Your best animal shots!

[eml58]

After the Eruption, at this point I'de beat a hasty retreat to the vehicle & captured this Image, I think I'de almost pooped myself, for sure the Terapins were in Orbit & thought Humans with Cameras should be trampled.

These Guys have a bad reputation for damaging idiots & the unwary, in this case i'm pretty sure I fit at least one of these descriptions, maybe both.

 

[ahab1372]

Aren't they considered the most dangerous animals on the continent?
How close were you?

 

[Sporgon]

Aren't they considered the most dangerous animals on the continent?
How close were you?

I'm sure I read somewhere that Hippos were responsible for more human deaths than all the other animals in Africa put together - or maybe I was reading Wilbur Smith

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Sporgon.
I was thinking I had heard they killed more people than lions do or something like that, probably because humans are hard wired scared of lions and aaawww look at the lovely Hippo, they are vegetarian aren't they, I must be safe! ;D

Cheers Graham.

Aren't they considered the most dangerous animals on the continent?
How close were you?

I'm sure I read somewhere that Hippos were responsible for more human deaths than all the other animals in Africa put together - or maybe I was reading Wilbur Smith

 

[Eldar]

I don´t do B&W very often, but played around with this for a while. The idea was to get a graphical effect.

Snow leopard, shot late in the evening, with 1DX, 200-400 f4L IS 1.4x
@394mm, 1/320s, f8.0, ISO20.000

 

[steven kessel]

Wow, Eldar, that's a superb shot. This was shot in the wild? Where?

 

[Click]

I don´t do B&W very often, but played around with this for a while. The idea was to get a graphical effect.

Snow leopard, shot late in the evening, with 1DX, 200-400 f4L IS 1.4x
@394mm, 1/320s, f8.0, ISO20.000

Very nice B&W. I love the shot. Well done.

 

[eml58]

I'm sure I read somewhere that Hippos were responsible for more human deaths than all the other animals in Africa put together - or maybe I was reading Wilbur Smith

Hi Sporgon, apparently more dangerous than anything else on the African Continent except Man & Mosquitoes.

And Wilbur Smith, used to be amazingly dangerous, now he's just a little boring .

 

[eml58]

I don´t do B&W very often, but played around with this for a while. The idea was to get a graphical effect.

Snow leopard, shot late in the evening, with 1DX, 200-400 f4L IS 1.4x
@394mm, 1/320s, f8.0, ISO20.000

It's well done Eldar, lovely set of Images you've taken, this & the Amur Leopard, were you able to get any of the Amur Tiger ??.

Looks top be a good spot for some winter Photography ?? Once the Grounds covered in Snow.

 

[Eldar]

I don´t do B&W very often, but played around with this for a while. The idea was to get a graphical effect.

Snow leopard, shot late in the evening, with 1DX, 200-400 f4L IS 1.4x
@394mm, 1/320s, f8.0, ISO20.000

It's well done Eldar, lovely set of Images you've taken, this & the Amur Leopard, were you able to get any of the Amur Tiger ??.

Looks top be a good spot for some winter Photography ?? Once the Grounds covered in Snow.

Thanks everyone,

No, I would have loved to shoot this in the wild, but I don´t believe my life is long enough to find one. There are very few images of these snow leopards in the wild and, according to the keeper in Nordens Ark, they actually do not know how big the global population is, because they are so shy and so sensitive.

This was shot during a Photography Master Class, with a Canon Ambassador called Tom Svensson, who is one of two Canon Amb. in Scandinavia I believe. So we had access to the enclosures off regular opening hours and he could also pull some tricks to get the animals out (he is employed in the park). But the enclosures are big enough for the animals to hide. As an example, it took 7 men more than an hour to spot the first wolf.

According to Tom, the winter shooting is excellent. But in this part of Sweden, snow is a bit unpredictable. But I will certainly be on the alert and try to get the first snow. Apparently the Snow leopards go totally bananas when it happens.

Here are two younger Amur tiger females.
1DX, 200-400 f4L @200mm, 1/200s, f7.1, ISO1600

 

[DominoDude]

lucistic whitetail deer i saw back in february

Oh, nice one, Sedwards!

Here's one of the white (leucistic) Fallow deers I have near one of my birding sites. There are plenty of them, but they are not very cooperative when it comes to letting me near them. I have to be happy if I can sneak up on them to be within 40-50 meters from them.

Around here, it's also considered to give "bad karma" if hunters shoot the white deers. So they are safe.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Eldar.
Not usually keen on B&W pics converted from colour, nearly always seem wrong! This on the other hand is beautiful, it doesn't hurt that the subject is one of the most beautiful big cats and my favourite animal! Thank you for posting.

Please don't bombard me with "I bet you can't tell the difference between original B&W and converted to B&W" as I probably can't unless it is not done well like when I try! :

Cheers Graham.

I don´t do B&W very often, but played around with this for a while. The idea was to get a graphical effect.

