red panda – Slow Shutter Speed

Posted on October 31, 2024October 31, 2024 by Anne Sandler · 29 Comments

A great day at the zoo!

It wasn’t just a great day at the zoo, it was an exciting day! Why? I was able to see and photograph our new lion Slamson II. The lion enclosure had been empty since both lions died; Kamau in June 2023 and Cleo in October 2024. Cleo passed at age 19 and was one of the oldest lions in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums African Lion Species Survival Plan population. Slamson II came to the zoo via a partnership with the Sacramento Kings basketball team, whose mascot is a lion called Slamson.

He’s been kept from public view all these months. But, now he’s ready to meet his adoring fans.

Next, I was excited because the Red Pandas were active. Usually, they are sleeping and, if I’m lucky, I get a picture of their face when they lift it. This time I could see their entire body as they walked from tree to tree and feeding area to feeding area. And I’d watch out for their claws!

Oh, then there was the Zebra who, I think, was on a time out. Usually they are just eating. But this one wasn’t.

And the White Rhino was out and eating, which he does most of the day. Also the African Pancake tortoise was eating.

The Orangutans were also eating. They would grab a head of lettuce from a plastic box and start chomping. I’m thinking we arrived during breakfast.

The Cheetahs, having finished their bones, were prowling their enclosure.

One cutie that I was able to photograph through plastic is the small Meercat. Of course we want children to come and enjoy the zoo. But they do leave little hand prints on the plexiglass. This time, I got lucky.

Let’s end this visit with the beautiful Okapi and the Black Crowned Crane. The cranes had been out from public view because of the bird flu. It was good to see this beautiful bird again.

I had a great morning. As you can tell from my images, the sun was harsh and presented some problems. But nothing could dampen my spirits after seeing the new lion and the Red Pandas out and about.

Until next time!

Posted on September 16, 2023 by Anne Sandler · 49 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #267: Recharge

You can’t live in today’s world without needing a recharge. Our bodies get run down, we become tired and we emotionally need to find peace. Guest host Egidio of Through Brazilian Eyes says he turns to nature to rejuvenate and asked us how we recharge our bodys’ batteries. I love nature and landscape photography, but my immediate thoughts went to the Sacramento Zoo.

Why? The zoo is small, I’m familiar with the animals, there are new animals coming in and animals are conceived and born at the zoo. Yes, I have my favorites like the red pandas, the orangutans, the giraffes, and more. I enjoy walking around and watching the animals. Some are so funny like the giraffes when they make their funny faces.

The zoo offers a respite from the world’s troubles and lets me relax. We usually go out to lunch afterward also. And, if we have time we make a stop at the WPA Rock Garden. There I take out my macro lens for a different kind of fun photography.

Here are some pictures from the Sacramento Zoo.

These animals are fun and offer us great photo opportunities. Why don’t you chill out at a zoo near you!

I think everyone had fun with Donna’s challenge last week. I enjoyed seeing all your interpretations of TIME. When you post the way you recharge, please remember to link to Egidio’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Tina is set to present next week’s challenge so be sure to look for her post.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.

Posted on April 6, 2023 by Anne Sandler · 27 Comments

Testing a new lens: The Sacramento Zoo

I had two motivators for visiting the Sacramento Zoo recently. 1. I was gone for almost a month and hadn’t seen the new baby giraffe now named Cheyenne and, 2. I wanted to test out a new lens. With my Nikon, I had an 18-200mm lens which was a perfect walk-around lens. Unfortunately, Fujifilm doesn’t make a lens with that type of zoom. Recently Tamron came out with an 18-300mm lens for Fuji and Sony. So I bought the Fuji mount. The only drawback is its lack of an aperture ring on the lens. I was told that I could assign that function to the front dial and use the top dial to change the aperture.

When I purchased the lens, I was told that Fuji would make the switch automatically and when I put my Fuji lens back on it would revert back. I played with it while at the zoo and didn’t quite do it correctly. I ended up with sharp but noisy images. Thank heavens for Topaz!

The zoo didn’t disappoint. The cheetah was walking around; not running.

The red panda was walking the branches instead of sleeping.

The giraffes were being giraffes. Have you ever seen a two-headed, six-legged giraffe? We did get to see Cheyenne, but she was behind a fence and quickly went back inside with her mother.

The river otters were in their hammock.

And the lions were preparing for a nap.

One of the Okapi was out eating.

I almost forgot the alligator.

So, this was my morning at the zoo with friends Marlene, Laura and Ray. It’s good to be home and doing photography with friends.

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Anne Sandler · 25 Comments

An accidental one-lens walk: Sacramento Zoo

One lesson learned: Be careful what you challenge others to do! Recently on a Lens Artists Challenge, I encouraged participants to take a photo walk with only one lens. If that lens was a zoom lens, I suggested that they pick a millimeter setting and leave it there. Last Thursday Ray and I went to the Sacramento Zoo and I accidently put my 80 mm fixed macro lens on my camera instead of the 55 – 200 mm I usually take inside.

