penguin
Nov, 2013Views
341
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Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Jaw Dropping
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Top 10 rankSame photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at London Zoo on a day trip there few years back when I just started getting very serious about photography. I wanted to practise with my new camera and challenge myself with capturing moving objects.Time
It was just after lunch time and I have spent a good hour trying to get a good shot of penguins.Lighting
The lighting condition was quite challenging from time to time as the sunlight can be a bit harsh and can change quite rapidly depending on the location and shades. It was a sunny day and so I have to use quite high shutter speed even though the ISO was on the lowest setting (which is necessary anyway since I am capturing a moving object).Equipment
This photo was taken with my very first DSLR, Canon 650D. I used the standard kit lens 18-135mm STM and it proved to be very versatile.Inspiration
Originally I didn't know I love penguin this much! But by the time I left the zoo, I took hundreds of photos just on the subject of penguin. I particularly like this photo as the simple composition and the colour and waves in the background offer certain level of calmness and tranquility. The line of sight of the penguin also allowed room for the viewer's imagination.Editing
As I just started getting into photography when I took this photo, post-processing is still relatively new to me. I am a big fan of Lightroom and I have a particular workflow when it comes to post-processing. I usually start from the bottom with correction such as distortion and aberration. I then moved my way up corrrection for noise and end in the top section to adjust exposure slightly so that I get a bit more detail and contrast. I would usually add a touch of clarity and saturation for a photo-finish. However, I am not too keen on heavy editing and would like to keep any changes to the photo to the minimum. (It's a philosophy that I still adhere to today.)In my camera bag
Back then I can only afford the 18-135mm STM kit lens. As I expand my collection, I will carry different lenses depending on the assignment. My 18-135mm is still my go-to lens because of it's flexibility, but I have found the new 24mm STM to be my new favourite (especially because I take mostly nature or landscape photos, but I also found it being particularly good at street/food photography). I have traded-in my Canon 650D and now walk around with my 760D. I always carry some UV filters with me just to protect my lenses. (I have accidentally drop my kit lens once and luckily only the filter was damaged.) I am quite demanding when it comes to accurate colour reproduction, so I always carry ColorChecker Passport with me as well. It also makes post-processing a lot easier afterwards. I almost always travel light so I tend to just grab my Manfrotto PIXI mini tripod and go.Feedback
Spend time and know your subject is the biggest lesson I learned from this. I spent so much time just to try and understand the movement and behaviour of these penguins. It is impossible to take a decent animal photo especially they are moving a lot. Once you get used to them and know their habit, you can then predict their moves and capture the moment. You can tell if a penguin is about to jump out of the water if you pay close attention on how they move and swim!
