Baby Zebra and Mother
Apr, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at a local zoo in Massachusetts, which I often frequent to practice and hone my skills in preparation for one day going on an African safari.Time
This was taken during midday.Lighting
This was a bright overcast day, perfect for lowering the otherwise extreme dynamic range of the black and white zebra stripes.Equipment
This was shot with my D810 and 80-400mm lens on a monopod.Inspiration
I had always wanted to take a zebra family portrait, but the zebras at this particular zoo were never close enough nor positioned in a compelling way. Since they were in a large open field with no fences, I knew the potential was there, given the right lighting conditions and subject framing. Amazingly, on my last visit before the season closed, the recently born zebra calf was grazing with her mother on an overcast day! After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, my one chance to capture this framing came and went in a few seconds. Fortunately, I was prepared and squeezed off a few shots before this beautiful moment was gone.Editing
Since I was looking down on the zebras from my vantage point, there was a lot of grass surrounding them, which didn't make for the most interesting backdrop. So, I decided to experiment with a black and white fine art treatment. This proved to be more time consuming than I initially thought, since the grass background wasn't particular blurred, due to the subject distance (150ft) and working aperture of f/5.6. To achieve the black background, I used the adjustment brush in Lightroom and darkened everything but the zebras, with the exception of the grass at their feet, to give a little context. In retrospect, I should have used Nik's Silver Efex plugin for it's amazing control point technology to help with my masking. For the finishing touches, I boosted clarity and contrast and added some noise reduction, all within Lightroom.In my camera bag
After picking up a 80-400mm zoom last year for Nikon D810, I haven't looked back. I previously had a Nikon 300mm f/4, but the versatility of the zoom has proved invaluable to my wildlife photography. For an advanced amateur, this lens is at the right price point and produces excellent image quality. For support, I carry a solid Induro monopod and a Jobu Jr. Gimbal head, both of which are very light, but very solid. I also do a lot of insect and floral macros during the summer, so I bring a Sigma 150mm with 1.4x TC on those occasions.Feedback
I find that persistence is my biggest asset to capturing unique compositions and interesting poses. Also, keen observation of animal behaviors have helped me better predict decisive moments. Lastly, I experiment with different exposure settings (aperture, shutter speed, iso, and exposure comp) and analyze the results in Lightroom, thus arriving at my optimum settings for every lighting and animal behavior scenario.
