Vojtech_Hruza
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Contest Finalist in Reptiles Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Animal Eye Photo Contest vol1
Contest Finalist in Macro Masterpieces Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Celebrating The Green Color Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Powerful Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Animal Eye Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
This particular picture was taken during my visit in Prague ZOO (4th best ZOO in the world according to TripAdvisor top25 list btw) in the Pavilion of Gharials. I am not a big fan of ZOOs in general, but the Prague one surprised me pleasantly in numerous ways. It is certainly a must see place while staying in Prague.Time
The pic was shot on one Saturday afternoon in August this summer. And because the Pavilion of Gharials is an indoor exposition, the time of day didn't play much of a role, except for the tourists numbers. :DLighting
The tourist area inside the pavilion is quite dark space, while the animal expositions are dimmly lit. In effect, it presents a low light conditions for shooting. And as the object of interest wasn't planning to move any time soon and i could have been waiting for hours for it to make any kind of a movement, i didn't have much of a say in adjusting the lighting in the composition. At the same time, i had to avoid any unwanted reflections on the glass wall of the terrarium dividing me and the subject.Equipment
The photo was shot with Pentax K-S2 (my very first DSLR) and kit lens smc Pentax-DA L 50-200mm ED F4-5.6 WR. Although a lightweight travel tripod would have been handy, i did not own one at the time. No other equipment was used.Inspiration
I was captivated by the eyes of one of the gharials (a crocodilian species) at first glance. As he was lying there, completely motionless, i knew right there that i wanted to capture that cold staring, motionless and expressionless eye in a close up shot. I loved the coloring and the texture of his iris.Editing
For post-processing my pictures, i use Lightroom+Photoshop combo. This particular picture was pretty solid to begin with, so i didn't have to spend much time post-processing it to get the look i was after. No cropping needed, just a little contrast and white balance adjustment, bringing down the highlights a little bit and opening up the shadows a bit. I also played a little with clarity and vibrance of the picture. And that is pretty much it, quick and simple edit.In my camera bag
As i am just starting with photography, learning my way with my very first DSLR, i don't have that much of an equipment to begin with yet. Therefore i pack my Pentax K-S2 camera along with it's two kit lens. The smc Pentax-DA L 18-50mm F4-5.6 DC WR i happen to use most of the time as it is quite versatile, super-lightweight and compact (especially when in collapsed mode) and of course water-resistant as well as the body, making it perfect lens for travel photography (as far as the kit lens goes). The smc Pentax-DA L 50-200mm ED F4-5.6 WR i haven't used that much yet, but i used this lens solely during the entire visit in the ZOO. Small table tripod has always a place in my bag along with a couple of screw-in UV and CPL filters. A microfiber cloth is a must. And depending on what i plan to shoot, i also carry lightweight Rollei Compact Traveler No.1 tripod. And as any photographer out there, i am already eyeing several "must-have" equipment additions at the moment. :)Feedback
If you are going to photograph gators in a ZOO, you are most likely gonna find yourself in a poorly lit environment. So a good tripod could be of your best option as long as movement of a great number of tourists allows for it's use. If tripod is not an option, try to lean on the glass wall between you and your subject to stabilize your camera as much as possible. If shooting hand-held, go for a higher ISO number to keep your shutter speed fast enough to produce sharp image without any blur, but be aware of possibility of introducing noise depending on how well your camera handles higher ISO numbers.To get the shallow depth of field, a low aperture number (fast prime lens is ideal) and great enough distance between the subject and the background should do the trick. And watch out for any unwanted reflections on the glass wall.