devonmassyn
FollowThese inquisitive jackass penguins with attitude decided to check out their reflections
These inquisitive jackass penguins with attitude decided to check out their reflections
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Contest Finalist in Fish Eye And Wide Angle Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Wildlife Photo Contest 2017
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Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 1
Contest Finalist in It Is A Wild World Photo Contest
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Janicemartin
October 11, 2015
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
Ursusferrum
November 06, 2015
I love the expressions! You captured the character of these penguins and framed it beautifully.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
Simonstown, South AfricaTime
I planned on heading to an area well known for Jackass Penguins early in the morning when the light is great and penguins are not hiding in the heat of the day, heading out for a day hunting at sea. As luck would have it, in true african style...crazy road works turned a 30min drive into 3 hours. I ended up getting there in the middle of the day, sun pretty high and heat at peak levels. But my luck turned when 2 penguins waddled up the rocks for a rest..and in a perfect position!Lighting
Being late, the lighting was not what I had planned for as I was using natural light, but my subjects decided to sit in a perfect position and the water reflections provided a little fill. Lucked out!Equipment
Canon 6D, hand held, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USMInspiration
Jackass penguins have some attitude! And such character, i really wanted to convey that. I love showing the unique personalities that animals have and are often overlooked.Editing
I shot this image RAW and threw it into Lightroom to adjust white balance and add a slight vignette to focus the attention on to the penguins.In my camera bag
I carry my 6D with a 3 lens combo that gets me what i need in most situations..and always with UV filter . I don't usually carry a tripod unless i'm shooting long exposure. Wide of choice - Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM which does fantastic in low light situations wide enough for most situations. Standard Zoom - Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM which a gets wide enough if i want to carry around one lens without any other gear and enough distance to close up to subjects. Also takes great portraits if I am guerrilla shooting. Telephoto Zoom - Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM I cannot love this lens any more.... super sharp and gets you right in the action. It also has an extremely close focus distance so you can get away with carrying this as your only lens on a hike. The stabilization is beyond expectations and i have gotten sharp images at 1/30 fully at 400 which is impressiveFeedback
With wildlife you need to know your subject as much as possible to get the shots you want. What times of day are they active and where will the be is the first thing...and how will that effect my equipment choices (early morning... bring a bounce? Long lens with tripod?) . That being said I got lucky with my image as I was not there when i intended... but animals don't read text books. Also if you have the time, which does not often happen with wildlife photography...read your subject for a while before approaching any closer, you don't want to harass wildlife in any way (from an ethical standpoint and for natural behavior). This will also help you anticipate their next move and help you line up your shot...knowing where they will go, or if they are going to stay put...are there more individuals around the corner approaching that you didnt see? Every species is different with how they tolerate humans... these particular penguins were inquisitive, and came towards me very interested in destroying my lens...thank goodness for UV filter haha! Saved many a lens from pecks, scratches, venom and sand. Become part of the environment and let nature do it's thing... my last piece of advice...always go for the eyes. You can see in this image, its what i chose to have in focus...eyes give animals their life. If i had chosen to focus on his beak..it would have been unusable.