2nd Zoo Shooting

[Lyncca]

This was my second time to go to the zoo since owning my camera. I did much better in composition and clarity I think. Here are the best shots from the day.

C&C Welcome!

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7.

 

[Mesoam]

nice series, love the expression on the gorilla

 

[Antarctican]

Really nice series, Lyncca! The expression on the orangutan is priceless, and I love the red colour of its hair. You nicely filled the frame with the subject in each shot. My only niggle would be that you cut off the toes in pics 1 and 2.

 

[sabbath999]

Nice captures...

I have a tendency when I shoot a critter to get just a bit too tight and cut off the very tops of their head/hair, and it is something that I consciously have to watch... also, when I am too tight and the critter moves, it takes it out of frame... I have gotten to the point where I would rather have to crop a bit than to cut them off... but that's me.

 

[sabbath999]

BTW what kind of camera do you use? If it is a Nikon, I have a tip for you. If it isn't, then I don't know how to do what my tip is on your camera, perhaps somebody else can tell you.

 

[Lyncca]

Yes, I use a Nikon D70S. Any tips are always appreciated!

 

[Lyncca]

Really nice series, Lyncca! The expression on the orangutan is priceless, and I love the red colour of its hair. You nicely filled the frame with the subject in each shot. My only niggle would be that you cut off the toes in pics 1 and 2.

I think the orangutan is my favorite. He looks so goofy with that expression and his big ol' belly sticking out

Nice captures...

I have a tendency when I shoot a critter to get just a bit too tight and cut off the very tops of their head/hair, and it is something that I consciously have to watch... also, when I am too tight and the critter moves, it takes it out of frame... I have gotten to the point where I would rather have to crop a bit than to cut them off... but that's me.

I have a hard time with it too, but I have been trying to really pay attention to it.

 

[Ajay]

These are very nice. I love seeing pictures of big kitties! My only nitpick is that number 4 looks a bit soft. Keep it up!

 

[sabbath999]

Yes, I use a Nikon D70S. Any tips are always appreciated!

I have never shot a D70, but I assume the focusing points work similarly to the D40, D80 and D300 that I own.

What I do, when shooting animals, is set the focus to a single point, and then I move that single point to the eye of the critter if it is standing still, or to the area where the eye will be when if it is moving around. Then, I simply track the eye with that focus point.

This works best on the D300 which has an amazing 51 point system that lets me compose almost perfectly every time...

The D80 only has 11, but still they are well placed for this...

The D40 has but three, which makes it very difficult to focus this way, so I often have to focus "the normal" way. To me, the three autofocus points is a REAL limitation of the D40 that nobody really talks about.

Anyway, the D70 has 11 focus points and I assume they work like the D80's.

I have found that, whatever else happens, the eyes absolutely must be in focus for all but "special effects" pictures of critters. Using one focal point on a moving critter and tracking the eye is actually quite difficult, but it really makes the image pop when you nail it. When they are still, it is not nearly as tricky...

Just a tip I have found helpful.

 

[Lyncca]

These are very nice. I love seeing pictures of big kitties! My only nitpick is that number 4 looks a bit soft. Keep it up!

The original is a bit sharper, this was SmugMug's automatic image resizing. Also, I am shooting through a cage with quite a few bars, so that may cause a little softness.

Thanks for the comments though