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.
If you want to get to grips with your camera try PhotographyCourses.biz
Mon, Jan 25, 2010
Tips