She has reached the summit of the very leafy Chinese Elm Tree. The Mona Lisa of Panda shots.
This photo was taken on May 22, 2006 in Brooklyn Heights, San Diego, CA, US.
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Comments and faves
Cuquis, St. Feline, (simmi), beautifulcataya, and 413 other people added this photo to their favorites.
iamwordwiz (73 months ago | reply)
she is such a roly-poly little darlin'!
St. Feline (73 months ago | reply)
Another great picture of Su Lin! It looks like she's posing for you!
Chet_ (73 months ago | reply)
What a wise-looking panda cub.
Cuquis (73 months ago | reply)
I think she has the same look as her daddy....... very intriguing... like she knows something you don't ...... =)
atsf90east / Tai Shan (73 months ago | reply)
I think that this is the best photo i've seen yet of Su Lin :-)
pandacloud (73 months ago | reply)
What a little beauty................!!
cutesmallfuzzy (73 months ago | reply)
Cute!
adamantine (73 months ago | reply)
Love it! 123faves
Chung89 (73 months ago | reply)
So so adorable... Thanks for sharing photo with us!
(1-2-3 Faves)
kjdrill (73 months ago | reply)
Thanks everybody for your nice comments and all the favs on this photo. She is such a beautiful panda cub and it is my pleasure to photograph such a sweet baby bear, especially for those who are not able to see her in person at the Giant Panda Research Station. She is something very special!
Rob Roy 06 (73 months ago | reply)
Wonderful exposure... the eyes are not lost, unlike so many panda pictures.
Maybe crop about a 1/6th off the bottom... just enough to get rid of that distracting brown bit of belly? foot?
Chet_ (73 months ago | reply)
Nah, no cropping required. Otherwise, you end up "cutting" her body. Yikes!
kjdrill (73 months ago | reply)
I played around with cropping and it totally throws off the balance of the picture. She is a really furry little bear and I don't want to cutoff her little paw on the left side of the picture. I'd like to know what others think, any suggestions are always welcome!
Rob Roy 06 (73 months ago | reply)
Yes... I can see what you mean by the balance. The square is good. Sorry. Although my crop does create a certain "strength", with the broader (relative to height) black base. Losing the leaves at the lower right does hurt the nice vignette effect, though, and that splash of a darker green is good.
Maybe airbrush away the brown bits? Unless you feel that is too "dishonest", which is a sincerely held belief of some. Me... I feel that a picture as good as it might have been is okay, just so long as photomanipulation isn't used to "lie".
Love it anyway!
kjdrill (73 months ago | reply)
Here is a wider picture of the Chinese Elm Tree that Su Lin lives in. Most of the time it is hard to even see her up there, thats what makes this photo so gratifying for me. The extreme challenge of photographing her at the top of the tree. She has a real eye for the camera and I probably won't take anymore pictures of her up in the tree since I could never duplicate the upper shot.
marcobillo (73 months ago | reply)
Very cute expression, well captured! 8.5/10 for the Score Me! group
werner1943 (73 months ago | reply)
well done
Score 6.5_/10 (from the Score
Me!
group)
Courtney Mitchell (73 months ago | reply)
She looks like she's looking right at you. Fantastic to capture such an intimate picture of a majestic animal.
Score 8/10 (from the Score Me!
group)
bugged out cars (73 months ago | reply)
Score 9/10 (from the Score Me!
group)
Great: The face is really expressive - well done
Good: Lovely composition.
Okay: The focus is shaky - but rests on the eyes
Not so okay: n/c
well worth being pleased about!
kjdrill (73 months ago | reply)
bugged out cars, I really appreciate your well thought out reviews. I love the way you break down your scoring and I think it would be great if the ScoreMe group adopted your style. Great job and very well appreciated. And thank you marcobillo and Crazy Redhead for your comments.
Haaland (73 months ago | reply)
Plus:
-a lot::Great expression, killer composition.
-a bit: exotic animal
Minus:
- a lot: Shame that it's not sharp.
- a bit: Low contrasts. And I would like a brighter green colour.
It' s a interresting animal shot. That is quite unusual.
Score 7/10 (from the Score Me!
group)
kjdrill (73 months ago | reply)
Haaland, thanks for your very thoughtful review. I can see where a contrast adjustment might help it a little. The problem with sharpness is you never know when you will get a pose like this and you have large crowds of people filing thru the exhibit. I spent most of the day waiting for a shot like this and when she positioned herself in this fashion, I was just blown away that she held it long enough for me to capture the picture. Her balance and coordination in the tree is absolutely amazing to watch, you have to see it to believe it.
bugged out cars (73 months ago | reply)
Hi KJ - Thanks for the compliment - These groups are to find out how your pics are viewed by the rest of the random world.
