Visit to the Zoo (About Photography)

A place to swap ideas, share your hobbies, pass on hints and tips and discuss how you spend your free time.

Moderators: DJKeefy, 4u Network

User avatar
Grandad
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 444
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2006 10:13 pm
Location: SE England
Has thanked: 75 times
Been thanked: 163 times
Gender:
United Kingdom

Visit to the Zoo (About Photography)

Post by Grandad »

Went to a local wild animal park on Wednesday hoping to get some good animal shots. Well, the whole park was inundated with wasps so it was not a very comfortable experience, and Mrs G got stung. :(

We did the 1 hour African Experience in the back of an old army Bedford travelling slowly around ‘the plains’ with many free ranging groups of African Plain animals, except predators of course. They were secure in caged enclosures.

This was at Port Lympne, one of two parks in South Kent operated by the Aspinall Foundation. The foundation is a charity with defined aims of breeding endangered species and putting them back into their natural habitat. Personally, I DO find all the conservation efforts futile. Vast sums of money are invested in repatriating a few animals whose chances of long term survival are very low. I have to ask why has a species declined in the first place and is putting a few back likely to turn events that caused the decline in the first place? I very much doubt it.

Anyhow, enough of my pessimism. If you Google Aspinallfoundation you can see all the animals that they have, mostly in breeding programmes.

I went home with only about 70 shots, mostly boring pictures of grazing animals and well over half of those I binned. I have picked out these three as examples for photography discussion.

As I said, the predatory animals were caged with substantial steel fencing with approx 6cm square mesh. Always difficult but if you use a long lens, set to aperture priority with a large aperture, focus manually and stand a couple of metres from the fence (you can’t get closer due to a second boundary) you do have a chance of getting a reasonable shot of a head. In this example the steel fence can be seen blue/grey and very OOF framing the image. Not the best result but a fair compromise…. :?:

Image

When the vehicle stopped by the Grants Zebras they were in a huddle right close to the lorry. I had a long lens on so had to opt for a few head only shots. I did pull in onto one animal and, as I sometimes like to go to extremes, the resulting image would make quite a good poster, I think…. ;)

Image

The rhinos were also close by and in a grazing group facing in all directions. By very close cropping I was able to isolate this specimen as if he was all alone. :)

Image


Grandad :gg:
User avatar
Kiya
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 393
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2005 10:08 pm
Location: The Blue Toon. Scotland
Has thanked: 1 time
Gender:
Contact:
United Kingdom

Post by Kiya »

Thank you for sharing your African Experience with us. :)
Fraid to say I wouldn't have stayed long enough as you & Mrs G did to take 1 photo....not with all em wasps around :( hope Mrs G is OK.

Love all your animal photos especially the detail in the rhino :D he/she looks quite happy munching away :)
[flash width=270 height=14 loop=true]ad_signatures//kiya-sig.swf[/flash]
Image
User avatar
FABlux
Egyptian God
Egyptian God
Posts: 9975
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2005 1:32 pm
Location: Luxor
Has thanked: 155 times
Been thanked: 78 times
Gender:
Contact:
Egypt

Post by FABlux »

I guess wasps feel at home in zoo's.I got stung on the front of my throat walking into Marwell once. The first aiders were very good when the throat started closing up :roll:

I hear what you are saying Horus but some schemes do work. Marwell had a wonderful breeding programme for przewalski's horses, they were reintroduced to their natural environment after it become a safe haven again following conflict in the region which had critically endangered them. :D

I love the photo's, especially the zebra :D
User avatar
Horus
Egyptian God
Egyptian God
Posts: 7933
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 11:59 pm
Location: UK
Has thanked: 2431 times
Been thanked: 1870 times
Gender:
Contact:
United Kingdom

Post by Horus »

Fran wrote:
I hear what you are saying Horus but some schemes do work
I never uttered a word :lol: :lol: :lol:

Nice pictures Grandad, always difficult to get a good animal photo :)
Image
User avatar
FABlux
Egyptian God
Egyptian God
Posts: 9975
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2005 1:32 pm
Location: Luxor
Has thanked: 155 times
Been thanked: 78 times
Gender:
Contact:
Egypt

Post by FABlux »

Whoops sorry Grandad & Horus, how did I do that :oops: :oops:
User avatar
Grandad
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 444
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2006 10:13 pm
Location: SE England
Has thanked: 75 times
Been thanked: 163 times
Gender:
United Kingdom

Post by Grandad »

Went to Ikea today, first time for about three years.

And what did I find in the picture section?????



Image

Seems someone else had the idea before me :(
Grandad :gg:
User avatar
Kiya
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 393
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2005 10:08 pm
Location: The Blue Toon. Scotland
Has thanked: 1 time
Gender:
Contact:
United Kingdom

Post by Kiya »

Grandad great minds think alike.........yours is much better :)
[flash width=270 height=14 loop=true]ad_signatures//kiya-sig.swf[/flash]
Image
LovelyLadyLux
Egyptian Pharaoh
Egyptian Pharaoh
Posts: 3253
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2009 2:27 am
Has thanked: 559 times
Been thanked: 1591 times
Canada

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Grandad - Am seeing your Zebra and raising you one! Yours is much better than the Ikea one and your photo inspired me to go to the photo of the zebra I took at the Honolulu Zoo in Hawaii. I'd taken a full body Zebra but after seeing how you cropped down your photo I copied your idea and definitely improved mine. Thanks for the inspiration!


