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pixelmac

octopus

NIKON D700

settings

Aperture f/3.5 ISO 3200 Shutter 1/200 Focal Length 1000/10

upload_date

Oct, 2018

Views

404

Likes

+86

Awards

Contest Finalist in Water Animals Photo Contest

Peer Award

+21

Top Choice

Superb Composition

Magnificent Capture

Absolute Masterpiece

Superior Skill

Outstanding Creativity

All Star

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 30 rank week 2

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Behind The Lens

Location

I took the photo at the aquarium in the Wilhelma zoo, Stuttgart, Germany.

Time

It was half past 2 pm, but as this photo was taken inside the artificially lit aquarium rooms, I could have taken the shot at any time. Much more important was the fact that I was there at the right moment this time. I walked by many times and this aquarium always looked empty, as the octopus was hiding inside the vase. But on this occasion, the octopus was awake and very active...

Lighting

It is forbidden to use flash at the aquarium for a good reason, so I just used the "natural" light (i.e. the aquarium lamps). With ISO 3200 at f2.8, I was able to get 1/200s, enough to freeze the action.

Equipment

At that time, I still had my Nikon D700. I used a Tokina 100mm/2.8 macro lens for this shot. I didn't have my tripod with me on this occasion, but as the octopus was moving, I had to crank up the ISO to get a shorter shutter speed anyway.

Inspiration

I like the zoo and especially the Wilhelma. There are so many animals and you never know which animal will provide you with the shot of the day. At that day, after many visits, it was the first time that the octopus moved while I was watching.

Editing

I only cropped the picture (to get rid of the border of the screen) and increased the contrast and saturation a bit.

In my camera bag

As the full frame equipement got too heavy for my taste, I switched to the micro four thirds system. Nowadays, I use an Olympus E-M1 MkII. When going to a zoo, I normally use an adapted 50-200/2.8-3.5 four thirds lens or the Olympus 60mm macro lens.

Feedback

Have patience! Sometimes, you have to wait some time, sometime you have to come back at another time of day to get the shot that you want.

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pixelmac

pixelmac

octopus

Behind The Lens

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