The zoo is a fantastic place to spend a day with a camera and practice your wildlife photography skills.

The zoo is also a great place to practice before a photo safari if you’re not used to shooting wildlife (or haven’t done it for a long time) and you’re planning a photo safari.
This way you can get into the habit of shooting wildlife and be prepared from day one of your photo safari trip rather than wasting the first few days brushing up on your wildlife photography skills.

You may also be able to study some of the behaviourial pattrerns of the animals you’re likely to encounter on your trip which will help your prepations even more.

Zoo Photography Gear

What camera gear will you need to get good photos at a zoo?

It really depends on the type of images you are after and how much you want to carry.

My advice is to pack light, so you’re mobile and don’t tire so easily. Less gear also tends to also shift the focus more to the animals rather than having to switch lenses all the time and the inner voice asking ‘should I use this lens or that lens’ every time you stop to photograph.

How you pack your bag will also depend on whether you are going to photograph larger animals such as the chimpanzees, lions or elephants or smaller animals such as snakes, lizards or frogs. I will usually concentrate on or the other and then pack accordingly.

However if I’m going for full day’s shoot I will typically bring lenses to cover both.

Here is what I will typically bring to the zoo:

Body:

Canon EOS 5DMKII (sometimes I might bring my 20D body which gives my lenses extra reach due to the 1.6 crop factor of the smaller sensor)

Lenses:

Canon EF 100-400mm f 4.5-5.6 L USM IS, or
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM IS, and/or
Canon EF 100mm Macro f/2.8 USM (note Canon now also has a Canon EF 100mm Macro f/2.8 L USM IS version of this lens)

Rubber Lens Hoods:

I bring along rubber lens hoods (instead of the standard plastic lens hoods) for all of the above lenses which allows me shooting right up against glass and completely avoid any reflections and without scratching the glass.

Bean Bag:

Leave the tripod at home for zoo photography!

If you must take a ‘pod’ bring a monopod, but my suggestion is to bring a bean bag or just shoot handheld.

If you’re shooting animals consider that these are moving subjects and more often than not you will probably want to be at relatively fast shutter speeds anyway so you can shoot fast from the hip and stop motion.

Lenses with IS (image stabilization), VR (vibration reduction) or AS (anti shake) will of course also be beneficial for zoo photography and usually allows you to shoot one to two stop slower than with a lens with this feature.

The improvement of image quality in modern day DSLRs will usually also allow you to increase your ISO to 400, 640 or 800 if you need the extra speed.

Those times where I have not wanted to compromise on the ISO, or I have wanted significant depth of field or the light levels have simply been very low, I have usually always been able to use my bean bag to my advantage and get the shot.

Accessories:

Bring an extra memory card or two, so you can shoot freely and in bursts if you need to. This way you don’t have to worry about the amount of shots you take.

Bring a dust blower, some lint-free lens tissue paper and a note book if you want note down species names and other information about the animals you photograph.

Lens extenders and extention tubes may also be items you want to consider for your zoo photography arsenal.

Zoo Photography Tips

I have been photographing in zoos on and off for several years now and here are some of the tips which I have found helpful to get best results with my zoo photography.

1. Watch the background

This tip is relevant to all kinds of photography, but for zoo photography in particular.

Usually, though not necessarily always, you will want to photograph your animal against a nice, clean, soft and out-of-focus background.

If you want to show your subject in a specific setting or perhaps even emphasize on the captive environment of the the animal, you may want a more defined background.
In either case, though, you will want to watch the background carefully.

2. Get close

My goal is often to create what is essentially an animal portrait when I photograph at the zoo and to achieve this you have to get in close. This often means finding animals that are within relatively close distance to where you’re standing and/or taking advantage of your longest focal length.

Zooming in tightly on an animal’s face or body helps you to isolate it against a smaller area of background and achieve the soft background referred to in the first tip.

