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Flamengo Family #2
Flamengo chick born May 28, 2014. In the Flamengo World the entire Village helps raise the young!!
Flamengo chick born May 28, 2014. In the Flamengo World the entire Village helps raise the young!!
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May, 2014Views
2835
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Awards
Action Award
Featured
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Virtuoso
Superior Skill
Great Find
Genius
VIP Favorite
One Of A Kind
Emotions
Impressed
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at one of my favorite "hang-outs", the Columbia (SC) Riverbanks Zoo. A fantastic zoo built in an extremely photo friendly fashion. There are always a few babies around regardless of the time of year!! The flamingo eggs are actually spirited away and hatched under controlled conditions in an enclosed facility. When the little ones hatch they are returned to the pen and the parents take over. the adults all 'hang around" the youngsters offering help and love to the Mom and demonstrating that it indeed "takes a village".Time
I was up and out in time to drive the 90 miles from Charlotte to Columbia in time for the opening of the Zoo at 9am. The Flamingo area is surrounded by fairly tall trees and some dense flowers and other foliage. The light is almost always nice and soft early in the morning until about 1pm.Lighting
On a slightly overcast day, the light was gorgeous and welcomed.Equipment
This capture was made with the Nikon D850 and the Nikon 80-400mm lens with a polarizer filter installed.Inspiration
I saw the way the other flamingoes were fighting for position (gently) and that the curves of their necks framed the chick. So I just maneuvered myself and waited for attractive shapes. The most prevalent was the shape of a heart...so I just waited!Editing
I did all of the post-processing necessary to overcome the deficiencies of a digitally captured frame, carefully recreating the tones, eliminating noise and the occasional mud splash and sharpened to overcome the softness inherent in a digital capture. Important to me was to reproduce the soft, natural colors of the flamingo. The wide f-stop was chosen carefully to make the background smooth and soft and natural.In my camera bag
When I go to the Zoo, I always pack the Nikon D850 and the Nikkor 80-400mm lens with a polarizer planted in front. also in the bag are the Nikkor 24-70mm f4 lens for use when I want to include more of the environment (while being careful to not get any "hand of man" visible in the frame. The challenge of Zoo Photography is to keep any hint of Zoo out of the frame unless it serves a specific purpose. My gitzo tripod and RRS bullhead is always close-by and usually in-use. Clipped to my belt is a midsized reflector just in case I need to shape the light a bit.Feedback
At first glance, the Flamingo pen is chaotic and messy. Pick a lens that will allow you to isolate the chosen subject...have a lot of patience...be aware of the behavior you are looking for..and wait for it!!
