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Contest Finalist in Small Wildlife Photo Contest
Winner in Wild Animals at Play Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Two Of The Same Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Adorable Baby Animals Photo Contest
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texaaronpueschel
November 28, 2015
Wonderful shot. Purrfect capture of playfulness. Mommy, can I have one of these for Christmas?
zquentin
November 29, 2015
Thanks texaaronpueschel!! They were so much fun to watch... two adorable fur balls!
G8dlv
February 04, 2016
Tag you're it! Such a great shot... fun, playful, and absolutely adorable! Keep up the good work!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in a wildlife workshop in Kalispell, Montana. These are the two coolest bob kittens I have ever seen: one is 6-weeks and the other one is 8-weeks old! The ranch that hosts these wildlife photography workshops provides some beautiful, natural environment for the animals.Time
This picture was taken around 9 am. The bob kittens were the last photo shoot for that morning. The light was still very nice - not too harsh - which is so important!Lighting
It was a sunny day and the light was still very nice around 9 am. The bob kittens were playing on the rocks and the sun was behind us (photographers) so they were nicely front-lit. This was great for having plenty of light on them so that I could have a high shutter speed to freeze their movement. Bob kittens can move pretty quickly!Equipment
I was using my Canon 7D Mark II camera body with my Canon 70-200 L IS II USM lens. This was a hand-held shot and I shot bursts of 7-10 frames per second. I didn't use flash or any filters.Inspiration
I love wildlife photography and I wanted to learn more about it from a professional photographer so I signed up for a workshop. My absolute favorite is taking pictures of cats: small and big ones. This workshop offered a great opportunity to photograph lynx, bobcats and bob kittens, a mountain lion, an amur tiger and an amur leopard! Some of these animals are extremely endangered and it would be impossible to find them in their wild environment. Actually, I live in a neighborhood where we have bobcats and even mountain lions but I only saw a bobcat twice in about ten years. Never close enough to take a picture of it and in low light...Editing
I use Lightroom for the basic adjustments: cropping, exposure, shadows, highlights, etc. I like to use the adjustment brush: 'Iris Enhance' for the eyes. I use Photoshop if I need to remove some unwanted objects. I just had to remove some grass in this picture - very minimal changes to the overall picture though.In my camera bag
I carry my Canon 5D Mark III and 7D Mark II whenever I go out to take pictures. For wildlife, I take my Canon 70-200 II 2.8 and 100-400 II lenses. The 70-200 lens does amazingly well in low light situations! I also pack my lightweight Gitzo tripod with my Jobu Design gimbal head. If I use my heavier lenses, the gimbal head is very handy. If I plan on taking landscape photos or I do some travel photography, I take my Canon 24-70 2.8 lens for sure.Feedback
I think this picture captures a special moment: the playfulness of the kittens and the facial expressions are priceless! Wildlife photography takes some patience and it is amazing when one can see the wild animals in their natural environment. However, it is not always feasible to spend all the time in the wild that it takes to find animals. As an alternative, I like to take workshops or go on a tour to see animals. Or to the local zoo as well. If one has the patience to observe the animals in any environment, amazing moments can be captured. Always shoot lots of bursts because the odds of catching an amazing moment will increase. Sometimes it really comes down to split seconds between a so-so capture vs. a great one. Make sure the shutter speed is high enough - even if you have to use a higher ISO - to freeze the motion and get a sharp picture. And most importantly just enjoy the moment...