Show us your Cheetah Pictures

[Tom Kellie]

 

Photographed in Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, on 21 August, 2014 at 12:24 pm, with a Sony RX1 R camera.

ISO 100, 1/500 sec., f/5, 35mm, handheld Manual exposure.

In an ecology course this would be ‘Female Acinonyx jubatus Nursing Six Cubs’. When I was there I thought to myself, ‘Picnic Lunch in the Shade’.

We were entirely alone with this cheetah family, on the lower side of a gently sloping hill with few distinctive landmarks, although gifted Masai trackers were see it differently.

No other vehicles. The safari van had my guide, Anthony, a Chinese graduate student and myself. A light breeze was blowing but it was otherwise silent.

We'd been driving around in search of a raptor I'd spotted when we came upon this savanna crèche.

Anthony shares with me a revulsion at disturbing the domestic life of wildlife, thus maneuvers his van so as to obtain satisfactory photographs with what we hope is minimal disruption.

This 35mm image portrays the peaceful setting more effectively than close-ups with a super telephoto lens.

There were six cubs, which we counted as they crawled around while repositioning themselves. The cub on the mother's head was a kiss-a-holic, bestowing buss after buss on his mama.

Seeing this scene again is such a pleasant memory. Safaris have a way of healing life's bruises. Love how her tail curls around in front of her brood.

[graceland]

@@Tom Kellie

 

That is a lovely shot of mother and cubs. When you have time away from your gradings, I think everyone would love a trip report...or two. I am sure you have many photos and stories to share. There are NEVER too many!

 

Safaris have been a very integral part of my healing process, for sure...I guess that is why I keep planning them when others are planning island escapes. I sometimes wonder if I dream TOO much about Africa.

 

No.

Edited April 1, 2015 by graceland

[Tom Kellie]

~ Dear @graceland:

 

Thank you so much. Your encouragement means a lot to me, as there's trepidation when writing in a new format.

Thinking about, planning, actually going on, and later discussing safaris is indeed healing. Life's accumulated knocks, bumps, shoves and bangs damage the soul. Safaris redress the balance through returning us to our ancient ancestor's fascination to the nature surrounding them.

The work calendar is being shuffled around so as to free up a few days for preparing and uploading my maiden trip report, which is now in gestation.

I've written to @@Game Warden tonight, committing myself to uploading an initial trip report within the next seven days.

My shuttles between Beijing and Nairobi are so frequent that dreaming has become ongoing pre-safari planning.

The safari in January is fresh in memory, yet in four weeks another one commences and the July/August safari is shaping up. I've already begun casual discussions about the January, 2016 safari!

Thus your feelings, as those of so many other Safaritalk members, make very good sense to me.

With Appreciation,

Tom K.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Photographed some cute cheetah cubs in the Sabi Sands last weekend.

Mommy had 5, but already lost 3 to the lions.

She was at that stage seen every day in the western sector (Ulusaba, Leopard Hills, Idube)

[Sangeeta]

Ooh, what a cutie, Morkel!

[elefromoz]

Ngorongoro Crater 2012

[Tom Kellie]

Ngorongoro Crater 2012

 

~ @@elefromoz

 

After enjoying your lion-in-a-tree image, I supposed that nothing else might induce me to write to you this evening.

Then I saw this.

Oh My GOODNESS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's the cheetah image I'd most like to see in life — surrounded by wildflowers.

Couldn't admire it more. You mentioned that your lion image was a case of ‘right time, right place’. If so, then this image persuades me that you're especially blessed with ‘right time, right place’ images, as this in one of the finest big cat imagesI've ever seen.

The strong focus on the cheetah is enhanced by the improbable sight of purple wildflowers.

Thank you so much for sharing this on Safaritalk.

Tom K.

[Time+Tide]

Photos from Liuwa Plain National Park, Zambia. Innocent, one of our Norman Carr Safari Guides took these last week.

[Game Warden]

@@Time+Tide Fantastic and welcome aboard. Do feel free to introduce yourself by starting a new topic here.

 

Matt

[Ben mosquito]

Cutie Cub Morkel, love the square format.

@ elefromoz unuasal surroundings .

 

 

Family dinner, Central Kalahari game reserve , July 2014.

