regular tiger
Mar, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Jukani WildLife Sanctuary in Plettenberg Bay South Africa.Time
It was late afternoon, I had just came from Monkey Land and Birds of Eden and Jukani was my last stop in my day at Plettenburg Bay. I had been filming most of the tour and it was nearing the end that I saw the Female Bengal Tiger relaxing in the water so I took the opportunity to approach slowly, place my tripod near the inclosure, change the shutter speed down to 30 fps then with the long len focus past the fence allowing me to capture this shot. This was taken on Wednesday, 9 September 2015 at 4:15:00 p.mLighting
In terms of lighting for this image I kept it all natural for two reasons: firstly as the sun starting to come down gave the Fur a nice subtle glow. Secondly If I had you any sort of lighting I would have disturbed the tiger thus ruining the moment that I was trying to capture. Not every photo needs an external source of lighting, sometime its all about using the sun and getting the right angles by positioning yourself in a place that brings out the subject the best features. When I look back at this photo I realise how fortunate I was to be in the position I was.Equipment
This was shot on a Canon 70d, With a Canon EF 70mm- 200mm lens with a stock tripodInspiration
This was my first time seeing a Bengal tiger and seeing such a rare endangered animal in such a relaxing position is something you don't see often. My two favourite subjects to capture are relaxation and symmerty, I love to relax and I have always been fascinated with symmerty so having the opportunity to capture both was a huge inspiration. At first with the tiger in the pond relaxing I was immediately intrigued about getting a nice photograph. It was only while I was approaching that I noticed the reflection of the tiger in the water so I wanted to capture the parallel worlds, one being the tiger on the surface, the other being the mirror world presented in the water. I wasn't able to get into a position to fully capture the reflection in the water so I focussed on the relaxtion of the tiger as the core for this image.Editing
When I took the image the grass and water came out flat so I brought up the contrast and darkened the shadows to highlight those differences. By darkening the shadows the reflection became more apparent and a key element in the image I also noticed the fur was ruffled so I sharpened the image to bring out the layers in the fur while also adding a more majestic feel to a regal animal like the Bengal tiger. The final aspect I changed was the exposure, by bringing the exposure down the colours get brought out finalising the image for me.In my camera bag
The first thing I always pack is my Canon 70D, as it is my only body at the moment it is essential. Next is my Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5, a long lens is essential for capturing wildlife even at wildlife sanctury's as you can use your lens to focus past the fence. This is my favourie lens as it covers a huge range. After that I pack my 10-16mm as having a wide lens helps covers landscapes which obviously a long lens isn't great with. I also carry a video tripod as it is more adaptable and ruggered for more situations.Feedback
When trying to get a great natural photos of animals relaxing is to go near closing time for these animal sanctury's as the animals usually get feed at the end of the day, Most animals will be prowling around waiting for there meal (mostly the lions) but there are a few animals like the tigers, panters and caracals who will wait patiently. Keep a sharp eye and look at each inclosure thoroughly to make sure you have an idea where each animal is and if using a tripod make sure to carry it in the corrct manner, do not carry the tripod on your shoulders as most animals in these sanctury's are familiar with tranquilizer gun as most of them have been saved from pouchers and have a innate fear for them, they see the shape and believe it to be dangerous so they can go from being relaxed to intense in an instant. Also refrain from using flash as this will also cause a bad reaction.
