What a great day for some photos

[DonSchap]

Just after lunch, I decided to blast off for "Brookfield Zoo", the Chicago suburban premiere and world-class zoo. Okay, okay ... I know we all go to these places for photographic ideas. Well, it was 90-degrees, today, and the animals ... uh, knew it. Having been much cooler in the prior few weeks, today was "back to normal" for this time of year ... but a far cry from earlier temperatures. People we commenting that the tiger (Raja) was so animated it was far from the usual sleeping kitty.

Well ... I had to admit, it was a challenge tracking him as he paraded all over his little domain, here, there .. and over there, too. Worse yet ... he looked hungry and was chewing on something on the ground. Then he looked over at me ... and this look said it all! :eek:

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840 @ 230mm - f/4.5 - 1/350 sec - ISO-400 - M - AF-C - Spot Metering - Spot Focus


I will add more good stuff, as I process it ... LOL ... it was a good day ... too bad I got a late start.

[DonSchap]

After reviewing these shots, this "cat" was not pleased.

I got him actually backing himself into his pool ... like a human in a sitz bath ... to try and cool down. Now, having a dog, as I do ... when he gets out of the pool or the shower ... it is shake-city ... with water spray flying in every direction. When Mr. Kitty, here, got out ... there was no shake ... just dripping and what looked to be a very uncomfortable beast.

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840mm @ 100mm - f/4.5 - 1/350 sec - ISO-400 - M - AF-C - Spot Metering - Spot Focus

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840mm @ 100mm - f/4.5 - 1/350 sec - ISO-400 - M- AF-C - Spot Metering - Spot Focus

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840mm @ 100mm - f/4.5 - 1/350 sec - ISO-400 - M - AF-C - Spot Metering - Spot Focus

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840mm @ 100mm - f/4.5 - 1/350 sec - ISO-400 - M - AF-C - Spot Metering - Spot Focus

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840mm @ 100mm - f/4.5 - 1/350 sec - ISO-400 - M - AF-C - Spot Metering - Spot Focus

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840mm @ 100mm - f/4.5 - 1/350 sec - ISO-400 - M - AF-C - Spot Metering - Spot Focus

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840mm @ 160mm - f/4.5 - 1/350 sec - ISO-400 - M - AF-C - Spot Metering - Spot Focus

He then made it clear ... it was .. like time to skidaddle.

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840mm @ 160mm - f/9.5 - 1/250 sec - ISO-400 - M - AF-C - Spot Metering - Spot Focus

Don't kid youself ... he may look small in these shots ... but, this animal is nearly ten feet long ... add another three with that tail of his.

[DonSchap]

I then made my way to the next hiding place of a big cat ... the Lion.

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SONY α700 w/ Tokina 80-400 @ 400mm - f/9.5 - 1/250 sec - ISO-400 - Manual - AF-S - Spot Metering - Spot Focus - Natural Light


Unlike the Tiger ... he found himself some decent shade, a bit of a summer breeze and basically watched the rest of us sunshine-lunatics get baked.

This was where DRO did make a difference, since our friend, here, had his big ol' paws hanging in the sunshine.

[DonSchap]

The polar bear wasn't spared, either, as he raced back and forth, looking to get inside through his trap door, which was closed. He had a huge pool of cool water, which he definitely made use of and often.

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α700 w/ TAMRON 180mm f/3.5 MACRO @ f/3.5 - 1/250 sec. - ISO-400 - M - Spot Metering - Spot Focus - Natural Light

But, you could easily see that he was in some anguish, not being able to retreat to the indoor frosty AC and probably also from hearing that it was not much better up north, where the ice shelf was evaporating.

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α700 w/ AT-X 840 @ 400mm - f/5.6 - 1/350 sec. - ISO-400 - M - Spot Metering - Spot Focus - Natural Light

[DonSchap]

Yeah, the heat really beat on the Grizzly, today. He just flat gave up!

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840mm @ 150mm - f/11 - 1/200 sec - ISO-400 - M - AF-C - Spot Metering - Spot Focus - Natural Light

[sparkie1263]

Great shots I have been wanting to go to the Bronx Zoo before the weather got so hot. Too late for that now. LOL I will have to wait till the fall. I am going to take the grandchildren to the Cape May Zoo which is about a half hour away.
Frrank

[DonSchap]

So, on a lack of color day ... what has less color than the rhinosaurus?

