faithkonidaris
FollowThis beautiful stunning octopus was displaying its size and beauty.
This beautiful stunning octopus was displaying its size and beauty.
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Awards
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 21
Winner in Under The Sea Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Underwater Textures Photo Contest
Member Selection Award
Featured
People's Choice in Animals of the Sea Photo Challenge
Spring Selection Award
Contest Finalist in Deep Blue Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Virtuoso
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peterbowes
April 24, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
KatieMcKinneyPhotography
June 06, 2016
Congrats on winning peoples choice in my "Animals of the Sea" challenge! What an awesome capture, enjoy your new award. Well deserved!
Mary18
August 06, 2017
Congratulations on winning my Under The Sea photo challenge! I really liked this photo because of the complexity and number of things that had to come into play for this photo to work. Which you totally pulled off! There is a lot of detail in this image, and the colors of the octopus came out beautifully. It hardly even looks real! Congrats again, I hope to see more like this from you in the future!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Sometimes the best photos are right in your own backyard. I don't have the means or time to travel much, so trips to the zoo are always my stop for great photographic opportunities and testing new camera gear.Time
This was shot indoors through glass. Over the fifty plus trips I've made to the zoo in my lifetime, I've only seen the octopus there a total of four times. Usually hidden, the tank normally looks empty.Lighting
Due to the nature of the animals sensitivity to light, this section of the aquarium is very dark with no flash or bright lights allowed. I increased my ISO to capture this photo and trying to shoot through glass without capturing reflections of myself or those around me proved to be difficult, but waiting patiently and angling my lens correctly to avoid as much glare as possible proved to work.Equipment
This was shot handheld on a Canon 7D Mark ii with a Canon 24-105 f/4 L. No flashes or filters were used.Inspiration
This graceful creature took my breath as it moved about the aquarium in search of either food or a new hiding spot. Having only seen it a few times before on trips to the zoo, I almost didn't get a picture as I couldn't stop watching it. The grace that it moved in, so smooth and fluid was mesmerizing. I managed to get several photos as I tried to move around the throngs of people also trying to catch a glimpse.Editing
There was minor post processing as far as increasing the sharpness and enhancing the colors of the octopus.In my camera bag
I've always been a Canon shooter and have recently upgraded to my Canon 7D Mark ii. In addition to my Canon 24-105 f/4L, I carry a Canon 70-200 f/4L and Canon 50mm 1.4 USM, and a Tamron 16-300 f/3.5-6.3 aid ii VC PZD MACRO. I do not use flashes and occasionally use a tripod for landscape work. I also carry about 4-5 spare batteries, tons of memory cards, a blower brush, and microfiber cloths as well.Feedback
Patience and always be ready are good pieces of advice. You never know when a great opportunity will present itself or where. If you're not able to travel for fantastic shots, trips to your local zoos, museums, gardens, parks can prove to have challenging and interesting photo experiences. For me, the zoo will always be my favorite spot to go as the lighting is always changing, the animals are usually moving, there's objects to contend with (i.e. people, fencing, etc) and it's just a fun trip out. I've stood outside some of the exhibits for great lengths of time waiting for the animals to do something different so that I can capture a more unique photo or for the animals to move to a different position that would provide a better photo. I experiment with different settings often and make note of which settings worked for which scenarios.