3. Focus on the eyes

The eyes are the ‘window to the soul’ the saying goes and this is true with wildlife photography as well. Frans Lanting’s excellent book Eye to Eye is a good example of this.

Put your focus point on the eyes of your subject, lock-in the focus and then re-compose if necessary.

4. Get down low (and dirty if you need to)

Photographing an animal at their eye level is a great way to create a sense of intimacy with your subject. This might mean you need to get down on your knees (or worse on your stomach) but it will give your shots impact.

5. Get up high

Just to contradict tip number four, you may consider shooting your subject from up high if possible. This will of course depend on your local zoo’s layout, but finding new and alternative angles can help give your zoo photography a different egde.

6. Watch out for reflections

Often you may be shooting through glass and this can sometimes be a challenge. If possible give the glass a quick wipe with a cloth (or your sleeve) to get rid of finger prints and find an areas of glass that is not too scratched

As mentioned in the Zoo Photography Gear paragraph I recommend that you invest in rubber lens hoods (instead of the standard plastic lens hoods) to fit the lenses that you plan to use for zoo photography.

Rubber lens hoods will allow you to shoot right up against glass and completely avoid reflections with the added benefit that you don’t scratch the glass either.
Contrary to tradition plastic lens hoods you can put a rubber lens hood against a glass plate and then still have the flexibility to move your lens left or right, up or down without letting any stray light in.

7. Shooting through mesh or cages

You can often make mesh or cages literally disappear by pressing your lens right up against the mesh or cage (once again rubber lens hoods come in handy although plastic lens hoods are usually fine for this too) and then mak sure your lens is positioned so the wire of the cage is not in the centre of the frame.

Set your aperture to wide open and focus on your subject – past the mesh or cage – and voila! You have eliminated the mesh or cage altogether.

8. Visit in the morning or late afternoon

Not only is the light often more flatter at these times of the day, but most animals are usually up and active in the mornings which increases your chances to get more interesting shots.

Often the animals rest in the middle part of the day i.e. around noon time and into the afternoon where they will then awake become more active again.

9. Visit on a cloudy day

Personally I prefer to visit zoos on cloudy days where the sky acts as a big, giant softbox providing a nice, soft and even light which suits the type of zoo photography I like to do which is to create what is essentially an animal portrait.

10. Be patient

Rarely will you find animals (except perhaps the Meerkats) which are lined up in the perfect pose when you happen to come by with your camera.

In most cases you’ll need to be patient and wait for something to happen, or for the animal to move into the right position for your shot.

Don’t just fire off a few shots and then move on to the next enclosure. This will rarely lead to exciting and compelling results.

Allow yourself enough time to study the animal for a little while. Spending just a couple of minutes, often you will find that an animal might be moving in a certain pattern or repeat a certain ritual and this will allow you to plan your shot and capture the image just at the right moment.

11. Consider overall context

The challenge with zoo photography is that you’re shooting animals in captivity, yet often the goal for many photographers is to show the animals as natural as possible.

So in addition to considering the background (as per the very first tip) you should also be weary of the foreground and any other unnatural and distracting elements which might creep into your frame.

Before pressing down the shutter button all the way down, quickly let your eyes scan the frame of your of viewfinder to check for distractions.

On the other hand, if your intention is to show the animals in captivity, then use subjects like mesh or cages, man-made structures witin an enclosure, props, toys or even zoo keepers to your advantage for a more environmental shot.

Likewise, if you plan to sell your zoo photography images through stock agencies then consider incorporating space for copy in your composition.
In other words think about how you want to show the animal before you press the shutter button.

Have fun with your zoo photography.

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In recent years it’s as if Mother Nature has put the weather in charge of protesting against us humans polluting ways. Tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes and out-of-control raging forest fires seem to make news on a much too regular basis, and often with tragic and devastating results.

However, when I say extreme weather conditions it doesn’t have to be that extreme. And it’s not that I want to put a dark and gloomy spin on this article, but I just thought I would open up with the above observation. We can all help treating Mother Nature better. You could start by hosting your blog or website with Super Green Hosting.

