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The photo over all is an "ok" photo. Many people try and take photos in low light land up getting a similar photo as you did. Can you please supply as to what camera you used and what lens? In something like that i would have rather increased the ISO a little higher maybe to 1600 (if you have a canon 7D with has good noise reduction) and then try and remove any excess noise in the editing program of your choice. I would have also used the widest F stop your lens has e.g. F5.6 or F4 ? Over all the picture is a picture to prove that you saw a cheetah but its no winner but good try!!

Practice practice practice will result in better pictures

Here is the picture. Just thought id help you out and publish it on the forum for you. If you would like me to rather delete it just pm me and il do so for you

africawildlife.nl's photo

There is no EXIF info in the file, so can't answer the question about the f-stop.
If I look at the background however I think it's f/8.

It's not a bad photo, but it's not a good one either. I know you probably didn't have the chance, but the head turned towards us, or at least looking at bit to the right would have made a difference.


DQ removes the photo he has just uploaded....

Thanx for posting Massimo!

Thanx for your comments!
The photo was taken with a 7D and a 50-500mm Sigma Lens, stop F5.6. You're right about the ISO level. Normally I would have increased ISO. But that was too difficult in this case. When we first spotted the cheetah the sun was in his back and I needed a lower ISO level for nice pics. As soon as he start running, the cheetah ran to the other side of our verhicle and I needed more light (or a higher IsO ). I was not capable of changing ISO while he was running...

Hey no worries

there is a canon video out i cant remember what it is called exactly that focus on the canon 7d and how to use it. It teaches you how to use the camera without having to go to menu and increasing Iso or change something else. It shows you how to change everything while following the subject in your view finder. Find this very useful when taking BIF or need to change ISO fast to get a good shutter speed for a moving animal like the cheetah. The sigma 50-500 Is a pretty big lens to move around did you have it mounted on a car tripod thingy or a bean bag?

Hm, DQ, that has nothing to do with the quality of the photo, but the luck we have or don't have. We do not have the animals 'on a rope' :-)

forestgump, one of my favourites when it gets to pics that give a real sense of the African bush.
Well done!

Yes, I have but I couldn't use it on this occasion unfortunately... It all happened so fast. He was chasing a newborn springbok.

Taken on my last trip in KNP





Enjoy

I am entering a couple of photos in a photo contest next month, but I can't decide on the final photo to enter. Here are some I'm considering. How would you rank them? The categories I can enter are either wildlife in the wild, or action (the wild dog is the only action photo...but it could go in either category). Images are judged on technique, originality, impact, composition, and other pertinent factors.

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.

Morning Skywalker,

This is how I would rank them:
1: Lighting not great and subject smack bam in the middle - maybe try cropping it differently (rule of thirds is a good starting point)
2: I like, eyes could have been a bit sharper.
3: Love it, again, subject in the middle, taking a bit of background away but keeping the space to look into would work wonders. I would enter this one.
4: Great action shot but your subject is unfortunately out of focus and the lighting not that great.
5: Me 2'nd favourite. Again I would crop it that the eye is not in the middle and the dog has more space in front of him.
6: Same as previos - cropping.

All in all, I would enter nr. 3 after a bit of cropping.

Hello Skywalker;

I'm largely with Switchback on the critique...

But my choice would be #2; although it needs a bit of work doing on it. It's flat (needs a 'levels' adjustment), there appears to be a colour-cast to the image (reduce blues a little, enhance reds), and it needs some sharpening-up (use unsharp mask). The blades of grass at the bottom also need cropping out. However, you will need to look at the competition rules to determine how much post-processing work is allowed!

HTH...

Good luck...