Meerkat Love
May, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the Toronto Zoo. Its a favourite place for me to go and take photographs. I taught myself the majority of what I know there.Time
It was in January, a pretty mild winter by Toronto standards. It was a family trip to get the kids out of the house. I remember feeling particularly frustrated that day because none of the animals were cooperating with me. I couldn't get a decent shot. Then I came around to the Meerkats, which are one of my favourite animals and I saw these guys cuddling. I was very fortunate to get this. It was early January, around the 4th. I took the shot around 3pm.Lighting
I use all natural lighting. Or try too as much as possible. Thankfully, the Toronto Zoo keeps their buildings well lit and make this easy. I was also fortunate that the sun was really bright that day and was coming in from the doors to right of me allowing me to get a shadow I loved.Equipment
This was one of the last trips to the zoo I made before I upgraded my gear. I was using my old T2i with a 55-250mm lens. No flash. No tripod. I had the auto focus turned off. Image stabilization off. I try to keep to the basics and as natural as I can. Even in doors.Inspiration
I was in a great place in the perfect time. It's not often you get these little guys together. They're usually off doing their own thing, or digging. When I saw them, I was actually shaking. I was so scared I wasn't going to get a chance to get my settings right and get in place and get the shot! Thankfully, they cooperated and I was able to get the shot just wanted. No more that a second after my finger hit the shutter they scurried off. I was grateful for it. That's for sure!Editing
Yes. I naturally post process all my images. For this one, i played around with it and went for an artistic look. I played with the colours and ended up going for a slightly aged look. I think it gives it a timed romance look. It's something normally done with portraits, especially in engagement shots or wedding shoots. I tried it with these cuties and it worked. Tried thinking outside the box and I got somewhere with it.In my camera bag
Now, I carry two cameras. My cropped Canon t2i and my newer full framed Canon 6D. I have about 8 varied types of lenses. Both cropped and full framed. For this type of photography, the 70-200mm f/2.8 has become my workhorse. But I still use my trusty 55-250mm on my cropped sensor body from time to time. Sometimes, though rarely, I make use of my wide angle, 24-105mm. I have a macro set up, since I have recently gotten into that style as well. I have a macro flash ring. But other than that, I really do try to keep it to natural light. My bag is a massive lowpro. It carries everything easily. Though I think I'll be looking into an upgrade soon.Feedback
Have a zoom lens with at least 150mm. Anything below that and you're going to find you're not getting close enough to the animals. Patience is another player. I've sat at these animals for sometimes hours at a time when I've gone without the kids. Just waiting for an opportunity to get the shot I want. Even then, you can often end up disappointed. Don't let that disappointment discourage you. I've gone to the zoo many times since I took this photograph and revisited the Meerkats.. I can't get anything remotely near what I want, which is a shot I can be proud of like this one and that'll happen. Try to learn when the animals are most active (or not if that's what you're after) and plan to visit around those times. Be prepared to wait and patience! Multiple trips may be required. (I have a membership). Pre-plan your shot when you get where you'll be shooting so you won't have to play with your settings when you get your chance. Most importantly- have fun with it :)
