# Some of my zoo shots (various critters)



## Mattis (Mar 13, 2015)

Hey guys,

during the last year I've been going to the local zoos a lot. I spend my time at work all week and trips to the zoo usually yield the most keepers for me, but I also love animals.
So, I hope you enjoy these. *I also love critique!*
























(This one's a pretty heavy crop)





I have more, I just don't want to cram 20 shots into one post.

I'm looking forward to read what you think about them!


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## JacaRanda (Mar 13, 2015)

Very nice set Mattis!  The 2nd Tiger and the Secretary bird are my favorites.


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## Mattis (Mar 13, 2015)

Thank you!
Yeah, I fell in love with secretary birds that day. They are amazing!
Here's one in a more derpy pose:




Secretarybird by Mathias Appel, on Flickr

That tiger shot is a personal favorite of mine as well. Doesn't look like it was shot with a roughly 20 years old lens, too^^


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## baturn (Mar 13, 2015)

Very nice! I kinda prefer the 1st tiger (for the regal pose) and the disgruntled chimp.


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## Mattis (Mar 13, 2015)

baturn said:


> Very nice! I kinda prefer the 1st tiger (for the regal pose) and the disgruntled chimp.


Thanks! Yes, I was happy about those as well. The pose of the tiger really is pretty awesome. It was just a really bright day, it took quite a bit of dodging and burning to get it right...

Here are some more pandas:


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## JustJazzie (Mar 13, 2015)

WOW! Nice set here! I don't think I could pick a favorite. If I HAD too, I think it would be the tiger in the water. well done!


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## otherprof (Mar 13, 2015)

Mattis said:


> baturn said:
> 
> 
> > Very nice! I kinda prefer the 1st tiger (for the regal pose) and the disgruntled chimp.
> ...


Nice set. And it isn't often I get to use Firefox to view a firefox.


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## woolybear (Mar 13, 2015)

The one that immediately jumped out at me was the tiger on the log.
 Lazy eyes, lazy pose..., just waiting for something to fall into his enclosure to pounce on!


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## funwitha7d (Mar 13, 2015)

tiger is excellent, really wow


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## Mattis (Mar 13, 2015)

woolybear said:


> The one that immediately jumped out at me was the tiger on the log.
> Lazy eyes, lazy pose..., just waiting for something to fall into his enclosure to pounce on!


Right, he looks lazy, but since he is a giant tiger he still looks rather powerful.
Also, I want to pounce on _him_! I bet he's really soft.



funwitha7d said:


> tiger is excellent, really wow


Thanks a lot!^^



otherprof said:


> Nice set. And it isn't often I get to use Firefox to view a firefox.


I see what you did there


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## Braineack (Mar 13, 2015)

Great stuff! Post more.  Dat freaking tiger.

using tapatalk.


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## FITBMX (Mar 13, 2015)

wonderful set, I loved all of them!!!


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## Mattis (Mar 14, 2015)

Thank you all! It's refreshing to actually get some feedback for once^^
Have some more:
















I cut off his foot but I still liked the pose.


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## Hunter58 (Mar 14, 2015)

You did very well.  Zoo shots require that you crop in tight sometimes and I like many of your compositions in this set.


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## Mattis (Mar 14, 2015)

Hunter58 said:


> You did very well.  Zoo shots require that you crop in tight sometimes and I like many of your compositions in this set.


Thank you!
Composition is always pretty much the most important aspect for me. I want to get it right when I take the shot, I don't like cropping photos. I bought the camera for the bigger sensor, so cutting off pixels always feels like such a waste to me.


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## Mattis (Mar 16, 2015)

Here are some more:


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## Mattis (Mar 22, 2015)

Man, what a day... Been to two zoos today. Getting eaten by lemurs is always worth it though!




Lynx by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Lynx by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Raccoon by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Meerkat by Mathias Appel, on Flickr

And for some reason everyone was looking to the left side of the frame today.


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## BillM (Mar 22, 2015)

Beautiful set, I really like the second tiger shot in the first set, nicely composed with him in the water


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## Mattis (Mar 25, 2015)

Thanks a lot!

