Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.
Questions to guide your feedback
Do the two bright green trees detract? Is the grass between the tree line and the lionesses too shiny?
Other Information
Please leave your feedback before viewing the blurred information below, once you have replied, click to reveal the text and see if your assessment aligns with the photographer. Remember, this if for their benefit to learn what your unbiased reaction is.
Image Description
The rains were just starting when we followed a lioness and her two daughters through the tsetse fly zone, on their way from a kill to a nearby water hole. The mother was already on the lookout for possible prey (as lions always are, no matter how full); but this daughter was relaxed and playful, as I think her tail might suggest. Behind them, a few tree species were already leafing out in an amazingly bright green for the area, in stark contrast with most of the woods; and I thought I might include the color in this photo.
Technical Details
Kafue Plains, Zambia, late afternoon, October. Canon 7D Mk II, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.5L IS II USM @ 176mm, 1/500ths @ f/5.6, 0 EV, ISO 1250.
Specific Feedback
All feedback is welcome – aesthetics, conceptual, emotional, or technical. You need not limit your thoughts to my two opening questions (leaf color and grass brightness), although I hope to hear your opinions on those as well. I recall the green of those trees really being this brightness and hue (I was struck by it at the time), but I wonder if it’s unbelievable or detracts from the image now. The grass behind the lions was lighter than their immediate surroundings and I think it adds depth to the image; but perhaps I should tone it down a bit?
Oh…what a great photo.Lots of detail and depth. I even like seeing the closer one behind the grass as that gives a sense of the height of the grass. I am not a huge fan of the green at the top as does take away from the wonderful colour story of the different shades of the grass and how the lions blend in. The don’t see the grass as too shiny or bright.
Beautiful!
Thank you, Robena. I too like the mother lioness looking through the grass at us. And I appreciate your thought on the green trees in the background. They do rather compete with the lions, don’t they?
Hi Michael! What a beautiful photo. I love how the background lion’s tail is standing up! Kind of like when a cat comes to greet you! I love the surrounding brown and light grasses that compliment the lion’s colors so well. I also really love the eye contact. They look so curious. I think the grasses look great. I do think that the background trees detract from the scene. And if it were mine I would definitely crop them out. Actually I think that cropping would elevate this image from just a snapshot of a moment to a fine art image. I hope you don’t mind but I just had to see, Something like this…
Hello Vanessa, thank you for your kind words. I agree with you about the crop you suggested – in fact, that’s about where I started with this image. But I usually crop in very close (often very, very close) to my subject, and this time I thought I might try more of an environmental. I’m thinking now that the general consensus might be that this is not the image to pull back on. Tomorrow I may share another photo of these lions that you might be interested to see. That one is really “in the weeds.” Thank you again for your help with this one.
– Michael
I think that the tighter crop provides a much more telling view. You may want to add a small amount of microcontrast to help pull out more details in the lions. The tail sticking up is a nice feature and adds significantly to the comp. Well done…Jim
Terrific timing with this shot - both lions are similar enough to give us some repeating shapes, but different enough for some added interest - that tail!
If you want to include that background, which I think is a nice touch, you could desaturate and alter the colors to be more in line with the rest of the scene. I’d do this with masks (color and probably a linear gradient would do it) and the temperature slider in Lr. Or some masking in Ps would achieve the same thing. Bringing the green hue to the yellow side and maybe even increasing its luminostiy might do it. Also try color grading for the shadows and making them warmer. I think this would help the bg to be more harmonious with the girls in the grass.
Thank you Jim. I like your suggestion of adding a bit of microcontrast, and I’ll follow up on that. I agree that the tighter crop is more telling, and that’s my normal inclination. (I’ve always felt that Robert Capra was speaking across the ages to me when he said, “if your photos aren’t interesting enough, get closer.”) I think it becomes a different image when I leave the woodlands in the background, so I’ll probably print it both ways before I decide. I do think, however, that I’ll probably alter the spring green for the uncropped print. Thank you again for your help!
Thanks, Kristen! This is really great and detailed advice, and I’ll give it a go! I especially appreciate your suggestion regarding warming the shadows – that could make all the difference when I decide whether to keep the woodlands in the print or go with a tighter crop. I sure appreciate your help and your eye for the flora!
My initial reaction would be ‘a playful image’.
I would prefer to have some more canvas at the bottom and if you have clear eyes of the front lioness in any of the frame from the same burst, that would be great.
I totally love the cropped version. To me this makes the photo much more appealing. I read all the other reviews and see there’s not much more I can add.
Thank you Jagdeep. I’m afraid that this was one of my (too many) compositions where I didn’t examine the edges well enough. As I was watching the lions I thought that I might want the newly-green trees and the woodlands in the background, and when I saw the tail flick up for a second, thought I just shot without further inspection. I live and (hopefully) may someday learn…
I really like this, a lot!
To me, the color intensity of the trees is significant because it’s a short lived scene in that part of the world.
I certainly understand the significance of cropping as Vanessa shows and I agree that the crop makes this a more powerful image when it comes to emphasizing the lioness’ but for me, I fully appreciate the environment as shown in the BG almost as much as I appreciate the backstory!
So for me, the image as presented and, the cropped version are two separate and different images in terms of the story they tell on their own.
The cropped image could stand more detail in the face of the lioness on the right without so much grass in front and more clarity in the lioness on the left since that version is all about the lioness’.
However, to me, the original with the environment, the details on the lioness’ aren’t as important because it isn’t all about them. I hope that makes sense.
Thank you Merv, I feel the same way about this as an environmental. Although I spent a career in conservation and the environment is so crucial to the survival of wildlife, I normally gravitate toward close behavioral shots and portraits of my subjects – and that’s why I thought this image might be a good change for me. Like many of our members I immediately realized it would work well cropped in – but the fleeting nature of those bright green trees just keeps beckoning me. I’ll add with a bit of chagrin that where folks would like to see less of the grass over the face of the leading lioness, I like it there (although I realize that it’s contrary to popular opinion and ‘rules’ of good composition). For me, a very big part of this image is that the grass almost swallows up the lions, and both they and I had to peer through it. That also makes the daughter’s high tail more of a flag to me. I’m afraid that I made this one to my liking, rather than to best practices. It’s a thing I do a lot, and probably too much. But I’ll definitely add more clarity to the lioness before I print the cropped version. I’m glad you commented on this, Mervin – I was hoping I’d hear from you! Best regards – MET
It’s suppose to be to your liking, to me, that is the best practice!
All we can do as observers after the fact is provide unbiased perspectives since we weren’t the ones there, we have no real sense of the experience. Sure, I can imagine what it might have been like to a degree but that doesn’t come as close to being there in person as I’d like.
Personally, all I can do is try to provide a perspective or another point of view for you to consider.
This is your canvas, you’re the artist, we’re just armchair critics!
Edit: BTW, thank you for bringing up the point about the grass in front of her face, I hadn’t thought about it the way you described so that’s a bit of insight I can use to greater affect for future wildlife images.
Another grassy image coming up, and I’ll look forward to your thoughts on it.