At The Zoo (Again)

[SCraig]

Walked around the Nashville Zoo for a while this morning. They have a couple of new exhibits that I hadn't seen before, one of which just opened yesterday. It is a Kangaroo petting area that also has a few Cockatiels. The Kangaroo shots were boring since they were all right against fences but the Cockatiels worked out pretty decently. Also my buddy Udo the Eurasian Lynx and an annoyed Snowy Owl who was sleeping soundly until the people next to me woke him up

Cockatiel ....

Cockatiel .... Too tightly cropped (in camera, naturally) but I liked the pastel on pastel high-key look

Eurasian Lynx ....

Annoyed Snowy Owl ....

 

[pixmedic]

LOVE the Lynx and Owl shots!
a very "portrait" style capture on the kitty. nicely done!

 

[SCraig]

LOVE the Lynx and Owl shots!
a very "portrait" style capture on the kitty. nicely done!

Thanks, much appreciated.

The Cockatiel's are just everyday Cockatiel shots, but that Lynx has a personality I keep trying to capture. His handler told me once that they never turn their back on him. Every morning when they first come in he sits in his kennel quietly waiting, and as soon as they walk past he slams against the gate. He weighs around 50 pounds and is solid muscle so it gets their attention. When he's out in the exhibit area he's usually pretty quiet but he has a mean streak and occasionally I can see a glimpse of it in his eyes. I've never been able to capture it though.

 

[DarkShadow]

Wow these are fantastic, Great job! If theses are coming from your sigma glass very impressive sharpness.

 

[SCraig]

Wow these are fantastic, Great job! If theses are coming from your sigma glass very impressive sharpness.

Thanks, Dave. No, those were with my Nikon 70-300. My Sigma is a bit long for the zoo and a whole lot heavy to carry around for very long. That 70-300 is pretty much my "Go To" lens, it gets used for everything.

 

[PixelRabbit]

Great set Scott
I don't know what it is about that lynx but for some reason your shots of him sometimes make him look stuffed to me?? I have no idea why it appears that way, it's an amazing shot!

That owl is TOTALLY sayin' "Why I oughta!!!"

 

[DarkShadow]

I keeping thinking everything is hundreds of yrds away like in the wild, How silly of me.

 

[Woodsman]

The Lynx and the Owl are amazing

 

[hopdaddy]

Have too agree with the masses ,That lynx shot is da Bomb !

 

[SCraig]

Great set Scott
I don't know what it is about that lynx but for some reason your shots of him sometimes make him look stuffed to me?? I have no idea why it appears that way, it's an amazing shot!

That owl is TOTALLY sayin' "Why I oughta!!!"

Thanks, Judi. I assure you that he's not stuffed. Most of the time he just lays around in the shade but when he gets up he stalks around the area. His sister shares the area with him and even she gives him a wide berth. He's the living definition of "Potential Energy", coiled and ready to explode. That's the look I keep trying to capture but so far have not been able to.

The owl, yeah that one was not happy You are right, if looks could kill .....

I keeping thinking everything is hundreds of yrds away like in the wild, How silly of me.

Not silly at all, these just weren't in the wild Once we figure out how to keep fences from showing up in photos zoos are great places for photography.

The Lynx and the Owl are amazing

Thank you, I appreciate that. They are gorgeous animals and I try to do them justice, just not always successfully.

 

[SCraig]

Have too agree with the masses ,That lynx shot is da Bomb !

Thanks, Hopdaddy. His area is a little bit out of the way when I go to the zoo, but I have to go by there each and every time since he's one of my favorites.

 

[SCraig]

I mentioned that I've tried on many occasions to capture the intensity in that Eurasian Lynx. I thought I'd add this shot that I took in 2011 since it's as close as I've ever come, and even it isn't very good. He was walking straight at me when I took this and I got a touch of motion blur in it. Still, it gives an idea of the intensity in his eyes that I keep trying to capture.

 

[Rwsphotos]

Mr lynx will be infamous

 

[PixelRabbit]

Don't get me wrong, he's stunning! You capture him beautifully, I looked at it a while longer ( tough task let me tell ya lol) and I think it may be the lighting, like he is in a window box looking to the outside, I have shots of my cats that have that "look" when they are in one of the rooms with one wall of windows, perhaps that's it, you should keep shooting him and posting to be sure

 

[SCraig]

Mr lynx will be infamous

Quite possibly! If they gave awards for gorgeous cats he would be a shoe-in

Don't get me wrong, he's stunning! You capture him beautifully, I looked at it a while longer ( tough task let me tell ya lol) and I think it may be the lighting, like he is in a window box looking to the outside, I have shots of my cats that have that "look" when they are in one of the rooms with one wall of windows, perhaps that's it, you should keep shooting him and posting to be sure

Actually his area is much like a window box. At the back is their kennel with trees lining the fence. On two sides along the fences and scattered throughout the area are more trees. The tree canopies meet overhead forming a continuously shaded area with the majority of the light coming from the viewing area to the front. There is certainly some amount of light coming in through the trees but that canopy is pretty solid. For all intents and purposes it is a box with one open side.

Trust me, I intend to keep shooting him each time I go to the zoo