Puma on a Kill

Gallery: WildlifePosted May 13, 2013250 views14 comments

The highlight of my month in Costa Rica. I bring clients to Corcovado National Park not exactly expecting these rare jungle cat sightings, but I always feel it offers us a better chance for them than anywhere else. Pumas have been seen there every time I visit. My last sighting was a family of three in 2008 (some of you may remember the photos I've posted here), so I was eager to see one again.

We found this one on the final day of the trip, as it was feeding on a coati near the trail. It rarely lifted its head above the foliage, so this was the clearest shot I could get. Combined with an ocelot sighting a couple nights earlier, this was a great way to end our tour.

One note about the crop. Some have suggested that a square crop would be "cleaner" (removing some of the bright greens on the left), and I do agree with that sentiment. OTOH, I like the balance of this wider composition more, and I suppose the foliage does create a bit of a framing element around the bottom and left edges.

Canon 1DX
Canon 500mm f/4 IS
ISO 3200
1/400th
f/4

Max

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Rick Andrews on May 13, 2013 at 12:35 PM

Max I really like this shot and feel that the foliage does indeed provide a natural frame for this fortuitous encounter. Looks like your luck and patience really paid off in spades, well done.

Registered on December 31, 2011, 45 Posts, 222 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on May 13, 2013 at 12:38 PM

Great shot! This must have been exciting. Right on sharpness, and good detail. Some of the bright green leaves do distract a bit, but not to any great amount IMHO. The expression on the pumas face is great. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Jeff Lewis on May 13, 2013 at 1:18 PM

Wow, that's excellent Max, really nice to see what I can aspire to on my next Corcovado trip.

Awesome at that ISO. I like this crop and the foliage framing, and even, if you had it, would like to see what a little more room at the top would do. I wonder if a little more OOF (negative ?) space at the top might tilt things more in favor of the cat over the foliage, which does compete a bit currently.

Registered on January 29, 2013, 9 Posts, 89 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on May 13, 2013 at 2:02 PM

Love the intense gaze and the blood on the chin and face. l like where the face is positioned and the framing provided by the vegetation on the left. My thought would be to clone out the brightest part of that stick and possible burn in some of the brighter areas of the leaves although additional burning may not be needed if the end of the stick goes away.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Martin Dunn on May 13, 2013 at 2:04 PM

Lovely shot Max. I think your crop is good. The extra width works well.
Any chance of a large photo?

Registered on February 20, 2013, 198 Posts, 1011 Comments

Comment posted by Ingrid Vekemans on May 13, 2013 at 2:34 PM

Very nice, I love the intent gaze and can imagine the excitement of the encounter.
I have no problem with the crop/composition- I think it frames the puma nicely and gives it space to look into. I just wonder how much of a crop this picture is?
Grt, Ingrid.

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

Comment posted by keith mitchell on May 13, 2013 at 3:14 PM

Excellent! sharp detail the crop looks fine to me.

Keith.

Registered on July 12, 2008, 127 Posts, 1735 Comments

Comment posted by Don Westbrook on May 13, 2013 at 5:46 PM

Wow Max! Just great. What are those two orbs by the face? My eye keeps being drawn to them.

Registered on January 4, 2013, 11 Posts, 332 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on May 13, 2013 at 8:42 PM

Sweet close-up of this rare encounter Max

Love those eye's. This close-up photo also provides a great feel for the forest habitat this couger calls home.

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by jack jaeger jr on May 13, 2013 at 8:54 PM

Fantastic Max ! only distraction are the two white dots to the left of her face. May be a reflection or something.

Registered on April 2, 2012, 26 Posts, 355 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on May 13, 2013 at 11:38 PM

Wonderful, Max. I live in an area that has a number of Lions roaming the hills, but it's rare that any are ever sighted. I just like the fact that you were able to pull off such a clean shot. I would be perfectly happy with this just as it is.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on May 14, 2013 at 9:51 AM

It is amazing that you can make reliable sightings of this generally elusive species at this location. The eyes are absolutely captivating in this photo. I like the crop as is Max, there is a lot going on in the frame but there is a natural feel that works for me. I see that you had to really crank up the iso to get the shot, and thankfully you had a camera capable of doing just that. However, if I were to get super picky I see some of the subtle effects of that massive iso starting to take its toll on image quality. Nothing major, "just sayin". Fine image Max.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on May 14, 2013 at 12:27 PM

Thank you for the feedback, everyone, particularly in regards to the crop.

As far as those white dots... all I can say is that in the jungle there are lots of random bits suspended in the air. Shooting wide open (often necessary in such dark environs), it's not uncommon to come away with some sort of unexpected bokeh, for better or for worse. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say this is some sort of detritus suspended in a spider web.

As it happened, I had very little room to maneuver left or right. I allowed my client to set up first, and I had to squeeze in behind a small sapling. There was another tree to the puma's immediate right, so this was about the only open angle I had to work with. I had to take what I could get. Given the circumstances, I was very satisfied with the result.

Max

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

Comment posted by Ed Williams on May 22, 2013 at 1:00 AM

Fantastic shot Max. Amazing detail in the eyes and face here. I do like the framing of the branches, and your placement is very good within the frame for my tastes. I like that you have not over-processed this.

Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments