Amur Leopard
A stunning Amur Leopard at WHF Big Cat Sanctuary...
A stunning Amur Leopard at WHF Big Cat Sanctuary...
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Sep, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at a photographic workshop at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, UK.Time
This image was taken at 15:40 on a very wet and dull day in early May, 2014. It was one of the last photos I took on the day and it was one of those shots you know has worked as soon as you take it!Lighting
As mentioned earlier, It was actually overcast and raining most of the day. This meant there were no harsh shadows, which is good, but it was also very dull. To help with this, I added one stop of exposure compensation to brighten the image.Equipment
I used a Canon 7D with the Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8 L IS II USM Lens. It was handheld through a wire fence.Inspiration
Amur Leopards are possibly the most endangered big cat in the world and I had never seen one so I was looking forward to visiting this sanctuary for a long time. I had seen other photographers take so many great shots of these cats so I was desperate to get my own! It's my favourite big cat... The photographic workshops let you get a lot closer to the animals that zoos for example. In this case, my camera was right up against the inner fence so there was very little distortion from the fence. I literally had to jump back from the fence as soon as I took the shot as he was approaching fast and they can get their legs almost a metre through the fence! The guide was shouting 'get back' as I took it so it really was the last chance!Editing
I do the same type of post-processing on most of my wildlife shots - a small amount of definition around the facial features and then I add a vignette to draw the viewer into the subject. I also drop the greens a little as a vignette on green can make it a quite unnatural green. Some people have asked if I colored the eyes but this Amur Leopard actually has magnificent blue eyes!In my camera bag
My Canon 7D is my primary camera. The crop sensor combined with the Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8 L IS II USM Lens gives me a nice range given that most of my wildlife photography is in sanctuaries or zoos where you are relatively close to the action. For close ups, I carry the Canon EF 100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM Lens - this is great when you are close to reptiles or butterflies. My final lens is the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens - just in case I have a large subject quite close to me or want to take in more of the environment. I do carry a Canon EF Mark III 1.4x Extender but I don't use it very often as I love to shoot at f/2.8. I would rather be slightly further away and crop than lose two stops. Plus, they can be fiddly to remove when you have fast moving action. Finally, a waterproof lens and camera cover comes in very useful - especially on this day!Feedback
Obviously these photographic workshops give you the chance to see animals you wouldn't see in the wild and you have a higher chance of photographing them than in a zoo. They are a great opportunity to build your portfolio. Listen carefully to the guides as they know the animal's behaviour and some photography tricks too. Finally, be patient!