I didn’t notice my mistake until I started taking pictures. I decided to stay with the lens and see what how it performed. Fortunately, the zoo has put glass in some enclosures, because the lens had a difficult time eliminating fencing.

The panda was the most difficult and far away. When I was taking its picture, I couldn’t see what it was actually doing. I thought the pictures were incredible. Here are three. They are cropped in a lot.

I’m trying to learn patience and the zebra proved that patience pays off. It was eating and then looked up. It also walked away from the food trough and proceeded to do a little tap dance!

There’s a new baby giraffe at the zoo, but she and mom were not out yet. But the macro lens did well with the others.

**No, don’t stick your tongue out at me!**

The jaguar was eating its bone (Thursday is bone day for the big cats.). Fortunately it was close to the glass so I could get these images.

Now for the lion. He just finished his bone and I think he’s telling us it’s tongue licking good.

I kept walking back to the orangutan enclosure, but they weren’t showing off. The only one out there just wanted a head of lettuce and was headed back inside.

So, this was my one-lens walk. It took some extra walking on my part, but I learned more about my lens and had fun!

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Anne Sandler · 8 Comments

Talking with the animals: Sacramento Zoo

I love our small zoo. Why? Because I can walk it and take pictures within 1 1/2 – 2 hours. But we need more land for a larger zoo. We don’t have many large mammals because we can’t house them. Right now the Sacramento Zoo is in negotiations to move to Elk Grove where the zoo could grow into 70 acres from its now 14.4 acres. That’s a lot more room for the current animals and animals to come. Aside from the longer drive time, I’m wondering whether I will love a large zoo as much as this one. That move is a few years away so let’s look at some pictures I took in my visit early in May.

Let’s look at the birds first. Where I could ID them, their names are in the captions.

**One of my favorites, the Black Crowned Crane**

Next we have one of the alligators, quiet, he’s sleeping! And the Chimpanzees are grooming each other.

The River Otters are in a glass enclosure which is difficult to photograph through, but they were in great positions.

It was a great day to photograph the Red Kangaroos in their new larger enclosure. They were just given something to nibble on.

The Cheetahs were trying to nap but this one kept lifting his head to see what was going on.

My last two pictures are of the Giraffe (They make such funny faces.) and the Red Panda.

Full and tired after finishing their bones, the big cats were sleeping. The Orangutans didn’t want to come out to play. The Zebras were still eating. Everything was as it should be at the Zoo. I can’t wait until I go visit again.

Posted on September 14, 2021 by Anne Sandler · 6 Comments

A Favorite Place: Sacramento Zoo

I enjoy going to the Sacramento Zoo. I’ve gotten to know the animals and their habits. There are new animals, and I’ll introduce them later. There are successes and trials when photographing zoo animals.

I know I’ll not be able to capture a meercat with my camera because they just keep running, at a good speed, along the perimeter of their enclosure. Well all except the lookout who stands still and just keeps turning its head looking for danger. Plus it’s a glass enclosure and you need to photograph through children’s hand prints.

The flamingos are a favorite because they are beautiful and have fun personalities. Sometimes they fight and sometimes they show affection.

While we’re in the pond, there is one white pelican–another favorite of mine. This was the first time I saw him eating.

One of the new arrivals is the largest rodent in the world (says a docent)–a capybara.

The orangutan was not being cooperative, but I got a decent picture anyway. The zebras were doing their usual eating. The red river hog and kangaroo were also reluctant to have their pictures taken.

The lioness was posing beautifully while her mate was peaking out from under a bush.

The red panda was grooming itself before napping and I was able to catch it with eyes open before it rested it’s head. The mongoose lemur got back from it’s cage far enough for me to photograph through the wires.

The cheetahs were being exceptionally difficult. They did not want to sit still, turn and face the camera and stay the proper distance from the enclosure fence. I asked the keeper to talk to them, but I don’t think she did!

Sharing an enclosure is the Okapi and the Black Crowned Crane.

I’ve left the best for last–the giraffes. It was feed the giraffe time where guests could feed a patient giraffe some leaves.

The other giraffes had to fend for themselves.

I hope you enjoyed this zoo visit as much as I did. I’ve linked each animal with the area where their fact sheet is located for your reading pleasure!

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Anne Sandler · 29 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge#151: From Large to Small

Being short, I’d like to think that size doesn’t matter, but Patti says it does! In this week’s challenge, she asks us to pick a color and “Start with a photo of a big subject in that color (for example, a wall) and move all the way down to a small subject in that same color (for example, an earring).”

