Toronto Zoo!

I thought i'd make the most of the lovely weather we had today (Saturday) here in Toronto, so i head off to the Zoo with the cam and got a few shots. Any comments/suggestions/critiques would be greatly appreciated!

(Marko i think these are within size, but if not just let me know and i'll link them off site!)

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d7...migo/lion1.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d7...o/lioness1.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d7...flamingos1.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d7...aterfalls1.jpg

I was really pleased with the waterfall shot, i used 1/5 shutter speed and as it was handheld i was worried there might be too much shake, but i think it came out pretty well?

hey kiddo, wow! these are some really great shots! here's some of my thoughts on them:

1) nice composition, i like the rock, lion & trees lined up at that angle - well done. i think it is over exposed some, which maybe coul be corrected with dodging the upper lefthand corner & the top of the lions mane. the trees in the background look a little hazy too - maybe a boost in detail or contrast would help?

2) awesome shot! i love her body language & how she looks like she is melting into the rock. i'd crop a little off the left side myself. but thats just me being picky.

3) this one is a little too cluttered for my eye. theres distraction on the upper right hand side, and the blurry grass in the foreground -maybe it could be cloned out. the whole shot seems soft, and for some reason my eye wants to be pulled to the back of that guys head, the one in the middle with his back turned to me. i think 1/3 of the left hand side makes for a better shot. i know youre at the zoo, and angles are not on your side (fences/pathways/people) so dont think im being harsh, its still a really good zoo shot.

4) fantastic! amazingly beautiful - i'd be very proud of this one...

thanks for sharing all the photos!

C&C per req:

1. Nicely captured. A bit of lens flare by the look of it, and a shame about the blown sky, but I really like the way the light is highlighting his main (and I don't like highlights too often).

2. This is an excellent capture. I love the "Oh geezz... another day at the office" look on her face. I'm not sure if I like the way this image is cropped or not however; I don't think the long/low aspect works. I also think that the lioness could stand to be just a little bit darker.

3. Too many birds and too little focus I'm afraid. The only one who is really in focus is beak-on to the camera and hard to see. This image needed much greater DoF to really capture it. Be aware of things such as the leaves protruding into the frame image right and foreground and don't forget to level your horizons.

4. For a handheld capture this came out very well. It's a little dark, but that's easily adjusted in post. Next time, bring a tripod, and try exposures in the 2.5 - 3 second range for a super-smooth, 'feathery' effect.

Overall, very well done. I've noted a few issues that I see, and I fully understand the limits of photographing in a zoo (Essentially take what you get) but some of the thoughts here can be applied to other images as well.

Just my $00.02 worth - your milage may vary.

~John

too funny tirediron... we commented just a minute apart and had very similar thoughts!

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Originally Posted by kiley9806

too funny tirediron... we commented just a minute apart and had very similar thoughts!

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I thought the very same thing. Now, is it a case of great minds thinking alike, or fools seldom differing? ;)

Greatly appreciate the comments guys! :) Would you guys be able to suggest an entry level tripod? I'm still a bit lost amongst the different brands for camera equipment :confused:

*Edit*

Very cool website iron! Just saw that link and checked it out today :) I really like the layout and the shots are great!

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Originally Posted by tirediron

C&C per req:

4. For a handheld capture this came out very well. It's a little dark, but that's easily adjusted in post. Next time, bring a tripod, and try exposures in the 2.5 - 3 second range for a super-smooth, 'feathery' effect.

~John

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The latest in fast water shooting technique by the way is to use a polarizing filter and shoot for some surface texture on the "feathers". It means getting the shutterspeed and camera angle just right. "Super-smooth" is no longer in.

In shooting animals, the challenge is to make it appear as if they are looking at you. When shooting a group you need to isolate a point of interest as in one flamingo or perhaps action going on between two of them.

Tegan

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Originally Posted by tegan

The latest in fast water shooting technique by the way is to use a polarizing filter and shoot for some surface texture on the "feathers". It means getting the shutterspeed and camera angle just right. "Super-smooth" is no longer in.

Tegan

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Oops... I didn't get my fashion update, must be stuck in the mail! :D

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Originally Posted by tirediron

Oops... I didn't get my fashion update, must be stuck in the mail! :D

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Well, I always found that the slow shutterspeed for fast water was an overused cliché approach that only really worked for some high waterfalls without too much water going over creating the look of a vail. Washed-out, overexposed, white water is almost impossible to avoid and that is the frequent negative result from this approach.

The polarizer, textured look is a bit more realistic but that only works for some falls and some lighting conditions. :)
Even then, using several shutterspeeds is still necessary to get an image that works.


Tegan

To go from general fast water comments to this photo, this one responds well to some cropping at the top and some dodging and sharpening of the lower middle rock.

Tegan