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Siberian Tiger
Siberian Tiger
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May, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I always get quite excited when shooting animals in anticipation of the unexpected. This photo was taken at Howletts Zoo in Kent,Time
Big cat's inspire me, but catching the moment when they do something special is icing on the cake. You need to be ready with your camera in front of your eye and setup for the shot. I took this particular image during the early morning of mid May this year.Lighting
It's very important to be aware of the light, cloudy days are great as they produce neutralised mellow images, where as on sunny days it helps to get sun to be from the side or rear with the hope of catching the light reflecting in the animals eyes. I set camera to servo and prefer to wait for the moment when the animal looks my way before shooting off. The orientation of animal compounds can be paramount to obtaining a good shot.Equipment
It pays dividends to read up experienced photographers tips before any photo shoot, this can save a lot of disappointment. For animals I wouldn't be without my Nikon D810. My favourite lens for zoo shoots is my well marked Nikkor 70-200 F2.8. The low F setting allows me to up the speed, whilst keeping the ISO low and capture the action.Inspiration
On this particular day I was lucky as the animals seemed very active, animals can be lazy in hot weather, don't dismiss cold and wet days and check the zoos feeding times; early morning and late afternoon can also be really good. I decide a goal before setting out sometimes it's teeth and tongues other times its mouth shut. Inspiration happens when everything comes together.Editing
Yes and pretty poorly in this image, the defocused background had a climbing frame which I admittedly swiftly removed using PhotoShop, now I when look at the image this could have been done a lot better.In my camera bag
My camera is big and heavy and I love it to pieces because it has few limitations - Nikon D810; I hate carrying to much weight and try to predict my needs before a shoot, my choice of lenses comprise Nikkor 28-300 F3.5 general allrounder; Nikkor 50mm F1.4 prime, Nikkor 14-24 F2.8 wide angle and Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 telephoto. I always carry spare batteries and a lens cloth.Feedback
Some essential basics for animal shots in zoos, get down low to the level of the animals eyes, this perspective is far more natural than looking down from a standing position. Set your white balance to cloudy this enhances the animals colours. Shoot RAW this allows correction of errors such as exposure later.d. If you have to shoot through mesh, use a low F setting and try shooting the animal at least 4m beyond the cage to provide a clear shot. My top tip is shot manual with ISO set on auto, keep your eye on the ISO level whenever changing position, set your speed for action as desired generally between 1\500-800th second and stop down the F setting until the ISO bounces off the bottom line. This formula ensures maximum detail and captures the action when it happens.
