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GWV2014_-_Africa_-_South_Africa_-_Inverdoorn_Game_Reserve_-_Cheetah-20140401-0011

GWV2014_-_Africa_-_South_Africa_-_Inverdoorn_Game_Reserve_-_Cheetah-20140401-0011

Cheetah at Inverdoorn Game Reserve in South Africa, April 2014, on my world cruise.

Cheetah at Inverdoorn Game Reserve in South Africa, April 2014, on my world cruise.
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Canon EOS 6D

settings

Aperture f/5.6 ISO 400 Shutter 1/250 Focal Length 300/1

upload_date

May, 2016

Views

1138

Likes

+15

Awards

Contender in the Photography Awards

Zenith Award

Creative Winter Award

Curator's Selection

Top Shot Award 21

Contest Finalist in Wilderness Explorer Photo Contest

Fall Award 2020

Superb Composition

+14

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

Outstanding Creativity

Peer Award

Magnificent Capture

All Star

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This shot was taken on a "mini-safari" I took on my 2014 world cruise aboard Holland America's ms Amsterdam. The Cape Town port stop was one of the highlights of my cruise. I'd arranged a private tour via Tours By Locals with a great guide, Clive Friedberg. I'd mentioned to him that I'd like to take a wildlife tour if possible and he arranged for us to spend the night at the Inverdoorn Game Reserve and for a 2-hour "mini-safari" on the reserve. He even made sure I got the best seat in the safari jeep! This picture of a cheetah was taken on that mini-safari. When I got back to the ship and sorted through the pictures I was appalled to find that she had a fence pole sticking out of her head. I'd managed to blur the fence itself so that it was scarcely visible, but the pole was an issue. I knew I could get rid of it in Photoshop, but I'd never actually done any work with Photoshop before (I was strictly Lightroom and various add-ons). I was so proud of myself when that pose disappeared and the background was replaced nearly seamlessly. 3 cheers for Photoshop! This photo has earned me a good many top 10% and 20% finishes in contests as well as my one "Finalist" finish!

Time

Late afternoon, shortly after a brief thunderstorm.

Lighting

Not really. The light was pretty good.

Equipment

Canon 7D, Tamron 300-600mm lens, hand-held.

Inspiration

I was shooting everything but I have to admit that the big cats (lions and cheetahs) were my favorites from that afternoon. Giraffes, a close second.

Editing

As mentioned above, I post-processed the shot in Lightroom. This photo didn't require a lot of balancing (WB, shadows/highlights, or noise) but I did have to use Photoshop to remove that pole in her head mentioned above.

In my camera bag

Unfortunately, my vision has gotten so bad that I can't really take pictures "manually" anymore. To add insult to injury my Canon 7D was destroyed by Hurricane Ida a couple of months ago. So my "bag" these days consists of my Samsung Galaxy something or other...

Feedback

I took thousands of pictures on my world cruise, so this advice might sound a bit strange. Don't forget to put your camera down and enjoy the view and the experience. :)

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GWV2014_-_Africa_-_South_Africa_-_Inverdoorn_Game_Reserve_-_Cheetah-20140401-0011

Cheetah at Inverdoorn Game Reserve in South Africa, April 2014, on my world cruise.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow patdumond

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