A Day at the Zoo

By: Mary Ann Schneller

When was the last time you went to the zoo?  Do you know where the nearest zoo is?  Do you have a favorite animal?  Do you know why it is your favorite?  I know it’s a lot of questions, but finding out the answers can be a lot of fun.  You don’t have to be a child to enjoy a "day at the zoo".  It’s fun to be an adult and act like a child sometimes.

As a photographer I want to vary the type of pictures I take, as well as the locations I visit.  I haven’t been to "The Philadelphia Zoo" in a few years.  The zoo has made a lot of changes to improve the animals’ natural habitat.  It is easier for the visitors to view the animals, especially the children.  So I decided to go to the zoo and check things out.

I arrived at the zoo early and was able to roam the grounds before too many people arrived.  I had an opportunity to check out the animals and their surroundings.  This helped to determine what animals I might enjoy photographing, with regard to their movements and interaction of the animals with each other, and the ease of view.

I didn’t want to have a lot of gear with me, so I chose my Canon G10 point and shoot because of its real wide-angle ability (28 mm-140 mm).  I also took my Canon 30D with my Sigma 80-400 mm lens (which really is 128 mm to 640 mm) for the long focal range. With both cameras I was able to take a variety of pictures.  Then, I had to consider if I would use my tripod or monopod.  Zoos have a tendency to be crowded; so a three-legged tripod was set aside in favor of a one-legged monopod to reduce the risk of someone tripping over the tripod. 

It was a pleasant surprise to see the changes at the zoo.  While photographing the animals I also found the children had more fun because the animals were right there in front of them – separated only by a pane of glass.  They were very excited to be that close.  I was surprised to see how many people, children included, had point and shoot digital cameras.  There was a girl who was around six or seven taking pictures.  Her father was very proud to let me know how many great pictures she had taken with her camera.  With modern cameras, you don’t have to be a professional photographer with a big lens to take good pictures. 

As a photographer, I didn’t think I would like shooting through glass or fences to capture the action of the lions, tigers, and primates.  I thought it would make it more difficult to photograph them; but I went with an open mind and found it wasn’t so hard to do.

When shooting through glass, you need to make sure that the area is clean.  (I found that if you were tall, you had a better chance of finding a clean spot.  Most of the activity is at the children’s level on the inside and on the animals level on the outside).  If your lens is right against the glass, you will not have as much reflection and it will tend to be a cleaner shot.  If you decide to use flash, the lens should be as close to the glass as possible and on an angle so you don’t see the flash in your picture.

There also were times when I needed to shoot through a fence and there definitely was a technique in doing that.  To photograph through a fence you need to manually focus on the animal.  When you do this, the fence will disappear and all you will see is the animal.  I found out though, if the animal is too close to the fence it is nearly impossible to have the fence disappear.  So I changed my angle of view and location and was successful.

The day turned out to be better than first thought.  The weather was almost perfect, not too hot and not too cold.  And because of this, it put everyone in a better frame of mind.  They tell you that animals can be good for your health and sense of well-being.  A day at the zoo tends to bring out the best in everyone, and I found this was the case.  The adults and children were more pleasant and engaging than usual.

People were curious about my camera gear, and were wondering why I was taking the pictures.  Did I work for a paper, or magazine?  Was it for my personal use?  And because of the big gear, people were willing to let me have the space I needed to take the pictures.  But I made sure I didn’t overstep my bounds and was equally considerate.

I had a good time photographing the lions and tigers because of their interaction with each other.  The animals that were outside were easier to photograph since there wasn’t any glass involved.  There was a lot of color to photograph – the Caribbean Flamingos were a vibrant salmon color and a male peacock showed off his magnificent colored feathers for the female peacock he was trying to court.  However, she wanted nothing to do with him.

All in all, my day at the zoo was a success.  I had the chance to see how the zoo improved the habitats for the animals and for our viewing pleasure as well.  It also afforded me another opportunity to improve my photo techniques with some great results.  But most of all I was able to get out in the fresh air and enjoy myself for the day! 

If you have an opportunity this year, go visit your local zoo and see if you have as much fun as I did!