Kgalagadi Wild Cat

[Gabriela Plesea]

• NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5
• 500.0 mm f/4.0
• ƒ/7.1
• 500mm
• 1/1250s
• ISO 6400
• GABRIELA PLESEA
• Mon, 18 March 2019 7:56 AM
• GABRIELA PLESEA
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 13.5 (Macintosh)

Dear Friends,

Been busy looking through some old files tonight... so here is a Kgalagadi Wild Cat, image captured in March 2019. This hard drive got damaged somehow but a good friend recently helped recover most of the RAW images.

A rather large crop to get rid of some unwanted elements. Not my best image I agree but such a precious moment worth remembering, this little one was so shy and only showed her face for a few moments, thereafter disappeared among the tree foliage... not to be seen again.

Feeling excited and so looking forward to next year's trip to this beautiful place :tinysmile_shy_t:

Techs:

Nikon D5
Nikon 500 mm F4
ISO 6400
F7.1
SS 1/2500s

Kind regards,

 

[Steve Kaluski]

WOW Gabriela, so glad your friend managed to do the data recovery, well worth every penny or Rand, if it came to it.

Love the light and the way the face just pops out of the darkness. Lovely detail and those eyes are to die for, and these are so timid subjects and from my perspective only really seen at night. May be darken that RH edge to add more tonal contrast and layering but... Tech look good, but imagine if you had captured this with the Z9 and the control and features you have now, this would be so beyond stunning. :cheers:

Great to see all those late nights are really paying off in both capture and PP, you should be really pleased on how things have come on and really changed, ultimately what you can now achieve.

Feeling excited and so looking forward to next year's trip to this beautiful place

Looking at the itinerary it looks amazing with some great camps and although a year away, think how much more you will have under your belt in terms of how you shoot and flipping things within the customisation of the Z9's,

André would be oh so chuffed.

Looking forward to more. :wave:

TFS
Steve

 

[Gabriela Plesea]

WOW Gabriela, so glad your friend managed to do the data recovery, well worth every penny or Rand, if it came to it.

Love the light and the way the face just pops out of the darkness. Lovely detail and those eyes are to die for, and these are so timid subjects and from my perspective only really seen at night. May be darken that RH edge to add more tonal contrast and layering but... Tech look good, but imagine if you had captured this with the Z9 and the control and features you have now, this would be so beyond stunning. :cheers:

Great to see all those late nights are really paying off in both capture and PP, you should be really pleased on how things have come on and really changed, ultimately what you can now achieve.



Looking at the itinerary it looks amazing with some great camps and although a year away, think how much more you will have under your belt in terms of how you shoot and flipping things within the customisation of the Z9's,

André would be oh so chuffed.

Looking forward to more. :wave:

TFS
Steve

Thank you dear Steve... well I must say there's no one on this Planet who understands me better than you. This might sound like big words but we've been in touch almost on the daily basis for the past eleven years and shared images and impressions...Only you know how much the KTP means to me and I cannot wait to go back and try capture those beautiful creatures with more knowledge and understanding of the camera gear I now have.
And yes, you are so right, Andre would be so proud and so chuffed with my progress. And just like you he always believed in me and was proud of my ability to capture emotion. Still busy learning and improving my skills, your encouragement means a lot to me and I will share more images over the next few days, thank you so much for feedback :5

Warmest regards,

 

[Steve Kaluski]

You have put the work in this last year, shoehorning so much in and now you appreciate how much the capture and PP work hand in hand, but also the little details that make all the difference, but ultimately its not the brand, its using the right tools in the correct sequence, however the biggest mark is knowing what is required and how to achieve it.

The greatest point is where you now are really enjoying achieving that capture and understanding to patiently wait for the moment. As I have always said, you have an awesome backyard that so many of us pay dearly for and only have limited access/time, so just have fun and reap the rewards. :S3:

 

[Gabriela Plesea]

You have put the work in this last year, shoehorning so much in and now you appreciate how much the capture and PP work hand in hand, but also the little details that make all the difference, but ultimately its not the brand, its using the right tools in the correct sequence, however the biggest mark is knowing what is required and how to achieve it.

