Help me choose a photo for

[MontanaZoo]

the AZA photo contest.

AZA - Association of Zoos and Aquariums

It's only open to staff/volunteers at AZA institutions. The winner gets the cover of their magazine so has to be in portrait format.

TIFF or EPS; 300+ dpi and 9"x12" in size - so I can't even crop the photos really.

So yes, I'm competing with San Deigo Zoo, National Zoo, etc staff photographers (I won't win but a runners up would be nice - maybe they won't enter).

Here's previous winners -
http://picasaweb.google.com/ZoosAquariums/AssociationOfZoosAndAquariums2007PhotoContestWinne rs/photo#s5132435594684483202


Siberian Tiger
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2714301708_bcb88bb805.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliez_pics/2714301708/

Grizzly Bear
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3166/2557267279_4588ec6988.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliez_pics/2557267279/

Belgian Horses
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2388/2435985379_484f1311e4.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliez_pics/2435985379/

Bighorn Sheep
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2359/2428983588_6168719c46.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2359/2428983588_6168719c46.jpg

Red Panda
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/2432358052_c434b0c0bf.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliez_pics/2432358052/

[orchjoe]

Vote: Big Horn Sheep


You should create a poll.... would have been easier to get a general consensus. You might be able to change it to a poll. No idea.

Otherwise great shots and good luck! :thumbsup2

[MontanaZoo]

Vote: Big Horn Sheep


You should create a poll.... would have been easier to get a general consensus. You might be able to change it to a poll. No idea.

Otherwise great shots and good luck! :thumbsup2

Yeah shoot, I guess I need to learn how to do a poll. :)

[wenrob]

I was really torn between the tiger and the horses but the horses really drew me in. I kept going back to look at them.

[MontanaZoo]

I was really torn between the tiger and the horses but the horses really drew me in. I kept going back to look at them.

That's cool. Thanks!

[wen-tom]

I have a thing for bears and so I've gone with the Grizzly.

Great shot and good luck :thumbsup2

[Quicklabs]

I like the face on the red panda and her coloring is really gorgeous. Nice shot!

[NC State]

I like the face on the red panda and her coloring is really gorgeous. Nice shot!

Me too!:thumbsup2

[MICKEY88]

Tigers are my favorite animal, but I keep going back to the red panda..

for a cover shot I think this wins hands down...it lends itself to a cover better than the other shots...

room across the top for the magazine name..

room down the side for article titles...

and the color will best show the text...

[MontanaZoo]

Thanks everyone for your comments and for voting. Looks like it's getting to be a tight race between the panda and the bighorn.

[Pirate's Princess]

I voted for the tiger. There seems to be space on the side for article titles, and it just makes the animal look so pensive and thoughtful. I liked the red panda but the expression on its face was kind of wigging me out.

[jann1033]

i chose the panda, different animal, seemed sharper than the others for some reason and it has the whole thing, nothing cut off which could be for artistic effect but i thought they might grade better with the whole thing

[Michele]

I voted based on the previous winners. They seem to like dark and close cropped pics. So I voted Bighorn Sheep. But, I really like the Red Panda, I wonder how it would look cropped in closer.

[ThurlFan]

Tigers are my favorite animal, but I keep going back to the red panda..

for a cover shot I think this wins hands down...it lends itself to a cover better than the other shots...

room across the top for the magazine name..

room down the side for article titles...

and the color will best show the text...

Those were my thoughts also. If the animal fills the whole image, there won't be room to work around it with the essentials. This is assuming the cover is a full-bleed image, and not a scaled down image framed in white (or some other color) space that they use for text elements. I'd recommend looking at old covers to see how they are composed to help select your entry.

Also, since it's a zookeeper magazine, the red panda shot gives an idea of how the animal is exhibited. This might be a bit of an edge also.

[MontanaZoo]

Unfortunately, the requirements for the size of the photo are so large that I can't crop at all (I don't think). I have some great landscape oriented shots that I'd crop but it won't make the competition size. Add that to the limitations of my telephoto lens and how large our exhibits are (the grizzly one is 2 acres by itself) and it's difficult to get the close cropped in look that the other photographers get. I think more photographers are entering each year too because a couple of years ago I wasn't all that impressed by their photos but last year I thought they were incredible.

[minnie4me]

Like others I like the panda, but the actual animal seems small for a magazine cover so in that case I pick the bighorn sheep !!
Good luck with whatever you choose, they are all nice photos !!

[MontanaZoo]

Those were my thoughts also. If the animal fills the whole image, there won't be room to work around it with the essentials. This is assuming the cover is a full-bleed image, and not a scaled down image framed in white (or some other color) space that they use for text elements. I'd recommend looking at old covers to see how they are composed to help select your entry.

Also, since it's a zookeeper magazine, the red panda shot gives an idea of how the animal is exhibited. This might be a bit of an edge also.

