Lions of Brookfield and Woburn

Jan 1, 2016Jul 2, 2015 / Robert Small / Leave a comment

I also like lions.

The majesty of the slightly open jaw, the alertness of the ears. This is why I like photographing big cats.

Camera: D5300
Lens: 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6
Focal length: 300mm
Aperture: f/8
Shutter: 1/500
ISO: 320

A male lion yawning, the teeth. A split second insight into why they’re apex predators.

Camera: D7000
Lens: 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6
Focal length: 300mm
Aperture: f/6.3
Shutter: 1/250
ISO: 400

Of course there are always cubs. Everyone loves cubs. Miniature giants, adorable but at least partially so because they are smaller versions of the fearsome adults.

Camera: D7000
Lens: 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6
Focal length: 300mm
Aperture: f/6.3
Shutter: 1/400
ISO: 640

Wolf

Dec 30, 2015Dec 27, 2015 / Robert Small / Leave a comment

I have actually had this as a desktop background at work for quite a while, the bokeh around the wolf is quite nice while keeping a feeling of motion and the softness of the fur.

Camera: D5300
Lens: 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G
Aperture: f/8
Shutter: 1/500
ISO: 800

Tiger at Brookfield Zoo

Dec 25, 2015Jul 2, 2015 / Robert Small / Leave a comment

I like tigers.

Camera: D5300
Lens: 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6
Focal length: 300mm
Aperture: f/8
Shutter: 1/500
ISO: 360

Camera: D5300
Lens: 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6
Focal length: 300mm
Aperture: f/8
Shutter: 1/500
ISO: 450

Camera: D5300
Lens: 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6
Focal length: 300mm
Aperture: f/8
Shutter: 1/500
ISO: 800

Giraffe Portrait

Aug 18, 2015Jul 8, 2015 / Robert Small / Leave a comment

I like giraffes although I can never spell giraffe (is it too f’s, or too e’s, or maybe both like coffee?). I’ve always found them hard to take photographs of. If you go too far out and get the whole animal you don’t convey the size, if you just get the neck and head there’s a lot of empty room, if you try with just the head they don’t always oblige by posing for you.

This one posed for me and I took advantage of that.

Camera: D7000
Lens: 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6
Focal length: 300mm
Aperture: f/6.3
Shutter: 1/640
ISO: 320

The owl

Aug 6, 2015Jul 2, 2015 / Robert Small / Leave a comment

This is one of those images that really captures the personality of the owl for me. The stern stare is almost like a disapproving parent.

I like that the background bokeh mixed with the two tone colours to really of sets the owl from its environment. All these things made it a keeper.

This lens quickly became my go-to lens for zoo trips. The crispness of the images and the colour it produces is really impressive, matched with the extended focal length and rather good VR provides a lens that rarely leaves your camera during zoo trips. I do have a 70-300mm Sigma which I like a lot as it has the ability to do macro, however it is about twice the weight and doesn’t have VR so it has mostly been used to take photos of flowers and such with a tripod.