I’m so glad you enjoy this one. You know, I really love your thought about being in a blind or a tent – that was practically the way I felt looking at the lions through my viewfinder! They were sooo close and it was one of those moments when half of my (one remaining) brain cell was screaming that I was gonna die in their teeth, while the other half was saying ‘Oh, wonderful image!’ It was such a fun moment to be in and I felt so humbled by the lions (not to say intimidated, thrilled, anon anon).
Thank you for your feedback on color, crop and grass over her face, too. I’m seeing a bit of a consensus that these are OK, so I think I’ll call this one good. Till next time – Michael
Michael. I absolutely love your image of “The Daughters.” The determination in the lioness’ eye and its posture is captured beautifully. The grass gives the feel of the chase. In my opinion this photograph would be gorgeously displayed as a panoramic mounted image. Thanks for sharing.
Gosh Toni, thank you very much! I’m very happy that you get the feel of the chase! And thank you for the encouragement. Most of all, a belated welcome to NPN. I’m pretty new here, too. It’s a very supportive group of photographers, isn’t it? Thanks again Toni.
Michael: this is an excellent image and allows the imagination to conjure the rest of the animal. In addition that function, the tail also fills in what would just be an empty spot ahead of the lioness. It is oowerful as it is.
Hi Richard, thank you for your very kind words. Boy, has that tail generated a lot of thought! And I’m really pleased about your comment on conjuring the rest of the lion from her tail (so to speak) – I do enjoy trying to create images that leave a bit to the imagination. It seems like a fun way to engage people in a photo! Thank you again, sir, and best regards – Michael
I’m late to the party here, but I just wanted to say that this is super. It’s because of the tail (for me). I don’t find that it adds tension. It’s more the Gestalt concept of Continuance. When something leaves or enters the frame, it sparks our imagination to think about what we’re not seeing, exactly as Richard S. said.
The texture of the grasses are super, too. This is just wonderful.
Thank you so much, Bonnie! It’s so interesting to me that the lead daughter’s tail sparks so many comments and so much thought. I’m really delighted - and especially with your reflections on the Gestaltian concept of Continuance. Best regards – Michael
Just now seeing this and I have to say that this would really interest me that much had the tail not been included in the image. I agree 100% with @Bonnie_Lampley thoughts on this. I think she nailed it. The love the grasses and they cover the eye which is important. I also agree with what @Max_Waugh thinks about aspect ratios. I never ever choose an aspect ratio when cropping. Instead, I allow my eye to tell me where to crop and it’s strictly by what I feel. Terrific image all around. Oh, and welcome to NPN. It’s a great community of like minded individuals.
Thank you for thinking about this image. I’m with you about the tail – in fact, in the field, at that moment, it didn’t even occur to me to take a photo of the daughter on the right by herself. This was a deliberate shot, rather than just a lucky catch during a burst. I knew in the viewfinder that the leading tail, the proximity of the following daughter, and the space between the two was what I wanted, and the image I posted is just about the entire original 3:2 shot. But, boy, I didn’t have a clue how much thought the tail itself would generate among photographers!
Sorry for the typos. I meant to say that I wouldn’t be all that interested in the image without the tail. And that the grasses Don’t cover the eye. Sheesh. Sorry about that. LOL
