A dream came true: Half grown Siberian tiger in the snow

Between Christmas and New Year my husband and me had the chance to travel to the Czech republic with a group of photographers and take pictures of a tame 7 month old Siberian tiger running free on a meaddow and a forrest and playing in the first snow of his life. No leash, no fences and most of us got bumped, jumped on, nibbled and licked by this 80 kg, 80cm high and 1,50m long big cat.

The tiger is legally owned by an animal trainer, the photo event was supposed to introduce him to being filmed and photographed and with a little luck we will see him in a movie or tv production soon.

I used my E-M1.2 (first time, no time to get used to the new AF) and the 40-150/2.8.

Camera settings were Serial L with silent shutter tamed down to 10 FPS, C-AF, one field, release priority, all other AF settings were default.

Hope you like the pictures

Sabine
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www.acahaya.com

Lovely photos of a magnificent creature; I'm envious.  But I'm sad, too, because we are all living in the middle of the sixth mass extinction, which may claim us as well.  And many don't seem to notice, or even care.

+1 x2

i would normally be affronted by such a magnificent example of nature not free in natural habitat, but sadly this may be an example of our only hope for beauty like this chances of surviving our species insatiable destruction of habitat.

to OP

beautiful photos, i also am envious

thanks for sharing

No text.

Hi

thank you for the pictures,This is a gorgeous cat!

here is a link still the most endangered cat

http://siberiantimes.com/ecology/others/news/n0888-flying-to-save-the-rarest-big-cat-in-the-world/

thanks for sharing that link, very cool. after so many years of Vladimir's antics, it's nice to be reminded of what's so admirable about those crazy russians.

i really enjoyed that (excepting the sadness of the leopards predicament)

I'm jealous. I love photographing tigers and these are just outstanding. I would have to have these printed as a Canvas mounted collection.

That is such a good looking cat, and you did a great job of catching his action.

In addition, I'm jealous about your new camera too!

Tame, half grown. Shudder! Great action, excellent composition.

acahaya wrote:

Between Christmas and New Year my husband and me had the chance to travel to the Czech republic with a group of photographers and take pictures of a tame 7 month old Siberian tiger running free on a meaddow and a forrest and playing in the first snow of his life. No leash, no fences and most of us got bumped, jumped on, nibbled and licked by this 80 kg, 80cm high and 1,50m long big cat.

The tiger is legally owned by an animal trainer, the photo event was supposed to introduce him to being filmed and photographed and with a little luck we will see him in a movie or tv production soon.

I used my E-M1.2 (first time, no time to get used to the new AF) and the 40-150/2.8.

Camera settings were Serial L with silent shutter tamed down to 10 FPS, C-AF, one field, release priority, all other AF settings were default.

Hope you like the pictures

Sabine
________________
www.acahaya.com

Die Bilder sind Wunderbar und der Tiger ist bewundernswert, Sabine!

Glad to learn that the EM1ll worked so easily and so well for you.  There's a certain irony in your beautiful photographs and your description of this character, who seems to have become a pretty safe, though awkwardly-overgrown pussycat.  (We recently had a 1 KG kitten who nibbled and licked - cab only imagine what this must have been like!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM8y1qjJS1A

Is the documentary - which you may well have already seen - of what it takes to find and  photograph one of the very few left alive in the wild

Hen3ry wrote:

Tame, half grown. Shudder! Great action, excellent composition.

Sound very tame and affectionate, Henry : nothing to worry about, Henry, unless he tries to sit on your lap - or tries to sleep on top of your, the way our cats do!

Really nice.

Outstanding set!!!

Beautiful pictures, beautiful animal. Well done indeed!

Maggie

What an opportunity and what great big front paws! Well judged DOF too.

I'm envious -  great photos.  My two cats (approx 10-12 lbs each) are just as envious, but for different reasons.

What beautiful shots!  What a beautiful cat!!