CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The western lowland gorilla is one of two subspecies of the western gorilla. It is the smallest of the four gorilla subspecies and is the only subspecies kept in zoos in North America.

Brookfield Zoo
Chicago, IL
August 2019

Kamba by Paul Sager, on Flickr


Nora was born in November 2013. Gorillas are fully grown at approximately 15 years of age. Both males and females typically leave their group on reaching adulthood.

Nora


Digital images shared in this post were captured in RAW using an EOS 5DIII and EF 500mm f/4L IS II mounted to tripod with gimbal head. Processing was performed in Lightroom and noise processing in Topaz DeNoise6.

Zachary


The newest member of the gorilla group at the Brookfield Zoo was born June 1, 2018. Ali, a female, is now 14-months old and she is now allowed to explore the habitat on her own, but always within eyesight of mother Koola.

Ali


The Schmidt’s red-tailed monkey is a small guenon characterized by a distinctive white or yellow nose, white cheeks and a long, red tail. They're directly opposite the gorillas at Brookfield.

Red Tail


These images are sized to fill your wide-screen display. Try using <F11> to maximize your browser window for the full effect. If the images overshoot your display, such as a laptop, just click on the image or the URL link and they'll resize to your screen from the host Flickr site. You can click a bit further into the image details on the Flickr page, if desired. EXIF data is available from the host Flickr pages as well. On the Flickr site, use your <L>key for Large and the <F11> for the full-screen.

If the images are not filling your widescreen display due to recent UHH changes, follow this link and update your UHH profile: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-572300-1.html

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

Lovely animals but I feel bad that they have to live their entire lives in cages. It's why I don't visit zoos or prisons.... too sad for me. I wish we would abolish these places but I also know that some species only exist within these places as their breeds are no longer able to live in the wild any more and that is sad as well. Zoos may become the only places left to actually see them with the fires & floods that currently rage around the globe and strip the habitats bare.

Thanks for your great images of them . Your work inspires me to take better photos when I have the opportunity to do so.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Excellent, Paul, excellent.

SpyderJan Loc: New Smyrna Beach. FL

A great set of images Paul. These belong on a magazine cover at least. The eyes on the Red Tail are really penetrating.

DaveJ Loc: NE Missouri

Another great post. Nice to see and read more of your zoo shots. Interesting to see your shots with a different lens. Don't know if this is the thread to ask how you feel your 300 F2.8 II with 1.4 VS: 500 F4.0 II compare for your use. I noticed you had to use a fairly high ISO on these. Can't remember your ISO on previous Brookfield Zoo gorilla images. Thanks again for posting. Always enjoy seeing them.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you Blair! I too have mixed feelings about zoos and a life confined to the prison of a zoo. Treatment and displays have greatly improved in North American zoos over my lifetime. I'd rather have animals that exist in zoos than are destroyed in the wild and no longer exist anywhere. That doesn't do much for the individual animals confined to zoos, but I don't have a better answer.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you Dave! There are a few variables involved between the extended 300 and the 500. I usually try for the Brookfield Zoo on a sunny day. Their indoor enclosure has artificial lights and a skylight, with the skylight adding a lot of light on a sunny day. Alas, last week's visit was a rainy day making it a much more gloomy light indoors. I'd say from looking at three of the several portrait images I have of Nora in my Flickr profile, the 500 wins out, but I'd challenge anyone to say which is which (without consulting the details) between the 300 @ 420 and @ 600 vs the 500. When I look at the fine details, I see subject movement issues working in low light / slow shutters rather than absolute differences in the resolving power of the different lenses. The keyword search / tag-link 'nora' from this image in Flickr should provide all the candidate images for comparison.

For my own work, the 300 wins out being more practical in size & weight and having extended options that are near identical to longer lenses (500 and 600) that cost twice the price of the already expensive 300 lens.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you Bill, John, Jan! I came away with only a few red tails on this trip. Thankfully, one was the file this image was cropped from.

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

Fantastic images and well posed I say that in jest but I find myself waiting for expression when taking zoo pictures just like people. One challenge I have had is finding "open air" between the camera and subject. Your photos certainly don't look like they were shot through glass or fence? My other issue is heavy cropping as I don't have anything longer than my 70-200.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Another really nice series of zoo images, Paul. Great photography.

Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

Exquisite series. The gentle faces of the great apes are so beautiful!

DaveJ Loc: NE Missouri

Thanks Paul. Looked thru as you suggested, and I agree it was probably the quality of the light when you were using the 300 + extender. It seems a lot of time there is magic with you and your 300mm lens. Maybe it is just you and any lens.

Saigon Loc: Atlanta, GA

Beautiful set of pictures...So sharp CHG_CANON! you are the best....

Thx

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you Saigon! I'll refrain from awarding myself qualitative awards I will say simply that I practice what I preach and try to serve up demonstrations of those practices in action. Glad you enjoyed.