Hey... what are you looking at?! copy
Jul, 2016Views
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Awards
Summer Selection
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken at an amazing animal safari in eastern PA. The owner has been traveling, collecting exotic and endangered animals from all around the world. This small monkey was playing with his brothers and sisters, tackling each other off of the tree. Once this little guy was finally the last one on the tree, he stood up and gave me a pose as the new, "king of the hill."Time
This was an amazing trip and I was there all day from 8 am to 5 pm trying to find some amazing animal shots. I took this picture around 2:30 pm on July 3rd this year. The weather was beautiful all day with clear blue skies.Lighting
Although I did not do anything specific for the lighting to take this picture, the environment that the monkeys were in happened to have just the right amount of warm light. This helped get the warm nature feeling of the picture.Equipment
I used a Sony a6000 camera with a 55-210 mm lens. I could not use a flash due to the environment the monkeys were in; it caused a horrible glare when I tried to use the flash. I did not use a tripod either, but I used my girlfriend's shoulder as a solid stand so I could get a clear capture.Inspiration
I was inspired to take this picture for several reasons. One of which is that I have an amazing love for all animals. They bring the curiosity out in me. I have found that every animal no matter how small or different, has an amazing beauty in them. They often make for great pictures. Anywhere from something really funny, really cute, to really sad. Animals tend to bring emotions out of people and I think that's the greatest part of being a photographer... evoking emotion in people!Editing
I left this picture completely unedited. The monkey is natural and real and I wanted to keep my picture the same.In my camera bag
I normally carry my Sony a6000 along with 2 lenses. A 55-210 mm lens and a 16-50 mm lens. In addition, I usually have a tripod, an extra battery, and two memory cards just to be safe. Although for this trip I did not bring my tripod. Mainly because I knew a lot of the pictures would have to be taken while either I was moving or the animal was moving.Feedback
If you want to take pictures like this, I would recommend visiting any local wildlife reserves or safaris in your area. You can find them all over the place and they are often pretty cheap to go to. You get a lot of bang for your buck! Also, make sure you can switch lenses quickly, you have to be quick if you want a good shot of an animal doing what you are looking for, and they wont do it long. And often you'll see it farther than expected or closer than expected so be ready to change lenses. Animals are animals and they will do what they want where they want. Lastly, PATIENCE! You might get the picture you were looking for quickly, but normally you'll be waiting for quite some time before you see what you want. Make sure you have fun and enjoy your adventure though! The more fun you have the better your pictures will be. People can tell your excitement level behind the lens through the pictures you take.
