Ring-tailed Lemur

I captured this image of a Ring-tailed Lemur at the Houston Zoo in 2011. The Ring-tailed Lemur is originally from the island of Madagascar. Ring-tailed Lemurs are quite intelligent and very social, living in large groups. Lemur groups are also leaded by a matriarch. All Lemurs have a strong sense of smell and they use scent glands to mark their territory. Lemurs are also very vocal. They will use calls among each other to signal alarms and to maintain group cohesion. As a species the Lemur is considered Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

To learn more about the Ring-tailed Lemur visit Wikipedia. Also, visit the web-site of the IUCN to learn more about the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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Metadata: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G lens, Subject Distance: 5.62 meters, Exposure: 1/10s at f/5.6, ISO: 200, Focal Length: 155mm, Filter: Ultra Violet, Lighting: Natural Daylight, Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5, Date: 10/11/2011 at 10:26 am

Copyright © 2012 Windows of Photography, All Rights Reserved

Fox Squirrel

While on an outing to the Houston Zoo with my wife I captured the above image of a Fox Squirrel. Fox Squirrels are the largest specie of tree squirrels native to North America. The Fox Squirrel can easily be mistaken for the American Red Squirrel or the Eastern Gray Squirrel. There were Fox Squirrels all around the Houston Zoo but, they were very hard to photograph because they would run and hide every time I pointed my camera at them. I guess they looked at my 70-300mm telephoto lens and thought better safe the sorry. As we turned a corner I saw the above squirrel preoccupied with eating. I had to slowly and smoothly swing my camera into place for the shot. I was only able to get this one image of this squirrel before it was gone. But I got lucky and it made for a great photograph. When photographing wildlife even in a zoo it pays to be ready at all times.

See the following Wikipedia link to learn more about the Fox Squirrel.

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Metadata: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G lens, Subject Distance: 5.01 meters, Exposure: 1/10s at f/5.6, ISO: 200, Focal Length: 220mm, Filter: Ultra Violet, Lighting: Natural Daylight, Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5, Date: 10/11/2011 at 10:20 am

Copyright © 2012 Windows of Photography, All Rights Reserved

Royal Poinciana

During a trip to Waikoloa Village on Hawaii's Big Inland I took the above photograph of this Royal Painciana. The Royal Poinciana were not as full of flowering blooms as I wished but, sometimes you have to work with what you get. One of the best parts of this image beside the red of the blooms and the different shadings of the green leaves was the blue of the sky. I obtained this nice blue sky by using a Circular Polarizer filter. As I have stated in past blogs a Circular Polarizer filter can make the sky in your images a more natural and truer blue by reducing the harsh light from the sun. A Circular Polarizer is also great for reducing the glare and hotspots from reflective materials such as water and class. To use a Circular Polarizer filter is very easy. Just turn the Circular Polarizer filter until the image in your view finder is at its darkest. I have a Circular Polarizer filter for each of my lens.

Delonix Regia (Royal Poinciana): A native of Madagascar, but grows freely in many other places such as Hawaii, where it is also known as the Flamboyant Tree, Mohur Tree and Red Flame. It blooms in about July or August usually and can reach 40-80 feet, spredding out to the side as well as high.

See the following Wikipedia link to learn more about the Royal Poinciana.
 

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Technical Data: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G lens, Subject Distance: 5.96 meters, Exposure: 1/80s at f/5.0, ISO: 200, Focal Length: 58mm, Filter: Circular Polarizer, Lighting: Natural Daylight, Post Processing: ACDSee Photo Editor 2008, Date: 07/28/2010 at 10:32 am

Copyright © 2012 Windows of Photography, All Rights Reserved

What's up Pussycat?

I captured the above photograph of this Lioness at the Audubon Nature Institute in 2009 during a trip to New Orleans. The Lioness looks as if she could have been photographed in the wild. When photographing wildlife at a zoo I'm looking for exhibits that frame the animals in as natural a setting as possible. Wildlife and photographers have one thing in common. They don't like bars and wired enclosures. The best zoos have large enclosures with high stone walls (usually man-made), native plan life and moats to protect you from the wildlife on exhibit. Animals that are in large natural enclosures experience less stress and live a more satisfied life which translates into better photographs.

In my humble opinion the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans is one of the best zoos in the United States. The exhibits are very photographer friendly. Most of the wildlife exhibits are natural and realistic. The Audubon Nature Institute is also known for its diverse plant life.

For more information visit the Audubon Nature Institute's web-site.

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Metadata: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G lens, Subject Distance: 17.8 meters, Exposure: 1/30s at f/5.6, ISO: 400, Focal Length: 300mm, Filter: Circular Polarizer, Lighting: Natural Day Light, Post Processing: ACDSee Photo Editor 2008, Date: 08/05/2009 at 11:16 am

Copyright © 2012 Windows of Photography, All Rights Reserved