emj275

Giant Otter

Canon EOS 7D

settings

Aperture f/8.0 ISO 3200 Shutter 1/640

upload_date

May, 2014

Views

145

Likes

Awards

Awesome

Top Choice

Superb Composition

Outstanding Creativity

Jaw Dropping

Exceptional Contrast

Absolute Masterpiece

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at Parken Zoo which is in Eskilstuna in Sweden.

Time

This is one of many images taken at the Giant Otter feeding time at the zoo. We visited the zoo on my husband's birthday. It was taken on July 19 2012 at 2:30pm

Lighting

It was a nice sunny day so there was plenty of great natural light for this photo.

Equipment

This was shot with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400mm lens at 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 sec.

Inspiration

I was drawn to the Giant Otters by their loud excited calls. They knew that feeding time was coming up and were calling constantly. It's a very strange call and you never forget it once you hear it. I loved their comical nature and they have such character. It took quite a few shots to achieve what I wanted which was the otter biting down on the fish it had been thrown.

Editing

I cropped the image slightly, boosted the contrast and reduced the highlights to tone down the white areas in the water. Finally I sharpened it a little.

In my camera bag

I used to always pack my Canon 7D but I have just upgraded to a Canon 1Dx so this goes everywhere with me now. My favorite lens is my Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L. I have used this lens so much and love the sharp images it gives me. I do a lot of bird photography and it is perfect for that. For macro shots I have the Canon 100mm f/2.8L which is super sharp.

Feedback

Zoos are a great place for both the amateur and professional photographer to practice wildlife photography due to their wide variety of subjects. It gives you the opportunity to get in close to your subject. It does pose challenges though as animals are often behind glass. Get as close to the glass as possible and take a cloth so that you can clean the glass first. If you have to shoot through a cage get up as close as you can to them, use a longer focal length, choose a wider aperture and wait for the animal to move back from the cage. Choose a weekday when it is less busy unless you want to capture the human subjects too!

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emj275

emj275

Giant Otter

Behind The Lens

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