The Wilds in Ohio
Oct, 2019Views
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Contest Finalist in Mammals Photo Contest
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Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
This little guy was waiting for me at The Wilds in eastern Ohio. It is a private, non-profit safari park and conservation center. Three of us were in the back of a small pick-up truck bouncing around over hills and down in the valleys. The animals would come right up face-to-face. I am a nature photographer and this mammal fit right in with my love of photography.Time
It was around noon ... "snack time" ... which is great to get the animals to come up and meet the eager safari visitors in the trucks. We were hoping for a touch of the texture of the animals. "Touch and Capture" ... motto of the adventure.Lighting
We had a very windy day. There were a lot of clouds, yet some sun showing on and off. The photos when the sun was hiding behind the clouds were the ones that were the gems of the day. The harsh sunlight washed out the details.Equipment
I actually used my iPhone 8 for this photo. I had my Canon Rebel T5i with me on the shoot. I tend to take photos with both camera and iPhone at the same time. It's a toss up as to which device gives me the photo that makes me happy. I now own the iPhone 11Pro and the photos are pretty amazing with it.Inspiration
I loved having the giraffe look me directly in the eye, taunting me to take a shot -- any shot while he was there. While I got the eye-to-eye photo, this one was the one that made me happy. He was looking at the piece of lettuce being held out. HIs "warts" were on display and it showed that imperfection can be beautiful too.Editing
I didn't use any post-processing on this photo. On others during the same moment when bringing out the highlights, the sky got a little bluer but I didn't want to take away from his actual coloring. I find that some photos are just fine the way they turn out -- untouched.In my camera bag
I always have my Canon Rebel T5i with me. I usually carry a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6; Canon EF-S 18-200mm; and Tokina 100mm F2.8 AT-X Pro. When anticipating distant shots, I carry my Sirui T-1204XL Carbon Fiber Tripod and Tamron 150-600mm f/8 Telephoto Lens. Those surprises when looking through a 600mm lens can be pretty spectacular.Feedback
Any time I am anticipating taking photos of animals, I bring a telephoto and macro lens along with my standard 18-55mm. Being prepared for any possible shots is better than wishing you had a lens you left behind. I am very into texture. I don't want a photo to feel like a silhouette. I want to see the hairs, the wrinkles ... and even the warts!