Snow leopard, shot late in the evening, with 1DX, 200-400 f4L IS 1.4x
@394mm, 1/320s, f8.0, ISO20.000

 

[Eldar]

Hi Eldar.
Not usually keen on B&W pics converted from colour, nearly always seem wrong! This on the other hand is beautiful, it doesn't hurt that the subject is one of the most beautiful big cats and my favourite animal! Thank you for posting.

Please don't bombard me with "I bet you can't tell the difference between original B&W and converted to B&W" as I probably can't unless it is not done well like when I try! :

Cheers Graham.

Thanks Graham,
I was pretty good on B&W if you go about 30-35 years back, when I loaded my own cartridges with film : Today I only do it occasionally and I don´t have the faintest idea on how to do it right ...

 

[Eldar]

Climbing Snow Leopard

I had to manipulate the lighting a bit on this, so I expect the experts here to come crashing down on me, but the animal is still extraordinary.

1DX, 200-400 f4L IS 1.4x @560mm
1/250s, f5.6, ISO1600

 

[eml58]

Climbing Snow Leopard

I had to manipulate the lighting a bit on this, so I expect the experts here to come crashing down on me, but the animal is still extraordinary.

1DX, 200-400 f4L IS 1.4x @560mm
1/250s, f5.6, ISO1600

You certainly managed some great opportunities on this Shoot Eldar, Lovely stuff.

Were you allowed to use Flash ?

Couple of ways to solve the issue of picking the Animal out of the darker background, Flash, or in Post with Layers.

The Flash works for me, if you can use it, I never these days go on a Safari without My 600EX-RT fitted to my RRS Full Ring Bracket (Ready to use, but switched off until it is required, better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it), fired on low power for Fill via the ST E3 RT, should work really well with something like a Snow Leopard in Dark Surroundings. less well if she's in Snow of course. I like the Full Ring Bracket in preference to the 3/4 as you can quickly move the Flash almost 360 degrees around the Ring to give your Flash directional Fill, be sure to use it on the RRS Extension Arm to get the Flash further away from the Lens/Camera to reduce Green/Silver Eye in Predators.

Setting Layers where you add some radial brightness etc to the Leopard & the tree she's on, separate from the background in another Layer, will almost give you a similar effect to having used a Flash, downside to this method is always introduced noise during Post, especially with all the Dark background, but it can be effective, the Noise can be taken care of in another Layer using dFine2 or similar.

Beautiful Subject though & well shot irrespective of the Post Process, which I think looks just fine.

 

[Don Haines]

Climbing Snow Leopard

I had to manipulate the lighting a bit on this, so I expect the experts here to come crashing down on me, but the animal is still extraordinary.

1DX, 200-400 f4L IS 1.4x @560mm
1/250s, f5.6, ISO1600

Personally, I like the picture the way you have it. It sets a mood.

 

[Eldar]

Thanks for your comments.

Flash was not an option, even though it is not "illegal". Tom Svensson is a purist photographer and made a point of not using a flash in nature, so I left it in the bag. He is a member of an exclusive club of Nordic nature photographers with a very strict regime on what they can and cannot do. A celebrated and award winning wildlife photographer called Terje Hellesø (Norwegian unfortunately) was caught cheating a few years back. After that, especially Swedish and Norwegian wildlife photographers are very much on their toes, when it comes to what is accepted and what isn´t.

This particular image was a bit difficult. Not enough light on the animal, lots of branches in the way and a fairly bright background. Worst problem though is my total lack of competence and knowledge of the post processing techniques/software.

And it is true Edward, I have loads of images from this trip. We shot most of it early in the morning and in the evening (before opening and after closing of the park) and there are lots of tall trees in the park. It was also overcast, so lighting was not that easy.

Here´s a lynx, chewing on a bird he caught (look at his right angle of mouth )
5DIII, 70-200 f2.8L IS II @200, f2.8, ISO8000

 

[eml58]

Another Cracker Eldar, I think for us Mortals this is the only chance we will get to Photograph these amazing Creatures.

 

[Menace]

EF400 @f2.8

 

[Menace]

Thanks for your comments.

Flash was not an option, even though it is not "illegal". Tom Svensson is a purist photographer and made a point of not using a flash in nature, so I left it in the bag. He is a member of an exclusive club of Nordic nature photographers with a very strict regime on what they can and cannot do. A celebrated and award winning wildlife photographer called Terje Hellesø (Norwegian unfortunately) was caught cheating a few years back. After that, especially Swedish and Norwegian wildlife photographers are very much on their toes, when it comes to what is accepted and what isn´t.

This particular image was a bit difficult. Not enough light on the animal, lots of branches in the way and a fairly bright background. Worst problem though is my total lack of competence and knowledge of the post processing techniques/software.

And it is true Edward, I have loads of images from this trip. We shot most of it early in the morning and in the evening (before opening and after closing of the park) and there are lots of tall trees in the park. It was also overcast, so lighting was not that easy.

Here´s a lynx, chewing on a bird he caught (look at his right angle of mouth )
5DIII, 70-200 f2.8L IS II @200, f2.8, ISO8000

Stunning shot