Zoo Shots…

As a general rule I just don’t do zoo shots.

Especially I don’t do zoo shots and try to pass them off as wildlife photography. That would be like hunting in a zoo. Not fair. Not fun.

However, a recent visit to the San Diego Wild Animal Park proved to be too much for me. The place is just such a feast for the eye and the lens that I could not resist taking several hundred images. The longish zoom on my Sony DSC H9 made it especially tempting, as it was possible to get close shots, and to frame out the most obvious zoo type distractions (bars, fences, people, buildings, etc.).

The result is, perhaps, not great photography, and it certainly is not great wildlife photography…but it is a group of satisfying images of animals (and a few plants and a few more of the obligatory “my girls in front of the flamingos” shots).

All in all a good day.

It gives rise to some reflection on the technique of zoo photography.

When shooting in a zoo it is possible to take one of two approaches.

1) frame and shoot to avoid the impression of being in a zoo at all. Strive to produce images that look as though they could have been taken in the wild.

a. As above, use your zoom to frame out anything man made.
b. Use selective focus and wide apertures to throw background bars and fence lines out of focus so they don’t draw the eye.
c. Carefully choose your line of sight so that the animals are placed against a natural background.
d. Where necessary use the clone tool in post processing to remove what you can’t frame out or avoid in the background.

while depth of field and exposure make the fence disappear, there was a fence post in the background, over the log, that had to be cloned out.

e. Choose a zoo where the enclosures feature natural backgrounds and the uncaged experience (The Wild Animal Park is absolutely great for this).
f. Don’t attempt the impossible. Some animals you just won’t be able to shoot. Concentrate on the battles you can win.

2) As an alternative: you can shoot the zoo experience. Instead of trying to hide the man-made elements, boldly include them in your shots. Let the viewer know exactly where you are and the conditions you are working under. Put people in your shots.

In reviewing my own take from the day, for the most part I followed approach #1. I have a few shots that would fall under approach #2. I think that next time I visit a zoo, I’m going to be more aware of the possibilities of #2.

You can view a slide show of the whole day at the Wild Animal Park by following this flickr link: ZooShow