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Some Zoo Photos
#1

It's been almost three years since we visited the excellent San Antonio Zoo.
Sadly, one of our elephants who had been here for 30 years or so died suddenly, so his companion is undergoing therapy in the form of extra human interaction. She seems to be doing well, now.

As usual, the kangaroos were laying about, scratching and snoozing.
This photo was the result of waiting an extra ten seconds for a final shot that had more cuteness.
[Image: kak.zoo1.jpg]

A large pit viper, I think.
Normally I can rattle off the species of almost any reptile from memory but am not too good at ID from a view of their chins, and on this visit I didn't read any of the name plates either.
[Image: kak.zoo2.jpg]

This grizzly bear was hidden from view on our first pass, so I insisted we try again later.
After a few frames he decided to mess with me--always walking away so I only had a shot of his butt.
I would anticipate and run ahead, so he would turn around and walk the other way, over and over.
Grizzly bears are big (up to 1500 pounds and 8 feet tall) and fast (35 mph) and very smart.
I had a sudden moment of fear that turned to respect when I realized that this huge and dangerous animal was playing with me--and winning.
[Image: kak.zoo3.jpg]

Back in the reptile house, I caught this pair of juvenile komodo dragons--the SA Zoo has succeeded in breeding them.
My plan of attack for the often poorly-lit reptiles was to shoot in aperture priority mode @f2 and iso200, using a rubber lens hood that I could press against the glass to block reflections plus a monopod for added stability at shutter speeds that were definitely beyond handheld range.
The shallow DOF doesn't bother me a bit.
[Image: kak.zoo4.jpg]
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#2

These are all great shots. I especially like the detail on the viper, and the grizzly shot was definitely worth going back for. I'm sorry to hear about your elephant, though. They are my favorite animal. I hope his companion continues to do well.

"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." ~ Dorothea Lange
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#3

Keith - these are fantastic - lots of detail and character. Well done.

Canon stuff.
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#4

Beauty Keith! The snake and Komodos stand out for me because you would so rarely see these angles in life (and live to tell the tale).
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#5

Wonderful shots, all of them. My fave is the one with the komodos, to me they look a bit like the raptors in Jurassic Park. What all the shots have in common is that they show a lot of the personality of the animal (or so I think) - really well done.

Gallery/ Flickr Photo Stream

Reality is for wimps who can't face photoshop.
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#6

Beautiful all pictures Keith but the snake and the bear are my fav...

The snake has gorgeous detail, but the eye is amazing!! Excellent picture.

The bear: I love his look... He looks so sweet... However I wouldn't like the shake hands with him... Wink

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
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#7

The bear has a weather beaten look. (seen it got the t-shirt, kind of thing) and the eye of the snake is like a glass marble. The komodo's have the tank light shade, but they show up well.
I have now next door to me two dragons and two chameleons, so it may be a trip with the tripod. Tongue

Lumix LX5.
Canon 350 D.+ 18-55 Kit lens + Tamron 70-300 macro. + Canon 50mm f1.8 + Manfrotto tripod, in bag.
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#8

I'm a particular fan of the mammals. Both of them show real character and personality. Usually zoo animals are just lying around being bored, but in this case you actually caught them acting bored. How on earth do you get an animal to personify something as anthropomorphic as world-weariness? Well done.

And something else that our Australian friends have been too modest to point out -- photographing kangaroos requires some deft and strategic compositional skills. Your choice of angle is excellent.

(I would like to apologize to anyone who now goes back to look at the kangaroo photo again... )

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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#9

Hehe--Yeah, I moved a little to cover the 'roo's junk with it's leg.

Thanks, everyone.
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