And the secret of a good pic is..?

f7.1 and BE THERE!

I don't think I'm ever going to better that, to be fair. 🙂

nice, is the colour a bit washed out though or is it the work PC monitor? (was meant as a constructive critisim)

Excellent demonstration of camouflage…
Where is 'there'? The zoo? I take it that wasn't at the local cheeky riding spot?

A lower viewpoint would have given a better angle in my view, but hard to know if this was possible from the available bushes/shrubs in the foreground.

PP's just back from the sub-continent is he not? Safari type thing?

oh yea, hadn't thought of the cammo thing, maybe nature is cleverer than i thought!

is that lordswood? awesome shot Peter!!

I don't think it's all that great – sorry.

Not enough contrast between the cat and the background imo – maybe better with a bigger aperture for a more blurry background. Also animal pics work better from eye level or below. And he's too near the LHS of the pic for me.

got to agree with Grum here. Whilst I am jealous you got that close to a tiger to take that picture – and fair play there – it is just a close up picture of a tiger rather than a "good pic".

I just hope you never see my naff pictures 😆

I don't think it's all that great – sorry.

I never said 'great', I said 'good'. 🙂 And beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 🙂

Not enough contrast between the cat and the background imo – maybe better with a bigger aperture for a more blurry background.

My lens only goes down to f4 and as I was shooting a moving taget, and it's a slllllloooooowwwwwwwww focussing lens, I went for a greater DOF to be sure of getting the subject in focus. You just carry on pressing the button when you're literally 20-30 feet from a tiger. Settings don't really mean jack!. 🙂

Eye level? That was close enough, in an open topped jeep, ta very much!

Agreed it's not great but if it gives you satisfaction that's all that matters, my best are guff in professional terms.

You just carry on pressing the button when you're literally 20-30 feet from a tiger

…I had a similar experience with some elephants in Zimbabwe. I have a ridiculous number of close up nellie pics. This was even before digital cameras

You weren't too keen on using your flash to bring out the subject a bit this time? 🙂

I got a lot of shots, but it's tricky getting the stripey puddy-tat in focus with nothing in front of it…. This could have been sooooooo much better, for instance –

I never said 'great', I said 'good'.

It's just surprising because normally you are so much better than everyone else at everything. 😛

Should have just gone to a zoo in this country – would probably have got better pics. 😈

I'd say that's better then the first.

I agree with al

The subject is good.

It's just surprising because normally you are so much better than everyone else at everything.

Thanks! 🙂

erm…..yeah I prefer the 2nd pic – the first one does look too much like a shot taken in captivity, whereas the 2nd one actually looks 'wild'.

shot taken in captivity

Well, it's a big reserve, tigers get poached in India, so they have to be looked after. Even on the safaris though it's very rare to actually see a tiger. Our driver (Not the safari jeep driver, our tour guide) said he'd taken 30-40 people to Ramthabourne (SP?) and we were only the 2nd he'd known to actually see a tiger.
Honestly, it sends a shiver down your spine, there's nothing between you and the animal and it did get very close indeed (The top pic is cropped slightly, and shot at 60mm) It actually went after a deer as we watched (Just after the yawning pic) and you do get to see what they are capable off. Even the mouthy American in the group shut up when that happened! 🙂

lol I thought the picture was from longleat 🙂

were these taken in Ramthabourne then?? the only sign of tigers when i was there a couple of years back were a few 'dated' claw marks on a tree trunk. good to see that there are actually some living in there…and you are VERY lucky!

I prefer that second pic too…
and the story puts me in mind of that footage of the tourists on a elephant tour through the paddy fields and a tiger just appears from no-where and leaps to attack one of the mahouts..

in a mood

were these taken in Ramthabourne then

Yup. Early moring safari. We'd paid for 2 that day, but they overbooked the evening one and had to give us our money back. Gutted? Err, actually no! 😉

I'd actually bought the lens I was using (Tamron 55-200, £56 off eBay!) with this safari in mind, but my normal 17-70 Sigma would have been fine at that range.

yunki – that footage is nuts!!!!

For Grum & Al, d'ya reckon this one is any better then? I listened to what you said and went and had a look at the others in the set. Shallower DoF….?
I've touched tis one up a tad on Flickr/Piknik as it was rather overexposed IMO, and sharpened it a tad, but it's not cropped. Click the link, it looks better bigger –

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4064/4648312648_afc35d05e7_b.jpg

Like that – different to the 2nd though, he looks pensive, maybe thinking about f-stops?

Yeah that's good – nicely framed by the branches etc and again looks more like a natural setting. Also looks like it's taken from lower down than the first one?

Blimey, it's a Tunnel Hill photoshop. 😉

Sounds as though you had fun Pete. 😀

Also looks like it's taken from lower down than the first one?

Hmm. I was still in the jeep. Might have been sitting down though. Shot at 181mm, so I guess the apparent angle of the shot is less as the subject is further away?

Blimey, it's a Tunnel Hill photoshop.

There's some biiiiiig rabbits up there! 😉

To me, the secret is

to be there
to see the possibility
take the picture
refine it later ( crop / mess with it )

5 mins of my time …

The tiger is looking to the right of the picture, so balance the piccie appropriately … but i dont like what I've done with the right hand side of the pic ( blurred it and desaturated it a bit )

Personally, If I was making it a printed keeper, I think I would also be looking at editing out the braches in front of the puddy cat … but that would need the original to work best.

That looks a tad unnatural to me. The tiger wasn't that bright in colour! 🙂

I don't have any really powerful software either, certainly nowt that will remove branches…

or how about a less tight crop and a big of a vignette? 🙂

Just a few small WB, blacks, contrast and brightness adjustments, plus some vignetting, and the image looks a little richer to my eye.

Looking back, you're probably right … I did brighten the tiger up. But its all about playing around and learning. No doubt, being able to take a piccie of a tiger is something in its own right that many folk wont get the opperchancity to do.

more powerful, but the original is still more honest

fisha's edit up there looks too much like it's been tinkered with – and the vertical crop is too tight….

grums tinkering looks more on the money, but I reckon the colour enhancements were enough without the crop – I think you lose too much of the context the pic was taken in.

PP – in that pic I think it looks less 'looking down' as you must have been further away so although the height was the same, the angle was less…..erm, pretty much as you've said.

Three_Fish has done a good job of bringing out the colour of the first pic – it did look a little washed out & lacking in contrast.

What does the picture say?

Really?

Its a tiger. The yawning one is a ok ish but its just not a pleasing compostion. I get no feeling from the image.

Doesn't matter if you add vignetting or cropping…you might have well gone to Longleat.

PeterPoddy – Member

I don't have any really powerful software either, certainly nowt that will remove branches…

Gimp's clone tool + a chunk of your patience will do it…

Are you sure it was a real tiger?