A lack of creative understanding makes a score worthless beyond racking up points.
Take the rough with the smooth m'dear and let the group run it's course.
have a great day
steve
-oSCAR's pLACe- (73 months ago | reply)
awww so adorable i love pandas
Haaland (73 months ago | reply)
I feel you; it's really hard to make these kinds of shots. I've been taking pictures of birds the last days just to practice on that kind of shots too. It's really hard to take a good one; they move so fast and they are unpredictable - unlike humans.
The solution for me was to choose some high ISO value and high aperture f/2.8 and higher. And a really short shutter time. That helps in most situations. And maybe a fill-in flash to get some more contrasts.
I just had to be patient and wait for the perfect timing. Not too easy exactly...
I believe you on her balance; pandas are great animals!
nikkim79 (73 months ago | reply)
Congratulations! This picture has won cutest panda of of week over in the Giant Panda pool!
tammyjq41 (73 months ago | reply)
Congrats Great photo
kjdrill (73 months ago | reply)
Thanks nikkim! I really love this photo of little Su Lin. This is a photo that I come back to again and again as she is positioned so well for the shot, in fact she fully leaned forward so that we look like we are right across from each other. I am so happy that I was able to capture her in this position. Years from now, when she becomes a mom herself, we can look back at this photo of the beautiful panda cub doing what she does best. I hope to get some more photos of Su Lin on my next visit to the Giant Panda Research Station. Thanks again!
tbcass45 (72 months ago | reply)
Adorable!
somesai (71 months ago | reply)
What a perfect photo...our little darling is looking straight at you
cymrufem1 (71 months ago | reply)
Her fur looks so soft and glossy, just like her daddy Gao Gao's. This is one of my fave Su pics......wonderful job!
bijoubaby (69 months ago | reply)
please add this photo to my group steven colbert hates bears... sil vous plait (;-D) thanks!! www.flickr.com/groups/75602266@N00/
bijoubaby (69 months ago | reply)
please add this photo to my group steven colbert hates bears... sil vous plait (;-D) thanks!! www.flickr.com/groups/75602266@N00/
bijoubaby (68 months ago | reply)
thanks for supporting bears and colbert, and adding to the perfect pool of "stephen colbert" opinion memory permanent ... elm elevation
Stalwolf (67 months ago | reply)
Awwwwwwwww
Photophool (rebuilding stream) (67 months ago | reply)
A very sweet expression and a great portrait. Well done.
Gordon_C (67 months ago | reply)
A great photo, the eyes really make this a special shot.
xandynha (65 months ago | reply)
Oh wow! how sweet!
Tai High (61 months ago | reply)
WOW, I wouldn't trade this shot of Su for any sharp one! I can't believe I haven't seen this one. It is heart stopping!
I know where the critiques are coming from but to me the tiny bit of "not sharp" makes this photo all the more beautiful, it looks like a painting, but what painting could capture the moment in her eyes?
Sorry photogs but I give it all excellants and wouldn't change one pixel , the focus is just where it should be with the eyes.
You have captured depth in this gorgeous photo giving a real 3D look and feel.
I would change the title to what you wrote below, "Mona Lisa Panda"
I think it is a masterpiece!
An Awesome Shot Award
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kjdrill (61 months ago | reply)
Thanks for your nice comments Tai High and the invite! This is one of my shots I am most proud of:)
Tai High (61 months ago | reply)
As well you should be! I really love it and think it is spectacular!!
Remlin (61 months ago | reply)
this is simply awesome!
You are my winner!
Please add this photo to
www.flickr.com/groups/mywinners/
somesai (61 months ago | reply)
Please add this photo to Fruitsicle Award Choice Thread because your photo is "mmm mmmm good" like a fwootie.
SunnyHM (60 months ago | reply)
Lovely!
Lady-bug (59 months ago | reply)
Such a wonderful expression on this precious panda!
saucyworchester (59 months ago | reply)
Looks like she is saying: "Oh yeah?"
kalia1221 [deleted] (56 months ago | reply)
Such a cute fuzzy face. I'd love to see her in person, but it would mean tearing myself away from Sea World. hahahaha.
Great shot
***Bud*** (54 months ago | reply)
Wow Wonderful shot
Congratulations! Your photo has been nominated as "Superb Masterpiece"
You are invited to add your wonderful picture to Superb Masterpiece Group
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vaneordi (54 months ago | reply)
Cute!! Love it!