Considering the situation I was in when I took this photo any comments on how to improve it would be appreciated.
The photo was taken in the late evening, while sitting in an open vehicle.
D M II
Tamron 18-400mm @ 400mm
1/640 @ F-6.3 ISO 800 Hand held
John, I am not a wildlife photographer (mostly landscapes) but I really do like this pose. To me it feels like you have caught him in complete focus on something else. He may be aware of you but could care less about you because he is the “King of Beasts”. The grass in the foreground is not ideal but this shot is still really nice. Technically the editing looks good.
Great look at him, John! I like it. He does seem to have his focus somewhere else (maybe a meal), and is paying you no attention at all.
I like this photo. I agree with Alan on his look. His pose is very regal, as if he has no reason to pay attention to the likes of you. 
Great focus. I like the comp. The only minor thing I see is that the lion looks oversharpened to me. But perhaps that’s something in the way the website is displaying it.
Hi John!
I agree, a great pose with regal head turn, the oof grasses are tolerable here, but
whenever BG is brighter than the subject, it reduces the overall impact.
Jagdeep Rajput
I like the pose as well, John. I do think you could back off the sharpening of the lion a touch and maybe put a touch of blur and reduce the brightness of the sunlit background. I don’t think you could get away with completely reversing the brightness, but just a touch of extra light on the face might give it more pop. We had a presentation at a regional nature photography group a couple of years ago where the lecturer talked about “reversing the light”. He showed how adding a bit of light and boosting the warmth a touch in the area you want as the focal point really makes a big difference. I’ve been using the technique a lot, and I usually like the results I get.
