What I learned about photography and zoos

[praline3001]

When photographing an animal, take a quick snapshot of the plaque that gives the animal's species. I am guessing this is a total newbie mistake I made but wanted to pass it along!

Friend: great picture of the monkey. What kind is it?
Me: err a monkey?
Friend: no, I know its a monkey but what species?
Me: err... the kind that eats bananas?

[Rentham]

That'a a good tip. My zoo tip: the sooner you get out of the zoo photography phase the better.

I still bring my camera to the zoo, but I tend to take pictures of the animals on my side of the glass.

[Ambrosia76]

I like taking pics of the animals because granddaughter likes to look though them and name the animals. But I also like to take pics of her looking at the animals, love the expressions she gets in her face.

[inkista]

Yeah, I do that a lot when I go to the zoo. Also when I'm at museums, taking pictures of display pieces. I tend to forget why I took a picture pretty easily. I just wish I had a fast way of swapping between RAW and small JPEG, because I hate wasting space on those types of shots.

[praline3001]

Originally Posted by inkista

Yeah, I do that a lot when I go to the zoo. Also when I'm at museums, taking pictures of display pieces. I tend to forget why I took a picture pretty easily. I just wish I had a fast way of swapping between RAW and small JPEG, because I hate wasting space on those types of shots.

I didn't even think of museums. Nice, I will have to remember that!

[Hill Country Hack]

Originally Posted by Rentham

That'a a good tip. My zoo tip: the sooner you get out of the zoo photography phase the better.

I still bring my camera to the zoo, but I tend to take pictures of the animals on my side of the glass.

I did it for the practice. Always difficult and dynamic light. Shooting from light into shadow or vice versa. I did not even think about all the little snot nosed animals running around screaming. I could have had a V-8!

[SwissJon]

I never got into the Zoo photography phase.. Have I missed something?

[andrewdt]

Well hey its all about what you have roaming around you. Zoo photography - who needs it in my neck of the woods?

But you know what? I will drive 2 hrs to find the left over sludge from our once a year (if were are lucky) snowfall. I will even take pictures of us throwing snow/mud balls at each other. Because that is the best we will get.

And anyway, who has not shot at the aquarium? Its almost the same (except if you are like me who takes my gopro waterproof camera and dives with the raggedtooth sharks. But hey, some say I really am an idiot)

So I can understand people practising shooting an elephant at the zoo, because not everybody gets to see one as I do...

[andrewdt]

And to add to the OP comments - another tool to use at a zoo where there is fencing/cages - get right up against them when the animal is far away, open aperture to widest and focus on the animal. This way you will not have any fencing or bars in your image and it will look more natural.

[BigFuzzy]

This also applies to when traveling (and I think covered in another thread) but whenever I'm traveling, I always (when entering a new town/area/whatever) take a photo of the name of the place so that I know all images that follow are from that place until I see the next name.