Henry Doorly Zoo

I photographed animals in the Henry Doorly Zoo Lied Jungle today.  It is my only opportunity to photograph many of the species that are on display.

The Lied Jungle is very warm and humid - quite a contrast to the January weather outside.  My glasses fogged over immediately.   It takes quite a while for a cold camera lens to acclimate to the heat o keep  your camera warm or be prepared to wait.

The light in the main exhibit is natural.  During the dark and dreary winter, shooting with natural light is a challenge.  Many of the animals are in a large exhibit area so a longer lens is required.  I used a 200mm and kept it on f2 most of the time.  ISO 640 was as low as I could go and my shutter speed was usually less than 1/125th of a second.

This shrew wasn't easy to photograph.  I had to shoot through wire and the enclosure was relatively dark.  His nose was in constant motion.

Eye contact is important.

Zoo photos are more interesting when you capture behavior as well as the animals.

A Gray Day

I visited the wetlands of Fontenelle Forest for the first time in 2012.  It was a beautiful January afternoon in Nebraska - nearly too warm for the sweatshirt I was wearing.  I didn't bother with my telephoto lens because I didn't anticipate much wildlife.  My 24-105mm lens was more than adequate to record the aftermath of the 2011 flooding.

What is left of the boardwalk is buckled and covered with mud.

 

The flood waters receded several months ago.  The landscape is significantly different than it was a year ago.  The underbrush is nearly completely gone.  There isn't much color or contrast.  Everything is a shade of gray.

 

 I didn't see a single animal.  There isn't any food for them here this winter.   I did see a little evidence of beavers and a few raccoon tracks.  Several wild turkeys had left tracks in the mud as well.  I heard several birds - they will need to look for seeds to eat somewhere else.

The  receding waters uncovered piles of garbage deposited at some point in the historical past.

Not Having a Plan is Planning to Fail

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go."

                                                        Dr Suess

Shoots and Leaves bend toward the light in order to grow.  I can control the direction I grow as a photographer by setting goals.  If I allocate time to these goals I'll have the opportunity to create specific kinds of images.  I've set an ambitious goal for 2012.  I want to spend 100 photographic sessions directed toward seven specific goals.

1.  I will control light. Throughout this year I'll incorporate "Strobist Skills" into my photography.  I'll utililize high sped sync during the day, flash at sunset, painting with light at night, and multiple radio triggered flashes.  I cannot make outstanding images without knowing how to use light.

2.  I will explore my own backyard.  I'll see what is going on just outside my home. Birds and bees and flowers and trees.

3.  I will explore a region.  The Platte river crosses Nebraska.  I will photograph the landscape and  wildlife.  In addition to the Sandhill crane migration, I'll look for everything from prarie chickens to prarie dogs.  

4. I will explore my world.  My vacation this year will be a trip to Israel.  I plan to put emphasis on landscapes and  architecture.  I'll be on a tour so I will not be able to control the time or place.   I plan to use High Dynamic Range and selective focus techniques to make my photos outstanding.

5.  I will photograph remnants of the ancient prairies that remain in Iowa and Nebraska.  I'll show them at different times of the day and year.  I'll photograph the plants and animals I find living there.

6. I will focus on a recovering environment.  The wetlands area of Fontenelle Forest was devastated by flooding last spring, summer and fall.  I'll document how this environment recovers during 2012.

7. I will focus on a new life.   I'll find a random baby and document her cuteness throughout her first year.

   

I set the goal of 100 photographic sessions because in  2011 I only used my camera on 100 different days.  One hundred photographic sessions dedicated to focus my creative skills on these goals is a very ambitious plan.  I can spend about 14 sessions on each, so  I certainly will not exhaust any of the subjects.  

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go."

2012 has arrived and I can't let the good Dr Suess down.   Follow this blog throughout the year to see how I'm doing.