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840mm @ 120mm - f/4.5 - 1/200 sec - ISO-200 - M - AF-C - Spot Metering - Spot Focus - Natural Light

The white rhinosaurus, of course.

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840mm @ 150mm - f/4.5 - 1/200 sec - ISO-200 - M - AF-C - Spot Metering - Spot Focus - Natural Light

These guys always trip me out ... because they look so familiar ... almost like an oversized pig, in a way ...

[DonSchap]

The thing about zoo shots ... you get what you get. You have very limited artistry in your lighting and basically, it is just playing with the camera to try and get a decent focus and exposure of the best framed subject you can. Post processing can clean a lot of it up ... but still, they are relatively wild animals and like infants ... forget about any cooperation.

Heck, you're just lucky if they do not attack! :eek: :p

Which brings up this ... I ask you, what is a trip to the zoo without the regal elephant?

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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840 @ 100mm - f/4.5 - 1/100 sec. - ISO-200 - M - Spot Metering - Spot Focus - Natural Light


And when you take his picture ... remember, like in all solid portraits ... it is in the eyes!


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α700 w/ Tokina AT-X 840 @ 400mm - f/5.6 - 1/500 sec. - ISO-200 - M - Spot Metering - Spot Focus - Natural Light

[dr4gon]

WOW! :drool:

Those are all so beautiful!

Any exif info on these? Mostly large apertures I see and which lens were you using? Was it your DI II 18-250 is it Tamron lens?

I'm wanting to go to the zoo now and see what my 70-300mm can do! :D

[DonSchap]

A lot of these were taken with the Tokina AT-X 840 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 Model I ... as it has the greatest variable range for framing. I tried the TAMRON SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD MACRO and the SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di MACRO, but because YOU become the zoom mechanism for the prime lenses, it does not work very well, when you cannot move around very much. You need lots o' primes. The one that is obviously missing is the SONY CZ 135 f/1.8. This one splits the gap between my 90mm and my 180mm. Anyway, once in a while you can make it work ... like with the first polar bear shot ... where I feel that f/3.5 bokeh really made the image "personal" and focused.

Argumentatively speaking, yes, I do have the TAMRON MF 135mm f/2.5 & a TAMRON MF 200m f/3.5 ... but, only so much room in the sling bag for glass. Instead of taking it, I compromized for expediency (to my shame :o ) with the 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6. In the end, I feel the choice of the long zoom still got a lot out of this trip than I probably would have gotten from the 135mm prime.

I found the 17-50 completely ineffective ... as being far too short. If I wanted the entire habitat, fine ... but I wanted the animal ... and his expression. I wanted to get close, from across those pits. So, although you should probably have the short zoom lens with you, just in case you go indoors, I probably could have done the entire shoot with just the Tokinia 80-400 or the TAMRON 70-300mm. The sun was bright ... which plays right into the α700's DRO scenario.

Of course, all the moms were there, with their kids and the point & shoots ... and that obligatory and anticipated look of frustration and disappointment, when I showed them what I was getting compared to ... what they were able to acheive.

@ dr4gon: I have gone back through the lot and supplied EXIF data.

You mentioned the TAMRON AF 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) ... and that is a great tote lens, capable of getting good shots. Unfortunately, I wanted a more artsy aspect to these ... with the wide-open bokeh, which you simply cannot acheive with that particular lens. That's why the other lenses cost more. The wider that aperture, the deeper the gouge. They do deliver "the punch." So, I packed four lenses with me, instead of just one.

This really was not a "grab & go" situation. I knew what I wanted to get, was all by myself, and had some time (about three hours). Every shot was "handheld", this time, as I had taken a tripod with me before and like any public situation, people bump and stumble. Not with my lenses, thank you. As big as I am, I was jostled, as these kids rushed past to see "Simba" or "Raja". Some woman actually backed right into me.

I have to confess, there is no way in God's green earth you are going to do Brookfield Zoo in three hours. I had really just wanted to get the larger Mammals ... outdoors. The day was admittedly a trifle warm (90-degrees), but I think I translated their mutual discomfort as well as I could.

I guess to be fair, these anmimals are "paid professionals." They get room and board ... a sound medical plan ... and are relatively safe from being consumed by something ... else? So, when the sunny days come ... out they go! "Earn your keep", so to speak. Tough existance ... prisoners, I guess, with a longer life than usual.

Comments are appreciated and hopefully, you can get some decent stuff reflecting on the settings I used for my work. I certainly hope they help.