Here are some more:



Greater kudu by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Red Panda by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Red Panda by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Red-Ruffed Lemur by Mathias Appel, on Flickr


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## shelby16 (Mar 25, 2015)

I honestly love every single one of these, but my favorite has to be the bird.

I love how detailed you can see the eyes. I find eyes so fascinating with animals, especially birds because us humans never get to really see the details up close.

Keep up the great work!


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## Mattis (Mar 26, 2015)

Thanks a lot!
Yes, I love animal eyes as well. They are fascinating! They are similar to ours but yet so different.
But which bird did you mean exactly? The marabou stork or the secretarybird?

More eyes:



Red-Ruffed Lemur by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Red Panda by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Red-Ruffed Lemur by Mathias Appel, on Flickr

Here is a video of what they sound like when they are howling like he or she is in the last one:




These are also the same red ruffed lemurs as those in my photos here, the video was shot in the same zoo! It's not my video though, it's just to show what they sound lile.


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## MSnowy (Mar 26, 2015)

Nice set! By far the best zoo shots I've seen on here since I've been a member.


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## Mattis (Mar 26, 2015)

Oh my, thanks a lot! :O That means a lot to me!


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## Rgollar (Mar 26, 2015)

Top notch pictures well done


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## Mattis (Apr 3, 2015)

Not my best day today... Every critter was asleep or not very active and my gear didn't really want to play along as well. Oh well, I guess I still got some decent results.




Lynx by Mathias Appel, on Flickr

Finally got him coming out of his stump:



Lynx by Mathias Appel, on Flickr

And just to demonstrate how lazy they were today:



Tiger Yawn by Mathias Appel, on Flickr


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## Gary A. (Apr 3, 2015)

Good stuff. Thank you for sharing.


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## C. Brian Kerr (Apr 3, 2015)

Well done (applause) hard to pick a favorite but I really like the Lynx coming out of the fallen tree.


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## Rick50 (Apr 3, 2015)

These are all great. Good job!


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## Mattis (Apr 7, 2015)

Thanks!

Here are some more:




Meerkat by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Meerkat by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Marabou Stork by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Lynx by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Red Ruffed Lemur by Mathias Appel, on Flickr


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## Msteelio91 (Apr 7, 2015)

Fantastic pictures!


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## Mattis (Apr 8, 2015)

Thanks!^^

Have some more:
Super relaxed meerkat



Meerkat by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Red Ruffed Lemur by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Raccoon by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Baboon by Mathias Appel, on Flickr
Is it me or does he look like he is plotting something evil?




Lynx by Mathias Appel, on Flickr
That stupid branch in front of his face really annoyed me...


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## Mattis (Apr 13, 2015)

Sunday was lemur day.




Ring-Tailed Lemur by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Ring-Tailed Lemur by Mathias Appel, on Flickr
This little fella is so damn soft, you wouldn't believe it...

And a Kudu:



Greater Kudu by Mathias Appel, on Flickr


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## TortGuy (Apr 13, 2015)

Awesome  pics what are you using


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## Mattis (Apr 14, 2015)

Thank you!^^
I have a question about the kudu shot though. On a different forum where I posted that shot someone said that it would have been better if those massive horns would have been completely in the shot. Personally I wanted to capture more details of the face and also concentrated on the background (not to mention that with my 300mm prime going further back was impossible at the time).
Do you agree with the guy? I see his point, but I also see the idea of what I wanted to capture 

Here's another shot of him:



Greater Kudu by Mathias Appel, on Flickr

Also, meerkat:



Meerkat by Mathias Appel, on Flickr

And a close up:



Ring-Tailed Lemur by Mathias Appel, on Flickr


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## Mattis (Apr 14, 2015)

TortGuy said:


> Awesome  pics what are you using



Thanks!
On that day I was using a Nikon D7000 with battery grip and a Sigma APO 300mm f/4 tele macro. All of that was mostly on a monopod. It's an older lens but for the price I love how sharp it is.
I also use a pretty old Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-ED which I plan to use more often again. The 300mm prime is great, but I am starting to miss the flexibility of a good zoom lens.


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## Mattis (Apr 17, 2015)

Here are some more:




Red Panda by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Ring-Tailed Lemur by Mathias Appel, on Flickr




Black and white ruffed Lemur by Mathias Appel, on Flickr


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