I haven't had much time to shoot lately, so when I got off work early, I made a beeline for the local zoo, where three tiger cubs were born April 15th. I stayed outside their enclosure for a couple hours in humid, 90+ degree heat and took several hundred shots (they had fur coats on, so I can't really complain). This was taken handheld with a 1.4X teleconverter wide open to blur out the fence in the foreground.
Processing: Lots of it in small doses... Levels, curves to boost contrast, channel mixer for saturation, cloned out some uneven lighting beneath the tail and one spot above it, colorized the eyes a bit, dodged and burned all over (especially the eyes and arm, but the background was already pretty dark), saturation added to the fur and nose, and a touch of USM.
Post challenge notes - Woohoo! Thanks for the votes and comments! I do realize the subject matter gave me an unfair advantage. ;-)
I had several good captures, but this one made my entry decision easy (the entry was a no-brainer, but it took me 2 days to think of a title). I missed another one where a cub was dangling from mom's tail by his teeth. Next time I'll just glue my finger to the shutter button. For those observant individuals who mentioned the odd tail... you're right. The tail actually belongs to this cub's sibling just outside the frame (notice that the fur is going the wrong way). The two cubs were wrestling, and this one almost fell off the log (hence the expression). I couldn't clone out the tail due to the Major Elements clause, so I was just fortunate that it was in a believable spot. One other note... the cub looks wet because it was very hot and they were playing in the pool. If mom wasn't there I might have joined them.
Statistics
Place: 1 out of 198 Avg (all users): 7.5240 Avg (commenters): 8.7778 Avg (participants): 7.2845 Avg (non-participants): 7.7699 Views since voting: 33422 Views during voting: 511 Votes: 229 Comments: 114 Favorites: 134 (view)
awwww this is so so cute...and so so sad at the same time..this is how a person would look when she/he is terribly missing a loved one..i can really feel its pain.you captured this expression on the cute cub with such precision. great job!
Holy Man, this photo is FANTASTIC. Everything from the technical aspects right down to the expression. Most definately a well deserved ribbon. Congrats... this is just beautiful!!
I would desaturate half the colors and then run several grungy effects on it! Hah, just kidding. If you did that you would end up with me on the second last page... :-)
Beautiful capture there Mr. Calvert.
And how about that! This was my pick. I gave it ten at first sight. Shannon you have simply outdone yourself here so complete that it will be a rough climb up to beat this effort. Of course, your talent knows no bounds so you may prove me wrong.
Congratulations on your blue. I have yet to see an image that has illicited so many tender emotions as this image. This is the emotive of the emotive family, though I must be careful because family here means mom, dad and kids and not categoties or bulbs. lol
You have brought to DPC one darn unforgettable image and I am happy to have the honor to have met the man behind this wonderful talent.
ding...ding...ding!!! Tug the heart strings why don't you! Super..love the composition, the detail and the great texture constrasts. How sweet and pathetic it looks....GREAT!
Wow, the fact that one is at a zoo means there is initially a ton against you that you cannot change. I seem to think everything from the background to the focus is just as one would do it in their own studio. You have great eye for detail and emotion and the cub tells it all. Great capture with good balance and color. You have my vote.
This is definitely the cutest shot of the challenge, a real poster-shot! I think everything about it is just perfect and I'm picking it as a Ribbon-winner. Good luck!
This one is so cute, he will certainly rank among the top 10. It's a little out of focus, which is a shame with such a great expression and composition. But I do like it a lot, anyway.
Everthing about this photo is great; the capture, the detail, the subect. lighting ,comp (did I miss any?) And its filled with emotion, A definite contender.
Well, you've definitely got me going awwww, and giving you an extra point for such a tender picture. Captured a great look. Only thing that's odd is the body seems to dissapear on the left?
This is one of my favorite shots from this challenge. The poor thing looks so pitiful! VERY cute and endearing photo. Great detail and colors too. The lighting is a little harsh, but only a minor complaint. Nice job.
This is amazing! He looks like he just had a bath or took a swim. What a fantastic shot. One of my favorites, and that's saying a lot because I really love a lot of them! 10
Lovely expression - heart wrenching.
Focus on the eyes seems a little soft - it may just be the reflection. Good lighting. The only thing I don't care for - the striped part of the cub in the upper left corner. It looks just a bit odd - like he has no body or that a body and has a tail or leg sticking out. Not sure how to best explain. Otherwise, great shot.
I love everything about this photograph. The colors. The facial expression. The hair that looks like it is drying. The 'hugging' of the tree/log. One of my favorites!
All right! first vote on the first day ov voting, and my guess for 1st place!
This has such an impact! The lil' cub seems he's about to cry! Yet this is such a cute creature! I feel like taking it back to its home. It doesn't belong on a zoo!
Perfect shot. A sure ribbon!
This wins the awwww factor. What great detail. The colors are so natural and you couldn't have had better lighting. The texture of the wood is nice against his fur. Nice dark background really brings him out. Nice!!!
as cute as this little guy is, the image coveys a feeling of sadness....which, ofcourse is what the idea was, so well done. colors and contrast are all great.
Far From Home
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