Don’t cage in your zoo photography!

Most people love taking pictures of animals, but very few have the money to go on an African safari or travel to other far-off reaches of the world. Thankfully, there are hundreds of excellent zoos and wild animal parks around the country that offer at least a glimpse of nature's wonderful fauna.

Don’t cage in your zoo photography! - However, there are certainly challenges to photographing animals at a zoo. You'll need to contend with the distance between your camera and the subject (since you usually can't mingle with the marmots or cavort with the capybaras!), animal subjects that either move very quickly or not at all, and the cage bars or glass that frequently come between you and the critters. But there are plenty of things you can do to overcome these obstacles!

Gear up

The gear you bring with you on your zoo visit depends a lot on the particulars of the zoo itself, as well as your personal style and equipment. At a minimum, you should bring a good zoom lens (at least to 200mm), a tripod or monopod for taking pictures in the dim light of animal houses, and a lens hood to reduce glare if you're shooting outside on a sunny day.

Plan ahead

Find a map of the zoo as soon as you get there (or, better yet, before you go!), and note the locations of any animals that you're particularly interested in photographing. Find out when feeding times are, either so you can be there to watch if they're visible to the public, or so you won't bother going across the park only to see an empty cage, if the animals eat inside. Do some research to find out if there are certain times of day when particular animals are more active.

If you can be flexible about your visit, try to arrange it so that you're there on a day when the weather is less than an average tourist's ideal. For one thing, that will probably mean fewer crowds, which will make it easier to get a good view of the animals. It will also eliminate harsh shadows and sun glare. Finally, many animals that would be flopped out napping on a hot, sunny day might be more active if it's drizzling.

Shooting through fences

Since most zoos don't let you get up close and personal with the animals, chances are that you'll have to photograph them through a fence. There are two things you can do to mitigate this obstruction. The first is rather obvious: Try to find a way to shoot around or through it. If you can get close enough to poke your camera lens through the gaps in the fence without breaking any zoo rules or endangering yourself or your gear, try that. You can also look for larger gaps around gates or spots where you can look over or under the fence.

If there's simply no way around the fence between you and the animal, your best bet is to use a long focal length lens and a wide aperture setting. You might have to manually focus, if your camera can't decide whether to focus on the fence or what's behind it, but you'll probably notice that with a selective focus on the animal and a shallow depth of field, the fence will blur out so that you'll hardly notice it. Using a point-and-shoot? Try the portrait mode, which should accomplish the same thing.

Shooting through glass

The glass enclosures common in some animal houses and water-related exhibits sometimes pose an even greater challenge than fences. If the glass is clean enough, you might be able to shoot right through it. But if the light is at the wrong angle or the glass is terribly smudged and dirty, you might find that all you get are reflections of yourself. Carry a cloth to wipe an area of glass clean if you can get up close to it, and put your camera lens right up against the glass itself. If you must shoot from farther back, turn off the flash and use a tripod to eliminate as much glare as possible.

Get a closer look

While of course you can't usually get physically closer to the animals, try to zoom in as much as possible on your subjects. Not only will this help eliminate some of the less attractive areas of the enclosures, it will draw the viewer's focus in on the animals themselves and not the conditions of their captivity. If you can, try focusing on just a part of the animal — the bird's eye, the tiger's whiskers, the hippo's giant snout. Try to create a feeling of intimacy with your subject. For some animals, this might even mean getting low to the ground to put yourself on their level. The top of a prairie dog's head isn't nearly as interesting as its curious, beady eyes!

The most important thing to keep in mind when photographing at the zoo is to be respectful of the animals, the facility, and the other visitors. Don't yell or try to startle the animals into "posing" for you, and don't do anything that would endanger you or them. Above all, enjoy your visit! If you can't get the picture you want, put the camera in its case and bring home lovely memories instead. ( yahoo.com )