Cheetah with Impala Kill
Caption: Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) takes a break from feeding on its kill, a female impala, to scan for any approaching scavengers, Mashatu Game Reserve, Tuli Block, Botswana.
Camera: Canon EOS 50D; Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM; Focal length: 200mm; Shutter speed: 1/1250; Aperture: f/7.1; ISO: 400
The cheetah, once it had eaten its fill, moved away from the kill to rest in the shade of some nearby shrubs. After stretching and yawning, it began carefully grooming and cleaning itself, very like a domestic cat would do.
In the picture (right), it’s using it’s tongue to lick and clean its foreleg. Note the visible, unsheathed claws.
The cheetah’s claws — used mainly for providing traction during its short, blistering runs and not as weapons of attack — can only be partially retracted.
In contrast to this, other cats which either stalk or pounce on their prey, have claws that retract into sheaths when at rest, ensuring the claws remain sharp and ready for use.
We were interested that the first scavenger to arrive and start feeding on the remains of the kill was a tawny eagle (below), beating the resident jackals and hyenas to this free meal.
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+Scotch Macaskill
I’m just looking at getting into wildlife photography as a bit of an escape from weddings and so I’m doing something that is just for me so in my search for inspiration and ideas I found your site. Man you were close ,only shooting at 200mm. There is hope for me yet as I can’t justify a 500mm lens etc, but if this is the quality at lesser lengths I’m in with a chance.
I’ve bookmarked the blog and intend on coming back for more inspiration
Hey Mark, you can get some pretty good shots – certainly in most African game reserves – with something like a good quality 70-200mm zoom plus 1.4x or 1.5x converter.
Ideal, I didn’t know you were so up close and personal. I have a 120-300mm f2.8 Sigma which seems to be OK, I’m just trying to find places to shoot wildlife but not had much time…. also the UK this time of year isn’t at its warmest
Thanks for the heads up!
These are some great photos! What was your actual distance to this particular cat?
Not sure how far exactly, but probably around 20 -30 m or 60-90 ft. We didn’t want to approach too close so as not to scare the cheetah from its hard-earned meal.
On one page u talked abut Manfrotto 393 gimball head and conceded you don’t fall into the “heavyweights” league using 600mm. However, I found one of your images shot with EF 600mm f/4L IS USM. Was it leased?
I use exactly the same systems as yours in regards to bodies and lenses. These are enough for enthusiasts like me.
In reply to Mark’s point above, I’d like to reveal that you don’t need super-expensive super telephotos on African safaris. I shot with EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lenses mounted on EOS 50D and EOS 450D bodies at Nakuru National Park/Lake and Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya last July. Got all the shots I wanted with ease.
Re the pic taken with a 600mm – I have a friend who has a some great lenses, including a 600mm f/4, 300mm f/2.8, and 70-200mm f/2.8 Mk II and he lets me use them sometimes when we’re out on a shoot together. Lucky me! I love my 400mm f/5.6, but would like to upgrade the 70-300mm to the new L series, as understand it’s a great lens. But it’s also expensive and way beyond what I can afford at the moment. Glad to find someone using the exact same gear and enjoying it.