michaelhadfield

Rothschild's Giraffe, Chester Zoo

Canon EOS 6D

settings

Aperture f/5.6 ISO 200 Shutter 1/500 Focal Length 330/1

upload_date

Dec, 2015

Views

220

Likes

+28

Awards

Zenith Award

Legendary Award

Top Shot Award

Spring Selection Award

Top Choice

+17

Superb Composition

+12

Absolute Masterpiece

+12

Outstanding Creativity

Magnificent Capture

Peer Award

All Star

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at the entrance to the giraffe house in Chester Zoo, Chester, UK

Time

The image was taken about 3pm in late October. Since I have a Zoo members pass I often pop in during late afternoon, when the number of visitors is smaller and the lighting is a little better.

Lighting

This pair of giraffes were standing in the open doorway of the giraffe house. This gave me that beautiful black background, with their faces lit by natural light.

Equipment

Camera was Canon EOS 6D, with the Canon EF L 100-400mm mkII lens

Inspiration

I visit the zoo often so I'm always looking to improve on what I've already taken. Backgrounds are problematic in a zoo because animals look so much better against a natural background, so when I saw this pair standing in the doorway against that dark backdrop, it seemed perfect.

Editing

I shoot RAW so everything needs post-processing. I use Lightroom, and tweak the sharpness, contrast and a few other touches. In this instance I darkened the blacks so that the background was a little more intense.

In my camera bag

My camera is the Canon 6D. My favourite lens is probably the 100-400mm, but I also carry the Canon EF L 24-105 f4 for everyday use, the EF 100mm macro for flowers, and the EF L 16-35mm. The camera battery can cope with about 800 shots and I've never flattened it in one day so I don't bother with a spare.

Feedback

Anyone who does a lot of animal photography knows you need two things, a long lens, and patience. You can't control or direct animals, so you have to wait and watch, and have the camera ready to point, focus, and shoot.

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michaelhadfield

michaelhadfield

Rothschild's Giraffe, Chester Zoo

Behind The Lens

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