Mercat Cutest animal alive
I just loved the lighting on this cute little fella.
I just loved the lighting on this cute little fella.
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Nov, 2015Views
5004
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Awards
Featured
Contest Finalist in From Afar: Wildlife Photo Contest
Peer Award
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Genius
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
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Coveboy53
December 16, 2015
Great shot Joan, we don't have these in Australia.. Lots of 'tame' wallabies instead. Patrick
Platinum
p_eileenbaltz
March 01, 2016
Extraordinary detail and capture! Congratulations on being chosen a finalist in the 'Wildlife From Afar' contest. Good luck. :)
PRO
FalconEddie
March 01, 2016
I've seen painfully too many pictures of meercats, including my own. This is the first one I've seen that I'd consider to be a work of art. Congrats!
JoanLoBo
March 21, 2016
Thank you Gigi, It definitely is an honor knowing how many people enter photos into these contests.
PRO
marcdewitt
January 20, 2017
I don't know if they are the cutest animal alive, but they are way up at the top of the list! Really nice, crisp capture.
PRO+
Dalecga
September 30, 2017
These guys remind me of the high school,teacher that knew you didn't have your homework done. Great shot.
Nephyths
December 12, 2020
Wonderful! Meerkats are by far one of the cutest animals that roam our planet 🐾\u2764\uFE0F😘
PRO+
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This Mercat was taken at the Lowrey Park zoo in Tampa FloridaTime
What caught my attention at the Meercat habitat was the way the late afternoon light was creating a glowing effect on the meercat's fur. The sun was reflecting off the clay that filled their habitat and created just the right light.Lighting
In addition to the warm glow of the afternoon sun, I manually added a burst of fill flash to throw some light into his eyes. Too often when photographing animals at the zoo, their eyes go dark. It's important to make sure their eyes are bright to attract attention to them and create impact.Equipment
My lens of choice for zoo photography is my can 70-200 L lens with a 2x converter that makes it a 140-400mm focal length.Inspiration
I was inspired to take this photo because of the lighting that I was seeing. I walked over and one of them jumped up to get a better look and me and my big lens in his face. He propped himself up and began to watch me intently. He was the cutest little creature, and the warm tones of his fur looked fantastic in the late afternoon sun, and I just began snapping away.Editing
I processed the image in Adobe photoshop CS6 camera raw. I adjusted the blacks, whites, clarity, vibrance and shadows. I applied a little structure in Nik plug in Viveza, then I slightly brighten his eyes and applied a little sharpening.In my camera bag
The equipment that you can always find in my bag are My Canon 5D mark III, a flash, a remote for my flash, a reflector, a cable release, My tripod, a light meter and an off camera bracket for my flash. I also carry a 70-200 f 2.8 lens for close ups, an 85mm f 1.8 for portrait work, and an 24-70mm f 2.8 lens for landscapes or wide angle scenes. I also carry a Canon 7D as a back up camera along with extra SD cards. If I am on a landscape shoot, I also make sure I have a polarizing filter and a neutral density filter.Feedback
PATIENCE....The key to great zoo photography is patience. wait, wait, wait then take. Wait for the special moment, a lion yawning, a tongue sticking out, a baby nuzzling with its mom...Wait for a shot that creates impact. Also use flash..Light up those eyes and make them pop...And blur backgrounds so the emphasis stays on the subject. Try to get close, Zoom in and fill up your frame. close ups create impact. Look for colors...Find those animals with bright colors and interesting faces...then shoot multiple frames making sure your shutter speed is high enough to stop a moving animal. And have fun.
