Kalahari Lion

WOW! One of your best IMHO. Love the stare and the tip of the tongue sticking out. The grass is a very compelling background. You nailed this one.

Great catch on the stare (and the tongue). The uniformity of the grass makes some interesting negative space. I do wonder if a vertical crop wouldn't tell the same "story" while putting more attention on the lion.

Gotta love those Kalahari lions. Nice light and solid composition here Ken.
Might tone overall brightness down by 1/3 stop here?
Enjoy your trip!

Nice focus on the head, the eyes in particular. The slightly windswept hairdo is a nice touch. I can understand how the horizontal format does hint at the expanse of grass in this area, the Kalahari. However, as Mark suggested, a vertical would work great as well as his body seen from this angle is mostly a vertical shape.

Hey Ken,

This one ranks very high on my list of favourite shots posted by you. I think that once one goes beyond the obvious (i.e., the power of the stare of this magnificent animal) the single biggest reason I like it is the nice mix of sharpness and softness in the image. And, for me the horizontal format works real well here. I would argue that perhaps a 10% or so off the right side would strengthen the image, but that's a matter of personal preference.

I do have one nit that no one has mentioned yet. I find the greens in the grasses to be very slightly distracting. To me eye they look almost discordant and that they alone have been punched up (not saying you actually did this - but that they appear this way). If this shot were mine I would selectively reduce the greens in saturation - even if they are absolutely natural.

But overall - nicely done!

Cheers...

Brad

Thanks everybody for your comments, they are much appreciated.
I chose to keep this full frame as I really liked the colours in the grass

Brad,
Regarding the green, I will trot out my usual excuse (as it is true),this was taken at the end of the rainy season hence the lushness of the grass and the seed heads.

Hi Ken ! Nice image but have to agree with Morkel on this one with regards to bringing down the highlights slightly

Super shot Ken! Have a great trip.

I'm agreeing with Brad that this is one of your better images. I like it for the almost pastel subtlety and his expression. Although I, too, would take a small sliver off the right, I like the greens as posted.

Impressive animal and image Ken, I like the comp and the tongue out.