[dr4gon]

Hey thanks don! I was thinking the 17-50 might be too wide to get good closeups of the animals but makes for a good shot of the cage area (but not as good since it's obviously a zoo and not as realistic).

On a side note, do you use firefox? I use this cool plugin that lets me view the EXIF info right from the browser if it's still embedded on the pictures. I simply right click and go to properties to view all the juicy info! It's called FxIF (http://ted.mielczarek.org/code/mozilla/fxif/). It can even copy and paste info too.

[DonSchap]

After post processing, the info kind of bites the dust. I simply go back to the original shot and peel it out from the Adv. Properties of the image, in XP.

I did take a 17-50mm f/2.8 shot when I, as anticipated, went indoors (kind of).

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17mm - f/3.5 - 1/60 sec - ISO-400 - Spot Focus - Spot Metering - M - Natural Lighting


Unfortunately, it didn't stay on the front of the camera very long, though. Also, I encountered some serious lighting difficulties in the "Tropic World" ... which means FLASH or some really long and wide telephoto (aka 300mm f/2.8 or 400mm f/2.8). Currently, stuff like that is easily $6000. Going back will require some more calculation of the available light ... and it was getting late in the day (5:30pm).

I did rescue this shot ... but, I know it could be a lot better.
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And the "Mandrill" was a complete disaster. He was over 50 yards away ... in the poor lighting ... and indoors, the 80-400mm has no strength, so I opted to try the 180mm f/3.5 MACRO, in the hopes of lighting it up a little.

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α700 w/ TAMRON 180mm f/3.5 @ f/4 - 1/30 sec - ISO-200 - M - Spot focus - Spot Metering - Natural Light

Like a said, a definite recalc, for sure. I probably should have gone to ISO-800 ... but, I was kind of rushed and infuriated at how soft the f/3.5-shots were turning out. This was a last shot, because the crowd was getting a bit thick and they were closing all the buildings at 5:30pm.

Another day ... he's not going anywhere ...

[dr4gon]

Yeah I can definitely see how the lighting can be a big challenge inside in these types of places. The monkey on the vine is great. And the mandril isn't too bad either. There's probably some PP effects and filters that can clean up some noise (not sure how much). But they look great as always! And how true, they're not going anywhere :p

[DonSchap]

On Aug 15, one of the Giraffes gave birth to a new member of their clan.

So, you guys always hound me, "How do baby giraffes sleep ... standing up, like horses?"

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I would have to say, "No."

And you can believe "Mamma" was keeping a watchful eye on everyone. She was only about six feet away from me. This no crop! :eek:

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"Okay ..." you guys continue, "What about that mane on the back of their neck?"

Mamma's
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Baby's
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Geez, guys ... anything else? :rolleyes:

[DonSchap]

I did another parrot shot ... with the CZ 135mm f/1.8 ... which I think came out pretty well.


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[DonSchap]

As I made my way over to one of my fovrite and very impressive mammals ... to my horror, I found the Tiger had become a "Bobcat!"

Chronology ...

July 1st, 2008 - hot day
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For some reason, not only had the tiger's left tooth been broken, back in late July ...

July 20th - another hot day
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now, his lovely, long tail ... was gone! :eek:

September 6th, 2008
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I have to "axe" you ... what the hell? This poor animal! I truly fear for his future! Body parts are disappearing at a fightening rate!

I feel like I'm documenting a disaster ... :(

[sparkie1263]

All this in captivity. LOL What would happen in the wild. The poor tiger don't stand a chance. Did the handler have all his body parts.
Frank

[DonSchap]

from his summer sleep, apparently
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and took a long bath.
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Can you imagine "all the shakin' goin' on" with this fellow?
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and here I thought my Golden was bad :rolleyes:

[dr4gon]

damn.... I typed up a reply, but where did it go?

mmm :\

I've always wondered how a giraffe sleeps too! Well, now I know. I must say, it looks very uncomfortable in that position! Guess that's why I'm not a giraffe.....

I'm glad our tiger and bear friends are doing well :). That shot of the macaw parrot is just fantastic. Dead on. The CZ did great! Is that a crop? Any PP done? Do you have a 100% crop to show the detail of the lens?

[DonSchap]

Yeah, I PP'd to mask out some undesirable assets in the image. There was this branch that the macaws had entirely stripped of bark ... and it actually was brighter than the bird was. I tried to darkened it, but it just didn't look right ... so I vaporized it. You know the rule ... nothing brighter than the subject ... unless you are doing high-key imaging (white background). I was not using a flash, just the natural light from the roof window. The color is unenhanced, though.

