Knock knock

One of the most unique experiences you can have in Africa is to stay at the Giraffe Manor, a bed and breakfast about 1/2 hour outside of Nairobi, Kenya. It was built as a private estate in the 1930's and is quite indicative of the British colonial era. It is also a refuge for the endangered Rothschild giraffe, and every day these beautiful animals visit the mansion looking for a treat. They stick their heads in the windows and doors and are often rewarded with corn pellets. I've fed them myself, and it was a thrilling experience to feel their rough tongues gently take the food. I used fill flash to balance the exposure due to the extreme contrast between the bright outdoors and the much darker interior. This is the front door of the building. I used a 16-35mm wide angle lens, and the settings were 1/160, f/11, 160 ISO. I took this with a vertical composition, and the on-camera flash was on the right side of the camera. That caused the shadow on the left side of the giraffe's head. As you can see, warthogs also visit the manor hoping to find food that the giraffes might have dropped.