So I finally returned to Lincoln Park Zoo on a mission to get what pics I could. ; It wasn't an ideal day, it was fairly cloudy and ISOs were high, plus I was surprised to find my 400mm lens was too long for a lot of the animals. ; I saw a lot of other photographers walking around with what looked like variants of the Canon 70-200 and should have taken the hint.
I guess it's a credit to the zoo that they let you get that close, but I wasn't in the mood to be changing my lens all the time so I just stuck with 400mm and got what I could. ; So without further ado, let's get on with the image attaching.
Here's what we've got. ; Starting off the process is a melanistic leopard. ; That's right, I said melanistic. ; It's a leopard, unfortunately I forgot the species. ; It is black through a mutation that effects the coat color, often if you look carefully you can see the original coloration through the otherwise black coat. ; Not a great shot, but I was pushing my hand holding speeds awfully far and was kinda shaky anyway. ; That was taken at 1/60th of a second at 400mm, and I took a bunch of shots to try to get at least a few that were usable. ; Yeah, the barrier comes through only too clearly, in this case they used thin vertical wires and the leopard was right next to them. ; But I've never gotten a picture of a cat like that before and I had to get it.
Next up is the star of the trip as far as I'm concerned, a Pallas's Cat. ; I've been wanting to get a shot of one of these guys for a while now. ; It's a very cool looking wild cat with a very heavy coat of fur that gives it a fairly serious, rugged appearance. ; According to the info at the zoo they're fairly fierce and even the kittens growl before they can open their eyes. ; I think this one was showing a bit of 'tude as I photographed it.
The Pallas's Cat has the unusual distinction of having what seems to be an Internet meme of it's own. ; Here, check this out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizzystewart/2808815696/#
Next up, nested zebras. ; What can I say, I love zebra striping. ; It almost hurts my eyes to look at it, yet I find it sort of hypnotic.
Followed up by a little roo aggression. ; Red Kangaroos, probably two males, engaging in a little combat.
Finally, pull up a chair and spend a little time with Mr Andean Bear. ; A seemingly mellow sort, he posed for a while for me, almost challenging me to try to deal with the dynamic range issue between his darker fur and the light background.
I guess it's a credit to the zoo that they let you get that close, but I wasn't in the mood to be changing my lens all the time so I just stuck with 400mm and got what I could. ; So without further ado, let's get on with the image attaching.
Here's what we've got. ; Starting off the process is a melanistic leopard. ; That's right, I said melanistic. ; It's a leopard, unfortunately I forgot the species. ; It is black through a mutation that effects the coat color, often if you look carefully you can see the original coloration through the otherwise black coat. ; Not a great shot, but I was pushing my hand holding speeds awfully far and was kinda shaky anyway. ; That was taken at 1/60th of a second at 400mm, and I took a bunch of shots to try to get at least a few that were usable. ; Yeah, the barrier comes through only too clearly, in this case they used thin vertical wires and the leopard was right next to them. ; But I've never gotten a picture of a cat like that before and I had to get it.
Next up is the star of the trip as far as I'm concerned, a Pallas's Cat. ; I've been wanting to get a shot of one of these guys for a while now. ; It's a very cool looking wild cat with a very heavy coat of fur that gives it a fairly serious, rugged appearance. ; According to the info at the zoo they're fairly fierce and even the kittens growl before they can open their eyes. ; I think this one was showing a bit of 'tude as I photographed it.
The Pallas's Cat has the unusual distinction of having what seems to be an Internet meme of it's own. ; Here, check this out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizzystewart/2808815696/#
Next up, nested zebras. ; What can I say, I love zebra striping. ; It almost hurts my eyes to look at it, yet I find it sort of hypnotic.
Followed up by a little roo aggression. ; Red Kangaroos, probably two males, engaging in a little combat.
Finally, pull up a chair and spend a little time with Mr Andean Bear. ; A seemingly mellow sort, he posed for a while for me, almost challenging me to try to deal with the dynamic range issue between his darker fur and the light background.
