Hi Nick,
Hi Arjan,
Hi Nick,
Hi Mike,
) -
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These are just fabulous! It is wonderful how you get such amazing images in the zoo. I will be taking your tips to the zoo next time we go!
Phil a lovely set of images as usual. BTW for reflections if you have an update from Photoshop there is now a reflection removal tool, which works crazy well. A few you tube vids are around showing it's performance.Hi Mike,
Thank you for your very kind feedback - much appreciated!
When we visit a zoo our primary objective is to capture 'non-zooy' images - or, if that fails, ones with a cute/ amusing/ 4th wall slant (i.e. 'the unusual').
A few of the tricks Karen has taught me - she's a much better photographer than I, but I beat her on tech! (though possibly because she hasn't turned her attention to this particular aspect - well, not yet...
In summary - have fun!
- Get there early (or late) when there are fewer people - more space, better chance of securing the best viewing spots, less distracting reflections,
- Wear dark clothing to reduce glare (you'll often get mistaken for zoo officials and some people will offer or endeavour to give you working space),
- Don't fear the rain - water and droplets make coats and plumage pop, beware bright sunshine and the risk of blowing out white fur/ feathers,
- Capture natural backgrounds, poses and expressions, eyes are important (ideally with catch light), if all else fails try to make zoo stuff 'a feature',
- Zoom in close on the subject - sometimes very close (you don't have to capture the whole creature, look for key features and interesting textures),
- Get down low (or high) to see things from their height and perspective - not yours (my poor back!),
- Put your lens hood against zoo glass to reduce reflections (we'll sometimes use a coat to block bright light - Alt. use a long/ soft rubber lens hood),
- As you note, get in tight on cables/ wires and use a large aperture if possible - ideally, find an unobstructed view-through (my R5 just loves cables!),
- Be VERY patient and be prepared to hang around, or return multiple times - talk to staff and regular visitors to pick up useful tips e.g. key times,
- Interact with the animals (we'll talk to and wave at them). Ultimately, they will do their own thing - a non-appearance is a good reason to go back,
- Review your shots as you go along to check your settings are working the way you think they are. (We're absolutely terrible at doing this...
- Importantly, other people have every right to be there - show them what you can see, offer to let kids stand in front (you can shoot over their head).
Phil
Yes, and the truth is that if I had realized sooner they were going to fly, my instinct would have been to bump the shutter speed up to 1/1000th or so which with the low light level would have pushed the ISO up causing lots of noise. And I would have never captured the blur. This is the quandary; we try to plan every shot based on what we think we want to capture which sometimes rules out a creative different type of shot. And the truth is, I got loads of sharp takeoff shots so a few more would not have made any difference.
Sometimes you need to go with the flow, and it's hard, because unless you are "specializing" in ethereal or expressionistic photography the knee **** reaction is go for that sharp shot, but the reality is there are millions of sharp shots, and only a few like this.
These are wonderful. I love the details especially in those beautiful finches! I love the dark backgrounds of those finches.
