weribbee zoo visit no 2

Today, my blog has been officially 'promoted' by robin

When I read his latest post, my eyes grew as big as saucers :p when I saw what he had posted:

"Why Zoo Negara? Blame all of it on that Brandon (click)!! He poisoned me several times with the pictures he took at the Zoo in Melbourne, so in the spirit of kiasu-ism he got me so inspired to try out shooting at the zoo. Yes Goodness, Brandon, see what you have done to me."

It is indeed a coincidence that I too had visited the a zoo during the weekend - The Werribbee zoo.

I previously first visited the zoo in january this year, post here. This time, I've returned with my olympus e510.

this is how the zoo looks from above

near the entrance

some building made to look like an african hut. not very authentic to my liking

If used properly, the Zuiko 50-200 can be used as a 'macro' lens to take subjects with exquisite details. Most of the photos are taken at wide open apertures, single autofocus, multi autofocus points and iso400.

photographing the most common of animals can also be a rewarding experience

the wide aperture of the lens (f2.8-3.5 helps to give creamy 'bokeh' (blurred backgrounds) to the subject which is very desirable.

all star sneakers

the owner of the sneakers having a snickers
btw, the snickers catch line is - so close u can taste it!

this is one of the latest exhibits at the zoo.. it looks quite sleepy

one successful trait of the zoo is its safari experience. simply put, a bus drives you on dirt tracks so that you can view the animals from a safe distance without having to walk for miles.

american bison.
the alpha male is in the foreground

the indian cow and the little birdie

when an antelopes' horn breaks, it does not grow back.. pitiful, i must say..

you can't actually notice it, but this deer is actually using its long horns to give itself a back scratch

in fact.. almost all the pictures i've taken show sleepy animals ! i think its because the weather was windy and quite cold

a deer was right next to the footpath which enabled me to take this closeup picture of it feeding

a sleepy rhino

but it wasn't sleepy for long.. it soon got up and pointed its massive horn towards us..

imagine a 2 ton rhino charging towards you at 50 kph.. it can topple a bus!

a good thing about these creatures is that you do not need to bring their food.. it grows around them

this giraffe was safely away from our reach. it was drinking from its container, so you can still see water droplets streaming from its mouth

robin.. i shot this meerkat for you!

i guess the lions look sleepy too.

A friend helped me to take this pic at 200mm

A little tip from a steve parish regarding photographing exotic animals:

"the most important rule for photographing animals in fauna parks and zoos when the day is bright and sunny is 'don't bother'. a bright overcast day is essential to enable you to take intimate shots of furry and feathered creatures with lots of detail."

sigh, what a sleepy day.... zzzz!