LA Zoo Photo Day
11/19/2007 01:34 AM Filed in: Travel
Gerenuk, LA Zoo
The name Gerenuk means Giraffe Necked in Swahili. They are one of the only antelopes that stand on their hind legs to get their food.
Today was the 18th annual LA Zoo Photo Day. Once again Pauls Photo and the zoo put on a great event. There were approximately 200 people and more photography gear than you could shake a pointed stick at!
The highlight this year, for me, was the debut of the baby Giraffe. Born 3 days before, on the 15th, this was her first day out in the public eye. She took some coaxing, but once she was out in the paddock, she seemed to get used to the attention. After a while, the newness got to be too much for her and she splatted down on the ground in exhaustion. (Photo Below)
Nikon attended the day with what looked like ALL of their camera equipment. They had a number of camera bodies available to borrow, as well as lenses and flashes. I borrowed a new 70-300mm VR lens and wandered around with it a bit. While I liked it, I don’t think it did enough for me to want to buy it. For now I will stick with my 70-200mm. I’ll just have to save for my 200-400mm lens! ($5500 at your nearest camera dealer.)
I spoke with the Sony rep too. They brought their new A100 SLR camera that uses Zeiss lenses and Sony / Minolta lenses. It looked like a well designed camera. And Zeiss lenses are amazing! (He let me play with an 85mm Zeiss. I suspect the lens cost as much as my camera.)
The various enrichment activities (Where the zoo gives treats to the animals so that they will display more natural behaviors for the photographers) were all excellent. This year I made it to the Zebras, the Lions, the Chimpanzees, the Tigers, the Hippos, and the Black Bears. The best this year, in my opinion, were the tigers. There were 3 cubs and they were all rambunctious and playful. Unfortunately I needed better lenses to be able to capture the moments properly.
All told, the day was another success and I look forward to next year!
