Well, for a perfect pose I wish you had told your subject to cross those front paws and thus be a more proper lady. You could also have put a catch light in those eyes to complete the portrait. OK, now to be serious. This is a strong portrait of a young leopard. The tree makes a wonderful natural frame. The composition is nicely balanced from left to right. As you note it is not an exciting image, but it is certainly an exciting memory and an excellent shot to have in your portfolio. It does have strong impact based on those mesmerizing eyes. I have never been a fan large areas of blank sky as it is bright and thus detracts from the subject. On that basis I would crop a bit of sky from the top. You can't crop a lot without crowding the cat, but then, even a little bit helps.   Posted: 04/05/2025 22:07:03

A pensive moment -- what WAS she thinking? (Thank goodness, she was not considering how tasty you might be!) The eyes are intriguing, she's nice and bright and sharp (and she's got a cute little pink nose, just like my much tamer Hidey Boy Kitty). :-)

Do animals always have to be "doing something" in order to qualify as a good photo? Drama is exciting, but equally appealing (to my uneducated eye) are the quiet moments capturing animals in their environment, watching what is going on around them.

  Posted: 04/14/2025 21:16:06

Thanks for your comments Susan - and to answer your question, usually in PSA competitions it seems that behavior is always key, however every now and again, a good portrait works too, maybe not as well, but sometimes they're just nice. In any event, it was a great memory - thanks again   Posted: 04/14/2025 22:14:31

An excellent portrait! She really grabs the viewer with those eyes.   Posted: 04/20/2025 17:57:51