Blank Park Zoo lion-Night Eyes
Nov, 2015Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Staff Winter Selection 2015
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Top 30 rank
Top 30 rank week 2Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the Blank Park Zoo, in Des Moines,IATime
I took this during Night Eyes in October around 4:00 PM. Night Eyes is a fundraiser for the Blank Park Zoo. Each year they have volunteers handing out candy and treats to children of all ages. I love the Zoo and I especially love it when the weather gets cooler. Cooler weather and the lions and other animals are more playful.Lighting
I was shooting at the golden hour. The golden hour is a key time to shoot in the evening.Equipment
I used my Canon T6i and was shooting with my Canon lens 55-250. I had no flash on.x I was also shooting on manual focus.Inspiration
I love lions and I like to photograph them. I have never had the opportunity to see a lion in the wild. When I go to the zoo I always try to focus on him to try to get a great photo without the cage bars showing through.Editing
I used Adobe Lightroom for my post processing. I used Topaz filters to dehaze and adjestment. The leaves behind the lion became Bokeh and I really liked the way it turned out. I really enjoy using Topaz and I watch webinars and learn all the time.In my camera bag
I always have my Canon T6i, lens 18-55, 55-250, Sigma wide angle Lens 10-20mm, and I carry my Tamron 150-600mm lens in a special case when I am planning on shooting wildlife. I also have my macro filters, and I have my timer for night shooting.Feedback
I would suggest to learn to focus between the bars and if you do this the bars melt into the photo and you can't really see them. I have had a lot of practice shooting little league games through the chain links. It is very similar. Using the manual focus is key here as you can focus on the lion and not the bars. Most of the time if you shoot with auto focus the bars is what the camera lens sees.