Ok, ok, let’s get on with the actual article.

Shooting in extreme weather conditions can be a lot of fun and it can yield dramatic photographs, but when the weather turns ‘bad’ most of us tend to stay indoors. But, hey, there is no such thing as bad weather, is there?

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”
- John Ruskin

If you’re into nature and landscape photography this is the mentality you have to adapt, because braving the elements increases your chances of capturing spectacular images that not many other people will capture.

But whatever you do, just always remember this rule of thumb:

Photographing in extreme conditions means taking extreme precautions!

Not only can you put yourself in danger (priority #01), but your expensive equipment can also be destroyed in one quick moment (priority #02), so you need to protect yourself and your camera.

Famous war photographer Robert Capa once said “if your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough.” Sure, this can often be the case, but in extreme weather please use your common sense before you get too close! 

Please be careful.

There are generally four elements that you can face when it comes to extreme weather conditions; Cold, Heat, Water and Wind.

Here are 17 tips on how to prepare and deal with each of these four weather conditions.

TIP #01: ALL CONDITIONS – Always carry a camera

It doesn’t matter if it’s a SLR, a little compact camera or even a decent mobile phone camera. What’s important is that you have a camera with you so you can capture the moment as it happens. No capture device, no images. Simple!

But also don’t forget to have your camera ready to shoot. If there is only 10% battery life left, it will run out just as the moment climaxes. Check that your memory card is in the camera, and make sure it has room for at least 30-40 images or you will run out of space just as the moment happens. As photographers we are all too familiar with Murphy’s Law, so be prepared.

Being ready to shoot also means having your ready to shoot on your most common settings as soon as you turn it on — this means turning the flash off, setting the optimum ISO and, if possible, choosing your exposure accordingly. If you change your settings for a specific image, change them back to your most used settings when you’re done.

TIP #02: ALL CONDITIONS – Research the weather

If you plan to shoot in extreme weather, you can learn a lot about different weather conditions by researching different weather phenomena on the internet.

Obviously the weather forecast is essential for you to be in the right place, at the right time. There are a lot of different services available online and you may already have your own favourite, but www.wunderground.com is one site that offers global weather forecasts in great detail.

TIP #03: ALL CONDITIONS – Shoot fast

While it might not always be the case, you’ll often have to react really fast when ti comes to photographing in extreme weather.

Additionally, you will probably not want to expose yourself and your equipment to the conditions for too long at a time.

So you often need to work fast which means you might want to set your camera to aperture priority or shutter priority and let the camera do the math. There is rarely time to mess around in manual mode in extreme weather. This is especially true if you’re likely to point your camera in different directions where the light may vary.

You will probably also want to set your camera to continuous shooting mode, allowing you to shoot a burst of several images in just one second. If you plan to do a lot of extreme weather photography, it’s worth checking out the burst rate on your camera, so you what you can get.

 TIP #04: COLD – Keep it warm

Yeah, yeah, I know, it sounds pretty obvious, but so much of the time we underestimate the temperature, so make sure first and foremost to keep yourself warm, but also your equipment. Keep an extra thermal top in your backpack and find a set of warm gloves that still lets you handle your camera controls with ease.

While most of today’s digital SLR cameras perform pretty well in the cold, you may some cameras playing up in sub-zero temperatures. Shutters can lock up and diaphragms can become inoperative. So when you’re not working with your camera, put it close to your body or wrap it up in that spare thermal top you put in your bag after reading the first paragraph!

TIP #05: COLD – Keep batteries and media cards warm

If you’re shooting with a digital camera cold conditions sap batteries of their power. Keep your spare batteries in an inside pocket of your jacket as close to your body as possible.

If you’re shooting digitally in the cold, spare batteries are not something you should think twice about, they are a necessity!

For the best care it’s also a good idea to keep your media cards close to your body in cold conditions.

