Gorilla closeup
Feb, 2017Views
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Apes Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Endangered Species Photo Contest
Peer Choice Award
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the zoo in Hannover, GermanyTime
It was past 5pm in late August, but the spot where the Gorilla was sitting was already in the shade. As I used a very strong tele, so I had to bump ISO to 3200, to get a short shutter speed.Lighting
As the Gorilla was sitting in the shade, I didn't have to deal with those strong contrasts of the harsh summer sun, so the raw picture had nice details.Equipment
I used a Nikon D700 full format DSLR with an old manual 400mm/f3.5 lens and an 1.7x Teleconverter. So the effective focal length was 680mm. Due to the extreme focal length and the fact that the old lens didn't have any vibrarion technology, I had to use a sturdy tripod.Inspiration
I like animal portraits in general, so when I saw that the gorilla was sitting in the perfect distance for a portrait shot, I quickly adjusted my tripod and took the shot.Editing
The photo is a crop (about 25%) of the original photo (which shows the complete head). I found the "8" like structure of the face interesting, so I cropped to show only this central part of the face. Afterwards, I converted to black and white and bumped the contrast to further emphasize the structure.In my camera bag
As my full frame equipment got too heavy (camera + this lens + tripod weigh about 7 kg) for my taste, I switched to the Micro Four Thirds system. I now use an Olympus E-M1 MkII. My longest lens is currently a 50-200/2.8-3.5. Combined with an 1.4 teleconverter, I get a full frame equivalent max focal length of 560mm. A bit less then what I had before, but I can just juse the lens and the camera without a tripod, so I end up with about 1.5 kg instead of 7kg ...Feedback
When going to the zoo, do not rush from animal to animal. Take some time and watch the behavior. I got my best shots often after waiting for maybe half an hour or more. If you live nearby a zoo, think about taking a yearly ticket if available. So you can go early to the zoo just for one or two hours before the main mass of visitors is coming. The animals are less stressed, and you have less people around you, so you have better chances to get into a good position.
