Leopard in a dust storm
Apr, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in the Kgalagadi National Park South Africa in January 2016Time
To spot a leopard is very rare and a great sighting. We knew that this particular leopard was spotted in this area on and off for a few days. We went to have a look if we could spot her, and there she was! But we were in the middle of an huge sandstorm. Eventually I took the plunge to use my camera in this dusty horrible circumstances for camera equipment and took this photo at 8:50am.Lighting
Well this was in a dust storm so there were sand and dust everywhere making visibility at times almost impossible and the light was very, very poor because of this. But at the same time the light at this time of day is very hard and harsh here in South Africa and since the Kgalagadi is situated in a semi desert area even more so but the dust in front of the sun diffused this hard light giving me this soft lightEquipment
I used my Canon 5d mark III with my Canon 100-400mm lens at 400mm at f5.6 to compensate for the bad/low light. No tripod was used since this is in the wilderness and this is real wild animals and you are not allowed to get out of your car,(for your own safety) I use a pillow to steady my lens on. Sorry I do not own a beanbag or something similar and find that a normal pillow works perfectly since it is light and easy to manoeuvre. (and I can use it to take a little nap to wait for more sightings) No flash was usedInspiration
The dust! I thought wow what a sight all this dust and sand and the poor animals having nowhere to hide from this. I wanted to capture the intensity of it all. When I saw the leopard move closing her eyes against the dust I thought this show exactly the harsh environment they life in and would make the photo I envisioned. So I followed her and then waited for a gap before the next wind gush hits again and took the photo. Well I think I have achieved exactly what I have envisioned. I have a few more of this dust storm, oryx in the dust, trees and whatever else I saw through my viewfinder with this beautiful light and softness created by the dust and the backlight of the sun. Needless to say that my camera, lens, hair, eyes, face and the inside of the car was full of sand afterwards, but I think it was worth it.Editing
Yes I use Lightroom and Photoshop in combination. Since I shoot in RAW post-processing is necessary. The original photo is very flat and dull. I lift the shadows, and pushed up the highlights to get more light on the leopard and the dust. I cropped a little bit and did some saturation adjustments to enhance the overall image.In my camera bag
It depends on what I am going to shoot. If it is wildlife my longer lenses. If macro my macro lens. I have two cameras a Canon 600D and the Canon 5D mark III. I usually use the 5D. But whenever I go out on a shoot I never seem to have the correct equipment with me. I would go out and decide to take some shots of birds ect. and would end up seeing incredible things where I would need my macro lens, or a beautiful landscape and then I have this long lens with me. I should really learn to pack my bag, but that's me, missing a lot of opportunities, because I am to lazy to carry everything with me. I think my perfect bag would be, my 5D 100-400mm, 24-105mm and my macro. A flash and my 10stop ND filter. I rarely use a tripod (yes I know I should) and a tripod, but only for the slow shutter shots.Feedback
Light, light, light (to me everything is about the light). If you find the light then patients, this is wild animals and not a zoo - wait for the perfect moment and take LOTS of photo's, you will be surprised at what action you capture with wildlife. Look for some interaction - either with other animals, or like in this case the environment. Try to take your photo early in the morning or late afternoon. In this case the sun/light was at the back of the subject (backlight) and this enhance the dust, and this capture my imagination in the first place. Follow your subject and try to take the photo when they are in an opening with less distraction from grass, trees and similar obstructions. Most of all enjoy yourself and enjoy this beautiful place called earth we live on.