TIP #06: COLD – Wrap your tripod legs

If you’re carrying a tripod for lengthy periods in the extreme cold it’s a very good idea to wrap your tripod legs with foam pipe insulation material which you can get from most good hardware stores along with some duct or gaffer’s tape.

If you’re not a DIY person you can splash out on some professional tripod leg protectors.

TIP #07: HEAT – Bring enough water

Yeah, yeah, I know, another obvious one, but I have suffered dehydration here in Australia once after being out in the midday summer sun for just a couple of hours, simply because I hadn’t had much to eat or drink before I went out. It took me several hours to recover from the headache and nausea that ensued. So don’t take this one lightly. Water is a life saver!

It is very easy to get distracted by what you are shooting and get dehydrated or even worse suffer a heat stroke, so bring enough water with you when set out to photograph in high temperatures.

TIP #08: HEAT – Wear loose fitting clothing

Wear light-coloured, loose fitting clothing. It will keep you cooler by reflecting the sunlight.

Allright folks, this is a long article, it’s time for an ad break, I’m sorry. Don’t go anywhere, we’ll be right back!

TIP #09: HEAT – Wear a hat, the right hat.

A hat will also help to keep you cool. Choose a hat with at decent sized brim – say a least a 3-inch (8cm) – all around. Baseball caps leave the ears and neck exposed to potential sunburns. Also make sure the hat is vented, so that the heat from your head can escape and your head can ‘breathe’. This will also help minimize the perspiration that runs off your face and drips off your chin onto your LCD screen!  
 

TIP #10: HEAT – Consider a small lunch cooler as your camera bag

Sometimes the heat can also lead to battery problems, although it is more likely to have an effect on film or media cards. Consider an alternative to a traditional camera bag in extreme heat considers. A small lunch cooler (or an ‘esky’ as we call them here in Australia) , lightweight and insulated could be a sensible choice. If you choose to use a cold pack, go ahead and put it in its own tightly sealed plastic bag just be extra safe that no moisture leaks out where you don’t want it.  

TIP #11: WATER – Cover up your camera

Moisture (snow as well as rain) is the biggest enemy of your equipment. If you go out to shoot in wet conditions bring a large zip lock bag with you. You can use it to place over your camera and cut a hole where the lens is, and then simply use a rubber band to secure the bag to the barrel of the lens.

If you have a separate lens hood, screw it into the front of the lens. If not, even a skylight filter will offer some protection. If you have both, use them! Personally, I keep a Hoya Ultraviolet Pro 1 Digital Multi-Coated Glass Filter on each of my lenses to protect the front of the lens. These are fairly expensive filters, but there is just no sense in spending thousands of dollars on a high quality lens only to put a cheap, poor quality filter on it. Don’t save on your filters!

TIP# 12: WATER – Wear a Shutter Hat

If you want a slightly more sophisticated version of the zip lock bag suggested in Tip #11 then the Shutter Hat is what you should be wearing, or rather what your camera should be wearing. The Shutter Hat is claimed to be the most stable, no fuss, light weight, compact camera cover on the market today. Check it out.

TIP #13: WIND – Protect your lenses with filters

Just as with water you will want to protect your lenses if you are out shooting in strong wind, although I would really recommend to protect your lenses regardless of weather conditions, but strong winds can carry all sorts of small debris which can easily cause small scratches to the front of your lens if you don’t protect it. So cover you lens with a skylight filter or the Hoya Ultraviolet Pro 1 Digital Multi-Coated Glass Filter which I use on each of my lenses to protect the front element of the lens.

TIP #14 WIND – Seal your camera

If you’re out shooting in very windy conditions on or near the beach or in any other sandy or dusty areas, you may want to consider taping up all seals on your camera to avoid sand or dust finding its way inside your camera which can spell potential disaster. However if you’re shooting with one of the high-end prosumer cameras or perhaps even one of the pro DSLR cameras, well then these models are most likely already sufficiently weather sealed by the manufacturer for you not to worry about this point.  

