouring on this one, with nice detail & definition on this one. Personally I just would have liked a little more head turn, but no big deal. The small bead of blood dripping down is a nice addition. :toast:

TFS
Steve :toast:
Registered on March 25, 2007, 189 Posts, 1064 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on September 18, 2011 at 3:09 PM
Slurp! :biggrin: An accurate, if beastly, portrait.
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by Charlie Baugh on September 18, 2011 at 3:14 PM
Wow, this IS nature in all it's rawness. I love seeing images like yours which aren't offered often. This will be popular with the vampire contingent if we have any :rolleyes:
Registered on April 18, 2011, 329 Posts, 1985 Comments
Comment posted by John Tobias on September 18, 2011 at 3:25 PM
Vincent, this is a very dramatic image, powerful. I do agree with just a little more image behind the head might make it a tad better, still an awesome shot! thanks for sharing.
Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments
Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on September 18, 2011 at 4:33 PM
Gorgeous light, colours and contour here Vincent...I agree a tad more head-turn would have been beneficial but it works for me as is.
I would be tempted to make a dramatic B&W conversion here with the strong curve of the neck and dramatic light... :wink:
Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments
Comment posted by Fabio Giarrizzo on September 18, 2011 at 4:40 PM
Like very much this portrait- The strong light adds contrast and works perfectly with this image- Well done, Fabio
Registered on December 3, 2010, 90 Posts, 1614 Comments
Comment posted by Dan Walters on September 18, 2011 at 5:50 PM
Nice light. The red on the teeth is very dramatic!
Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments
Comment posted by Sally King on September 18, 2011 at 6:50 PM
Now that is an image with drama. The light really accentuates it. The blood and saliva dripping are riveting. A very compelling image. I am glad she offered up at least this one shot.
Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments
Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on September 19, 2011 at 12:57 AM
Little bit gruesome but I love the detail and fabulous lighting you've capture here Vincent!
Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments
Comment posted by Ralph Kerr on September 19, 2011 at 6:39 AM
My first impression was the richness of the light, and ditto the comments of the others.
Registered on January 30, 2007, 369 Posts, 852 Comments
Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on September 19, 2011 at 8:14 AM
This much head-turn is more than acceptable, when you can run the risk of no head-turn at all. You had some great directional light n details !
Jagdeep Rajput
Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments
Comment posted by Brad Hill on September 19, 2011 at 8:43 AM
Hi Vincent,

Very dramatic and powerful. The lighting, overall colour palette, and the upright (perked up) ears here all work well together to produce an image that conveys a strong message - she means business! Oh, and the blood on the chin doesn't hurt either! :wink:

I have no problem at all with the angle of the head - to me it simply says that she's totally focused on something (and it's easy to think it's getting her next bite!) and ready to move on. My only small nit has nothing to do with the quality of the image, but rather with the "psychology" of it - I think many viewers would have thoughts of "sinister" or "evil intent" by the subject when they see this (and thus it could be argued that the image shows the species in a "bad light", so to speak)...when in fact the subject is really just "doing her job" (ecologically). But photographic terms alone this is a strong image...

Cheers...thanks for sharing this one Vincent...

Brad
Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments
Comment posted by Johan Malmros on September 19, 2011 at 4:32 PM
Vincent - This looked great on the back of your camera and turned out increadible.
Great pose with the curve of the neck, beautiful light, superb detail and a story to tell. Nice job.


Registered on January 6, 2011, 20 Posts, 154 Comments
Comment posted by Anand Narayanan on September 19, 2011 at 9:58 PM
Killer Looks ! Love it the way it is. If they ever made a film starring her, this should be on the poster :)

What sets this apart for me is the backdrop. Love how the warm grass and shadows have been rendered. Fits perfectly with how she is lit. If you were to ask an artist to conjure up a backdrop for the subject, this would be it :biggrin:
Registered on October 25, 2009, 110 Posts, 835 Comments
Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on September 20, 2011 at 1:14 AM
What a bloody mess!!! :biggrin: Got to love the action you captured on this one Vincent. Obviously wish for more of a head turn, but I don't think I would have said too much to this bloody lady about it either...yikes!
Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments
Comment posted by John Blumenkamp on September 20, 2011 at 11:15 AM
Awesome angle/perspective and dramatic image with that light... to me this has a feel like the hyena has no idea you are nearby, and is only focused on it's next conquest. Nice work Vincent!
Registered on February 26, 2011, 58 Posts, 313 Comments
Comment posted by Andrea Marzorati on September 22, 2011 at 10:03 AM
awesome! a beautiful image
:toast: :toast:
Registered on December 1, 2005, 86 Posts, 589 Comments
Comment posted by Roman Kurywczak on September 23, 2011 at 12:26 PM
Sweet light Vincent! Yeah.....a touch more head turn would have put it over the top but still a fantastic image!
Registered on November 20, 2009, 56 Posts, 748 Comments
Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on September 23, 2011 at 11:12 PM
Would have wished for just a wee bit more head turn, but I love the great side lighting, the bg and, of course, the curdled blood dripping from the mouth! :toast:
Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments
Comment posted by Wayne Jones on September 26, 2011 at 10:24 PM
A bit late commenting, but I can't resist congratulating you on this rather unusual image. It is magnificent in its realism, and an excellent conversation piece for a discussion on the roles of all creatures in the web of life.
Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments
Comment posted by James Campbell on January 31, 2012 at 4:51 AM
Hey buddy, I missed this one.. Really like it a lot - catchlight and awesome light bring it to life. Comp is where it should be and you made the most of the the opportunity she offered :toast:
Registered on January 12, 2009, 48 Posts, 377 Comments