The Gaze
One of the beautiful snow leopards "Mizi" from the Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Big Cat Sanctuary, Kent UK - a UK based charity working hard to ensu...
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One of the beautiful snow leopards "Mizi" from the Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Big Cat Sanctuary, Kent UK - a UK based charity working hard to ensure that the big cat species of the world are protected from extinction.
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Mar, 2016Views
1377
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Awards
Spring Selection Award
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
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Behind The Lens
Location
I was visiting my daughter living in London at the time and high on our bucket list was to visit the Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Big Cat Sanctuary, in Kent... a UK based charity working hard to ensure that the big cat species of the world are protected from extinction.Time
We spent the entire day at the Sanctuary... and I think this gorgeous snow leopard was captured in mid-afternoon lighting.Lighting
With wildlife roaming around... we couldn't be too fussy with the lighting - but we were blessed with a lovely rain-free day and good general light with no harsh shadowsEquipment
Nikon D3100 Focal Length 52.0mm Exposure 1/320s Aperture f/7.1 ISO 800 Hand HeldInspiration
I love to capture natural, unposed-for eye contact with the camera where possible - to me it adds an "unspoken conversation" to the photo.Editing
Yes... my post-processing skills are very limited at best... for this image, I used the free standing Pic Monkey programme to desaturate the colour and then selectively enhanced the eyes - I'm not a huge fan of selective colour and only minimally use it but I thought the intensity of the gaze of this gorgeous snow leopard would be enhanced by drawing the viewer straight into the eyes for an immediate connection.In my camera bag
I don't regard myself as a "photographer" so I don't have a bag, as such... my camera is always at the ready, usually on my desk or bench behind me - at best, I use a soft PJ bag before it gets thrown in my backpack :-)Feedback
No advice except to get out there with a camera and enjoy a whole other world through a lens. Take lots of images, keep observing, learning and experimenting with angles, light, composition etc... technically, I have no idea what I'm doing but, for me, that makes it all the more enjoyable and challenging and extremely rewarding when I get a shot that "works" and, even more amazing, an image that other people like. :-)
