Lioness cub
Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the Rhino and Lion reserve park, which is located in Muldersdrift near the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa. They have an area of the reserve called the Creche' where all the cubs are kept.Time
It was a special time, my friend was visiting from Wales and after we went for the game drive we stopped at the creche' to look and play with the cubs. The photo was taken of my favorite cub after the play on 12 December 2010 at about 16:00pmLighting
After a very nice warm day,I was glad the clouds started to cluster in the sky and rain was approaching, as it will take the harshness away from the sun and give the photo a softer look. I wanted to bring alive the soft fluffy coat of the cub and the nice wet mouth after she drank some water. The light worked nicely from behind us too as you can see in our reflection in her eyes.Equipment
This was shot with my Canon EOS 400D, Sigma 70-300mm APG zoom lens at F-stop of f/5,Exposure time 1/250 sec,ISO Speed 400, Focal length 214mm, and no flash. Camera was hand held.Inspiration
After playing with the cubs I just loved their fun and loving way of playing, just like house cats, and wanted to remember their cute cuddles and naughty playfulness as it doesn't take long before they grow into big dangerous cats. These cubs were just 6 weeks old and already stole a lot of hearts. The pen where they are kept still have a lot of natural surroundings which makes it a perfect photo opportunity as it will look as if they are still in a natural habitat.Editing
I did do a little bit of post editing in Lightroom just to bring out the contrast and add a watermark to the photo.In my camera bag
I only have one camera body, Canon 400D, but carry all my lenses with me in a Lowepro backpack and some times my Monfrotto tripod if I expect to do some landscape or macro photography. The lens collection is a Canon EF 18-55mm kit lens, a Sigma 70-300mm APG zoom lens, and a Canon EF 50mm macro lens.Feedback
In South Africa there is a lot of opportunities to take nice photos of the big 5 but one must also be safe when doing so. The reserve is a place where the cubs are hand reared and are used to human interaction. Getting close to cubs in the wild is a death wish, and is not advised. Our sun is very harsh during the day, so taking photos anywhere in South Africa, your best times is early morning or later in the evening. The sun comes up early and go down late in the summer, which gives a lot of time for great photo opportunities.
