Hungry lioness

[Bo_]

Visiting Aalborg zoo - I took this picture of a curious (maybe hungry) lion. It probably thought of me as a nice afternoon snack!

I used my canon s3is with aperture f/4, shutter speed 1/500s, ISO 80 and it was a bright day with a few clouds.

I need some input on the picture - and yes I know the fence in the background is a mistake. I tried to move so the fence disappeared from the background - but I like that the lion looks in my direction (knowing that it could not get to me).

But I would like to have some comments on the composition (I tried to use the rule of third) - does it work?

What about the dark shadow on the right side of the face - is that to dark? If yes - how to remove it (place a assistant near the lion with a flash/reflector?)

[hpebley3]

Originally Posted by Bo_

I need some input on the picture

Overall I would say not superb but not too bad either; maybe a 7.5 out of 10.

Originally Posted by Bo_

I know the fence in the background is a mistake. I tried to move so the fence disappeared from the background - but I like that the lion looks in my direction (knowing that it could not get to me).

You might try some cloning/smudging.

Originally Posted by Bo_

But I would like to have some comments on the composition (I tried to use the rule of third) - does it work?

It's OK. If it were me, I'd probably zoom in on the head more; but that's probably a matter of style than anything else.

Originally Posted by Bo_

What about the dark shadow on the right side of the face - is that too dark? If yes - how to remove it (place a assistant near the lion with a flash/reflector?)

An assistant would be one way. Make sure it's after lunch though. :-)

All the shadows are a bit dark: side of face, next to fore leg and across back. A good fill flash could help on the face; don't know how far back you were but you might need a quality, high-intensity flash with a telephoto setting to really throw the light in there, particularly on a bright sunny day. Failing that some selective dodging in post processing probably wouldn't hurt.

Hope it helps.

[pcarfan]

At work with the uncalibrated monitor the shadow was very dark. Looks better in my calibrated screen. I love the picture, tried to lighten the shadow end of the face with photoshop CS2 and saturated and blurred the backround. I don't know whether it improved it at all.

If you want I will take the image down as there is no permission in your signature to allow mods., I am new and I don't know the proper etiquette. Thanks.