My 1st Attempt

Having looked at the work of people such as Andrew Zuckerman and Frans Lanting I decided to take some portrait photos of animals. I visited Paignton Zoo with my zoom lens and attempted to take some good photographs.



This photograph, taken of two Lions, I think is a good attempt to encompass the family ethic of these animals. I think I managed to frame this shot well, especially given the limited view points available. Unfortunately due to the layer of glass in between me and them the photo does not look as rich in colour as it could or as sharp. However I tried various angles and eventually I managed to get one that does not have any reflection or dirt from the surface of the glass.



This photo was quite a challenging shot to take. Visiting a zoo in early November provides a large number of challenges. Namely, for a lot of animals it was too cold and secondly the light quality it exceedingly poor. Luckily as we went into the Lemur enclosure one of them came down from sleeping in a tree and began jumping around the branches just above our heads. After a few minutes it came to rest on the handrail and stayed still, looking at the group of us taking photos. I managed to capture this image for the split second it was looking at me. After five minutes of frantic snapping we left and as we did the lemur ascended back into its tree. to take this photo I used 1/125th of a second at f/5.2. To increase the shutter speed I used an ISO 800. I really like this photo, as it captures the inquisitive face and nature of an animal that is usually very active.


This is one of my favourite photographs of the day. Finding this adolescent cub lying right next to the fence, less then six feet from the camera was a real treat. Unfortunately the tiger never look at me, it was too preoccupied with a small child running around, but being able to get shots that filled the frame was brilliant. I wish the fence wasn't there but for safety reasons it is a necessity. Due to the face this area of the zoo was shrouded by trees I had to use ISO 400 with f/5.6 combined with 1/60th of a second. This means there is a small amount of motion blur on the whiskers but this is not very noticeable. By using a smaller aperture I was able to capture a smaller depth of field, meaning the face and and fence are in focus and the rest is out of focus and blurred.

Andrew Zuckerman

Andrew Zuckerman is a distinguished animal photographer who varies from the normal approach of photographing animals by using a formally set up white background studio. This is remarkably different to the usual way of photographing animals in their natural habitat. His photos show the animals with much more clarity then any of the shots taken out in the wild. However this also adds a surrealist nature to the photos, due to the subdued colouring of the background.



This photograph is a good example of Zuckerman's work. It makes the animal seem simple and clearer. THe way the shot captures the elegance of the giraffe's neck as it leans back makes it seem just like a cresent shape against the background. The lighting here compliments the the skin tone of the animal, and makes it seem flat, with no texture.


Here, this photo captures the moment of the lions roar, something that has been photographed a lot of times. However the significant difference here is the studio background, which makes the image seem, to me, childish. I think this is because it reminds me of childhood photographs of lions in books, except in these the white background was added afterwards. This background changes make the image seem serious and scientific. Also, by getting rid of background colours and textures it seems as if there is more detail on the lion.

This photograph, taken of a hippo is quite an amusing photograph. It has been taken with the background and lighting as the giraffe and lion but because of its smiling face it seems humerous and friendly.

Frans Lanting

Lanting's work first caught my eye when I looked at his book 'Eye to Eye'. It contains many truly stunning photographs, including lots of portraiture of animal faces. He manages to effortless capture the subjects as if they were modelling for the camera. His manages as well to work with the natural surroundings to help enhance the details of the photo.



This photograph demonstrates well Lanting's ability to capture a shot of animals as if they were humans. This is an intimate shot of a these two cheetahs, capturing the idea that these are not just ruthless killers, but gentle family animals. The lighting in this photo is very natural, which in the case - with the prominent oranges and yellows - adds a warmth that a flash would take away. By using a zoom lens Lantings has accomplished two things. Firstly he has not disturbed the animal by being to close and secondly has a has got the depth of field spot on to clarify the subjects.





Here the photographer has managed to capture an animal that is usually constantly moving. He has used a flash do help to so but it is no to intrusive and obvious. I think this very similar to the photograph of the cheetahs in the way Lanting has captured the depth of field and the focus on the subject.

Portraiture From a New Angle

Having said that I am going to look at portraits and close ups as my project I assumed this would be of people. However, I have realised that portraiture also covers such things as animals and pets. I have decided to analyse some portraits of animals - varying from domestic pets to slightly more exotic animals as would be found in zoos. Some notable photographers in this area are Frans Lanting and Andrew Zuckerman. Zuckerman in particular is noted for is work of studio photography of animals, which can compare well to human portraits.

Yousuf Karsh

Yousuf Karsh was a Canadian photographer, famous for producing lots of iconic portrait photographs. His subjects included Humphrey Bogart, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandella and Albert Einstein. He used primarily black and white for his images, utilizing it to create dark, atmospheric portrait shots that encapsulate the subject.



This portrait is rather straight forward and simple. The subject is centrally located, posed away from the camera with almost defensive body language. I think this has been done to show that Einstein was quite a unique and individual person. The lighting in this has been arranged to look very natural and soft, so it works well with the black and white format. Saying that, the lighting works well to highlight his face against the background.





This is quite an intimate shot of a very powerful figure. The head on aspect makes it seem very formal yet the smile and relaxed stance make it seem so much less informal than than the norm. The way the subject fills the image is very typical of a portrait - just capturing the shoulders and above. I think this is an excellent way of capturing the nature of the subject, through a mix of formal and casual styles.




This is a very iconic photograph of Humphrey Bogart was taken by Karsh in 1946. It has been seen as the distinctive image of Bogart and this highlights it's photographic significance. Karsh has executed a well though out portrait shot, capturing the essence of of Bogart's individual style. Karsh has used his skill in lighting yet again to provide superb illumination to the subject's facial features, without it being to harsh or with too much shadow. The pose of Bogart in this is one of an ordinary person, as if he is bringing himself to the viewer's level. The shot is well composed, filled by the subject but also his cigarette smoke, which adds character to photograph.