Most of us will never have the opportunity to photograph wild animals in their natural surroundings, especially animals that are not native to our country, but America is blessed with many zoos that offer excellent photographic opportunities. In today's article, we discuss photo equipment needs and how-to instructions for making pictures of animals in a captive setting that look anything but captive.
Even though our hearts break a little whenever we think about captive animals being deprived of their right of freedom, it is also useful to remember the benefits that zoos provide. The few captive individuals in zoos kind of "take it on the chin" for their wild brethren, and in doing so provide many of us with opportunities to see and experience animal behavior that we would miss otherwise. The time and effort required simply to get to an exotic location can be more than most of us can manage. Also, it wouldn't take too many photographers invading an animal''s natural habitat to have an impact on its behavior. Therefore, photography of captive animals makes sense as more people want experiences and photographs of these beautiful creatures.
Take the Right Equipment.
Zoo photography works best with some special equipment. A camera with a telephoto lens of at least 200mm is very helpful, and a lens of 400mm or more allows tighter compositions that camouflage zoo conditions well. A lens with a small f-stop (f 2.8 to 4.5) allows photography in poor lighting found in some zoo enclosures. A good tripod enables sharp pictures in low light and prevents blurring from hand-holding the camera. A cable release helps reduce camera movement on the tripod. A telephoto flash adds a catch light to an animal's eyes and fills in shadow details. Choose film, either slide or negative, in the 100 to 400 ISO range to match the lighting.
I typically carry the following equipment for zoo photography: 35mm camera body, cable release, tripod, telephoto flash, and the following lenses 70-200mm zoom, 300mm or 400mm fixed, and a 1.4 telextender. With this equipment I can compose portraits of an animal as close as 20 feet from me as well as an animal in the back corner of an enclosure, and all the gear fits into a medium-sized fanny pack.
Know the Etiquette. Zoos we have visited tolerate photographers with tripods and flash equipment reasonably well. That said, we have been to places that prohibit tripods because they take up too much room and interfere with other visitors. Therefore, I always attempt to keep my tripod legs in close, rather than spread out, especially if the zoo is crowded.
Being sensitive of your impact on others helps all photographers. Obey all posted rules, regardless of how you feel about them. Restrictive rules adopted by a zoo are often the result of only one or two bad experiences, and none of us wants to cause rules others dislike.
Learn from Our Tips. When you use a tripod at a zoo, ALWAYS keep one hand on the tripod, especially when other people are near. I've had small children literally run through the tripod legs in their excitement to see an animal, and this can easily cause the tripod and camera to fall. Camera insurance is a good thing to have, especially for those times when you forget to hold your tripod!
Be aware of the affect your flash has on the animals. Most captive animals are accustomed to camera flash, but there are exceptions. Stop using flash immediately if an animal appears irritated. The primates in particular can graphically indicate to you when they are not pleased.
As nature photographers and lovers of all living things, let's always strive to photograph without causing any harm!
Compose for the Conditions. Zoo photographs are particularly challenging because of the enclosures (bars, wire, fencing, Plexiglass), which can degrade the final picture. You can photograph successfully through caging if you use a wide-open aperture (f 2.8 to 5.6), position the camera close to the caging, and ensure that the animal is some distance from the caging. If done correctly and the conditions are right, these precautions blur the caging enough that it is not noticeable. These instructions work best if the caging is in shadow.
If you try to shoot camera-mounted flash through caging, the bright caging pattern will appear in the final image. Shoot at 90 degrees through a "clean" window (again, no on-camera flash) to minimize the window's poor optical quality. Stop down your lens to its shooting aperture prior to tripping the shutter to see if the caging shows up in the final image and adjust accordingly.
Eliminate elements of the enclosure to help zoo photographs look more natural. When composing your picture, carefully review the edges of the image in the viewfinder to find obvious unnatural materials, and recompose if necessary.
Some great pictures tell the viewer that the animal is in a zoo setting, and there is a market for zoo-related pictures. People watching the animals often make appealing photographs, so keep your eye on the people as well as the animals. Carrying a second camera helps make it easy to get the fleeting shot of a visitor experiencing an animal's behavior. But please be sensitive when taking pictures of people. Sometimes showing them their picture on your digital camera is fun for everyone.
Be Aware of Routines. Zoo animals often have routines they follow, and being familiar with them will help you anticipate when to trip the shutter. Talk to the zoo keepers and volunteers to find out when animals are more active and if they have interesting habits worth photographing.
Early morning and late afternoon are typically good times to capture animal activity. Many animals rest and sleep during the mid-day periods, especially when it is hot. Visiting a zoo at different times will let you determine what times are best for specific species.
Zoos offer wonderful opportunities to photograph animal behavior, but you'll need patience, preparation, and a little luck to get the shots you want.
Look for Special Exhibits. Each zoo has its premier, attractive exhibits without cages and with healthy, beautiful, happy animals. Spend time studying the animals, and visit the exhibit frequently if things don't work out initially. The more time you can spend at the zoo, the more opportunities you'll have for great photographs.
Most zoos will gladly accept gifts of your best photographs to use in their publications. This way you get publicity for your talent and you help the zoo's mission to preserve species and enhance public awareness of nature.
Become a member of your local zoo, and it may help you enter zoos in other cities at a reduced price. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association website lists many U.S. zoos. A gallery of zoo pictures at Betterphoto.com provides examples of photos others have made at zoos.
Give zoo photography a try and you should have lots of fun practicing animal photography while adding pictures of exotic and hard-to-photograph species to your collection.