Hangin Out

OK, I lied! Maybe I'll be using a couple of other shots from the zoo - including this one.

King of the Jungle

My last picture from the BAPC field trip to the Houston Zoo this weekend.

Tech: Olympus E-3 w/ 50-200 & 1.4 Tele @ 283MM, f5.6, 1/250, ISO200 +1,AP Mode, Raw, On Board Flash Post Processing: Duplicate Background>Curves to Darken Background>Merge Visible High Pass Sharpen>TA "Simplify" Background>TA "Color Pop" Lion>Merge Visible in Luminosity Mode 50% Opacity>Merge Visible>Overlay Background Copy @ 50%>Curves to Lighten Lions Face w/Gradient Mask>Lens Distort Vignette

Queen of the Jungle - Update

Two fellow BAPC members and freinds Larry and Doug thought this shot might be improved with the addition of some extra light on the lions face and front quarter, and I would agree. This is a copy of Larry's re-worked "Queen of the Jungle". Thanks Larry and Doug.

Queen of the Jungle

Another shot from the BAPC field trip to the Houston Zoo this weekend.

Tech: Olympus E-3 w/ Zuiko 70-200 + 1.4>AP Mode>283mm>ISO200 Post Processing: Duplicate Layer>Levels Adjustment Layer>Merge Visible>Levels [for Eye Brightness Only]>Mege and High Pass Sharpen>Topaz Adjust "Vibrance">Topaz Denoise>Merge in Soft Light Layer @ 50%

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Another shot from the BAPC field trip to the zoo this weekend. Not exactly a flattering bird shot, but this fellow seems to warrant a different approach!


Tech: Oly E-3, Zuiko 50-200 w/1.4 Converter @ 283mm, f5.6 @ 1/400 and ISO 200 @ +1, Aperture Priority Post Processing: Adjusted Exposure, Clarity, and Saturation in Camera Raw>Opened in CS3>Duplicate Background>Levels Adjustment>Merge Visible>Black & White Adjustment Layer>Topaz Adjust “Clarity”

Miles

The BAPC photo club conducted it’s first field trip of ’09 today with a trip to the Houston Zoo. In a new format for the zoo they arranged for a Photography Day where photographers would be allowed into the zoo an hour before opening. In addition to the early access our host, Mr. Rick Ellis, also provided a continental breakfast and a quest speaker Mr. Paul Swen [not necessarily in order of importance!] The weather was suitably mild and overcast which helped to make the morning an excellent outing.

This shot is my early favorite. It’s of Miles, the zoo’s new baby Masai giraffe, born just a few weeks ago and one of its trainers.

Tech: Oly E-3, Zuiko 50-200 w/1.4 Converter @ 283mm, f5.6 @ 1/800 and ISO 200, Aperture Priority Post Processing: Adjusted Exposure, Clarity, and Saturation in Camera Raw>Opened in CS3>Duplicate Background>Levels Adjustment>Merge Visible>High Pass Sharpen>Merge Visible>Topaz Adjust “Simplify”>Lens Distort Vignette

King of the Jungle

I was surprised that I liked this shot at all. For one thing I generally don’t care for animal shots taken at the zoo. I guess its the whole idea of shooting a “wild” animal that is trapped in front of you. It kind of seems to me like paying a guide to take you on a hunt so that you can shoot a deer that’s tied off to a fence post!

On top of that, on this day the zoo was hot, crowded, and full of mosquitoes - so I was anything but inspired when I took the shot. Add to that the fact that I was shooting through at an inch of cloudy and scratched Plexiglas and I thought I certainly had the right prescription for an easily “deleteable” shot.

In this case though post processing made the difference. I started with the original shot, which was dull as a result of the cloudy plexi, and duplicated the background layer in overlay mode. This greatly improved the color saturation and gave me a much better starting point. From there I added a curves adjustment and high-pass sharpening for the final photo.

I had taken my Oly E-3 along for the shoot but unfortunately forgot to pack any batteries – what a pro! Luckily my old Panasonic Lumix Super-Zoom was in the car, with batteries, and I was able to use it for the day. Tech: Aperture Priority, 58mm, f3.6, 1/80, ISO 100, -1 exposure.