I hope zoo shots are acceptable here? I couldn't find any FAQ that mentioned them and realise some nature sites don't appreciate them...

Anyway I am new, never posted before but have been lurking. I love taking animal shots, especially dog photography, but I also enjoy taking zoo shots at the local zoo. I'm not a huge fan of zoos but our local zoo is pretty good and most of the enclosures are not filled with miserable animals. To try and offset taking the zoo photos, I have been trying to organise with some people to use my photos to raise money for local conservation groups. I have sold one of my photos just recently and the money wlil go to the Australian Orang-utan society. On top of "normal" zoo shots I also like playing with photoshop with them and trying to get an out of the ordinary photo.

Anyway here are a couple of the types of photos I have taken:















Thanks

Nat

Hi again Nat and welcome. Hope you'll be putting some of your great dog images here for people, the action and the portraits - as well as some of your birds. You know my take on zoo shots, I am so very much against them "for their own sake". Big congrats though on placing the orang photo.

Hi PC Sure will. I'm getting quite a collection of Rainbow Lori shots lately!

The zoo debate not withstanding, I must say these images are terrific! One cannot look into the eyes of these wild creatures and fail to be moved. The impact of images like these is to provoke feelings in the viewer that can, over time, raise the level of conscience the world over, such that one day all creatures (us included!) may live free. Thank you, Tess, for sharing these.

Hello Tess,
Welcome, I am glad to see you decided to start posting. These shots are just awesome! I love the lighting. I mean there is some PP done here, but your results are stunning. Care to let us in on a tidbit of the secret?

Anyways, Great, sharp, nice color, well lit, uniquely composed just hands down a very nice technique

Thanks

I don't think the zoo debate is cut and dried, but that's a whole other story. As it stands, zoos are a reality, and I try to use the photos in the best way I can to help other animals.

As for technique...on all of the above except for the Snow Leopard, I used a modified action where I use a bit of blur, bit of sepia tint, some dodging and burning and then some sharpening.

The Snow Leopard is unprocessed except for some cropping and burning out the background which was almost black anyway.



Nat

Since my gear is all Canon that's my only reference point for guessing what lens etc. you used to capture the base images from which these portraits were crafted. So, with that in mind, I'm guessing you used the equivalent of a 300 mm f2.8 maybe with a 1.4 extender or a 500 mm f4.0, maybe a 200 mm f2.8 with extender. ???

Nope, wish I had the money for those though!

The Gorilla was with the Canon 100-300.

The rest were with Canon 70-300 IS USM.

Except for the Tiger, the rest are an 80% crop, or thereabouts. Probably 90% with the Snow Leopard.

500 would be way overkill at our zoo. 400 would be handy, and a 300 2.8 would be beyond words wonderful for the Tiger enclosure but no can do. It's a very dark enclosure so I alwayws have to use high ISOs.

Nat

The second great ape shot and the lion are just spectacular. I hear what PC is saying about zoos. They are a necessary evil. My wife does not like to go to them as she gets depressed when she goes.

Having said that, they do provide a valuable service. The better zoos, like San Diego and Bronx Zoo here in the US, attempt to provide relatively normalized environments for many of their creatures. It is not perfect, but in too many cases, it is all that exists.

Thanks for the photos, and welcome aboard!

James

Nat,
wonderful shots and great technique. While I'm not a zoo fan per se, I'm also not a great fan of species extinction and therefore, the better zoos provide a valuable service through their breeding and educational programs. To the extent that they allow us to see (and photograph) animals we might never get a chance to see otherwise, that's also good.

The fact is, they exist. I don't see how taking -- and sharing -- great photos of magnificent animals can be anything but good.

Nice work, Nat.

Jim