Posted in animals, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, zoo, tagged Canon 24-105mm, Canon 50D, Castor canadensis, cheetah, elephant, lion, lioness, National Zoo, North American Beaver, Tamron 150-600mm, Washington D.C. on November 9, 2016| 2 Comments »
The National Zoo in Washington D.C. is a wonderful place to explore and has the added bonus of having no admission fee. On Monday I wandered around the zoo for several hours, visiting some of my favorite animals and taking a lot of photos.
Here are some of my initial favorite images: a lioness, a cheetah, a beaver, and an elephant.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in animals, Nature, Photography, wildlife, zoo, tagged Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, cheetah, lion, National Zoo, tiger, Washington D.C. on August 27, 2015| 10 Comments »
On a trip to the National Zoo earlier this week, I was walking around in heat of the summer sun, unlike most of the animals, who were relaxing in the shade or finding other ways to cool off.
This female lion was dozing in the shade and would periodically raise her head and look in our direction with sleepy eyes.
This tiger decided to swim a bit in the water of the moat at the front edge of its enclosure. I couldn’t tell how deep the water was—at times it looked like the tiger was merely walking in the water and not actually swimming.
This cheetah seemed a little agitated and was not relaxing. It was walking back and forth along the fence line that separated its enclosure from the adjacent cheetah enclosure.
I’ll probably never go on a safari and see these beautiful creatures in the wild, but my trip to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. afforded me a glimpse of their power and their majesty. I am happy that the National Zoo is active in efforts to ensure the preservation of endangered species, in particular the cheetah. Check out this article for more information about those efforts.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in animals, Photography, Portraits, zoo, tagged Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, catnap, cheetah, National Zoo, Washington D.C. on February 17, 2013| 4 Comments »
The clicking sound of my shutter caused the napping cheetah to raise his head yesterday afternoon and look directly at me. He didn’t move the rest of his body at all, but stared intently at me for a minute or so. Reassured, he laid his head down again in his den and resumed his nap.
I visited the National Zoo yesterday and took photos of a number of different animals that I will share later, but I wanted to share this one immediately. I like the cheetah’s expression and the positioning of the head and body. The darkness of the den really helps to showcase the beauty of the cheetah (and fortunately for me the cheetah was at the front of the den where natural light illuminated his face).
National Zoo does a good job in taking care of the animals there and, as is the case with the cheetahs, in working to ensure the survival of animals with a limited gene pool. For me, it is enjoyable to visit the different animals and to practice my photography skills to show the animals in the best possible light.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in animals, Humor, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, cheetah, National Zoo, tongue, tongue stuck out on October 2, 2012| 6 Comments »
I was observing three cheetahs at the National Zoo for quite some time when one of them decided to enter the dug out area of their habitat where two cheetahs were already lying down. Just before he entered it, he turned in my direction and stuck out his tongue. I have no idea what he might have been trying to communicate to me. Perhaps he was no longer interested in my antics and was trying to tell me so or maybe it was his way of saying goodnight. Whatever his intention, it makes for an interesting photo.
Cheetah sticking out his tongue
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, tagged Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, cheetah, National Zoo, portrait on September 30, 2012| 4 Comments »
Photographed yesterday at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. where I spent hours observing the cheetahs. There is so much to love about cheetahs—their elegance, speed, coloration, and strength. This image shows that they also have beautiful eyes.
Portrait of a cheetah at the National Zoo
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, tagged Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, cheetah, cheetahs, National Zoo, Washington DC on September 30, 2012| 6 Comments »
I visited the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. this afternoon and spent the lion’s share of the time with the cheetahs. National Zoo has a very active cheetah conservation program that you can lean more about on its website. At the moment there are six cheetahs (three brothers, one female, and two cubs) that live at the zoo, according to the website.
Most of my time was spent with what I believe was the three brothers (named Draco, Granger, and Zabini), who were together in a single outdoor enclosure. If they were brothers, one of them seemed to be considerably larger than the other two. The zoo website indicates that the brothers were born in 2005.
I haven’t had a chance to go through all my photos, but thought I’d post a couple as a kind of sneak preview. I know that some folks object to photographing animals in captivity and apologize if I have offended anyone. However, especially in the case of the cheetahs, I encourage you to check out the work that is being done to preserve this magnificent species as well as others.
Cheetah in the grass
Cheetah walking
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 