seconds to live

Gallery: WildlifePosted December 2, 200611,934 views47 comments

I have just returned from a great but somewhat wet trip to Kenya.
Here a cheetah female runs down a young Thomson's Gazelle. The cheetah was stalking a small group of adult gazelles when the baby flushed from the grass just in front of the advancing cat. A brief chase ensued but the result was not in doubt.

EOS1D2, 500mm, shot from bean bags on Landrover, 1/2500, f11, iso 400

kind regards
Graeme

Comments

47 comments

Comment posted by Bruce Painter on December 2, 2006 at 9:27 PM

Great shot. The flying dirt really adds to the already wonderful image in my opinion.

Bruce

Registered on May 11, 2006, 50 Posts, 207 Comments

Comment posted by Vic Harris on December 2, 2006 at 9:47 PM

Fantastic action photo...grim, but fantastic!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 295 Posts, 2830 Comments

Comment posted by Duane Rosenkranz on December 2, 2006 at 10:07 PM

Awesome! About as good as it gets. The angle they are running toward you is perfect.

Registered on October 13, 2004, 280 Posts, 2661 Comments

Comment posted by Jude Haase on December 2, 2006 at 10:09 PM

Very nice Graeme!!

Registered on April 3, 2006, 236 Posts, 1657 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Lusk on December 2, 2006 at 10:14 PM

WOW!

Absolutely captivating!

Registered on September 17, 2005, 312 Posts, 600 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on December 2, 2006 at 10:16 PM

Doesn't get any better than this

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Ashutosh Rajekar on December 2, 2006 at 11:23 PM

Not in doubt at all! Very well shot.

Any particular reason why you use iso400? To allow for faster shutter speeds?

Registered on June 8, 2006, 51 Posts, 910 Comments

Comment posted by Carl Donohue on December 2, 2006 at 11:41 PM

hey Graeme

As fine a shot of this kind as I've ever seen. Great job, especially gettting the DOF you needed.

The catchlight in the cheetah's eye looks a little weird.

Cheers

Carl

Registered on November 1, 2003, 46 Posts, 589 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Garber on December 3, 2006 at 1:30 AM

Awesome!

Registered on November 17, 2003, 704 Posts, 3535 Comments

Comment posted by dan elster on December 3, 2006 at 1:47 AM

Unreal. This is what it's all about.

Registered on September 23, 2005, 299 Posts, 2443 Comments

Comment posted by Kim Kaiser on December 3, 2006 at 2:15 AM

superb action,, catchlights,,rear claw nails,,,i would print this as big a s i could and just grin,,

Registered on November 1, 2003, 45 Posts, 370 Comments

Comment posted by Jasper Doest on December 3, 2006 at 6:29 AM

As said the catchlight in the cheetah's eye looks really strange...but besides that this is an excellent shot I'd be very happy with!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 371 Posts, 2101 Comments

Comment posted by Josh Anderson on December 3, 2006 at 7:38 AM

This is great.

Registered on June 2, 2005, 493 Posts, 2996 Comments

Comment posted by Alice Scoggins on December 3, 2006 at 9:50 AM

What an awesome action shot! Well done!

Registered on February 21, 2005, 430 Posts, 5959 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Streifel on December 3, 2006 at 9:58 AM

Graeme, this is sweeeet!
I love the flying mud, and as said, the DOF is perfect.

Registered on October 8, 2006, 77 Posts, 886 Comments

Comment posted by John Chapman on December 3, 2006 at 11:07 AM

Hi Graeme
great action shot and what an experience.

Registered on June 19, 2004, 100 Posts, 1473 Comments

Comment posted by Dave Courtenay on December 3, 2006 at 11:40 AM

Great timing-wonderful

Registered on July 18, 2005, 56 Posts, 462 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on December 3, 2006 at 2:05 PM

Great shot!

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by Juza on December 3, 2006 at 4:08 PM

Outstanding photo!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 374 Posts, 10466 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Kirkham on December 3, 2006 at 5:26 PM

Nature in the raw, superbly captured.
Best wishes
Phil

Registered on October 9, 2004, 63 Posts, 153 Comments

Comment posted by Keith A Anderson on December 3, 2006 at 8:36 PM

Beautiful!! Superb action shot.

Registered on February 13, 2006, 166 Posts, 1818 Comments

Comment posted by Ganesh H Shankar on December 3, 2006 at 9:09 PM

Amazing

Look at the focus in cat and lost hope in gazelle's face.

Registered on March 1, 2004, 324 Posts, 1867 Comments

Comment posted by Scott M on December 4, 2006 at 3:26 AM

Amazing Action. The catchlight in the Cheetahs eye looks unnatural to me.

Registered on May 16, 2006, 27 Posts, 388 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on December 4, 2006 at 9:07 AM

Holy smokes this is incredible!!! Great work Graeme!!!

