Afternoon Snooze
Cheetah Taking an Afternoon Snooze
Cheetah Taking an Afternoon Snooze
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Jun, 2019Views
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Awards
2020 Choice Award
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
All Star
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the Denver Zoo.Time
I shot this one about 1:00 in the afternoon on a chilly winter day, January 4th, 2019. The air was crystal clear and there was a bit of a breeze blowing things around.Lighting
The lighting was a brilliant sunny splash on everything, normally not great light for anything other than a vacation Kodak moment, but the light came over the Cheetah's right shoulder at an angle that produced high contrast - good for a monochrome image.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 77D and a Canon EF 75-300mm lens, no tripod or any other equipment.Inspiration
When I saw this gent sitting on the roof of his enclosure, with his eyes closed, just relaxing and enjoying the warm sun-bath, he brought to mind my own house cat that looks much the same when he sits in the window soaking up the sun.Editing
The post -processing consisted of a monochrome conversion and some selective cropping and local adjustments to remove distracting elements in the background. I also boosted the contrast and darkened the background a bit.In my camera bag
I try to keep the contents of my bag as light as possible and match the contents to the purpose of my walk-about. I always carry some extra batteries, a rain cover for the camera and lens, and I use a sling-style camera strap. If I am going out for a general walk-around I usually carry just one lens - an 18-135mm zoom. If I am going out for a wildlife shoot then I bring along my Tamron 150-600mm super zoom. When I go out for a landscape shoot, that is when things get heavy. For that I am carrying my Vanguard tripod, a wide angle lens, a mid-range zoom, and the long telephoto zoom. Also I will be carrying ND and polarizing filters, some tripod accessory appliances, wet weather protection, a remote shutter control, and lens cleaning supplies. All of this, of course, requires a pack, and at my age, some walking sticks.Feedback
I think that capturing images like this one requires something of a zen like approach to photography. One should go out with a minimum of pre-conceptions about what makes a good photograph and just be ready to use whatever the universe supplies for you. I also keep in mind that the moment that I trigger the shutter I am only capturing the raw materials for a good photograph, much like a painter making a sketch of the painting that he has in mind to produce. Often when I get home from a shoot and start working with an image that is when the true motivations for the shot come to light. Trust your instincts and intuitions.
