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2021Sophie’s Choice
Shot of the Month – February 2021
I have been wanting to post one my portrait oriented images of a jaguar for quite a while but found myself on an endless merry-go-round. I will post this image. No, this one. Hmmn, perhaps this one. Repeat ad nauseum.
I found myself faced with a “Sophie’s Choice.”
Sophie’s choice refers to an extremely difficult decision a person has to make. It describes a situation where no outcome is preferable over the other. This can be either because both outcomes are equally desirable or both are equally undesirable.
To be clear, I am not complaining — having three pretty decent images of a jaguar to choose from is a lovely conundrum to be faced with.
Our kitty carousel looks like this:
All of these images were taken in the Pantanal in Brazil. We had the good fortune of watching this female as she stalked the river’s edge in search of a meal.
Image #1:
The eye contact is pretty good but the kicker is the raised paw just about to enter the water.
Image #2:
We trade full eye contact for a menacing stare, but we do get a wonderful full-body view of those gorgeous jaguar markings. And the powerful, yet lithe, almost serpentine shape of the body – it just oozes lethal predator on the prowl.
Image #3
We find ourselves face-to-face with a jaguar. I could lose myself for days in those big ol’ eyes. And we have another good view of that stunning fur coat.
Which one would you take home?
Until next month……m
Settings for #1:
Nikon D4S, Nikon 600mm, f/4, 1/800 sec, ISO 2800
Nancy Rupp
Image #1. Raised paw, in addition to all the other great features.
Stay well in Burundi, Michael.
Sorry that you haven’t had a shot yet.
George heard from John Keys (in Mali) that he contracted the virus. A serious case. But he’s ok now.
Jim Nahmens
I agree with Nancy. Image #1. Love these sense of action and the raised tail gives more depth. Stay safe and glad you are coming home soon.
Thomas
#2: It reminds me of a Japanese woodcut though, I doubt there have been any of jaguars. The beautiful S-shaped line give a great sense of motion and energy.