Stalking Jaguar
A shot of a jaguar at Chester Zoo. It was stalking up the hill towards me. I love the eyes and its muscular form
A shot of a jaguar at Chester Zoo. It was stalking up the hill towards me. I love the eyes and its muscular form
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Dec, 2017Views
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
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Top Shot Award
Contest Finalist in Big Mammals Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Covers Photo Contest Vol 43
Staff Favorite
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Absolute Masterpiece
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Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at Chester Zoo. We were visiting with friends but this was the first time I had seen the jaguar stalking up the grassy hill towards us.Time
This was during the afternoon. I think about 2pm.Lighting
Luckily the day was a little drab so the lighting was pretty even. Its the first time I've been glad not to have glorious sunshine.Equipment
I think this is a great example of what can be done with some pretty basic equipment. I am particularly proud of this shot as it's a canon 70d body handheld with a canon 55-250mm mark 2 lens. Not expensive kit but I love the sharpness.Inspiration
I saw the jaguar walking up the hill and I think I was in the right place at the right time. Very lucky but I think this is sometimes the case.Editing
Yes I think this is one of those images that benefits from post processing. I sharpened a little and some standard corrections like bringing the highlights down a little to bring out the details but the main change was the background. The original image has a fence behind the jaguar. I changed this with a blurred out bit of background that I had taken from another part of the jaguar enclosure. I think it makes a better image. This is the first time I have used photoshop to do this but think it gives the jaguar the focus it deserves.In my camera bag
If I'm going to the zoo I normally have my sigma 105mm macro lens. I also always carry my 50mm 1.8 and the 55-250mm is usually on my camera. I tend to only shoot handheld as I like to move around.Feedback
I would say be patient and go back at different times of the day. Experiment with the weather too. Just because it's warm doesn't mean the animals.will be out and about. Sometimes the cool weather makes them a little more active. Try the 55-250mm lens. It's cheap, light and I believe the new stm version is even better than the mark 2.
