Hi Nick,
Hi Arjan,
Hi Nick,
Hi Mike,
) -
),
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.
