Return to the Zoo 05

One of the first pictures that persuaded me to take photography on as a hobby was captured at the New Orleans Zoo, at the time one of the best zoos in the country (don't know about post-Katrina). In fact, it was one of the first photographs that I printed and put up in my cubicle back in 2002. The subject was a group of flamingos in the distance, reflected in a large pond of water.

However, in my perfectionist leanings I was distressed to find that it was slightly over-exposed, the backs of many of the birds washed out, replacing the pink that would have been there with white. I had just purchased Photoshop Elements 2.0, but still could not salvage the picture to my satisfaction.

Thus, I was very pleased to have learned a thing or two about shutter priority and exposure compensation before encountering this flock last week at the Houston Zoo, and to have the Big Cahoona with me that can handle those parameters with ease. Sure can't claim this to be pro-level pic, but the color and detail are preserved thanks to a step-down of exposure plus shutter speed of 1/500th of a second.


_________________________
Nikon D300s, AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200 mm F/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
ISO-200, f/11, 1/500 sec
Photo taken 02/12/11 by Jim Mahood