Image

!
User avatar
Bearded Brian
Top Member
Top Member
Posts: 660
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:17 pm
Location: UK
Has thanked: 328 times
Been thanked: 304 times
Gender:
Contact:
Cambodia

Post by Bearded Brian »

Love both zebra pictures - LLL at first thought yours might have been better with both eyes but have decided that one eye is better. Went through all my zebra pictures but none could be cropped to give a good result - I'll just have to go back to Kenya (or Whipsnade Zoo). Any way here's my contribution from a zoo in Thailand.

Image
User avatar
Kiya
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 393
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2005 10:08 pm
Location: The Blue Toon. Scotland
Has thanked: 1 time
Gender:
Contact:
United Kingdom

Post by Kiya »

Wow! that is a great close up,I'm amazed at the detail :)
[flash width=270 height=14 loop=true]ad_signatures//kiya-sig.swf[/flash]
Image
User avatar
Horus
Egyptian God
Egyptian God
Posts: 7933
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 11:59 pm
Location: UK
Has thanked: 2431 times
Been thanked: 1870 times
Gender:
Contact:
United Kingdom

Post by Horus »

Great pictures everyone :)
Image
User avatar
Bearded Brian
Top Member
Top Member
Posts: 660
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:17 pm
Location: UK
Has thanked: 328 times
Been thanked: 304 times
Gender:
Contact:
Cambodia

Post by Bearded Brian »

This doesn't quite work as I've had to crop it so much that it has started to pixilate

Image
User avatar
jewel
Egyptian God
Egyptian God
Posts: 8473
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 10:09 pm
Has thanked: 221 times
Been thanked: 132 times
Gender:
Contact:
United Kingdom

Post by jewel »

Not too keen on zoos but love the animals........and talking of zebras, I was at a craft fair this summer and particularly loved this zebra :)
Image
Image
from Legends rocking horses....at least I now know where to get my old rocking horse retailed properly! :D
I don't have a plan......so nothing can go wrong!

Image
User avatar
Horus
Egyptian God
Egyptian God
Posts: 7933
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 11:59 pm
Location: UK
Has thanked: 2431 times
Been thanked: 1870 times
Gender:
Contact:
United Kingdom

Post by Horus »

This was as close as I wanted to be to this Komodo Dragon!

Image
Image
User avatar
Bearded Brian
Top Member
Top Member
Posts: 660
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:17 pm
Location: UK
Has thanked: 328 times
Been thanked: 304 times
Gender:
Contact:
Cambodia

Post by Bearded Brian »

Great detail H - this monitor was spotted in the lake in Lumpini park Bangkok, the locals weren't concerned and let their children dangle their feet into the lake not 10 feet away.


Image
User avatar
Horus
Egyptian God
Egyptian God
Posts: 7933
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 11:59 pm
Location: UK
Has thanked: 2431 times
Been thanked: 1870 times
Gender:
Contact:
United Kingdom

Post by Horus »

Nice shot Brian :)
Jewel I assume you mean re-tailed as in fitting another tail to it and not retailed as in selling it :lol: Anyway, its a lovely sharp picture. :)
Image
LovelyLadyLux
Egyptian Pharaoh
Egyptian Pharaoh
Posts: 3253
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2009 2:27 am
Has thanked: 559 times
Been thanked: 1591 times
Canada

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

AHA! I see your lizard, bear, zebras and komodo dragon and RAISE you all a TIGER!!!! :) :) :)


Image


Excellent photos guys! I'm loving Grandad's idea of cropping in close on animals. The details of the lizard are phenomenal!
User avatar
Bearded Brian
Top Member
Top Member
Posts: 660
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:17 pm
Location: UK
Has thanked: 328 times
Been thanked: 304 times
Gender:
Contact:
Cambodia

Post by Bearded Brian »

LLL like the way you have got the eyes within their own bit of the fence. These are the eyes of the tigger (my aunt's cat - wild and should be behind bars lol)

Image
LovelyLadyLux
Egyptian Pharaoh
Egyptian Pharaoh
Posts: 3253
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2009 2:27 am
Has thanked: 559 times
Been thanked: 1591 times
Canada

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Ahhh yesssss BB - a two eyed cat. Ok, I'll see your 2 eyed cat and raise you a One Eye'd Parrot "WITH" a Bell!!! :)

Image
LovelyLadyLux
Egyptian Pharaoh
Egyptian Pharaoh
Posts: 3253
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2009 2:27 am
Has thanked: 559 times
Been thanked: 1591 times
Canada

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

And to 'up' the excitement of our virtual zoo further I'm submitting for your viewing pleasure - A "Giraffe"!! (Upping the Ante to a G raffe)

Image
Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post
  • Photography.
    by Who2 » » in Hobbies And Pastimes
    9 Replies
    7305 Views
    Last post by Grandad
  • About photography Number 2
    by Horus » » in Hobbies And Pastimes
    238 Replies
    5521174 Views
    Last post by Horus
  • About photography Number 3
    by Grandad » » in Hobbies And Pastimes
    475 Replies
    4989677 Views
    Last post by JOJO
  • Photography - a beginner!
    by Angela » » in Hobbies And Pastimes
    21 Replies
    2116 Views
    Last post by Angela