I guess I can toss in the original ... but, please realize ... I like to make it look right. :(

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Here's another, "uncropped" - just resized image
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and here's the 100% crop
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[DonSchap]

Here's a series I did, underneath and during the "Porpoise Show" in the Seven Seas Panorama. I want you to know, it's not easy timing this, because once the dolphin leaves the tank ... you don't know when it's comin' back! :eek:

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Did I ever mention I really, really hate shooting through glass. LOL ... this is terrible.

Took a lot of PP to get it to look THIS good.


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This is like the ultimate ACTION shot ... the dolphins are constantly moving and changing speed, so nothing less than 1/60th (usually 1/90th) was required, or they were a blur, the lighting is tragically dim, I'm tickling ISO levels at 1600-2000 (trying to avoid noise thresholds) ... the base aperture is f/4, because DOF underwater is so goofed up. Shooting through glass that had children's fingerprints all over it, on one side, and build up of marine life on the other. I was literally dreaming up settings to try and compensate. Man, no doubt, I needed a lot more LIGHT! :eek:

And oh ... to say nothing of the incredibly difficult autofocusing ... LOL ... shut it off, already. It was basically the same issue I ran into in the John Hancock Building, with the air show. You'd have focus for a few tenths of a second ... then, as you swept ... the distortion created by the glass ... lost. Extremely frustrating.

I was actually amused with all the people complaining and carrying on about how there little P&S cameras rendered the dolphins looking more like "slugs" than what they were. Problem was ... I wasn't doing a whole lot better. Well, maybe ... but, dog gone ... with each passing cloud, the surface light simply seemed to disappear. Another aspect is that these fellows are GRAY. They literally have no contrast for the autofocus to lock onto ... similar to the GRAY they paint warships and aircraft with, to reduce image lock. Well ... I'm here to tell you it works real well with cameras, too. :( I have them dead to rights ... and the camera didn't even know they were there.

This is a pretty typical rendering ... without touch-up ... you can even see the little smudgy handprints on the glass.

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Geesh! Next time I bring a mop and squigee, for BOTH sides! ;) This was the biggest aquarium I could find ... and it's a tough shoot.

[dr4gon]

don, I'm so sorry I didn't see your response. my cookies got messed up or something, and it wasn't one of the "updated" posts that turn bold. I appreciate your detailing the PP process and for the extra shots. It's just beautiful!

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080907/capt.7a8022a5c72f4eaab812368f3e3eaa91.japan_green_ bear_tok802.jpg?x=400&y=318&q=85&sig=qe72EU1ZPOlJI.6PirqJLw--

By the way, see anything like this guy? :eek:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080907/ap_on_fe_st/odd_japan_green_bears

[sparkie1263]

Looks like he just took an algae bath. I didn't see your link till I started typing. I though you took that shot. LOL
Frank

[DonSchap]

As a matter of fact ... I ran into my buddy the bear, and he, too, has his green algae growth ... here in Brookfield Illinois. You don't need to go all the way to Toyko, to see it.

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Although, I will admit, that the "Toyko-bear" must not be as well cared for as ours is.

[sparkie1263]

They need to shock the water to kill the algae. LOL

[DonSchap]

Here's some more of that bear ... which demonstrates a little more ... color?


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[dr4gon]

wow that's crazy that you saw the same thing happening!

see what happens when zoos try to go green? turns their polar bears green! :eek:

[oric1]

see what happens when zoos try to go green? turns their polar bears green! :eek:

LOL... nice one :D

[S_p_i_d_e_r]

Polar bear fur is made of hair tubes and algae grow inside these tubes so cleaning the water or scrubbing the animal won't help much...

[oric1]

Polar bear fur is made of hair tubes and algae grow inside these tubes so cleaning the water or scrubbing the animal won't help much...

http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2004/TECH/science/02/25/singapore.green.bears.ap/story.green.bear.ap.jpg
Similar thing happened in Singapore (http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/02/25/singapore.green.bears.ap/) back in 2004 and the bear's coat was successfully bleached with hydrogen peroxide.

This is how she looks now....
http://i519.photobucket.com/albums/u355/oric-1/PolarBear.jpg

[DonSchap]

Well, it the wild, all I can think is that the ultra-cold environment prohibits the growth of this stuff. I don't think I have seen it in any images that originated from up there.