Experiment

Ways to revitalize your photographic MoJo?  Experiment, try a shot that really shouldn't work once in awhile.  Maybe you get something interesting, maybe not.  Even if it doesn't work out there may be something to learn.  This shot is just such an experiment from my latest zoo trip.  Since I make zoo trips about twice a year the problem is that the exhibits stay much the same.  Trying something a little weird makes it a bit more fun. 

The shot was done at 230mm against a very bright sky.  The raw file looked pretty much like a black and white image.  The sky color came from reducing the blue luminosity in Lightroom by -32. No saturation adjustment required.  There was a rope hanging down which I thought was distracting so I cloned that out.  Other than that, a slight crop and a mild reduction in noise, the image is out of the camera.  Not an image that everyone will like, but I appreciate the bold graphic while there is still some interesting detail.  Mostly I like that it's not obvious.  It takes a second to figure out what manner of beasts these are.   I think I need to stretch myself and do more images like this. 

 A more conventional shot.  One of the better Siamang shots I've done.  These guys are really hard to photograph.  The exhibit is on an island so distance is an issue.  The move a lot and move fast.   This shot is at 400mm - f/5.6, as fast as this lens goes at maximum focal length.  If I win the lottery I can see a 500mm f/4.0 in my toy box.  Without that it's all about making sure the gear is mounted as stable as possible and using a cable release.  Manual focus to dial it in, since I've never been able to get auto focus to be reliable in this situation. 

As Simon and Garfunkel say... "It's all happening at the zoo."