Cheetah Lookout
Oct, 2016Views
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Awards
2020 Choice Award
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, UK during a photography workshop. The person holding the course chucked bits of meat into the enclosure to encourage the cats to move closer or possibly to get them in a certain photogenic area or pose. This cheetah was just sat there, almost as if keeping a lookout.Time
This would have been taken in mid afternoon as we went to other enclosures at the bottom end of the site first. It was a very hot, humid day so the cats weren't too keen on moving about.Lighting
The light was quite even on the cheetah due to being in an open space with hardy any shade. I decided on a black and white conversion to highlight the cheetah's fur and also to show the catch light in his eyes.Equipment
This was shot on a Canon 7D with Canon 100-400mm L IS USM II lens, handheld.Inspiration
I love big cats and cheetahs are one of my favourites. I liked the fact that he was sat in this pose with a bit of what they called 'hillbilly look' about him due to the grass sticking out of his mouth.Editing
I have converted the image to black and white in Photoshop using my Topaz Labs plugins. Apart from this conversion, very minimal post-processing was done.In my camera bag
Since I took this photo I upgraded my camera from the Canon 7D to the Canon 5D mk iv. I still have the 7D as a backup, but my main camera is now the 5D mk iv. I usually have my Canon 100-400mm L IS USM II attached to it and keep my Canon 50mm f/1.4 in my bag as it is so light. What is in my bag usually depends on what I am going to shoot, but as I am mainly into wildlife photography, I keep my 100-400mm attached. If I want to shoot landscapes or quirky shots then I take my Lensbaby Composer Pro II with Edge 35 optic. I sometimes leave this in my bag as well, but if I know that I won't be using it then I take it out as it is heavy.Feedback
I would say that booking yourself on a photography course at a zoo or wildlife sanctuary is a good starting point. They usually let you up closer to the main enclosure fencing than you would get on a normal everyday visit. The people who run these courses are often wildlife photographers who have been out on safaris in Africa and travelled about, so they give you many more tips than you would pick up at college.
