-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
Chester zoo Jul 22-20
Big cats time
Big cats time
Read less
Read less
Canon EOS 600D
Aperture 56/10 ISO 200 Shutter 1/640 Focal Length 300/1 
Chester, Cheshire, GB
Oct, 2022Views
349
Likes
Awards
Winner in At The Zoo Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Genius
Outstanding Creativity
Emotions
Impressed
Happy
Top Ranks
Top 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Chester Zoo - or the Northwest of England zoological gardens to give it it's full name.Time
It was taken in the early afternoon. Normally this would create harsh shadows but a low overcast layer of cloud gave some very nice lighting.Lighting
All natural light, lightly overcast giving lovely diffuse light.Equipment
Canon 800D with 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 zoom lens. Hand held although I did have a tripod if necessary, the wide open f stop allowed a nice fast exposure.Inspiration
I wanted to capture the pride of the leader of the pride. He was looking so regal upon his platform. As with all animal shots, it took a bit of patience to wait until his head was in the best position as he kept looking away!Editing
I prefer to keep a light touch with post processing. I ran the image through lightroom, setting the white balance and levels and then slightly tweaking the curve. This is fairly standard for me. I then added a small amount of vignette to pull the eyes to the centre of the image.In my camera bag
Depends on the day, but usually my main camera body, an 18-125mm Tamron lens, which I find it a great general purpose lens. Then my 100-300 f4.5-5.6 Canon zoom, which is good for getting a bit closer and also has a good macro setting. A canon 25-75mmf2.8 lens for people work, then, depending on how far I have to carry it all, a single flashgun, spare batteries (a lesson hard learned!!) a reflector and a tripod/monopodFeedback
Patience is the key with animals. You have to wait on them. it was quite entertaining for me to watch the people in the zoo and see how they rush around. In the bat enclosure, for example, most people were spending less that 5 minutes in with the bats, but it takes 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust t the darkness! Decide what you want to capture, look at different points of view (first place may not be the best), then take shots with different exposure settings so you have the best chance of coming away with a shot that matches your vision.
