Leopard coming out of the dark - comments and crits

[Doorstop]

another shot where I liked the idea of using negative space
I'd like to hear your views

[IzzieK]

You can enhance the eyes a little bit more so it will have catchlights in them...the composition is great here though the shot is a bit soft???

[pnodrog]

Dramatic shot. I do not want to be negative about the negative space but I think there is a bit too much of it particularly on the right hand side. I will not comment on whether it is soft or not other than to say I find when uploading using tinypic I need to sharpen the image vigorously before uploading.

[Doorstop]

Dramatic shot. I do not want to be negative about the negative space but I think there is a bit too much of it particularly on the right hand side. I will not comment on whether it is soft or not other than to say I find when uploading using tinypic I need to sharpen the image vigorously before uploading.

Thanks for view and comment.

at the risk of sounding argumentative (which I definitely am not in this case! ) it is the trend in SA to leave enough space for where the body and/or legs and feet would have been had it been visible.

I get the impression there is a problem with sharpness when uploading with tinypic - I'll have to investigate the other methods, though they seem a bit more cumbersome. THANKS for this heads up.

[Mike Buckley]

You're no doubt aware of how fortunate you were to see the leopard. I spent a week in the bush and never saw one (also expected not to see one).

I agree that the negative space on the left is fine (because the animal is walking toward it) and the negative space is far too much on the right. I also agree that the image, at least as presented here, needs sharpening.

[Mike Buckley]

I always upload using TinyPic and I've never experienced any issues with sharpness. Moreover, it has been explained here many times that TinyPic doesn't alter the sharpness. I think the issue is that the image wasn't sharpened enough when it was downsized for display on the Internet.

The negative space on the right is not space where the body or legs would have been. So, for me, that's not a logical rationale for leaving so much space on the right. If you had said that you like that much negative space on the right simply because you like it, I would appreciate your reasoning.

[Doorstop]

You're no doubt aware of how fortunate you were to see the leopard. I spent a week in the bush and never saw one (also expected not to see one).

You don't see leopard and cheetah. They show themselves to you. If you don't expect to see them, you won't.

I agree that the negative space on the left is fine (because the animal is walking toward it) and the negative space is far too much on the right. I also agree that the image, at least as presented here, needs sharpening

thanks for this, I'll definitely re-evaluate.

[Mike Buckley]

The reason I didn't expect to see any leopard has to do with the areas I was in; there were very few leopards in those areas. Our guide explained that he only sees one about once a month and he spends every day in the bush. Even so, he also explained that he sees them for a maximum of about ten seconds.

[Shadowman]

Nice shot.

[NorthernFocus]

A good concept which I try to employ myself when the opportunity presents. I agree with prior comments that a bit less negative space might work better. Maybe simply a 4x5 format crop with the animal slightly to right of center. As others haave pointed out the techs on the cat aren't so good.

[rpcrowe]

Almost a frightening shot... I played with it a bit using NIK Viveza; placing a couple of control points around the head and on the eyes and then boosting the structure to a high level... That places emphasis on the head and eyes. I also used NIK Dfine 2 which is a noise reduction software. This reduced some of the noise in the dark background. However, Dfine is more efficient when used as the first filter after a raw image with noise is opened...

I have been perusing the noise reduction capabilities of the noise reduction contained in the new Perfect Photo Suite 9 which will be delivered soon.

[Doorstop]

Thanks all of you guys, I truly appreciate your comments and crits.

Almost a frightening shot... I played with it a bit using NIK Viveza; placing a couple of control points around the head and on the eyes and then boosting the structure to a high level... That places emphasis on the head and eyes. I also used NIK Dfine 2 which is a noise reduction software. This reduced some of the noise in the dark background. However, Dfine is more efficient when used as the first filter after a raw image with noise is opened...

Richard, I am also revisiting the shots and I am beginning to suspect I uploaded the wrong one. Nevertheless, I think it is great fun reprocessing to see what I can come up with.

[proseak]

Great shot - I like it "as is"

[bnnrcn]

Nice shot, IMO it needs some more sharpening. I would suggest you should sharpen your images again after resizing and before saving as JPGs, it really makes a difference

[vaez]

this image is better fantastic shot

[davidedric]

Excellent shot and food for thought.

I'm interested in the set up since I have spent a fair bit of time in the bush. It looks as though it was taken in the light of the spot. Is that right?

Dave

[Doorstop]

Thank you so much for the kind comments, everyone, I truly appreciate!

Excellent shot and food for thought.

I'm interested in the set up since I have spent a fair bit of time in the bush. It looks as though it was taken in the light of the spot. Is that right?

Dave

Yes, Dave, this was shot while lit with a spotlight while the leopard was walking towards us. Technically for the equipment I have, I found it quite hard.
I trust that your time in the bush in future will include South Africa!