Whipsnade Zoo: The Forgotten Shots (warning otter content)

[Overread]

Well I was tempted to add a shot that I knew I had but had never edited or prepared for web to a thread, then I started looking through these old shots and found one or two shining shots that I had totally forgotten to edit! As well as that are some interesting shots that are not quite up to standard (my standards) but which with a resize and unsharpen become passable shots:
so here they are - warning otters present!

link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3473/3261452077_8365491aa8_o.jpg

Two very sharp shots, but I think composition has lost out in these

link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3311/3261449775_37be04c040_o.jpg

link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3481/3262278532_1fe9e63658_o.jpg

link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3472/3262281248_36f0021b27_o.jpg

WARNING

link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3324/3262287764_06feb1425f_o.jpg

link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3342/3261460917_fc90a6e091_o.jpg

link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3374/3262282244_215de0ee38_o.jpg

link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3454/3261464623_71bc70a89f_o.jpg

likn to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3420/3261468215_9f614c97d2_o.jpg

link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3460/3262295042_05c28c4a77_o.jpg
This last is the only sharp (and its rather sharp) shot I got handheld with my lens, least I think its handheld - most of the other grey shots were but its been too long to remember now

 

[Overread]

*gives it an attention seeking bump *

 

[Hekate]

Hi, beautiful colours in the duck, nice shot! Shame about the cages in the second too but there's not much you can do about that eh. Awesome birds aren't they. I agree re the composition of those two.

Is that a sparrow hawk in the third shot? Maybe a little contrast adjustment would help the image a little.

I really like the otter shots, the third one really does it for me, interesting composition and great sharpness :0) Why the warning? lol.

The squirrel shots are interesting, I like the last one best. Would have liked to see a full zoom so it almost filled the frame though. Great work for handheld, I always find that a challenge.

 

[Hannahbelle]

That otter is about the cutest one I've ever seen!!!!!!!

Love the first picture, took me a few minutes to figure out what the heck the duck was doing.

 

[lostprophet]

Hmmm I've never seen the Otters at Whipsnade, every time I go there the weather is a joke.

might have to plan another trip there soon

 

[tpe]

Number three the hawk is very moody and nice. O.K i have a habit of over croping in the zoo . but it is very nice to hide that the subject is caged in sometimes. This hawk has exactly the opposite, you need to know it is in a zoo, and it explains its expression and the rich colours from the overcast sky and the diffuse shadow coming in at the top of the frame wonderfully. If you cropped a little of the LHS so as the subject appears to be looking off into the wider space yo may also bring out themoody feeling a litl more?

tim

 

[LaFoto]

Could it be that the majority of them are very centred?

 

[Overread]

I wonder if there is a curse on Whipsnade for photographers? The day I went there as soon as the doors opened the clear skies vanished for patchy cloud and by the end of the day it was haling on me!
Thanks very much for the comments all - I agree LaFoto I am somewhat addicted to my centre autofocus point, that and I found that I was often shifting the zoom wheel about so next time I get a chance I will try using my zoom more like a prime - and take the time to use manual focus more - working on composition rather than just capturing the animal in the shot is an area I have a lot to do in.

Tpe - I must say the hawk was the "weakest" shot technically speaking of the lot here (barring one of the squirrel) and I had to play around with the quite a bit to get it to work so its really great to have someone appreciate it so much. I will try altering the crop as you suggest.

ps - that squirrel shot was a full zoom, which is another reason I am so please it came out as sharp as it did
pps - forgot to add a link to the rest of the days shots :
http://overread.wordpress.com/page/3/

 

[Bifurcator]

The non-birds ones all need cropping IMO, but the potential is there in every one of them for an excellent photograph.

The Duck is good, and framed/cropped well.

The other three bird ones I don't like much. (Dark_subject + Dark_BG = Low_Dynamics. And Cage Wire is annoying. )

All-in-all, good work!