Zoo Photography Tips
Are you really happy with the pictures you took the last time you went to your favorite zoo?
There are some basic tips to enhance your outdoor photography experience:
1. Fill the frame
Some animal exhibits are prettier than others, but even at the prettiest, photo composition can be tricky. Sometimes either the angle is a bit tricky, or there is a fence to remind us that these animals are in a zoo and not in the wild. So when this happens, the best advice is to zoom in or crop the image to fill the frame with the animal and not its surroundings.
2. Capture the interaction of animals with each other
Portraits are nice, however, the cutest images are when you see a family together. Mom’s tenderness for her baby is always a good reminder of the love in the animal kingdom. There are also happy gestures between siblings or other family members.
3. Try different angles
When approaching a new animal exhibit, we always think of the most obvious composition first, but moving is the key to opening up so many more possibilities.
Some animal exhibits are great because they allow you to move around the animals a lot and you may have to crouch down to be at eye level, but crouching is worth it!
4. Choose the zoo carefully
The best zoos for photography are definitely modern. They should have nice decorations, with scenes of plants, rocks, or even sand that match the specific place where some animals live.
5. Quality VS Quantity
It’s easy to walk into a zoo and want to see everything. It’s a good idea for a first visit. However, if you want to get great photos, you should limit yourself to spending more time with fewer animals. This is how you make sure you get good shots.
6. Be patient and the animal can look at you
These beautiful creatures are cute when they sleep, eat, play… but I must admit it’s magical when they look at the camera.
Patience really is a virtue when photographing animals. Please behave yourself and don’t yell at them or start jumping or waving to get their attention. That doesn’t help anyone. I’ve seen people doing that and animals walking away or turning around. I think some of these beautiful beings are used to being upset about it, so they just ignore that kind of human behavior.
My advice is to stay still and quiet, as at some point he may get curious and look directly at you with sweet eyes.
7. Avoid the crowds
The animals are bothered by crowds, and when this happens they simply hide. So choose the day and time of day wisely when you go to the zoo. If it is more comfortable for you to go on weekends, go in the morning. Try to go as soon as the zoo opens, plus you’ll get pictures in the best light.
8. Focus on the eyes
People say that the eyes are the window to the soul and that could be the very essence of an image. Camera manufacturers know this and that is why the latest equipment detects the eyes in its automatic portrait modes. This feature helps people get better shots.
Some animals have unique eyes and it is important to have that part of the photo in focus.
9. Animal textures
Sometimes animals don’t do much. Sometimes they rest in a position that just doesn’t look good for a photograph. So what can we do about it? Well… since we can’t persuade them to pose for our camera, we have to pay attention to what we’re looking at. What if we make a close-up to be able to capture textures?
Those photos of textures can be beautiful. You will be surprised how cute they look and if you do that, you will see a different beauty in animals.
10. Zoo Etiquette for Photographers
Photography is welcome at most zoos, but you must follow these etiquette guidelines:
- Respect the animals.
- Don’t show the animals.
- Do not get in the way of other visitors while taking photos.
- Stay behind any barriers and stay in public areas at all times.
- Check if the zoo allows the use of tripods in its facilities. Some zoos only allow monopods.
- Photos for personal use. You need permission from your zoo to sell photos taken there.
Some of these guidelines may seem like common sense, but this is not always the case. I’m sure this will help you the next time you go to the zoo.
Best wishes and happy photo shoot!