Ken Archer

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

Comment posted by David Weber on December 4, 2006 at 9:31 AM

Fantastic action shot, Graeme! you captured the drama of the moment quite well.

Registered on February 7, 2005, 296 Posts, 2737 Comments

Comment posted by David Hemmings on December 4, 2006 at 10:05 AM

Wow, cool

Registered on May 26, 2006, 178 Posts, 1680 Comments

Comment posted by Les Barstow on December 4, 2006 at 10:42 AM

Wow! I love this, Graeme! Love the angle of both animals as they "round the curve". Fantastic.

Registered on May 15, 2004, 54 Posts, 135 Comments

Comment posted by John Lehmkuhl on December 4, 2006 at 11:08 AM

Oh my. What a great shot and contrats on the EP for this - excellent timing and dof.

Registered on May 22, 2005, 165 Posts, 2008 Comments

Comment posted by Pete Bengeyfield on December 4, 2006 at 12:16 PM

WOW!!! I'm not sure I've ever seen a better predation shot.

Registered on December 2, 2003, 1247 Posts, 3439 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on December 4, 2006 at 12:23 PM

My gosh, this is wonderful!! The shot all of us would have wished for on a trip to Africa. Is there any way you could (or would consider) cloning out the somewhat distracting braches in front of the cheetah's face?
The flying dirt adds to ther impact and is just great!
Excellent! And congrats!!
Sandy

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

Comment posted by KC Choo on December 4, 2006 at 9:00 PM

Knowing how much you were looking forward to this trip, I was wondering what you might bring back. This is a fabulous image and had everything in it! A well deserved EP!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Alan Bryant on December 5, 2006 at 10:58 AM

That is one of the best action shots i've seen on this forum

.

Fan.....blooming....tastic

Registered on March 31, 2006, 473 Posts, 1081 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Mason on December 5, 2006 at 5:22 PM

Congratulations on this shot and the EP. This has to be one of the best wildlife photos I've seen.

Registered on December 14, 2005, 399 Posts, 2305 Comments

Comment posted by Christine Adams on December 5, 2006 at 9:36 PM

Hi Graeme!! I am only now just seeing this and I agree with all the others...this is superb!!! Congrats on the EP and if I was you, I'd be entering this into contests (like Nature's Best)!!!

Registered on January 24, 2006, 119 Posts, 1871 Comments

Comment posted by Jay Martin on December 5, 2006 at 10:22 PM

Wow! just to have seen this would have been amazing, but you got the shot!

Registered on December 6, 2005, 200 Posts, 2209 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Dawson on December 6, 2006 at 2:18 PM

what an amzing intensity to this image. PErfect timing and framing

Registered on February 4, 2006, 364 Posts, 8872 Comments

Comment posted by Graeme Guy on December 6, 2006 at 5:17 PM

Thanks to everyone for the comments. The highlight in the cheetah's eye seemed to get more intense on downsizing and compression....quite odd. I will re-do that.....thanks for pointing that out.
Shots like this have a huge chunk of luck as well. I was closest to the front of the vehicle and was the only one in the 3 second burst of activity who had the angle for the shot.
Kind regards
Graeme

Registered on January 19, 2004, 33 Posts, 438 Comments

Comment posted by Kevin Thompson on December 7, 2006 at 12:22 AM

Wow! Super capture Graeme

Registered on March 15, 2005, 114 Posts, 2639 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Benner on December 7, 2006 at 7:11 AM

great capture - congratulations

Registered on December 8, 2003, 482 Posts, 1868 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on December 8, 2006 at 6:42 AM

Awesome capture Greame. It's just perfect with the dirt flying around and both animals at full speed, coming towards the camera. I REALLY wish I will ever in my life make a shot like this!!!

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

Comment posted by Arthur Sevestre on December 11, 2006 at 5:52 AM

Have to ad my congratulations on this shot! Truly great and mightily impressive.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 275 Posts, 888 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on December 11, 2006 at 8:34 AM

Absoultely superb shot Graeme! The flying dirt and the look in each of their eyes tells the story wonderfully.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Nathan Buck on December 11, 2006 at 10:54 AM

Just amazing!

Nathan

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1101 Posts, 13589 Comments

Comment posted by Gautham G on December 20, 2006 at 4:40 AM

Wow, great shot.. Reminds me of Mitsuki Iwago's similar picture on National Geographic.

Registered on August 18, 2006, 8 Posts, 29 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Rogers on January 21, 2007 at 2:46 PM

This has to be one of the best shots I've ever seen.

Registered on January 16, 2007, 450 Posts, 995 Comments

Comment posted by Miro Susta on January 29, 2007 at 1:24 AM

Fantastic action photo. Perfect in colors, composition as well as in all small details.

Registered on August 18, 2006, 719 Posts, 3736 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Theodore on June 17, 2009 at 6:39 PM

Excellent capture. You can see the intensity in the Cheetah's eyes.

Registered on May 7, 2008, 18 Posts, 54 Comments