snow leopard eyes

windoze

These eyes are cryin'
These eyes have seen a lotta love
But they're never gonna see another one like I had with you
These eyes are cryin'
These eyes have seen a lotta love
But they're never gonna see another one like I had with you
These eyes are cryin'
These eyes have seen...










before i "shoot" the image i can see the colors and sparkle in the eyes... the camera can't.
Anyway, i am having a real problem with snow leopard eyes. maybe its just an increase in exposure compensation that'll do the trick.. but maybe not...
is it "shadows"?
maybe its a post processing thingy ( hopefully not ) ....
Maybe its that I need fill flash ( I hate using flash )
maybe its the snow in the background... but i really want to capture the "gorgeous eyes" snow leopards have.
So - what can i do better? All ideas and suggestions are GREATLY APPRECIATED...


troy

VisualXpressions

The eyes have it...
Looks like a shadow problem... in the second image I can see a triangle of sunlight in the left eye… fill flash, or get your subject to look into the sun without squinting… hehe Nice shots though. I don't know anyone who likes fill flash... Anyway the best thing to do is experement with it, sound like you have the opportunity to shoot this subject again and you already have ideas on how to get the look you want… I like the bite out of it's ear…

windoze

VisualXpressions wrote:

Looks like a shadow problem... in the second image I can see a triangle of sunlight in the left eye… fill flash, or get your subject to look into the sun without squinting… hehe Nice shots though. I don't know anyone who likes fill flash... Anyway the best thing to do is experement with it, sound like you have the opportunity to shoot this subject again and you already have ideas on how to get the look you want… I like the bite out of it's ear…

ya know what, when i posted these images, i was using a dell crt and i swear - you couldnt see the eyes at all......

now im on my macbook and i can see the eyes.... arrgh, i hope it isnt a case of a uncalibrated monitor ..... i feel stupid now that i posted this question...

troy

Khaos

One issue is that predator cat's eyes are recessed. The last thing a predator wants is its prey seeing the sun clint of its pretty eyes. These were shot with the cat behind that annoying glass that many zoos love to use. So fill flash wasn't gonna happen. Getting a shot without refelected zoo patrons is trouble enough. I did what I could in post to highlight the eyes.






Sometimes you get lucky and get a cat indoors under decent lighting and get some great eye shots like of this Fossa.




PS- I really like that second shot. Your exposure on both is excellent.

pathfinder

Troy,
Lovely shots of the cats. The eyes are in the shadows, though.

I notice when shooting birds I have to watch very carefully, because they can turn their heads just 15 degrees and the side of their face goes from sunlit to shade, and this very small turn of their head, changes the quality of the image immediately.


Unless these cats were willing to turn their heads, some kind of reflector or fill flash is what is needed here. Fill flash shot in Av mode with - 1/3 to -2/3 will put some light into the eyes and not really be detectable. Reflectors might be hard to handle in a public zoo....

Can you see the fill flash used in this shot of a cara cara??



You can see the catchlight here in this eagle. Does this otherwise look like a flash shot?

windoze

pathfinder wrote:

Troy,
Lovely shots of the cats. The eyes are in the shadows, though.

I notice when shooting birds I have to watch very carefully, because they can turn their heads just 15 degrees and the side of their face goes from sunlit to shade, and this very small turn of their head, changes the quality of the image immediately.


Unless these cats were willing to turn their heads, some kind of reflector or fill flash is what is needed here. Fill flash shot in Av mode with - 1/3 to -2/3 will put some light into the eyes and not really be detectable. Reflectors might be hard to handle in a public zoo....

Can you see the fill flash used in this shot of a cara cara??



You can see the catchlight here in this eagle. Does this otherwise look like a flash shot?

what you said above is so true!!!!
your images dont look like to me at least that you used flash... so maybe i should give that a try.. thanx for the suggestions...


troy

pathfinder

Troy, Is that you??

You have a new Avatar!

windoze

pathfinder wrote:

Troy, Is that you??

You have a new Avatar!

yea, its me in my manitoba hat behind a wall of "pencil strokes".....
im not ready to "come out" yet....


troy