The erstwhile Queen of Ranthambhore - Machali

[Vijay Rajan]

I'm back from yet another trip to Ranthambhore but can't wait to go back again in 4 weeks time !

The erstwhile Queen of Ranthambhore - Machali a.k.a T-16, shot on 13/04/2013 evening @ Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve.

She might have lost all her Canines but her steely resolve to carry on the legacy remains unmatched. She seems to be doing quite well and even manages to successfully hunt fully grown Sambhar / Chitals / Wild Boars these days. Unlike the last couple of years, she even seems to have discarded her cautious / shy nature ever since she was confined to a tiny territory (Bhoot Khurra & baba-ke-gufa area) and seems to relish coming out into the open more often these days. I also sighted her rolling on her back, squatting in a submissive position and also roaring (mating call perhaps) to lure the dominant male T-25. Talk of age catching up with her ! I've got to consider myself truly blessed to have been a part of a spellbound audience. Long live the Queen !

Canon 7 D + Canon 100-400 mm IS
370 mm
f/5.6
-1/3
1/400
ISO 320
20% crop from left of the frame for compo.
Had a tough time in PP since it was shot in AWB while the subject was resting in shade.

Look forward to your C & C please.

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice relaxed pose. Good details and sharpness. I had seen her in my trip last year, that time she was looking quite weak. Good to know she is doing well now. It might be quite hot and dry there. How is the water situation, are they putting water in the water holes from tankers? Thanks for sharing.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Nice to see her image. Have the forest department stopped feeding her? Earlier they were feeding her to keep her alive primarily for tourism purposes.

AWB shouldn't be an issue. I prefer the AWB. Did you have shade and bright highlights in the image? The Canon's AWB is pretty good as you get the close to the colour temperature prevailing. Slight tweaking the colour temperature during post processing is required at times. However with the 1D Mark IV, I rarely need to change the colour temperature.

Infact, Canon is now introducing this technology in the higher end film cameras in C300. And they have given a time frame of six months to implement it. :)

[Vijay Rajan]

Thanks Mrudul Ji for your kind comments,

It is quite hot out there. Except the Lake area, most waterholes are dry & look like small puddles instead. The department seems to have stopped sending tankers to fill up these waterholes.




Nice relaxed pose. Good details and sharpness. I had seen her in my trip last year, that time she was looking quite weak. Good to know she is doing well now. It might be quite hot and dry there. How is the water situation, are they putting water in the water holes from tankers? Thanks for sharing.

[Vijay Rajan]

Thanks Sabyasachi Ji for your kind comments.

She no longer seems to be a recluse like earlier times & happens to be one of the most sighted cats in the tourism zone this year. Also while she hardly ever used to have direct eye-contact with safari vehicles in the past, she seems to have become a lot bolder now.

Since she is constantly being monitored by the department, the bait is kept in at times in her vicinity only if she doesn't manage to hunt.

Although there was slight clipping on the right of the histogram mainly due to the harsh sunlight in the BG, I didn't find any bright highlights. When I saw this image on my friend's monitor (a calibrated one), I could notice a slight greyish cast. Do I need to warm it up a bit or tweak the stronger midtones ?

Your inputs would be invaluable !

Vijay



Nice to see her image. Have the forest department stopped feeding her? Earlier they were feeding her to keep her alive primarily for tourism purposes.

AWB shouldn't be an issue. I prefer the AWB. Did you have shade and bright highlights in the image? The Canon's AWB is pretty good as you get the close to the colour temperature prevailing. Slight tweaking the colour temperature during post processing is required at times. However with the 1D Mark IV, I rarely need to change the colour temperature.

Infact, Canon is now introducing this technology in the higher end film cameras in C300. And they have given a time frame of six months to implement it. :)

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I was talking about the sunlight on the rocks on top of the head of the tigress.

Just brighten up the image a bit. The tigress looks dull and the brightness there needs to be pulled up. Unfortunately, that will result in the bright highlights in the rocks go even brighter. You have to live with that. A lower angle while shooting would have helped hide the bright rocks. Lower angle is not always possible. However, if that happens then the overall image would look different and will get elevated to another level. This part of the fieldcraft cannot be compensated by post processing.

Any blurring etc of the background, as it doesn't look natural? In this situation it is better to try for a higher depth of field than try to isolate the animal from its surroundings.

[Murugan Anantharaman]

The old lady almost looks like a siberian tigress. The canines have withered but her grace hasnt. Lovely image Vijayji. Thanks for sharing.