Lion drops

For most photographers, capturing that moment when a large predator decides to quench its thirst at a waterhole comes close to photographic Nirvana. To get a tight portrait without disturbing the animals behaviour can be extremely tough.

There are two options that help, one is a rather expensive telephoto lens and the other gives you a lot more flexibility and, in my opinion more important than the later - a safari in a private reserve. This will allow the guide to get you in the best possible position by going off road to get you that shot you are hoping for. The understanding of animal behaviour to anticipate the animal’s movement is also a huge benefit. This will give you time to make sure that your settings are right rather than rushing it, getting flustered and possibly missing the shot.

What I love about this image is certainly the composition. I would love to say all of this was planned but let’s face it, there was some luck involved too. The first element is how the young lion’s eyes lead us out of the frame, leaving us wondering what it was looking at. The main aspect of the composition I enjoy has to do with how the “T” shaped symmetry of the cub’s eyes lines up with the droplets of the water connecting the subject with the water. The distance between the droplets is almost at perfect intervals while the circular ripples disturb the water’s surface providing that connectivity back to the earth.

Equipment Used

• Camera - Nikon D4S
• Lens and Focal length - Nikkor 200-400mm F4 VRII @400mm

Settings used to capture this image

• ISO – 1600
• Aperture –f4
• Shutter – 1/4000

Editing used on this image

The white balance was a little on the cold side, so I decided to increase it to 5170 K to bring out the colouration of the lion cub’s fur. I also increased the “White” slider, this brings out the colouration of the droplets which is one of the key features in making this image. The “vibrance” slider is also a great way of bringing out the saturation but still retaining the natural element and tones. The “Highlights” slider also brings out the colour of the droplets but also gives a three-dimensional feel as the light falls on the left-hand side of the cub’s face by providing texture.

The lesson with this pic is to control what you can control, there will be quite a few times when things don't fall into place - this is just the way it goes. However, when it comes together, it will be an image that will take pride of place in your portfolio.