Ok - time for a little cuteness overload...

I'll be honest, when I pass the primate enclosures at a zoo, I frequently don't pause for very long (though I guess my gorilla photo from the other day conflicts that statement)... For whatever reason, primates just usually don't interest me very much. On top of that, the lighting conditions in primate houses are usually not conducive to photography in the least.

However, when we saw this little newborn (only a month old at the time of our visit) bouncing around, climbing over its mother, and fearlessly exploring its new environment, I fired off a couple shots. Luckily, I was able to quickly select the right settings and get the focus right to get this one definite keeper.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/60 sec at f/2.8. Image Stabilization on. ISO 800. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw. Toronto Zoo, Toronto, ON.

First, the enclosure was horribly lit with patchy incandescent lighting - so some areas were bright with a warm, yellow light while other areas were dim and impossible to shoot. So that meant a pretty slow shutterspeed and a relatively high ISO and a wide aperture. Then it was all behind plexiglass, so there were reflections and fingerprints to deal with. Finally, getting sharp focus on a small little monkey's face as he ran and swung through the space was a challenge.

Fortunately, I managed to pull it all together, and with a slight crop ended up with this. I know there is a little blur in the tail and feet, but I think it imparts a bit of the feeling of motion - and since the face is in focus, it seems ok to me.

- Bill