The Lens Goes Back; But I Keep the Photos

Saturday, 19 May

While we were at Shenandoah River State Park last weekend, I posted about our quick trip to Skyline Drive to test a 300mm prime lens (post here).  At the time, I was leaning towards keeping it, but still had some concern about the inflexibility of a single focal length lens.  So, today we went to the Smithsonian National Zoo for another photo-shoot. I got some great photos, but I also proved to myself that I would be frustrated without the ability to change the focal length on the fly; especially important when I am unable to increase the distance between myself and my subject (which is a very likely scenario on a wildlife-focused trip we will be taking in July).  I also couldn’t justify the expense of the lens.  After all, I do little more with my photos than post them in online galleries and the blog.

So, after a long and difficult decision-making process, this most excellent lens is going back.  I can think of at least two avid photographers who, if they read this post, will think I’m nuts.  But I have to do what’s right for me.

I have another plan of action in place that I think will give me the best of both worlds — great photographs at a more reasonable price and a simpler (and lighter) camera bag.  I hope to test my plan when we take the Phaeton out for Memorial Weekend.

In the meantime, here are some of my favorite shots from the zoo photo-shoot.  I wish they were photographs of wildlife in their natural habitat, but I needed a captive audience — no pun intended — to finish my testing before the deadline for returning the lens came and went.

(Speaking of returning the lens: kudos to B&H — a photographer’s ultimate toy store — for their prompt service and no-hassle return policy.  We’ve been using them for years to order our photo/video gear.)

Giant Panda
not sure if this is mei xiang or tian tian, but either way I can tell you that there was no
“mating action” during the recent estrus period.  so, Mei Xiang has been artificially inseminated;
we’re all anxiously waiting to hear the pitter-patter of mini panda paws later this year.

Grevy’s Zebras
somehow B&W seemed an appropriate treatment for this, my second favorite of the zebra
photos from this shoot.  I posted my favorite in the viewfinder.  Take a look; I think you’ll like it.

Sumatran Tiger
I believe this is Guntur, born may 2006 here at the zoo; his name means thunder.

this young male is one of the lion cubs that was born in 2010.
[baby photo album and video footage here.]

Brotherly Love

Orangutan
we watched batang (female) use the overhead o-line — orangutan highway, if you will — to
join two other orangs in this yard.  I captured this shot as she mischievously stole a treat
from kiko, the zoo’s adult male orangutan.  Just look at the expression on her face!

Left: Black-Crowned Night Heron
Approx. 200 pairs of wild night herons stop over at the Smithsonian zoo to nest each year.
this is one of those wild herons.

right: surveying its domain from a high perch, this peacock lives in the free-flight aviary.

Wattled Cranes
The chick, born March 2012, is a bit blurry, I’m afraid, but I just had to include it here.
[balancing myself and the camera on tiptoes is not ideal for wildlife photography!]

Flamingo with Egg
this flamingo rose just in time to give us a peek at its egg before sitting back down on it. 
the flamingos at the zoo lay their eggs in may-june; chicks hatch a month later.

Wood Duck ducklings
I was just in time to see the ducklings at feeding time; they were a blur of activity, but I
did manage to get one or two shots of lone ducklings in focus.

Grouse
[I believe; if I am wrong, please correct me by leaving a comment]

Using the burst mode on my camera, I came away from this shoot with 641 pictures.  Not all were good, of course.  And many of them were duplicates.  I’ve whittled them down to 48 pictures.  If you’d like to see the ones I did not include in this post, click here to visit my online gallery.

Who Would’ve Thunk …

Saturday, 31 December

… that on New Year’s Eve day we’d be able to sit on a park bench in Washington DC and enjoy an al fresco lunch?

Well, we must have been hoping that the forecast for near 60F (15C) temps and sunshine would hold true, because we packed some sandwiches, baby carrots, and apple slices when we left the house shortly before noon today.

The Destination: Washington DC.

The Plan: take the metro to the Rosslyn Station; walk across the Key Bridge from Virginia to DC; stroll along the C&O Canal tow path; have a picnic lunch somewhere along the way; and wander through Georgetown before returning home.

By the time we got into DC, however, the clouds had moved in and there was a stiff breeze. The walk along the tow path was no longer appealing, so we scrapped that part of our plans. Instead, we found a bench at the Francis Scott Key Park near the entrance to Georgetown and enjoyed a picnic lunch while the sun played hide and seek behind the clouds. Then, we strolled through Georgetown, which was unusually quiet and crowd-free, and stopped to get some Belgian chocolate-chocolate ice cream at the Häagen-Dazs shop that happened (!!!) to be on our way to the Foggy Bottom Metro Station. Yummm … brings back great memories of our 1999 trip to Cancun; but that’s a story for another time.

a beautiful winter day with fall-like temps.

So, our plans didn’t work out as intended. So be it. We had fun anyway … and we got out of the house for a couple of hours to boot.

Holiday Cheer: ZooLights

Friday, 23 December

We took advantage of unseasonably warm weather — talking in the mid-50F (13C) range, with no hint of snow  — to do one more “holiday cheer” outing before Christmas.

Rather than fight the traffic and the parking crowds, I took the metro into DC and met up with Mui for a quick bite to eat at Cosi.  Then, our tummies sated, we hopped on the red line train to the Woodley Park/Zoo Station.  A short 5-minute walk from there put us at Zoolights at the Smithsonian National Zoo.

It was still light out, so we opted to wade through the growing crowd and walk the main path through the grounds to the far end of the zoo first.  By the time we reached the lion enclosures, it was dark enough to enjoy the shimmering lights.

As might be expected from a light display at the zoo, the theme was “animals.”  From elephants, to pandas, to lions, and tigers; from an anteater snacking on its favorite critters, to a leaping frog, to cuddling monkeys, and a prairie dog popping in and out of its hole — there were electrified animals around every corner.  Real animals, though, were already tucked away in their bedrooms and nowhere to be seen.  We knew that would be the case, but from the whining we heard from the kids and adults around us, many were disappointed that they were not included in the festivities.

Here’s a glimpse into the sights and sounds of holiday cheer that we enjoyed as we made our way through the zoo.

Eventually, we returned to where we started and slipped into the visitor center to check out the miniature train exhibit.  Since that was too much movement for my camera, I focused on the ceramic Christmas village display and the entries into the “Gin-GRRR-bread Habitat” contest instead.

Admittedly, after having enjoyed the Garden Fest at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond (post here) and the fabulous Longwood Garden lights and fountain show (post here), ZooLights was not as impressive.  But that didn’t stop us from having a really good time; and it was free to boot.