TIP #15 WIND – Weigh down your tripod

If you’re landscape photographer shooting in the wind, you’re highly exposed to camera shake in your exposures. If depth of field is critical and your shutter speed is too low to hand hold the camera, then weigh down your tripod with bean bags, your camera bag or – if you want to be really sophisticated – bring a piece of string with you and tie a heavy stone onto it to weigh down your tripod with it.        

TIP #16 WIND – Shoot hand held

Drop the tripod and go with the flow and simply shoot hand held when you’re out in windy conditions. Adjust your ISO setting to a higher speed and shoot hand held at a shutter speed you’re comfortable with when you don’t have your three legs with you. In my experience this will often work out a lot better than trying your luck with a tripod in extreme winds. And keep in mind that many of the recent DSLR camera models (2009 and newer) display very little noise problems even at high ISO settings like 400 or 800.

TIP #17 OTHER CONDITIONS – Lightning

Photographing lightning strikes is not without risk. In fact you’re at considerable more risk than the average person when you’re standing next to a metal tripod, cable release in hand, trying to get that magnificent lightning bolt that sets the entire sky on fire. I read somewhere that storm chaser Jim Reed is experimenting with a wooden tripod for his lightning photography! Hmm, he is also very extreme.

Anyway, the bottom line here is that you need to inform yourself about the safety precautions when photographing lightning strikes. Here are a few safety tips:

• Avoid water.
• Avoid the high ground.
• Avoid open spaces.
• Avoid all metal objects including electric wires, fences, machinery, motors, power tools, etc. (and be aware of the risk using a tripod!)
• Unsafe places include underneath canopies, small picnic or rain shelters, or near trees. If you get completely caught out and lightning is striking really nearby when you are outside, you should crouch down, put your feet together and place your hands over ears to minimize hearing damage from thunder and avoid proximity (minimum of 15 ft.) to other people.

Getting caught out in the middle of a lightning strike has happened to me once in the Blue Mountains near the Three Sisters a few years ago. A group of people further down the walking track we were on got swept right off their feet while standing on a metal viewing platform. They came walking back up in a complete daze. When you’re this close, it’s pretty scary stuff and you realize you’re in Mother Nature’s hands.

If you have your car nearby get in your car (most of these things have rubber tires) and shoot the lightning storm from inside the comfort of your vehicle while you enjoy a cuppa from the thermos.

It’s not really within the scope of this article to provide you with tips on how to shoot lightning (it’s a pretty fine art in itself and there are plenty of good articles on the subject out there), but here are a few quick tips:

• Use a long shutter speed, say 30 seconds or even the bulb (B) setting if you have a way of keeping your shutter open (most modern cable releases can do this).
• Point your camera towards the sky where the action is and include only just a sliver of ground as the ground is likely to go completely black (unless you have a nice skyline in front of you).
• While lightning strikes are, well striking (sorry, couldn’t help myself there), you will often still need some sort of foreground interest to balance your composition in order to create a good photograph. An image of lightning bolts isolated against a sky with no foreground interest rarely holds the viewers attention for long. Find one and look at it. They get boring really quickly.
• Switch to manual focus. Since you are shooting in relative darkness your camera is likely to ‘hunt’ around for something to focus on if you’re on auto focus.
• Patience is your best friend you when it comes to lightning strikes, so make (or bring) yourself a nice cup of coffee, wait, shoot and enjoy the show.

And that concludes the 17 Tips When Photographing in Extreme Weather Conditions!

If you made it this far I sincerely thank you for hanging in there with me. I hope you enjoyed the information as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it.

Now, it’s time go out there and get some shots.

P.S. I wasn’t kidding, go and check out that Shutter Hat

If you liked this article, you may also like these:

• What is Street Photography?
• Shooting Landscapes – Guest Post by Carolyn Fox
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If you’re looking for a new tripod or considering upgrading your old one, then this short video is well worth a watch. Jim Zuckerman shows us what to look for when choosing a tripod and explains why, all while using the light weight Induro C214 carbon fiber tripod in action in the middle of winter at Central Park.

