jeffreycresswell
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photograph was taken on Safari at the Londolozi reserve,location-Sabi Sands- South Africa On the 2 Dec 2012.Time
The shot was taken at 13.59 hours .Lighting
The sun light was Infront of the subject at an angle of approx 45 degrees.Equipment
The camera was my Canon D5 MK 3 fitted with the 100-400mm f4.5 lens, the shot was hand held as there was little time To set up and frame the picture. I Prefer to use natural lighting where possible, the best work Is done between 6.00 and 11.00 am in the morning and 15.00 and 18.00 during the afternoon but saying that you take what you can get at any time of the day . On the occasions when I am forced to shot at and around midday with dark shadows and bright highlightsI am likely to use fillin flash to lighten the showdowns, I will then use Photoshop to retrieve further hidden details .Inspiration
We had followed the Cheetah for 4 hours watching it check and mark its territory it suddenly took off and was using The termite mounds and felled trees to gain a better view of the savanna as it was time to hunt. The Cheetah jumped onto a tree which put it at eye level to me ,with the batches framing the Cheetah,good lighting And blue clouds in the distance a shot not to miss.Editing
The photograph was well exposed and therefore I only needed to adjust the crop sharpen a little and add a little saturationIn my camera bag
For my safari work I always take the following. Canon D5 MK 3 as the main camera, Back up Canon Eos 1Ds Mark3 and then in my pocket Soney RX100. Lenses ....Canon 100-400mm with the 1.4 extender. Canon 70-200mm. Canon 180mm macro and the 24-105mm. I take the X2 extender which means I have 1160mm lens should I need it for the bird photography. Light meter, GPS tracker,On camera flash,loads off media and cleaning materials.and finally a monopod . I can't wait to get my hands onto the new Canon D5R with its 50 Megabyte sensor as this Will provide me with the detail I need when printing with my Medium format printers.Feedback
Advice, take your time study the animals as you will better equipped to antisipate the animals movements. Don't race about trying to photograph to much I know this is difficult because there is so much to see but by staying With an animal or event you are more likely to get those great shots. And lastly If you are going on Safari then consider using a private vehicle for some of the time,it an expense but you will In one day be able to controll and photograph the Wildlife of you choise.It can be frustrating to share a vehicle with 6 people all wanting to photograph things that are not of interest to you ,I would always take a shorter Safari with private vehicle when the cost is a consideration .