Pink Obsession
Get me near a flock of flamingos... and I just can't seem to stop clicking... Something about their color... something about their behaviors... something a...
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Get me near a flock of flamingos... and I just can't seem to stop clicking... Something about their color... something about their behaviors... something about them just grabs my eye and won't let go...
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Nov, 2015Views
2525
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Awards
Featured
Contest Finalist in Monthly Pro Vol 17 Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
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Categories
Ultimate
carrie00813
January 01, 2016
Wow, incredible! So beautiful. Really nice job. One of my favorites ever.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at the San Diego Zoo. If you are ever looking for a HUGE variety of wildlife photo opportunities, you will have a difficult time finding a better location. Remember that there is the main zoo, but also the San Diego Zoo Safari Park at a different location. Both are well worth spending as much time as you can.Time
This was mid-day, one of the last spots shooting in the zoo before leaving. Mornings are often the best time to get to any zoo. Once the mid-day sun hits, the light isn't as good, and it has often warmed up enough that the animals are not as active. In the case of the flamingos, the light remained fairly good, as their pond is slightly shaded.Lighting
Given the shot was at mid-day, I was thankful that the flamingo area was at least slightly shaded. It ended up being lit enough to capture the wonderful colors of their feathers, without ending up being washed out.Equipment
This was shot with my Canon 7D MkII, and Canon EF 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS at 300mm. I was using a ProMaster monopod at the time. Given the shadows, and how quickly the birds can move at times, I wanted to be sure my shutter speed was high enough to capture any movement without blur. ISO 1,000 put me at 1/1250th with the f/stop at 5.6.Inspiration
I love watching flamingos when I have the chance. They can be beautiful in so many ways, from their feathers to their grace in movements. In this case, the contrast of the background and depth of the area gave me an opportunity to try and use a wide open aperture to blur the background. Although many of the birds were moving around and active, this one was being fairly still for me. I had to wait patiently for it to be isolated in the shot, with only other birds further in the background. In this case, the way the head was tucked into the feathers was truly different than any of the others, with the small hairlike feathers dancing in the breeze in front of the eye. As I was setting up the shot, he seemed to be watching what I was doing, and thankfully made amazing eye contact with the camera.Editing
For this shot, I did some initial adjustments in LightRoom, a little cleanup via spot removal in PhotoShop, and then the majority of the post processing using the Nik Collection. Nik's Color Efex Pro v4 allowed me to enhance the details in the feathers, and bring out the deep colors. Some final clean up going back and forth between PhotoShop and Nik's Viveza to get the background colors muted enough to not dominate and draw the eye away. I've often felt the desire to go back and do a little more with the background to give the bird more focus.In my camera bag
My bag is pretty consistent. My Canon 7D is always in it, and I've recently added a used Canon 1D MkIII as a full frame option. The 1D had become my go-to body for most shooting in my primary areas of wildlife and nature. These two bodies give me a huge amount of flexibility, and ability to really look at the shooting conditions. Sometimes I may want the 7D's 10fps to capture the right instant of an egret taking flight, or for it's video capability. Other times I may want the color depth and added details the 1D provides. I have two primary lenses. My "walking around" lens for the 7D is a Tamron f3.5-6.3 16-300 VC. The range it offers, combined with the image quality, is simply amazing. As a general shooting lens, it has never failed me. My "wildlife" lens is my Canon EF 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS. I can't say enough about how great it is for wildlife, and works equally well on both the 7D and 1D. I also keep a Canon 1.4x III Extender handy for use with this lens. For the 1D, my walking around lens is a Canon 28-135 3.5-5.6, which is great for many types of shots. Past that, spare batteries for both bodies, polarizer for each lens, 1-8 ND filter for the Tamron, a remote trigger for most tripod shots, and spare 64GB cards just in case. Although not "in my bag", I have a ProMaster XC525 tripod, and a Really Right Stuff MC-34 monopod with the MH-02LR head, which are generally in my trunk ready to go.Feedback
Angles and light are always key aspects, but especially true when in a zoo. It also takes patience once the right angle has been found, to wait for the pose or behavior you are hoping for. These are not the types of shots you can quickly walk up to, take, and move on. You need to stay and get a feel for both the animals and the specific environment to know where a shot could happen. In this case, once I found the angle I liked for the intended shot, waiting for this specific bird to be alone in the foreground was the entire goal. During the times when he was alone in the shot, watching for the head and eye position for the shot I was hoping for, all while hoping he didn't decide it was time to do something else and move on. The other big aspect to zoo shooting is watching the background of the shot. It's easy to get focused on a specific animal, but a great animal shot can be virtually ruined by a poor background. This is part of finding your angle.
