Daily Photo: Intense Lion Portrait

Intense Lion Portrait

Madikwe Game Reserve

Nikon D300, Nikon 80-200 @ 200mm, 1/60, f/2..8, ISO 1250

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This was another one of those great sighting, poor light situations.  The Kgala male, probably one of the best looking lions in the Madikwe Game Reserve, was giving us a fantastic roaring exhibition as the sun was going down. An absolutely awesome spectacle but capturing it is quite a challenge.  ISO up, shutter speed down and try your absolute best to hold still and shoot a few frames in between each powerful grunt when the cat holds still for a second to take a breath.  In order to get a little more light on the lion’s face I asked a second vehicle bounced a spotlight next to the big cat.  Full spotlight would have been too strong and unnatural so the little bit of extra light bouncing up from the ground was perfect.  Due to the low light conditions and high ISO the image could have been a bit sharper but I still like it.  For me this image works because of one thing – the eyes.  It’s all in the eyes.

More soon!

Gerry