Baby Chameleon

A Camera Critter image 

One of the six baby Chameleon in Dublin Zoo. This one may be no bigger than a 1 euro coin, but he could  move fast. And try to get a clean image with no movement was fun.  As I was saying in the post below, I did manage to get am image when converted to b&w that the background had enough tonal separation so that it would work.

If it's your first tie here from the Camera Critters site than you can click on the Animal Link to take you to all the animal posted on the site. 

Elephant Shower

Here is your Monochrome Maniacs image.

Well no black and white landscapes for you today. Too much work on my hands at the moment. Two weddings to finish and another full weekend down at the Zoo. Above is one of the images I was ask to get of the Elephants when they were being cleaned by Gerry, one of the Keepers. There is a big international talk on Elephants in Dublin Zoo next week and a selection of images will be used in the lecture to highlight the work and enclosure in the Zoo. I also had to photograph a baby Chameleon, which was smaller than a 1 euro coin. Small, but they can move. I might show you that image tomorrow. I am not happy with the b&w version, it lacks contrast. It was taken as a colour so my choice of backgrounds is too close to the colour of the Chameleon when converted. Ah, I will give it another go and see what happens. This image works because of the contrast between the dark Elephant skin and the bright water spray. The composition not to bad either.

Tiger Cubs & Mother

Here is your Monochrome Maniacs image.

I made a quick visit to Dublin Zoo today too see how the Tiger Cubs are doing. They have doubled in size and weight since I last photographed them. Not the best conditions for photography. Clear blue sky, very sunny and loads of shadows. The above image shows the Tiger cubs with their mother. 

I am planning a 7:00 start new weekend to get full access to the Tigers before the Zoo opens as this is the best time to get an image of them all together 

Brother & Sister on Public view

Here is your Camera Critters image.

Visitors to Dublin Zoo will be able to see the new tiger cubs, alongside their mother Sigra and father Kepala from today. If you have being following my blog you got to see them weeks ago. All the TV and newspapers got access to the cubs today for the press release.

Me & Me Tigers

I had to show you the image taken by one of the Keepers of me holding one of the cubs ( the female ) form last Saturday. It's not the most sharpest of image as I think the Zoo Keeper turned the dial on the camera instead of pressing the shutter button because it was set to f16 at 1/20 second. I am now their Official Photographer and will be documenting their stay at the Zoo with photos every couple of weeks as they grow up.
Just in case, I'm the one with the glasses on this head.

Brother & Sister 2

Here is your My World image.

This is My World at the moment. The new Tiger Cubs at Dublin Zoo. I am just putting the finishing touches on the images for the press release this week. They will be in colour, but you can see them first in wonderful B&W.

Brother & Sister

Here is your Scenic Sunday image.

I couldn't wait any longer to show the Tiger Cubs from Dublin Zoo.
I know it's not your usual Scenic Sunday image but who cares?
It was just amazing to see the cubs and to hold them on Saturday morning. Oh yes I did manage to rattle a few 4gig memory cards worth of images. The female is on the left and the male ( with the bigger head ) is in the right. No names yet. As with most animals in the Zoo they usually have a competition for the children to give the animals names. As theses two are not on public view, so no names, except for few who had the chance to see them while I was in the enclosure taking this and many more photos.

So except to see some more tiger cubs and images from my recent trip to Westport next week.

Mr Daddy Kepala

Here is your Watery Wednesday image.

I have being very busy of late and so no posts for the past couple of days.

If you have being following my blog lately you will have seen image of this fellow before. Well now we have to call him Mr Daddy Kepala as he is the proud daddy of two cubs.

I was down in the Zoo at the weekend to get photos of all the new babies and also the world record attempt for the biggest Teddy Bears Picnic with stands at over 34,000. Dublin Zoo hold that record already but the Teddy Bear Picnic was held in Zoo's all over the world on Sunday last.

The Tiger cubs are too small and I would not disturb mother or the cubs with flash photography as they are still indoors. So you will have to wait until next week to see them. I will be taking the photos at the weekend and then they will be released to the public.

Fungie

Here is your Watery Wednesday image.

As requested by a few bloggers from the last Watery Wednesday post a image of "Fungie" the Dolphin form Dingle.

For more info on Fungie Click the Link Here

Sunday walk about

Mr Kepala on his walk about.

Well that's the end of the Tiger series on Kepala, a five year old Sumatran tiger from Dublin Zoo. I hope you have enjoyed the posts this week as much as I did photographing them.

I am off on my travels again this weekend, this time to Gotenborg, Sweden for a Marathon. I will be leaving early Friday so sorry no posts until I return on Sunday.

Mr Kepala dives for lunch

Here is your Watery Wednesday image.

We continue the Tiger Theme this week with another one of Mr Kepala. To get the action shots of the tigers, the Zoo keepers feed the tigers by tossing whole chickens over the glass and into the pond. It was amazing to see the speed of them as they jumped into the water to get the chickens. It is very unusual for tigers to put there complete head under the water, but they did so on the occasion. However two of the chickens were in the deep part of the pond and the tigers could not get them. The image above shows you Kelapa after trying to get them but failed.

I will post one more image for Thursday and then we will be back to normal b&w landscape for Skywatch Friday.

Mr Kepala

Here is your My World image.

And here he is, Mr Kepala, the Sumatran Tiger from Dublin Zoo who got very close and I mean very close to me. I was taking some images of Sigra the female tiger and could not see Kepala anywhere, Why? Because he was right beside me. I know it's not the same as true wildlife photography but I don't think I am ever going to get within a inch of a tiger (a live one that is) and live to be typing on my keyboard and telling all about it.

So this is My World for the moment the Tigers at Dublin Zoo.

Photo Zoo

For the past couple of years I have being taking photographs of the animals at Dublin Zoo. These images are used by the Marketing Dept in the Zoo publications (print and web). Today I went thru the images and picked out 60 which I made into a book. The book is uploaded to a website ( www.issuu.com).

You can click on the Link Here , post title or the image and it will take you to the book. So sit back and enjoy the images.

Tiger

This is one of my images from Dublin Zoo. This is of one of the three  Siberian Tigers at the Zoo. Early that morning the were feed some pigs head and chickens. I got some great images of them eating. When they were finished they have a rest and got to fill 2-3gigs worth os images as they just sat down and did not move. Shooting thru the glass can have major problems what with reflections and dirt, but because the light was coming in from the front of the enclosure this made for near perfect images ( no glass would be perfect but I would not be here to tell the tail ).  If you do go to Dublin Zoo you might see some images printed in their leaflets by Neil McShane, that's me as I supply Dublin Zoo with alot of  their photographs. As all the images are in colour I have posted none except of the odd one that I think looks good in B&W.

Zebra

Is a Zebra Black with White strips or White with Black strips ?
This image was taken down in Foto Wildlife Park, Co Cork

The Zoo

It was mad bussy ! at the Zoo on Sunday what with two camera clubs there (Navan and Celbridge) with their big guns firing at speed all trying to get "The Shot". I did manage to take a couple of images myself, make that well over 1000 images.
In the end I ran out of memory cards so had to stop. I had all my family with me and I think it was over 20 year ago since my mother was last in the Zoo. It took us 4 hours to walk around with the odd stop or two.

Rear End ?

This a image of a Rhino from Dublin Zoo. Ok it's not the usual animal photo but a funny side and how would you like to be down wind of this one when he let's go ?
This is from a collection of images I have from Dublin Zoo. I was in contact with the Marketing Dept of Dublin Zoo to see if they would be interested in using my work.
The reply back was "Perfect timing and images". They will be using my images from the Zoo in their publications. What a result. I am over the moon.