Snow Leopard

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on September 13, 2014 at 12:34pm

Thanks for responding Dan. I hope we see more of your work on the site.

Comment by Dan Zukowski on September 13, 2014 at 12:16am

Thanks very much for your kind comments, Kristen. To answer your question, most of these are straight shots, with just basic adjustments in Lightroom. The exceptions are the bear silhouette you referenced, the shot of the two bear cubs (for which I softened the image and added some toning FX), and the vertical image of the bear on water, which was also toned. The snow leopard shot benefits from the contrast of the warm tones in the rock and the animal against the cool, solid blue sky. The angle, the posture of the cat - the shot really didn't need much else! 

Comment by Resident Curator on September 12, 2014 at 7:54pm

Curator’s Comments:  

                             

These animal photographs show off the beauty and power of your subjects.  While all of them are technically high in quality and composition, I’m most drawn to the compositional choices made in the Snow Leopard piece and the Bear Silhouette.  The leopard’s dramatic crunching stance above the viewers’ standard eye level adds a heightened sense of anticipation and stealth.  The interesting color variations in the rock complement the sheer beauty of the animal’s fur, while the true-blue sky provides an open visual expanse. As an almost idealized model, I’m wondering if the color is at all digitally or hand manipulated, or if these are straight shots? The black bear in silhouette is arguably the most artful of the pieces, with an intentionally modified achromatic scheme.  I like that the striated reflection underneath the bear mirrors her form while providing textural variation. The bleached out background provides further compositional contrast and emotive respite. The vantage point offers the viewer action and reflective appreciation.