Straight-On Eye-to-Eye Beauty, The Wilds in Ohio
Oct, 2019Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at The Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio. The Wilds is a private, non-profit safari park and conservation center that combines cutting-edge conservation science and education programs with hands-on experiences and one-of-a-kind adventures that include ziplining, horseback riding, fishing and more. It is an amazing atmosphere where you can be up nose-to-nose with a multitude of animals.Time
I loved seeing this glorious creature come straight at me while I attempted to line up his striped coat. I was in the back of a pick-up truck, bouncing around and having the time of my life going down in valleys and up to the top the wooded hills to try and get some memorable shots and have a one-on-one conversation with this zebra. It was right around feeding time for the animals (12-1:30 pm) and I had a bag full of different snacks, depending on what animals were found and which ones were willing to approach.Lighting
It was a cloud-filled day and my best shots were when we'd hit a shady spot from some trees or the clouds would move enough to provide a little coverage from the hot sun. This was in early June in Columbus, Ohio ... so it was in the low 90's. Although it was hot, the speed that we were traveling all around this park gave some appreciated breeze to ruffle the hair and dry off the sheen of the skin.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon Rebel T5i. The lens was the EF-S18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IS. My settings were ISO100, f/5.6, 1/250 and the full 200mm length.Inspiration
I took quite a few shots of the different animals living in this safari-type atmosphere. I especially enjoy straight lines in my photos. This zebra was so beautiful with his different shades of brown and bushy hair between his ears. I couldn't resist.Editing
There wasn't a great need to do much post-processing. I did have a couple spots on the lens that were cleaned up. I didn't want to change the highlights or the exposure to get richer colors because I loved the animal just the way he presented himself.In my camera bag
I drive a Jeep Wrangler and always have my camera equipment with me. In my car is always my Tamron 150-600mm f/8 Telephoto. Due to weight, I don't carry it in my camera bag. But, I always carry my Canon EF-S 18/55mm kit lens and my Tokina at-X 100mm f/2.8 PRO D Macro Lens. I'm a lover of macro photography, as well as all kinds of nature shots.Feedback
Find the subjects that you love to see in person. Practice with your equipment to get the settings that work best for you. Take shot after shot so that when you pull them up later, you know you got some good ones to enjoy and share with others.
