Cheeky leopard

[fannyanna]

Hi All,

I spent yesterday at a brilliant big cat sanctuary getting up close and photographing the animals. I'm a beginner when it comes to photography. I have one shot that I really like mainly because of the colours - the green of the grass and the animals fur. I also like the whiskers and the eyes (as they seem to shine) and the little tongue sticking out.

I noitced that I've ruined a lot of my pictures yesterday by zooming in too much and losing some of the animal. This is a picture that is supposed to be close up but I have still lost a bit - mainly the top of the ears and bottom of whiskers.

I'd quite like some feedback on this picture. Mainly have I ruined it by chopping the ears/whiskers out of the shot?

I took this picture on a Canon 400D, f/4.5, ISO 100, 1/200 sec.

Many thanks in advance for your feeback

Samantha

[Laurenbiz]

Your EXIF data is great, an the composition is great! I think this if fab, and I'm jealous that you got to spend time at a big cat sanctuary! :-)

[fannyanna]

Thanks very much for your comment.

My main reason for posting this picture for critique is that I was looking to send one of my pictures off for a competition (I appreciate as I'm a beginner that I'll never win but that shouldn't stop me from entering). This is probably my fave but I was worried that I had spoiled the picture by shooting too close.

It's nice to have some feeback so thank you very much for taking the time to look at my picture and comment.

[ricklumpas]

Not bad. I would not use the word "ruin" for this photo because the ear was cropped. Of course i also wish the ear was not cropped; as for the whiskers, I hardly noticed that part. You are lucky to have taken this photo of a cat not in a cage.
I just noticed that the area below his ear has become too soft, perhaps due to the f4.5 aperture.

Rick

[lee kivi]

Hi Samantha.
I like the shot,even with the cropped ear. In reading the tips section on dps I've noticed a lot of pics with tops of heads cut off or other parts cropped out to capture a certain look or feel. The important thing is capturing the expression or that light in the eye, and do you really like it.

[vbhakuni]

Hey stunning shot.....!!!!