Really really really close

doenoe · Mar 12, 2009

I was in the zoo and got the chance to see the lion feeding from the other side of the enclosure. I made the first shot with a 50mm and it isnt cropped, so i think you can figure out how close i was to this very large cat. It really was amazing to be this close to one of these fantastic creatures. While it was laying there, it was protecting its pet-chicken from us humans and was roaring the whole time. Not only could i hear it really good, i could also feel it in my body. I can not really discribe it, but i was glad those bars were there. I would probably soil my pants if the lion would do that roar thing and the bars werent there
#1

And then i went to the normal spot to take pics and took some more shots of these magnificant animals.
#2
"Why did the chicken cross the street?"
"What chicken??"

#3
"ok, im ready for my tequilla...........who got the lemon?"
"what lemon??"

#4 And 2 shots to show y'all how good they really look

#5

Thanks for looking
Greetz Daan

TCimages · Mar 12, 2009

Very nice!

Chris of Arabia · Mar 12, 2009

Great light you got to work with here - brings out every detail.

Antarctican · Mar 12, 2009

What gorgeous, sharp shots of the lions! (LOVE the expression in "what lemon?" :lol:

)

I can imagine how its roar would reverberate in your chest. Yoiks!

iflynething · Mar 12, 2009

Those are wonderful.

What equipment was used (other than the 50mm)

They are all a little saturated but I like them. Super sharp as well. Number 2 seems a little red

edit: Just checked out your website (Which is wonderfully laid out) and see you have a Canon 350 (which I assume is equivalent to the Rebel XTi?) It's amazing how easily I can pick up another language when we are talking about the same thing (photography)

~Michael~

Roey · Mar 12, 2009

Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures. My sister and I got a little too close to a lion once and narrowly escaped the attitude that he sprayed out of his rear-end at us (sorry if that's too gross) -point being - the sound he made and actions he took thirty years ago still run through my memory as if it was yesterday. Cherish your experience with this magnificent creature, and yes, thank God for Iron Bars!
Peace,
Roey.

sleepingdragon · Mar 12, 2009

What a great set of pictures. Such wonderful details.

iflynething · Mar 12, 2009

I wish I could find a zoo that would let me this close to something this size. The only place I have been to is the Columbia zoo in South Carolina and they are far off in the distance.

~Michael~

Montana · Mar 13, 2009

Very, very nice shots. Great detail. Lens? I have never gotten a chance to visit a larger zoo to see such animals.

Derrick

polymoog · Mar 13, 2009

Lovely pics

Meysha · Mar 13, 2009

What beautiful light. It's glowing so beautifully.

Scary creatures those. I just posted some photos of crocodiles - but they just lie there until you jump in the water. These lions though! ARGHHG! They'll hunt you down and eat you!

doenoe · Mar 13, 2009

TCimages said:
Very nice!

Thanks, good to see you're still hanging out on TPF

Chris of Arabia said:
Great light you got to work with here - brings out every detail.

Yeah, it was one of the few sunny days we had lately. Good thing i had the day of, else i would have missed it. Thanks for the comment :thumbup:

Antarctican said:
What gorgeous, sharp shots of the lions! (LOVE the expression in "what lemon?" )

I can imagine how its roar would reverberate in your chest. Yoiks!

Its a really impressive thing to feel. hope i can get backstage again sometime and try to get some more shots, but now i was just like

Thanks for the reply jean

iflynething said:
Those are wonderful.

What equipment was used (other than the 50mm)

They are all a little saturated but I like them. Super sharp as well. Number 2 seems a little red

edit: Just checked out your website (Which is wonderfully laid out) and see you have a Canon 350 (which I assume is equivalent to the Rebel XTi?) It's amazing how easily I can pick up another language when we are talking about the same thing (photography)

~Michael~

Indeed , i shoot with the 350D and thats the XT. The 400d is the XTi. The site is made by my brother He does this stuff for a living, so it was easier for him then for me :lol:

And i always turn up the saturation a bit more with lions in the sun-pics. I kinda like the look of it, but you're right, the second one looks a bit redish (not the vegetable) I shot the outside pics with the Sigma 70-300 3,5-5.6 APO. I love that lens. It goes a bit soft at the end, but if you keep that in mind and just dont zoom out all the way, you can get some nice pictures out of it.
Thanks for the comment

Roey said:
Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures. My sister and I got a little too close to a lion once and narrowly escaped the attitude that he sprayed out of his rear-end at us (sorry if that's too gross) -point being - the sound he made and actions he took thirty years ago still run through my memory as if it was yesterday. Cherish your experience with this magnificent creature, and yes, thank God for Iron Bars!
Peace,
Roey.

oh wow, it probably would have been a nightmare if you would have been sprayed by a lion. On the other hand, you can tell a story that not alot of people can :lol:

But i dont think i can forget this, even if i try.....not that im gonna try, cause it was a fantastic thing to hear/see/feel.
Thank you for your reply

sleepingdragon said:
What a great set of pictures. Such wonderful details.

Cheers

iflynething said:
I wish I could find a zoo that would let me this close to something this size. The only place I have been to is the Columbia zoo in South Carolina and they are far off in the distance.

~Michael~

Usually you see them on the other side of some water. Think there is about 8 meters of water between you and the lions. And the best thing is that there are no bars or fences. So you can take some nice pics. I could now now get backstage, because i know a guy that works at the zoo.
Thanks for the second reply

Montana said:
Very, very nice shots. Great detail. Lens? I have never gotten a chance to visit a larger zoo to see such animals.

Derrick

Thanks. I wrote the lens details a bit up, so you can read it there. And this isnt a big zoo, its a real city-zoo, in the middle of Amsterdam.

polymoog said:
Lovely pics

Thanks

Meysha said:
What beautiful light. It's glowing so beautifully.

Scary creatures those. I just posted some photos of crocodiles - but they just lie there until you jump in the water. These lions though! ARGHHG! They'll hunt you down and eat you!

Thanks

I almost went croc hunting in Australia one time. It was for somekind of research about the influence of the cane-toad on the freshwater crocodiles. Would have been an incrideble experience, but it got cancelled. The guy who was arranging everything got the chance to go to Komodo and work with the gigantic dragons there. And thats even better then working with crocodiles.....just a bit better though :lol:

stsinner · Mar 13, 2009

Wow. You got some nice expressions there.

I love how cute and soft lions look. They look just like big kitty cats.. I just wish they didn't get all bitey when you try to pet them..

Al-Wazeer · Mar 13, 2009

no.4 is beautiful

photographyfanatic · Mar 14, 2009

#5 is my favorite! The lion looks so majestic, like he really is king of the jungle(or zoo). You can feel him brimming with pride! A far cry from shot #1 where his pride seems so stripped and he seems so sad. Great shots!