 

 

[africaaddict]

I just love the Ndutu area in Northern Tanzania.........and so do Cheetah

 

Ndutu cheetah sunset.

D4 500 f/4VR 1/640s f/4 ISO1600

 

 

 

 

Thommie turmoil

D4 500 f/4VR 1/3200s f/5.6 ISO1600

 

 

 

 

 

Bad hare day.

D4s 500 f/4VR 1/1600s f/5.6 ISO800

 

 

 

 

Bomba and her quads.

D4s 500 f/4VR 1/320s f/5.6 ISO3200

 

 

 

Cheers

Marc

 

 

[Peter Connan]

Stunning photos Marc, particularly the first!

[GBE]

Your photos are so impactful. They really capture the essence of being there.

Thank you for the setting detail. Are you fully manual, partial, fully auto? How much, if any, post production work goes into your photos?

Inspiring!

[africaaddict]

Appreciate your comments Peter & GBE.

 

Your photos are so impactful. They really capture the essence of being there.

Thank you for the setting detail. Are you fully manual, partial, fully auto? How much, if any, post production work goes into your photos?

Inspiring!

 

I shoot in Aperture priority mode approx 75% and Manual mode the remainder, as I shoot RAW, this means that there is always some degree of PP work and the time spent varies whether it's just for web display, competition or print outlet. I use ACR and PS CC'15 currently.

 

Cheers

 

Marc

Edited July 24, 2015 by africaaddict

[Game Warden]

Let's see more cheetahs.

[africawild]

This photo was taken back in 2003 , it was our very first safari ever .

The most incredible thing is that this is the picture number 3 of my around 50.000 pictures taken on safari !!! We drove from NAIROBI to the Mara and , with our bags still in the vehicle and a few kilometres from our camp , we came across this cheetah male that pass by our vehicle and jump on to the small termite mound.

 

At that moment we did´t realize how lucky we where !!!

 

Paco

 

 

 

Nikon D100 , Sigma 50-500

[Tom Kellie]

This photo was taken back in 2003 , it was our very first safari ever .

The most incredible thing is that this is the picture number 3 of my around 50.000 pictures taken on safari !!! We drove from NAIROBI to the Mara and , with our bags still in the vehicle and a few kilometres from our camp , we came across this cheetah male that pass by our vehicle and jump on to the small termite mound.

 

At that moment we did´t realize how lucky we where !!!

 

~ @@africawild

 

Beyond lucky, Paco — Blessed!

To start out your safari-going with such a sighting was ideal.

Your fine image set a high standard, which your subsequent photos have met and surpassed, again and again.

Many thanks for posting this!

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Sabi Sands Cheetah

Photographed on 2 October, 2015 at 7:16 am in Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sands, South Africa with an EOS 1D X camera and an EF 200mm f/2.8L II telephoto lens.

ISO 400, 1/250 sec., f/2.8, 200mm focal length, handheld Manual exposure.

****************************************************************************************************

~ The frequency, quality and duration of cheetah sightings at Leopard Hills was a welcome surprise. In multiple cheetah sightings various characteristic forms of behavior were observed.

This particular cheetah was one of my own sightings, it's rear and tail disappearing over a fallen log, which was enough to trigger a trek through high brush, yielding this image.

Edited October 7, 2015 by Tom Kellie

[Sverker]

Photos from Liuwa Plain National Park, Zambia. Innocent, one of our Norman Carr Safari Guides took these last week.IMG_6981.jpgIMG_6853.jpgIMG_6975.jpg

Has this cheetah buiidt the nest in order to lay eggs?

[Tigerbeth]

Serengeti, Tanzania August 2013

 

[mmackwan]

Taken in Mara

 

[samapi]

Ouch !! Difficult to post something good and/or new after the massive number of incredible photos I see here but below are 2 pics from our collection.

 

Observations made in Masai Mara, Kenya, August 2012

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@samapi

 

I love the look on the cheetah cub in the final photograph above.

It's stance and visage have a certain childlike confidence, while standing close to mom.

Your cheetahs definitely add to the enjoyment of this thread.

Tom K.

[pomkiwi]

Sabi Sands March 2015

 

[pomkiwi]

Giving me the once over..