TheoShilton
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Show Snowflakes Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Celebrating Nature Day Photo Contest 2015
Contest Finalist in Animals Of The Winter Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Solo Animals Photo Contest
People's Choice in Wildlife portraits with personality Photo Challenge
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Genius
Great Find
Jaw Dropping
One Of A Kind
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cghalford
January 08, 2015
Your photo has reached the top 3% of my wildlife portrait with personality challenge (1394 now 40) great capture
cghalford
January 08, 2015
Your photo has reached the top 3% of my wildlife portrait with personality challenge (1394 now 40) great capture
TheoShilton
February 18, 2015
Feel free to follow me at:
https://www.facebook.com/TheoShiltonPhotography
https://www.facebook.com/TheoShiltonPhotography
leighlofgren
March 16, 2015
Really beautiful and I will be there in Feb 2016 - cannot wait. Congrats
patriciasstauffer
December 09, 2016
That look you give your co-worker when they say they are leaving early on a Friday. lol
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the Snow monkey National Park near Nagano in Northern Japan. A short bullet train ride from Tokyo I spent a half day photographing these monkeys in their surroundings. The character of the monkeys and the almost magical surroundings make it impossible to not find inspiration when looking through your viewfinder.Time
This was taken in the morning at around 11am. The light was really good for half of the shoot and then a blizzard came in. Although the results in the blizzard were something special! The cold was pretty brutal as we were at the tail end of winter in Nagano. I came with 4 layers on but that didn't stop the cold getting to me. By the end of the shoot I could barely move my fingers but it was worth it for the range of images I was lucky enough to capture.Lighting
I never use flash when shooting wildlife as I don't want to startle a subject or make them feel uncomfortable. For me wildlife photography is about capturing an animal in a natural state not something manufactured. Because of this I always use the light available to me on the day and then adjust my settings accordingly. Due to the need of a fast shutter speed you always need a wide aperture which hopefully allows you to have a low ISO and reduce any potential noise in your image.Equipment
This shot was taken using a Nikon D7000 body and a sigma 150-500mm lens. I really like the flexibility you get with the large focal range and I didn't find myself wanting at any point during the shoot. I didn't use flash as I wanted to avoid startling any of the monkeys so I found a large aperture was the best way to go. All of these shot were handheld, which is no mean feat when lugging around a 150-500mm lens. My arms definitely got a good work out on this onesInspiration
The character of these monkeys is spectacular. You can capture a really broad range of emotions and facial expressions during a shoot at the hot springs and its impossible not to be inspired by their charm. The moment i shot this image I was drawn to the expression of the monkeys face but also those huge eyes. I am really pleased with the outcome and the character portrayed is brilliant.Editing
I rarely do a lot of post processing with wildlife images. I firstly put the image into photoshop for a very minimal tweak with the curves tool then imported into Lightroom. In Lightroom I firstly adjusted the clarity and sharpness a bit and increased the contrast slightly. The light on the image was fairly good from the RAW file so I minimally adjusted the highlights to give the shot a slightly crisper look. Finally I applied a vignette to the image to create a stronger focus on the monkeys face and expression.In my camera bag
I usually carry two main lenses for wildlife work a sigma 150-500mm and a Nikon 18-300mm. I find that a combination of both of these focal lengths rarely leaves me caught out when shooting animals. I also carry a 10-20mm lens for architectural and landscape work which is always my go to lens for these kinds of shots. Finally I have three fish eye lenses for street and architectural shot when I find myself wanting at the 10mm limit. My fish eyes are fixed focal lengths and are 8mm and 6.5mm rectangular lenses and a 4.5mm circular lens.Feedback
Be patient and be prepared to wait around in cold temperatures. In winter Nagano is extremely cold so dress well for the shoot. I had 4 layers on and still felt the cold. Follow one subject at a time and wait before firing the shutter. You will miss a lot of shots if you move the lens around around a lot and with the unpredictability of wildlife you maximise your chances of capturing that perfect moment by following one subject at a time. In terms of settings I advise using a fast shutter speed of at least 1/125 and a wide aperture of at least 5.6 (preferable, 3.5) and a low ISO of between 100 and 320. This will ensure you don't get any motion blur in your image and should not jeopardise the clarity of your shot. Good luck and if you are ever fortunate enough to go to Japan I cannot recommend this place enough!