Chester Zoo - otherwise entitled "The Day when I got peed on by an Asiatic Lion"

[Matt Charlton]

Okay folks, Sue and I had another visit to Chester Zoo today, it was kind of on a whim and I booked us into a Chester B&B last night so we'd only have to drive one way a day - makes it easier even with it only being 90 minutes.

So anyway, visiting the zoo at this time of year is fantastic, its quiet - there were a couple of school trips around and a few couples and that was about it. We made our way down to the lions pretty much first thing, they've put both the male and female lion together. They were both by the fence and we got plenty of pictures, the male lion decided to try to direct a jet of warm yellow urine at me, Sue saw it coming but I didn't, needless to say I managed to get out of the way.....just.

I shot in JPG today, didn't have the energy to come home and process the images from RAW, I seem to enjoy shooting more and get better results with JPG - I never seem to have too many problems that raw can fix - its more camera shake and framing I have problems with - no matter how your RAW files look you can't use them to fix those problems.

So here are a few for your viewing pleasure, each will be posted to my photoblog on a daily basis along with descriptions and things if anyone is interested, you're all getting a sneak preview here :)

I know a few of them have visible fences, I don't care, I thought the content was good enough to make them keepers ;)

#1

http://mattcharlton.co.uk/photoblog/images/20061109183811_lionaround.jpg

#2

http://mattcharlton.co.uk/photoblog/images/20061109184321_boss.jpg

#3

http://mattcharlton.co.uk/photoblog/images/20061109184854_snarl.jpg

#4

http://mattcharlton.co.uk/photoblog/images/20061109185226_lionyawn.jpg

#5

http://mattcharlton.co.uk/photoblog/images/20061109185748_dentist.jpg

#6

http://mattcharlton.co.uk/photoblog/images/20061109190113_orang.jpg

#7

http://mattcharlton.co.uk/photoblog/images/20061109191534_orangagain.jpg

#8

http://mattcharlton.co.uk/photoblog/images/20061109191918_ckymonkey.jpg

[Bubbs]

Really good set of photos :) Expression captured well in number 3 :) my favourites are number 2 and 6 :thumbs:

[sue]

will have to get round to playing with my photos, might see about it early next week then i will post mine.
Can i just say thank you very much for a nice surprise matt, i have enjoyed the day.
some good photos there great expressions on some of them, i like the orangs they are so cute and funny, the lions look like you could reach out and cuffly them. oh and yeah he did nearly get urinated on, it was so funny, i did tell him he should move though ;) :lol:

[matty]

good stuff matt...


..what does lion wee wee smell of sue?

[Marcel]

LOL I must admit I chuckled when he sent me the text message. The lion must have fancied him and wanted to mark his territory :D

Good set of images Matt. Technically not your best I don't think (I know you can do better).

Captured a great range of expressions..Love the orang with its gob open :D and the lion showing you what it had for breakfast....

Shame about the exposure on #8, looks quite dark on my monitor. What metering mode was it taken in?

[Matt Charlton]

erm, evaluative I think, whatever the norm is in Av, I know the buffy headed whatsit (#8) is a little on the dark side, I thought it kinda worked though, maybe if I'd shot in RAW that one I could have saved.

I think #7 is my favorite, I love that baby orang.

Thanks for the comments :D

[Fangman]

Lovely set all round - love the ape with the sack as a shawl.