Got this shot of a lion looking straight at me in Tanzania. with the 400mm lens I felt like he was right in front of me, ok, he was still very close but got me ...
Read more
Got this shot of a lion looking straight at me in Tanzania. with the 400mm lens I felt like he was right in front of me, ok, he was still very close but got me even closer
Read less
Read less
Views
2691
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in Monochrome Wildlife Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Colossal Wildlife Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol 5
Staff Favorite
Peer Award
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Genius
Top Ranks
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo on my 2nd last day in the Serengeti. The previous days we were waiting a number of times in the hope of witnessing a hunt but all without success. On that morning we left the campsite and after a 15min drive or so, saw a buffalo and 2 male lions. We knew they were about to go for the kill. We waited a bit and as expected, the 2 males went for the buffalo. We were the only car there and saw it from the first moment. With a 400mm lens it was like I was being part of it.Time
The shot was early in the morning, just after breakfast. So around 7am. The sun was still low and we had strong shadows.Lighting
I went in with the idea to shoot black and white so the strong shadows were in my favour. We were unable to move much around so am glad the sun was were it wasEquipment
I used a 5d mark iii for this shot with a 400mm 5.6 and had my Mark ii with the 70-200 2.8 to get some wider shots of the scene. I was resting the camera on the window ledge.Inspiration
I went to Serengeti with the aim to shoot wildlife, main goal was to capture big cats. My driver did all he could to find those big cats, this morning we were very luckyEditing
I did some work on Lightroom, mostly adding contrast and of course remove saturationIn my camera bag
At that point I had 5d iii and ii in my bag, 400 5.6, 70-200 2.8 and 24-70 2.8. Since then my bag increased. Now I have as well the 5dsr for some very high res images as well at a old 600mm f4 and an old 300 2.8, both without IS so tripod is needed. Not sure yet how I will manage to get all the gear on my next trip as it weights a good 15kg and takes 3 bags/ casesFeedback
For wildlife be patient. Enjoy the time you are out. It takes luck to spot a hunt, some see it on the first day others can spend a week with no luck or see it but far away. A private driver helped me big times as that way I was able to tell him what I wanted to see and if I wanted to stay an extra hour, I did not need to convince another 5 people in the car.