Went to the zoo yesterday (pics)
 

I do not remember the last time I went to the LA Zoo. Probably when my kids were kids. Anyway, goodgirl and I needed a little break, so we fired up one of the bikes and headed over to the zoo.

It was fun playing with the new Sigma lens, however, I have learned to hate chain link fences. It is really difficult to focus on stuff behind it when the subject is constantly moving. Oh well, practice, practice, practice.


http://www.gotbaddog.com/galleries/7...hotos2_big.JPG



http://www.gotbaddog.com/galleries/7...otos26_big.JPG



http://www.gotbaddog.com/galleries/7...otos62_big.JPG



http://www.gotbaddog.com/galleries/7...otos83_big.JPG



http://www.gotbaddog.com/galleries/7...tos130_big.JPG


http://www.gotbaddog.com/galleries/7...tos161_big.JPG


If interested, you can see all of the pics at GotBadDog.com

nice pics
ive never bein to the zoo before...

nice stuff as usaul thanx 4 the share

Nice looking animals

When we were kids, we used to ride our Bikes there and go into the old zoo that was closed down. It was pretty cool. It was fenced off but as kids we always got into everything.

This was in the early 90s. They had just finished building the new LA zoo.

Great pics

Nice pics :thumbsup

I'm going to assume that you were using auto focus when shooting through the fence and
I have the same problem when I'm at the races. Try switching to manual focus and see if that helps.

Another thing you might want to try is using a wide open aperture. This will create a shallow depth of field, making the background out of focus and your sharp subject will stand out.

Looks like you're having fun with your new lens. Experiment and keep posting the results.

nice pics

Great pics :thumbsup

cool pics, thanks for sharing!

great pics

Awesome pic's baddog, Never been to La but if I go will have to hit up that zoo!

Thank you for those little balls of fur !

We haven't got to go to the National Zoo in Washington DC yet this year but here are some pics from our trips last year.

http://animatedguy.com/gfy/1.jpg

http://animatedguy.com/gfy/3.jpg

http://animatedguy.com/gfy/4.jpg

http://animatedguy.com/gfy/5.jpg

http://animatedguy.com/gfy/6.jpg

http://animatedguy.com/gfy/2.jpg

I would love to work at a Zoo... no shit.

nice pics....thanks for sharing :)

:thumbsup

In keeping with the Zoo theme, here are a few more from my trip the other day.

http://nyonic.com/photos/1.jpg
http://nyonic.com/photos/11.jpg
http://nyonic.com/photos/12.jpg
http://nyonic.com/photos/7.jpg
http://nyonic.com/photos/13.jpg

<img>http://www.gotbaddog.com/galleries/782/LA-Zoo-photos130_big.JPG</img>
same you :">
i like monkey :">

Interesting animals...

nice pics :)

nice pics :thumbsup

I started with auto-focus then would switch to manual and try to dial it in. What a PITA. Get the fence out then have the camera focus on a leaf next to the animal's head instead of the head. I need to learn how to do depth of field, there is no doubt about that. I will keep trying.


You can not use html on GFY


http://www.gotbaddog.com/galleries/7...tos130_big.JPG

some nice clean shots there.

I was thinking about this over dinner. Please correct me if I am wrong, but would this not require a tripod and/or a subject that is not constantly moving? Or am I mixing up terminologies?

Going to the Zoo is always a great way to test out a new lens!

Re: wide open aperture, if you're using a long enough telephoto lens then the background will be out of focus anyway, if you open too wide (f-number lower) then the subject is also more likely to be out of focus.

Were you up against the chain link fence or was it further away? If you're up against it, try resting the lens hood on the fence, closest to a diamond opening, and then rotate the camera around to aim.

Nice pictures baddog

tight pics!
the snake one is awesome, he looks radioactive!

Like your images very much. The shots of the lions are very nice!

nice pics !

Cool pics! Thx for sharing! :)

Nice shot !!!

Been ages since i last went to a zoo. Might take a trip soon and snap some pics of my own...

Great pics, mate! :thumbsup

If the fence was close I think I would have done better, but it was usually at least 10' away.

Some nice photos..

When I first read the title I thought that you had taken the wrong exit in LA.

No tripod is needed. I have a really nice Bogen tripod that I use for video but rarely use it for pictures. I like to travel light and I'm guessing you're the same way.

Depth of field is about how much of your picture is in focus and you control that by the size of the opening of your aperture. For these pictures here I'm using a Canon 70-200 2.8 non IS. I shoot with the aperture set at 2.8 a lot because I really like the look of the pictures.

The idea is to make your subject stand out from a distracting background and not get lost in it. The speed of your subject doesn't matter as long as you have a suitable shutter speed to capture the action. Normally a wide open aperture will allow a fast shutter speed anyways.

It's just a simple technique that will add to your pictures. The best part is it's all digital and you can shoot at will and just delete the ones you don't want. I had to experiment with film and that cost always put a dent in my lifestyle :winkwink:

Here are a few examples of a shallow depth of field.

I took this shot of the model on my friends dock. By using a shallow depth of field ( DOF ) I put the branches behind her out of focus making them far less distracting and it really draws you to her. By adding the railing into the picture it gives perspective and like a trail it leads your eye to the main subject.

http://www.julie-clarke.com/public_h..._clarke_01.jpg

I shot this out in the sawgrass of the Everglades and the grass behind her would be very distracting if it
were in sharp focus but by using a shallow DOF she now pops from the background.
http://www.julie-clarke.com/public_h...es/indian1.jpg

This shot of my dog I chose to throw the background out of focus to feature him which makes a nice shot but you could leave everything
in focus to show the location. it's just a matter of choice and would make two very distinct images
http://www.julie-clarke.com/public_h.../bike/dog1.jpg

This shot is an example of almost too shallow of DOF because my dog's face is in focus but farther back his tail falls just out of focus.
It's not a deal breaker for the shot but something you need to keep in mind when choosing your DOF and composition.
http://www.julie-clarke.com/public_h.../bike/dog2.jpg

Thanks for the tips, it gives me more to try.

your threads aways looks cool

:thumbsup

all pic are cool...

The alligator looks like plastic :)
Beautiful pics!