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giraffe

giraffe



cameraCanon EOS 700D

settings Aperture f/2.8 ISO 100 Shutter 1/2000 Focal Length 100/1 

upload_dateJan, 2016

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5 Comments | Report
philliphirschmann
 
philliphirschmann May 11, 2016
This is my top favorite photo by far. I love how you where able to bring out all the texture on him forehead.
Sweesh
 
Sweesh June 06, 2016
That one made me laugh :D
kathyk_abq
 
kathyk_abq August 01, 2017
Great capture! Love the B&W!
The_Ledge
 
The_Ledge June 11, 2018
This is how I feel most mornings haha! I love this picture, it put a smile on my face.
Julia_137
 
Julia_137 July 27, 2018
Great picture! I also happen to have one that’s similar, come and see it sometime 😃

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Tags

#giraffe #zoo #african #mammal #black and white #black background
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Behind The Lens

Location
This photo was taket at Hamilton Zoo in New Zealand. The giraffe enclosure is lower than the public area, which allowed me to get the eye level shot.
Time
It was early afternoon, probably not the best time of day for photography, but some editing has turned this picture in to one of my favorites. I like that the giraffe is looking straight at me. They are fascinating creatures, with interesting textures, which I think I captured quite well.
Lighting
Originally, the image had an almost white background, as it was shot against ste sky in the middle of the day. By turning the background black, I feel like the animal stands out more, engaging the viewer.
Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 700D and a Tamron 70-200mm F/2.8 at a focal length of 100mm at F/2.8 1/200sec. 100 ISO. It is my favorite lens, it takes stunning images.
Inspiration
I was in Hamilton for business and had a little bit of time on my hands, I had been meaning to go to the zoo for a while, so I took the opportunity to visit. It's a lovely little zoo, with cheetahs, rhinos, chimpanzees, tigers and giraffes, just to mention a few. I stayed at the giraffe enclosure for quite some time, which was fortunate, as the animals started walking closer to the barrier. when I took this picture, the giraffe was no more than 15' away.
Editing
I did quite a bit of processing to increase the contrast and bring out the texture of the animal. I did this by creating a hi-pass filter and setting the layer to 'hard light'. I also blackened the background, to make the animal stand out more.
In my camera bag
Since this picture was taken, I have upgraded from the Canon 700D to the 6D. The lenses I had for the 700D were bought with the view of going full-frame eventually. I usually carry 3 lenses in my bag, the Tamron 70-200mm F/2.8 used for this picture, the Tamron 24-70mm F/2.8 and a Sigma 12-24mm, which on a full-frame body is awesome at 12mm, you can't get much wider than that without going fisheye. I love shooting landscapes at 12mm, the lens has minimal barrel distortion, but the wide angle makes for some impressive shots.
Feedback
Animals make for interesting subjects, be they pets, farm or zoo animals. The original image, although ok, really only came to life with some serious post-processing. My advice is, don't be afraid to process the heck out of your images, there may be a masterpiece hidden inside, waiting to get out. Happy Shooting :)

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