115Cheetahs11
Moyo at Animal Ark in Reno, Nevada
Moyo at Animal Ark in Reno, Nevada
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Jan, 2015Views
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Awards
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Peer Award
Genius
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 1
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Animal Ark Wildlife Sanctuary, which is about 30 miles north of Reno, Nevada. Animal Ark is very active in cheetah conservation. Studies have shown that cheetahs thrive much better in captivity when they can run like they do in the wild. We run the cheetahs once per week, and have photo blinds and spectator bleachers set up for the event.Time
This was taken in the evening, probably an hour prior to sunset.Lighting
The lighting is beautiful this time of day. I was shooting with the light coming from behind me as the cheetah was coming around the corner.Equipment
Canon 5D MkII, Canon 100-400 lens (version 1), hand-held, no flash.Inspiration
How can you see a beautiful animal like this running at full speed and not want to take the photo. This was from the very first cheetah run I attended, and still one of my favorite photos.Editing
A bit of post-processing, the majority in Adobe Camera Raw - exposure, contrast and sharpening. A bit of tweaking in Photoshop, mainly just a bit of dodging and burning.In my camera bag
Depends on the situation - I have a Canon 5DMk3 and Mk2, and about nine lenses, three flashes, and a fair amount of studio equipment. I also just purchased a Fuji XT1 and two lenses for travel.Feedback
Animal Ark presents a unique opportunity for photographers to capture something like a cheetah at a full run. I normally recommend that photographers set up their camera at f5.6, and a minimum shutter speed of 1/1600. I tell them to set the ISO to get that shutter speed. I also recommend using a single or small area focus, AI Servo focus mode (Nikon - continuous), and rapid burst shooting.
