Sanford Morse
October 2025 - Brazil's Pantanal
Original
About the Image(s)
From Brazil's Pantanal, from a Natural Habitat photo workshop on the hunt for jaguars, of which we saw many. This is from a sighting of a mother jaguar and her two cubs as they dined on the carcass of a water buffalo. The mother would periodically shoo off the hovering vultures. Sony A1, 200-600mm, at 600mm, 1/1000, f9, ISO 200.
4 comments posted
Sanford, Great capture of the mother jaguar in motion! You brought out the action with post editing. Posted: 10/11/2025 20:41:52
An image with a very strong story Sanford. There's absolutely no doubt what's happening here. Your camera settings tell me that you had a good think about what you wanted to capture, before the action began. Good preparation usually results in a good final image. Congratulations on a great image. Posted: 10/13/2025 04:58:32
Sanford, your photograph powerfully conveys a compelling narrative, with the subject's intense gaze and sharply defined features immediately drawing the viewer in. The expression on her face leaves no doubt that she's fully engaged and determined. Prioritizing the jaguar's expression over the vulture's sharpness was a wise artistic decision, as it amplifies the emotional impact of the scene.
While shooting at your lens's maximum focal length can sometimes result in a slight loss of sharpness compared to pulling back a bit-say, from 600mm to 500mm-in this case, the clarity of the jaguar remains exceptional, which is the key strength of this image. Your choice of a 1/1000 second shutter speed effectively freezes the airborne sand, adding a dynamic and visually interesting element to the overall composition.
If I were to offer one suggestion, consider subtly darkening the lower right corner to further enhance the focus and mood of the image.
Posted: 10/19/2025 17:41:57
While shooting at your lens's maximum focal length can sometimes result in a slight loss of sharpness compared to pulling back a bit-say, from 600mm to 500mm-in this case, the clarity of the jaguar remains exceptional, which is the key strength of this image. Your choice of a 1/1000 second shutter speed effectively freezes the airborne sand, adding a dynamic and visually interesting element to the overall composition.
If I were to offer one suggestion, consider subtly darkening the lower right corner to further enhance the focus and mood of the image.
Posted: 10/19/2025 17:41:57
Sanford - I hope you came away with lots of shots like this from your workshop. This is a great dynamic shot of the jaguar - your high speed shutter has really frozen the jaguar and all the sand it is throwing up. It's a pity that the vulture is quite blurred - is that depth of field or movement? I get the overall nature story here, but as the jaguar is very dynamic on its own and it is looking straight at us, I would be tempted to crop out the vulture altogether - it is quite dark and blurred and the jaguar is not looking at it anyway. That would just leave the jaguar charging at the camera, which is enough of a story!! Posted: 10/26/2025 17:38:07