Giant Panda Reserve

Last year my sister Caitlin and I were lucky enough to travel to China.  While there, we had an amazing opportunity to volunteer with the Giant Pandas at Bifengxia Research Base.  If you are an animal lover, fan of the Giant Panda, or enjoy wildlife or nature photography; this opportunity is for you.  Being upclose to these amazing animals was an unforgettable experience.

This Research base is an absolutely beautiful setting.  Bright green foliage, vibrant flowers, and Giant Pandas everywhere.  The volunteer opportunity allows time after working to get up-close and interact with the Pandas.  

The Giant Panda was most active in the morning or at feeding times.  When traveling specifically to photograph animals, I recommend determining the activity patterns of the animals before heading out on the adventure.

The Giant Panda's movements were relatively slow and deliberate.  This made them easier to photograph than the much smaller red Pandas or other well photographed animals like birds.  To capture motion of the Pandas I was able to use much slower shutter speeds which allowed me to keep the aperture smaller and capture a greater depth of field while still producing a properly exposed image.  Just remember to use a shutter speed equal to or greater than the lens focal length to avoid camera shake. 

I utilized one travel lens for the majority of the pictures.  Having a zoom telephoto lens with a greater range will help capture photographs at varying distances without having to fumble while switching out lenses.  

I would highly recommend the Bifengxia Research Base to anyone looking for an opportunity to volunteer and interact with the Giant Panda.  It really is a once in a lifetime experience.      

Today's take-aways:

 

1) When traveling bring as many memory cards as you can .  

2) Try to save the the memory cards as an additional data backup instead of deleting images each night.

3) Download memory cards throughout the day to a personal storage device to have additional image backup.

4) Bring multiple batteries to each days outings.  When is the next time you are going to go to China?

5) If you aren't quiet able to travel to China it doesn't mean that you are unable to photograph the Giant Panda.  There are several zoos throughout the world where you can find these magnificent creatures.

6) If you don't live near a city where Giant Pandas are found, try photographing another animals in the zoo for the photography experience.

Happy Photographing!

 

Here are a couple of my favorites from the day: 

I had no idea that they would climb trees like this.  Thank goodness the branches held.