Panthera Pardus Panorama

Gallery: WildlifePosted October 15, 2013259 views11 comments

We had waited hours hoping for a decent photo-op with this leopard, giving him plenty of space so he would stay relaxed with our presence. Safe to say, our consideration to not crowd him was rewarded. As if on cue, just when the light started getting sweet, he moved out onto a big acacia branch that was perfectly parallel to us, and flopped down, bathing in the golden light of the setting sun. After a flurry of shots at focal lengths ranging from 70-1000mm - it was time to do something different.

I mounted my 4G Mongoose head on the vehicle railing with a Monfrotto clamp, went manual everything on the settings and focus - and shot him in 4 vertical segments to be merged into a high mega pixel pano. While it doesn't look like much here at this small size - the detail is there when viewed big…i.e. I can see myself reflected in his eye when zoomed in to 600%, and small pieces of tree bark falling to the ground…which he had dislodged when moving his rear legs.

I just got a test print back @ 60"x30", and it looks pretty cool - I'm looking to make some final tweaks before having it printed @ 72"x36"….the prints final destination is the lobby of the Tanzanian Consulate in New York City….which I'm stoked about.

Your comments and any pre final print processing suggestions would be most welcome.

Techs:
1DX ~ EF500mm @ f/4
1/320 ~ ISO 400
Manual focus in live view @ 10x
4 vertical images, merged in CS6
Cropped to 10,000 x 5,000 pixels...51 MP (very little waste other than the overlap)
900 MB, 16-bit tiff

Thanks for looking,

Jim

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Peter Cross on October 15, 2013 at 11:53 PM

Great shot that only hints at the detail in the big printed version. Would love to see it but doubt I'll be visiting the consulate anytime soon. Nevertheless, this is a real joy to look at. He looks really relaxed and the lighting was just perfect to highlight him in his environment.

Registered on April 3, 2010, 271 Posts, 1342 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on October 16, 2013 at 1:47 AM

James,
What a remarkable image, I do not think I have ever seen a Leopard in such good light.

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on October 16, 2013 at 7:10 AM

Very nice light and pose here. Good detail and color in the animal. The only nit would be that the angle is seems pretty step.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on October 16, 2013 at 1:14 PM

Nice lighting (the cat stands out pretty well from that busy background), and I like your choice of a pano crop.

I do think it a different vertical crop may be worth a try. The cat is somewhat centered in the frame, but more importantly the patch of empty blue sky in the lower left is a bit jarring compared to all of the medium/darker tones in the rest of the canvas. A crop from the bottom may eliminate some of that empty space.

Max

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

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on October 16, 2013 at 6:05 PM

Lovely light, pose and setting Jim. I'd imagine this looks even better viewed LAAARGEE
Good stitching job too

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on October 17, 2013 at 12:50 AM

Great light indeed James and nicely executed and processed. If I were to nit-pick here I would say the broken branch obscuring part of its rear end is a little distracting.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by James Blue on October 17, 2013 at 6:11 PM

Peter, Ken, Richard: Thanks so much for the comments

Max, I appreciate the comments....I'm surprised to hear you think this is centered with 90% of his body in the left half, and his head being farthest left. Cropping is really not an option for me on this merged file, I'm too much of a pixel hoarder - I have a multitude of different full frame compositions of him that I'll find use of. More and more it pains me to crop at all... for me, it's simply not a remedy for screwing up the framing when I took the shot. I have a giant archive of mistakes...I'm trying to improve.

Morkel: Muchas Gracias

Vincent: Thanks for the kind words - I hear you about the branch, I wish it wasn't there, but it is, and it usually is. Leopards are never really comfortable without the 'stabilizing branch' to lock their hind end into. More often than not, if they are lounging in a tree without using a stabilizing branch - their position is temporary. For that reason, it doesn't bother me, it's a leopard doing what they do.

Jim

Registered on June 16, 2013, 16 Posts, 144 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on October 18, 2013 at 1:26 AM

The word "elegant" best sums up my feelings about this stunning image Jim. The pose, the weathered perch, the soft light...elegant! Hopefully the final print will retain the sweet lighting effect on the leopard that is evident here. This is going to be one expensive print to mat and frame...especially since I think it would look stunning with a substantial elaborate gilded frame. Fabulous that the photo will be getting such a distinguished home.

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on October 20, 2013 at 10:45 PM

Stunning. Congratulations.

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on November 5, 2013 at 2:43 PM

Really excellent image - congrats on the WP and also on the display at the Consulate.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on November 6, 2013 at 12:44 AM

James,

Congratulations on your "Weekly Pick", a very worthwhile winner indeed

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments