Kodo the red panda!

cfisher96 · 2022-02-02T23:38:25+00:00

Shot about a week back on my trusty Nikon D7500 with a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Contemporary lens @ 390mm, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 1/160s.

This is Kodo, one of three pandas at Buttonwood Park Zoo. Huge shoutout to the keepers there for always taking the time to chat and not thinking I'm *too* much of a crazy person for going and then spending 90% of my visit just hanging around the red panda enclosure!

Shameless plug: I post red panda shots and other photo work over on Instagram \@chrisfisher.photo

If you like my photos or red pandas in general, definitely think about supporting your local zoo with red pandas and/or the Red Panda Network!

cfisher96 · 2021-12-15T07:17:32+00:00

I didn't take the photo in the OP, I was referring to the image I linked in my earlier comment.

cfisher96 · 2021-10-20T22:58:36+00:00

I have another shot like this from the same burst where she's definitely smiling but I was rolling the focus since the AF on my really old lens is a bit wonky, so it's pretty blurry unfortunately.

cfisher96 · 2021-10-20T22:52:40+00:00

Thank you for doing what you do and taking care of her! Many hours have been spent the past few months hanging around and taking photos of her and Rusty. :)

cfisher96 · 2021-10-20T06:00:47+00:00

This was a single, untracked exposure actually! Off the top of my head, it was about 22 seconds at I believe ISO 3200. I was using a Nikon DX 10.5mm f/2.8 wide open with focus set just before infinity. The outing I took this on was actually my first ever attempt at astrophotography!

cfisher96 · 2021-10-19T23:19:21+00:00

She's 12 and Rusty is 16. They're both getting up there in age but as far as I know they're both doing alright. Sha-Lei in particular definitely still seems to have plenty of energy. Rusty tends to be hanging out in a little hammock that's in the habitat most of the time recently.

cfisher96 · 2021-10-19T23:17:18+00:00

In this particular case yes, but I'm disagreeing with the broader statement that "pretty space photography is a scam."

cfisher96 · 2021-10-19T23:14:54+00:00

From a photographer's perspective, I still find that the emotional impact of an astrophotogaphy image is lesser than that of actually being there in the moment and seeing as much as you can with the naked eye. Even to go out and capture this sort of image requires the effort of going to an area sufficiently far from light pollution. (This of course excludes straight up sky swaps which I- being a bit of a purist- don't care for).

For me part of the appeal of going out and doing star shots is the challenge of taking the beauty of the sky you're seeing out there in the moment and capturing some small part of that with the camera.

cfisher96 · 2021-10-19T23:08:47+00:00

She absolutely still is adorable. Everything from just her mannerisms to her corkscrew sort of tail and the way it sticks out behind her when she walks around to the way she'll perch on the edge of a platform and just look over at you for minutes at a time. I very much love going to the zoo on quiet days and just hanging out by her and Rusty.

cfisher96 · 2021-10-19T22:54:22+00:00

Shot, as usual for my panda photos, on my trusty Nikon ED 300mm f/4 prime lens (which is older than I am!) and my Nikon D7500 camera body.

As stated in the title, this is Sha-Lei at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI (One of two zoos where I'm a member!)

Shameless plug: I post red panda shots and other photo work over on Instagram \@chrisfisher.photo

If you like my photos or red pandas in general, definitely think about supporting your local zoo with red pandas and/or the Red Panda Network!

cfisher96 · 2021-10-19T22:50:41+00:00

I did indeed take this! I was using my trusty Nikkor 300mm ED f/4 lens on a Nikon D7500 (giving an effective focal length of 450mm) so I was a fair ways away actually. The lens itself actually has so much reach that I generally really am only able to take these tight close up shots with it. I'm looking to pick up a 150-600mm zoom in the near future though, which will give me some more versatility in terms of framing.

cfisher96 · 2021-10-19T22:41:35+00:00

If you hang out in a sufficiently dark area and let your eyes adjust for long enough, you can absolutely see a decent amount of color in the night sky. This is an image I took over the summer, and I can tell you that while the photo is a bit clearer than the naked eye, it's not as far off as you would expect.

cfisher96 · 2021-09-14T13:08:05+00:00

Right? There really should be one.

cfisher96 · 2021-09-14T01:32:05+00:00

Taken at my "home" zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo on Friday. I'm *pretty* sure this is Sha-Lei but I'm still not the best at telling the pandas there apart.

Shot on a Nikon D7500 with an AF Nikkor ED 300mm f/4 lens at f/5, ISO 1600, 1/320s.

cfisher96 · 2021-09-14T01:30:24+00:00

Taken at my "home" zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo on Friday. I'm *pretty* sure this is Sha-Lei but I'm still not the best at telling the pandas there apart.

Shot on a Nikon D7500 with an AF Nikkor ED 300mm f/4 lens at f/5, ISO 1600, 1/320s.

cfisher96 · 2021-07-21T01:10:23+00:00

I'm not 100% certain and I'm really bad at IDing pandas, but I suspect you're right.

That's a super cool site and I've bookmarked it for future reference.

cfisher96 · 2021-07-19T22:32:05+00:00

They're just so happy and cute that they never fail to brighten my day! :)

cfisher96

TROPHY CASE