Pallascat
Pallascat
Pallascat
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Feb, 2014Views
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Awards
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
2020 Choice Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
All Star
Peer Award
Exceptional Contrast
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland.Time
I waited until short before the Zoo closed, when all the window bangers were away. The Zoo is on a steep hill, so the main entrance was far away, but members of the Royal Zoological Society have an extra exit, so I could be as late as I could. Pallas Cats are shy creatures. I stayed still and then had a chance to take this shot. There are two issues, first do not frighten and spook the animal and secondly avoid bad patches in the security glass. I achieved this by staying half hidden at the side of the window. The windows in Edinburgh Zoo at the time were approachable. They changed this now because of window bangers luckily. So in that sense this shot would not be possible today anymore.Lighting
I did not artificially create any lighting. The weather can be quite changeable in Scotland, so I was lucky to catch some sun at the end of the day. It was at a good angle.Equipment
The camera was a Nikon D90 and the lens was a Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Lens which had quite good reviews at the time. The model would not be on sale anymore.Inspiration
My undergraduate degree is in zoology and at the time I wanted to fill up my zoological themed web page. I spend hundreds of hours in the Zoo, which was affordable with a year pass.Editing
I post processed images at the time in PS 2. I use Ansel Adams dodging and burning technique to highlight what is the character of an animal.In my camera bag
I usually have two cameras, a D40 and a D90 with a 300 mm tele lens (Nikon) and the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Lens in my bag + lens cleaner. Think tank sling bags if turned are quite good if turned in front of the body to create a lens change plat form. The bag is also quite good as not being too heavy on long days.Feedback
It is good to know what you are photographing. Know the animals, their behaviours and life cycle and day cycles, what they eat and so on. See them as unique representations of their species and know the setting they are in and the animals likely behaviour. Equipment is only useful to a certain point, in low light and so on. After that it is you and your knowledge about what you photograph. Have a connection with the animal. And always remember the eyes are the window to the soul also in animals. And do not knock on windows! It will achieve nothing besides stressing the animals, make you look like a donkey (insert other word here) and you will get nothing out of it.
