Alright, having a rough week, and not doing so great being inspired for what to discuss. I do have a new project I need to start working on, but more on that later.

Sometimes, when I am not getting that inspiration, I rely on an episode of "What Hangs on Our Walls at Home". This one hangs upstairs in the set of zoo photos in the office.

Technical Data: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, Canon EF 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II at 200mm, 1/250 sec at f/7.1. ISO 400. No post production. Maryland Zoo, Baltimore, MD.

Why This Photo: I simply liked the direct shot of the giraffe's face - not an angle you can usually get, but because of the layout of this zoo, and some creative position, this shot worked out.

What Works: Like I said, the framing of the shot has a nice feel to it, seemingly engaging the giraffe's attention. The beautiful bokeh in the background keeps the focus on the giraffe and not on some distracting element behind it.

What Doesn't Work: The lighting isn't exactly perfect with both a strong side-light plus dappled like through an overhead tree. Perhaps waiting till the giraffe moved slightly would have worked, or maybe some fill flash (though I think I was too far away for fill flash to work). Also, the ear breaking the edge of the frame on the right side is one of my regular mistakes that I'm working on improving.

Shots in zoos are always challenging. I like to try and eliminate as many signs of the enclosure as possible - though I still come home with a ton of photos just for the sake of taking them. I think as I progress as a photographer, I am becoming pickier about what I capture, but I still like some of these older shots. They help to show how I've come along from those early days of automatic settings and plenty of flaws.

Perhaps some day I will have the money and time to go on safaris to get photos like this in the wild, but until then I still enjoy visiting zoos and coming home with photos like this.

- Bill