Nice pussy cat :)
Love it..thanks !

Love it!

Almost as if it's about to say "Here ya go. But I only do autographs around 5."

meow!!
my cats love to pose this way too))
thanks for the shot!

Nice! Although it is a bit hot in some areas.

Nice shot! I like the composition, and you obviously have a photogenic subject.

As someone who also likes wildlife photography, I know it can be tough to get a good exposure in strong sunlight. Next time try backing down the exposure just a little bit (maybe 2/3 stop) and use a little fill flash. I find that it helps to prevent harsh shadows and gives a more even exposure overall. I know it seems weird to use flash on a bright, sunny day. But it's amazing what fill flash can do in just those situations. Try it out, you'll be amazed!

I love animal wallpapers on IFL. Keep it up =D

Thank you for all the comments so far, this is my very first submission to the site and I've got a few more to add at some point. Thanks for all the positive feedback and advice. The only thing I would like to point out is that this shot was taken behind glass so flash was out of the question and it was a incredibly sunny day. Will take all feedback into account on my next outing.

Great job! You did an excellent job of composing the leopard and log. Keep up the great work!

@ vondiesel ..Like you would know, none of your works have even been selected from the loupe ?

@Farscape: Wow, that comment was unnecessary. It's pretty widely accepted that not every brilliant photo makes it through the loupe. Also, does only being selected from the loupe give someone the authority to give photographic advice? Stop being so childish and insulting.

I know from a bit of experience that it is very difficult to get a sharp image of a cat like this through glass-- I've tried a number of times here at my zoo and I don't think I've done any better than this. One thing I did notice when I opened the image-- the whiskers on the cat look a little strange, especially on the right side. Am I just imagining things?

Guys, I welcome all advice like VonDiesels since I am amateur and still learning as long as its all positive and helpful its all good. Eventually I want to move up to a 5d at some point but want to spend my time learning with my 500d. Not sure what you mean SingExpat. Apart from a slight tweak in saturation the image is completly as shot. I'll submit my tiger photo next, that one was taken at 300mm with no glass in front although this is by far my favourite photo bar the ones of the wife and kids!

Must be a trick of the light. Congrats on the great photo. Will look out for your lion!

Sorry, tiger!

Many thanks to everyone here who appreciates constructive comments. That is what the comment page is for, after all. Good photography takes a lot of work and it's not easy. I'm a total novice and I discard 95% of my shots (and I haven't submitted any to the loupe yet). But we can only improve by constant practice and by sharing our knowledge in places like this. **steps down from soap box**

@mrbreaker: I was already impressed with this photo. Now that I know it was taken through a pane of glass I am very impressed indeed! Well done.

This shot was taken through a pane of glass??

Amazing.

It radiates so much calmness.
Just a joy to look at it.

Thank you very much for sharing!

Makes a nice wallpaper thanks

Thank you for submitting this photo mrbreaker. It has a lot of potential and you might have made the most of it under your circumstances. However the scene's potential could have resulted in a much better photo. Some things have already been mentioned, let me give a short summary:

1) clipped highlights and lost shadows. Clearly this is a problem in this shot.

2) Crop and composition could have been better. I know you only had 300mm. But the 500Ds files allow for a lot of cropping while still staying within 2560*1600 pixels. I would have loved to see more details by choosing a tighter crop of the leopards face.

3) sharpness. Since you did not post any exif data, i don't know what exposure you used. however, this shot clearly lacks sharpness in the leopards face. you might have choosen a higher ISO to stop down a little and decrease exposure to freeze the expression better and achieve more sharpness.

4) postprocessing of details like the eyes could be improved. Especially when an even exposure is difficult try using dodge and burn more excessively and maybe a highpass-layer in PS with vivid light on the eye.

Remember, don't take this critique personally. Just trying to help you improve your photography =)
cheers,
Leon

ah by the way: whoever liked this photo of a leopard might take a look at my submissions. Uploaded one of my leopard photos yesterday. =)

Leon J - thanks for the critique. Its quite interesting as photography is very subjective. I actually have another shot which I actually took the time to compose etc as the Leopard didn't seem like he was going anywhere after I took this shot in a rush. The second shot is close up to the Leopards face etc with most of your points taken into account. But I actually prefer this one, just seems more natural and makes me feel calm -which is tough on the best of day :)

Of course you're right - it's all subjective. And even though one thinks a photo might be technically better if one changes X, Y, Z and whatsoever, at the end of the day you might still like the other photo more. I absolutely know what you're talking about =)

O M G!!!!!! I...i...i..can't find the right word...so cute...like a human...

I couldn't tell this was taken from behind glass, actually. A beautiful photograph. One of the fewer lighter desktops I've used in a while, and I'm the type who often prefers dark ones.

I am curious about your other shots of this leopard, though... ah well.

that cat doesn't seem to have a care in the world; quite a shot.