They only use the word CONNECT on the cover. They seem (at least last year) to prefer images that look like they were posed against a black backdrop (our animals are outside and my only photo ops are usually between 10am and 5pm so it's a challenge to get the best light).


http://picasaweb.google.com/ZoosAquariums/AssociationOfZoosAndAquariums2007PhotoContestWinne rs/photo#s5132435594684483186

I think those are definitely up a notch from the year before.

http://www.aza.org/AZAPublications/2006PhotoConIntro/index.html

[MontanaZoo]

Thanks everyone! Looks like I'm entering Ramsey the Bighorn Sheep for the contest. Was a tight race, I'm sure Taylor the Red Panda will be sad.

[MICKEY88]

[QUOTE=MontanaZoo;27209100]They seem (at least last year) to prefer images that look like they were posed against a black backdrop (our animals are outside and my only photo ops are usually between 10am and 5pm so it's a challenge to get the best light).


QUOTE]

have you tried doing selective edit and darkening the background only,

I did a quick edit on your bighorn, and it really makes him stand out..

[MontanaZoo]

I'll try that, thanks.

[GrillMouster]

My biggest concern with your shot of the bighorn sheep is that the animal's most defining characteristic, the big horns, are mostly cropped out of the image.

[MontanaZoo]

My biggest concern with your shot of the bighorn sheep is that the animal's most defining characteristic, the big horns, are mostly cropped out of the image.

I have one that shows the horn more. Is that better?
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2278/2428172249_3d271cecf5.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliez_pics/2428172249/

[KAT4DISNEY]

My biggest concern with your shot of the bighorn sheep is that the animal's most defining characteristic, the big horns, are mostly cropped out of the image.

This was a concern of mine too which is why I voted for the Red Panda yesterday....and I see it's now tied with the Big Horn Sheep. The Big Horn looks a little too lopsided IMO in the new picture you posted.

[GrillMouster]

I do like this crop better. The viewer's eye starts at the sheep's eyes, a natural focal point, and from there follows the horn on the left, which becomes a design element, leading around the frame and back to the eyes. A pleasing composition that still leaves space for text overlay (T. Rowe Price).

[GrillMouster]

This was a concern of mine too which is why I voted for the Red Panda yesterday....

I, too, initially favored the red panda, because the others were too heavily cropped. That being said, I didn't think the panda was a strong image. For one, there's insufficient subject-background separation around the head. The bright highlight along the left edge of the tree is also distracting.

It's hard to tell from the small pics, but it looks like the images are lacking nice catchlights in the eyes. Additionally, it looks like the sharpest point on the sheep's face is the nose/mouth. The eyes are less sharp, falling in back part of DOF.

The OP asked for a selection, not critique, but I think maybe she should try again, at different times, wait patiently for the right light. The panda would look great with some dramatic rim lighting (and consider popping a flash, just to get a catch light in the eye, not to light the subject).

[MontanaZoo]

I, too, initially favored the red panda, because the others were too heavily cropped. That being said, I didn't think the panda was a strong image. For one, there's insufficient subject-background separation around the head. The bright highlight along the left edge of the tree is also distracting.

It's hard to tell from the small pics, but it looks like the images are lacking nice catchlights in the eyes. Additionally, it looks like the sharpest point on the sheep's face is the nose/mouth. The eyes are less sharp, falling in back part of DOF.

The OP asked for a selection, not critique, but I think maybe she should try again, at different times, wait patiently for the right light. The panda would look great with some dramatic rim lighting (and consider popping a flash, just to get a catch light in the eye, not to light the subject).

Thanks for the critique. I agree about the panda actually, I just don't have a lot of vertical photos of the animals, I tend to take horizontal (lanscape oriented) and it limits my selection. Not that it will keep me from entering the contest, just limits my possiblilities.

The animals are out from 10am to 5pm and this part of Montana tends to be blue sky super bright all the time, definitely limits lighting options for those time frames.

I don't use flash on the animals at all because I need to take repeated pictures of them and I don't want them to be afraid when they recognize me and the camera. I don't think it really hurts them but it definitely startles them. Had a bad incident with a monkey where I did use the flash, she hated me every time she saw me after that and would run and pound on the glass if she saw the camera.

You can click on the links on the bottom of the pictures to see full size (I messed up on the bighorn link), flickr requires that we link back to them if we link to their images (if anyone has ever wondered why I do that with all my pictures).

All the previous winners if you scroll up are pretty closely cropped, one of them is only the eye of a bongo. I think they like that cause the name of the magazine is connect and they want an eyeline connection/relationship feeling to the animal?

You are absolutely right about the focus and DOF on the bighorn.

Thanks for the contructive criticism, I always appreciate it. I have about two weeks before the contest deadline, I'll see what I can do. But otherwise, I'll definitely be putting one of these in the contest. Not so much for winning which would be nice, really the reason I do it is that it draws attention to our zoo.

[choirchic]

I picked red panda because of the potential for different colors and textures if you get in close or catch it in the right area. :thumbsup2