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Jul, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo of the koala on our property in Stirling, South Australia. We have a 100 metre long driveway on our way to the homestead, and as my daughter and I were walking home from school, we spotted this lovely koala on the tree next to our fence. It was only 2 metres off the ground, so I ran inside to grab my DSLR and swap out my lenses to a telephoto one to get the shot.Time
This was taken around 3:30pm in the springtime, so the sun was still fairly low on the horizon at our north facing property.Lighting
In the early spring, the sun is only at a 45 degree angle for much of the day, because we live in South Australia (next stop Antarctica). This provides ideal lighting for many shots as long as it isn't midday.Equipment
Nikon D5500, telephoto lens, automatic settingInspiration
We purchased this property to provide an 'ark' to wildlife in an area that is slowly building up. We see ourselves as caretakers of the land rather than owners. The property naturally has many endangered and threatened flora and fauna on it, so when we heard the koalas in the evening doing their mating calls, we knew we had a few near the house. I made sure that my camera batteries were fully charged so that I could be prepared.Editing
I did very little post processing - just a white balance correction and auto tone. Australia tends to have quite a bit of brown and tan in the images which flatten out in regular lighting so it requires some touch ups to bring the images up to what our eyes see.In my camera bag
macro lens, telephoto lens, wide angle lens, battery charger, camera body, mini tripodFeedback
Use all of your senses. To find koalas that may be camoflaged with their environment, you can generally smell a eucalyptus essential oil scent as you walk under a tree with koalas in it. They tend to be on lower branches on hot days, and they have their favourite trees for windy days. Take a walk through wilderness refuges and you will see some amazing wildlife.