The greatest point is where you now are really enjoying achieving that capture and understanding to patiently wait for the moment. As I have always said, you have an awesome backyard that so many of us pay dearly for and only have limited access/time, so just have fun and reap the rewards. :S3:

Indeed it's been a great journey...and I am still busy learning...The 'backyard' is awesome and I am so grateful for the opportunities, living in a Big 5 Reserve has always been my dream :tinysmile_shy_t:

 

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Gabriela well seen and captured !!
Just wish the faint OOF tree would have not been there or at least a bit more to the right side

TFS Andreas

 

[Jonathan Ashton]

Gabriela - looks good to me simple as that, not sure how much "better" it may have been using a Z9!! I agree the slight shadow over the left ear was a little unfortunate - otherwise it looks pretty wonderful to me. Colours and details and a cute yet intent stare make this a pretty unforgetable image.

 

[Gabriela Plesea]

Thank you Andreas and Jon, much appreciated.

Those little wild things conceal themselves so well...bit of a miracle, spotting this cat among all the branches...
Have more from this sighting as the subject moved forward at some point...but thought I'd start from the beginning:w3

Thank you again for viewing and kind comments, I'll be back soon with more...

Kind regards,

 

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Besides the OOF RHS foliage, it's incredibly amazing, and that's the truth.
Congrats on such lovely image of what I believe, is a secretive feline character.

No wonder you love KTP. I just had a friend buy us this well-known book of the camps, drives and routes of KTP and my wife and I want to go so much. It reminds us of the Australian outback.

Can't wait to go. Perhaps in the winter of 2026.

 

[Gabriela Plesea]

Thank you kindly Akos,

Super happy to see you back, we've missed you here!

Do know the book you mentioned and it will come in handy when you decide to visit the Kgalagadi. Just remember you have to book one year in advance! Should you need help to decide where to stay and what to do please send me a message, always happy to help.

Chat soon and I hope you have a wonderful day,

Kind regards,

 

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Thank you, Gabriela! Much appreciated.
I am the kind of person who gets hyperfixated with something then I'll just research, research and research.
Well aware of the popularity of the Kgalagadi, but thank you for the reminder.
I guess, we may go mid-2026 outside of any South African school holiday times. We'll fly into Upington and hire a 4WD there. May get another couple or friends along in another car so we can travel into more remote areas inside Botswana, not just the SA side along the Nossob River bed.
It looks like one of the most amazing places in the world!

 

[Gabriela Plesea]

That is wonderful Akos, and I am sure all the research you are doing on the Kgalagadi will pay you back tenfold:w3

I normally visit both Nossob and Auob areas as they often have something different to offer ( eg. you will see more cheetah around Mata Mata) and as you probably know you will have more sightings around the waterholes. If you decide to camp just bear in mind there is no water provided on the Botswana side and it's a bit rough as there are no proper facilities...for me the absence of fences is a big plus so I do not mind. Have a booking for next year in May, so I'll be able to give you proper feedback, should you be interested.

Kind regards,

 

[Arthur Morris]

What is KTP? As for the cat, I love the photograph. The slight shadow on the one ear does not bother me in the least. Hard to believe it is a wild species as my neighbor has one just like it! They must surely be closely related.

with love, a

 

[Gabriela Plesea]

What is KTP? As for the cat, I love the photograph. The slight shadow on the one ear does not bother me in the least. Hard to believe it is a wild species as my neighbor has one just like it! They must surely be closely related.

with love, a

Thank you so much Artie, KTP stands for Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, a semi-desert with amazing wildlife. This is a Wild Cat, smaller than our domestic cats and mainly nocturnal, usually found sleeping in the fork of a tree during the day. Very shy creature and often concealed among leaves and branches. This frame was captured in 2019