Puma and Cub

Image Critiques Wildlife Critiques
1

puma0525patagonia294.jpg
puma0525patagonia294.jpg1024×863 384 KB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

Last month I was back in southern Chile leading the latest iteration of my puma tour. This was, perhaps, the “quietest” cat trip I’ve experienced down there in terms of variety. We did find pumas every day we looked for them, but prey species were more scarce this fall, leading the cats to venture farther from their usual territory.

So we ended spending a lot of time with this family, and toward the end of the trip, we finally got in a proper walking experience with them as they hunted and explored. In the foreground here is the mother, with her nearly-full-size female cub (~1.5 years old) behind. It’s not unheard of to have these cats walk close enough for such portraits… over the past 20+ years they’ve become acclimated to humans and generally ignore them. Nonetheless, I liked having a chance to photograph these two together, with a nice overlap in this moment.

Technical Details

Canon R5
Canon 600mm (cropped heavily)
ISO 2000
1/1250th
f/4

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2 Likes
2

Looks like a painting! Nice work. Love the sharp detail on the mother.

1 Like
4

Max: I’m not a wildlife shooter but this extends beyond genre IMO. The pose, comp, DOF and BG are all marvelous. Wonderful subjects superbly captured and presented. >=))>

1 Like
5

I love how the cub is staring right at you, but also that we only see one of its eyes, so it doesn’t detract from Mom at all. It’s a fabulous portrait, beautifully composed.

1 Like
6

What an incredible portrait of these two pumas. They look so powerful, yet so serene.

1 Like
7

Beyond gorgeous!! I love the high-key look, letting the detail stand out so well. The DOF is perfect, with the youngster so perfectly soft. The framing is perfect to show off the faces – at least an 11/10!

1 Like
8

It is beautifully done and techs are top class !
I may slightly deepen the mid tones.

1 Like
9

Max: what’s not to like about a great photo. Well seen and well prepared.

1 Like
10

Wow, what a top shot! I like the way you’ve got the Mum sharp, but then my eye drifts to the cub and it stays there. I keep staring into that one eye. It’s a nice game you play here with composition and DOF. High impact!
Grt, Ingrid.

1 Like