I should have known. San Diego Zoo names its animals. But I wouldn’t expect identifying tags. As you can see from the Featured Image, this Penguin is Malloy. In a less-than-clear, unpublished photo, one of his companions is Mac. I wonder: Do they all these birds have “M” names, or is it a coincidence?
I used Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens for this one, which is close-cropped. Vitals: f/6.3, ISO 110, 1/500 sec, 200mm; 10:20 a.m. PDT. I chose the Zf for many reasons, and effective resolution is one of them: 24.5 megapixels, which is the sweet spot, in my humble opinion. File sizes aren’t overly large and burdensome, while the sharp 6048 x 4032 photos can be cropped to effectively enlarge the subject.
I shot the portrait on April 4, 2025, during our first full return excursion as zoo members, following a five-year hiatus. Our current term expires in 29 days; renewal looms and having not been to the zoo once this year, we may decide not to commit to another 12 months. We’re put off by the implementation of paid parking. Supposedly members like us don’t pay. I think no one should have to pay to park there. The change complicates parking for everyone.