Jim Zuckerman is one of the best travel and nature photographers working today. His images, articles and photos have been published in scores of books and magazines, including publications like National Geographic Society, Outdoor Photographer, Outdoor and Travel Photographer and Conde Nast Traveler. He is also the author of several great photo books.

If you like the particular tripod shown in the video check out the latest price on the Induro C214 tripod model at Adorama or B&H Photo or Amazon.com.

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Unless you’re going for a creative effect, you should always strive for sharpness in your pictures. If a picture is worth taking, it’s also worth ensuring sharpness, even if it means introducing a little bit of noise. Here are a few thoughts on ensuring that your photos are just as sharp as you want them to be when you are working in low light situations.

Hold Your Breath

When you are forced to shoot in a low-light situation without a tripod, hold your breath and push the shutter button down very gently. Do not get so excited that you push down the shutter button too ‘roughly’ or too ’quickly’ as you might end up with a little bit of camera shake and thus a blurred image.

Find Something To Lean Against

Lean against a wall, tree or fence or brace yourself against a rock – anything you can find for added stability. This will definitely help you get sharper images in low light.

Set Your ISO To Get a Fast Enough Shutter Speed

Avoid using an ISO settting that is too low for low light situations. It is true that ISO 100 or 200 helps to minimize digital noise but there is no point in going this low if your pictures will not be sharp. If you are not using a tripod and you are in low light, you have to adjust your ISO until your shutter speed is fast enough to hand hold the camera. The rule of thumb is that if you use a XX mm lens, then your shutter speed should be no less than 1/XX second – in other words if you are shooting at 200mm, then your shutter speed should be 1/200 second or faster if you are shooting hand held. Making noise-free pictures is irrelevant if they end up blurred anyway. Many of the new DSLR cameras on the market today produce pictures that are virtually noise-free even at high ISOs like 400 or 800.

The above image of the Kookaburra was shot at ISO 1600 with a Canon 20D and a 300mm lens at 1/80 second while leaning against a tree. The image does display a little bit of digital noise, but with newer cameras like the Canon 5D MKII your images will look even better with even less noise.

Have a look at some of the latest DSLR models from Canon or Nikon at B&H Photo if you are considering getting a new DSLR which produces virtually noise-free images at high ISO settings.

If you liked this article, you may also like these:

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Camera shake is the enemy of sharp pictures! Even when you are on a tripod camera shake can occur relatively easily and especially if you are using a long telephoto lens, slow shutter speeds or if you are not using a remote cable release.

So how can you prevent camera shake when on a tripod? There are a few simple precautions you can take. Here are a few ideas:

1. Don’t Use the Center Column

Do not use the center column on your tripod unless circumstances really require it. When the center column is extended it causes instability – quite the opposite from what you would expect from using a tripod.

2. Use a Remote Cable Release

Always use a remote cable release (also known as a cable release, remote trigger, remote cable shutter release). There is little point in using a tripod if you are pressing down on the camera body itself to make the picture.

3. Use Your Camera’s Self-Timer

If you do not have a remote cable release (or you forgot it at home) then use your camera’s self-timer as this is a more gentle method of triggering the shutter.

4. Mirror Lock-Up

Use your camera’s mirror lock up function if it has one, and then trigger the shutter with a remote cable release.

5. Mount Your Telephoto Lens Directly On Tripod

If you’re shooting with a telephoto lens always be sure to mount your lens directly to the tripod, not the camera. This creates a better balance of the weight across the tripod (use a remote cable release when possible).

If you own a SLR camera (film or digital) and do not already own a remote cable release I would highly recommend that you consider buying one.

Usually you can find the details of the remote cable release that fits your camera in your camera’s instruction manual. Places like Amazon.com usually provide a good selection of remote cable releases in different brands and types (wired and wireless) or you can visit your local camera store and inquire with them.

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