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valerioleone

Cheetah at sunset

Me and my brother in law followed these 2 cheetas for over 2 hours, hoping for the right light and a nice pose. Finally I got this one. We were in Namibia, in t...
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Me and my brother in law followed these 2 cheetas for over 2 hours, hoping for the right light and a nice pose. Finally I got this one. We were in Namibia, in the Karas area, near Keetmanshoop.
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NIKON D600

settings

Aperture f/2.8 ISO 100 Shutter 1/1600 Focal Length 2000/10

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Aug, 2017

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amazing "cats"

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They are really beautiful animals

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Behind The Lens

Location

This picture was taken in Namibia, in the Karas area near the city of Keetmanshoop.

Time

It was an August trip, it was 2 hours to sunset when me and my brother in law started following these two male brothers. They are kind of lazy animals, they walk and lay, walk and lay, so we had to wait hoping they would finally move to some nice spots. When the sun was almost down, they moved to this particular area and I thought this is the right light that will also highlight their wonderful orange eyes.

Lighting

I wanted the light to be straight on the animal, not a strong light but warm. A light that could make the animal the focal point of the picture, being careful that the surrounding colors were very similar to its fur.

Equipment

For this picture I used my Nikon D600 with the 70/200 f/2,8 Nikor lens. No tripod, no flash.

Inspiration

The trip in Namibia was meant for safari, but not the usual one. I knew Namibia is a great place for cheetah, I wanted to concentrate on these animals, therefore lots of walking in the bush with patience. The inspiration came when the animal has finally lain down in this spot, just had to walk around to find the best light on him.

Editing

I did a very simple post-processing in order to give more contrast between the cheetah and the background.

In my camera bag

The equipment I always carry with me is my Nikon D600 plus a few Nikor lenses like the 24/70 f/2.8 - 70/200 f/2.8 - 50 f/1.8 and a 14 f/2.8

Feedback

Wild life photography requires a lot of patience. It's very hard to take good pictures if you are on a safari with many other people. It must be you and the animal and, obviously, making sure the light is right. Strong light kills the colors, morning or sunset is always the best time.

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Cheetah at sunset