I first went out to photograph pink (Not my favorite color, but I inherited them.) roses. I photographed a large one, a medium one and a small one. Then I decided to look through my archives and found something more suitable, and it’s in my favorite color RED. Here we go.

Large

Medium

Small

Thanks Patti. I guess size does matter!

Posted on February 24, 2021 by Anne Sandler · 12 Comments

Off to see the animals: Sacramento Zoo

For me, going to the Sacramento Zoo is like seeing old friends. You get to know some animals by name, you learn their behavior and watch their babies grow. My camera group decided since the zoo was open again, we needed to visit. Right now you just can’t go to the zoo on a whim. You need to go online and buy your ticket for a specific time slot. Even though I’m a member, I still have to reserve a time slot. They can only let in a certain number of people at a time for each specified slot.

So, we were at the zoo at 10:30 a.m. Fortunately, the large cats were still awake, having eaten their bones. It was a Thursday–bone day!

The lions and snow leopard.

This is the second time I’ve caught the Red Pandas awake. They were busy finding and eating food.

All the Orangutans were out and having a lot of fun and eating.

The River Otters were putting on a show too. I processed this one in black and white.

One of the alligators came out from the water so we could get a good look at him. Does he look hungry?

Baby giraffe, Glory, has grown since my last visit. She’s eating food put at her height.

The Masai Giraffe was playing with a large plastic bucket. Do you think he’d be good at soccer?

One of the Okapi decided to show me his best side! They do have a beautifully marked rear.

Some of my favorites weren’t out. I guess another visit should be put on the calendar.

Posted on October 3, 2020 by Anne Sandler · 10 Comments

Lens-Artists #117: A photo walk

Whether in the city or country-side, I love photo walks. Thank you Amy of Share and Connect for choosing this topic. It’s a great way to relax, observe, see opportunities and shoot pictures. However, here in Sacramento, between the pandemic and smoke from fires, taking photo walks has been minimal. Of the few activities this year, my trip to the Sacramento Zoo and Gibson Ranch stand out.

The Sacramento Zoo. I love the zoo, and typically spend 2 hours walking it. It closed early on in the pandemic and when they were permitted to reopen, it was under strict guidelines. We needed to make online reservations, you couldn’t request a time slot, and they only let in a certain amount of visitors at a time. My time slot came early in the afternoon. Typically I would get there when they opened in the morning before the big cats took their naps. However my ticket was for 1:30 p.m. Wow, animals that were traditionally inactive in the morning were active. Here are some images from that zoo afternoon.

Another time we went to Gibson Ranch in Elverta. I hadn’t been there in a long time and wanted to get familiar with my new 80 mm macro lens. I didn’t think I’d be able to do much true macro work, but I wanted to see what else it could do. Gibson Ranch has a pond, barn, animals, horse stables and horses. It’s typical to find families feeding the ducks and geese, horses being groomed and rode, and people taking trail rides.

I’ve since used my macro lens on flowers, etc. It’s great.

There are so many other places to stroll about with a camera in the Sacramento area. I’m just waiting for the smoke to clear!

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Anne Sandler · 10 Comments

They’re open! The Sacramento Zoo

When you can’t have something, you realize how much you enjoyed it. Like when you’re on a diet! That’s when you want to eat all the fattening foods. When they shut down the zoo because of COVID 19, no one anticipated it would be so long before they could reopen. Actually no one realized the severity of this pandemic.

Our zoo is open again, but with many restrictions in place. In order to get into the zoo, you must get your ticket online. As members, Marlene and I decided to take advantage of the 2-day member trial. They asked members to do a run through on getting tickets online and coming at the appointed time. Since Marlene and I have single memberships, we had to go online separately to secure our spot. I first got a 11:30 a.m. slot; then Marlene got a 1 p.m. slot, so I went back and got a 1:30 p.m. time slot. I gave up the 11:30 a.m. ticket. Only a certain number of people were allowed in during each time slot.

Marlene entered at 1 p.m. and I called her when I got in. It worked out okay. We wore our masks (as suggested by zoo protocol) and enjoyed the lack of crowds. I was amazed that animals usually at sleep in the morning were active in the afternoon. For instance, I’ve never been able to see the red panda awake.

And the zebras were doing more than just eating. This one had an itch that needed scratching!

It was a nice cool morning with a slight wind. The flamingos were arguing and feathers were flying in the breeze.

The two black crowned cranes were showing off. They are beautiful.

And the orangutans were out. This one was where we could photograph him. Was he picking his nose??

The emus were sitting down.

And new to the zoo are alligators!

We had a fun couple of hours. That’s why I love this zoo. It’s small and easy to get through. I’m thinking that they are going to continue admitting guests to the zoo online through the life of the pandemic. Maybe they’ll come up with a way of admitting groups of a certain amount at the same time. That would make it easier for my camera group to get in!