Lion jog
Two lionesses were fighting and the lion jogged past our chalet to see what was all the commotion about!
Two lionesses were fighting and the lion jogged past our chalet to see what was all the commotion about!
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Jun, 2018Views
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Awards
Winner in Lions Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Kgalagadi National Park in South Africa at the Grootkolk wilderness camp. It is a small unfenced camp, so animals walk right by your chalet. Giving you some amazing photo opportunities. I take mostly wildlife photos and have been an amateur photographer for the past 10 plus years. We try and visit our Natonal Parks as often as possible. Over the years we've had amazing experiences, but this one was one of the best.Time
This photo was taken on 5 November 2016 at 7H25. It was after gate opening and the other chalets occupants all left for a morning drive, but we decided to stay in camp and see what the lions at the waterhole would be up to for the morning. Little did we know what a treat we would have. The four lions, this one lion, one lioness and two biggish cubs were are sleeping next to the waterhole at that stage. In Kgalagadi in the summer with temps around 40 degrees Celsius lions move mostly during the night and at the very latest till 9 in the morning. After that you would mostly get a chance to take a boring photo of a sleeping lion next to the road under a tree.Lighting
This photo is all about natural light. With wildlife photography in South Africa's National Parks you can't do a photo shoot setup. You never know what you will see and experience. This photo was luckily taken early morning, before the summer harsh sunlight was to bright.Equipment
This photo was taken with my Canon 7D and Sigma 150-500mm lens, hand held. No other equipment was used. F/10, shutterspeed 1/1000 sec, ISO 800.Inspiration
The four lions have been spending time at the camp waterhole for a few days. This morning while the rest of the camp left for a morning drive we stayed in camp hoping to get some action from the lions. After awhile the lioness got up and started stalking 3 kudus that were on their way to the waterhole, not noticing the lions sleeping there. I was ready in case we got to see a hunt. Then the lioness changed direction and I saw a second lioness coming to the waterhole from behind the chalets. She was keeping an eye on the sleeping lion and the playing cubs and did not notice the first lioness now staling her. She only saw the first lioness when she was about 5 meters from her. A full scale fight broke out between the two lionesses and the lion woke up from this commotion. He ran past our chalet, about 3 meters from where we were standing. It was during this sprint I took this photo.Editing
The only thing I did during post-processing was cropping the photo a tiny bit.In my camera bag
Taking mainly Wildlife photos my main combo I use is the Canon 7D camera combined with a Sigma 150-500mm. Way back when I only had a cheap point and shoot camera, reach was my biggest issue. There has not been a day that I regretted the decision to buy the Sigma 150-500 zoom lens. I seldom wish for more zoom and mostly when you do wish for more zoom, the photo was not worth taking in the first place. My second combo is a Canon 550 with a Canon 18 - 135mm. A lovely light weight combo, easy to carry with when doing a walk around camp. I got a Canon 10 -22mm lens a year ago and are trying my hand at landscape photography.Feedback
All of South Africa's National Parks are great to take wildlife photos. You have to be prepared for anything at any given time. You never know when will the action take place You need to get your camera settings correct from the moment you pick up your camera, there is seldom time to change anything once you start taking photos. My advice to anyone who wish to start taking wildlife photos, is to be open minded. Don't start out with a picture in your head. It seldom end up that way.
