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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at the Dallas Zoo (cheating?)Time
This would have been taken late in the dayLighting
Lighting was very muted on this shot - it was taken under an awning in late afternoon on a rainy, overcast day.Equipment
This was taken hand-held with a Canon 80D and Sigma 18-300mm lensInspiration
The critter encounters at the zoo always make for great photo-ops - this guy was pretty used to people and was being held by staff where you could get some really great shotsEditing
This was processed using both Lightroom and Photoshop - I actually toned down the colors in this shot - the owl's natural eye color is so bright an orange that it doesn't look natural, so I desaturated it a bit. There was also a soda machine in the background I worked to remove so it wouldn't be distracting.In my camera bag
I normally carry a Canon 80D with a Sigma 18/300mm mounted, and/or a 5D Mk III with any number of lenses if I'm looking to shoot something specific, ranging from a 8mm diagonal fisheye to a Sigma 200-500mm telephoto depending on what I'll be shooting. I'm usually looking for cool things at random while traveling, so I often don't plan shots beforehand - I'm a pretty impromptu/opportunistic photographer. I've found I spend the most time with various prime lenses and the 18-300mm Sigma though, a superzoom's range lets you capture almost anything on the fly and reduces the need for lens changes out in the openFeedback
Zoos are great places for critter portraits - try for days where there is a bit more sunlight than I had available for this shot though!