https://ift.tt/2LO8k5O
What Everyone Needs To Know About Zoo Photography https://ift.tt/2LJ3h6H Anyone who is interested in wildlife photography would not miss the chance of a wildlife safari, but there are times when a safari is not a possibility due to many constraints. For anyone in a situation like this, until you get a chance for a wildlife expedition, it is good to visit the nearby zoo to get some images of the birds and animals – of course, it won't replace photographing animals out there in the wild. Moreover, it can be a good way to practice photographing wild animals. But here is what everyone needs to know about zoo photography…making images of wildlife in a zoo comes with its own limitations as most of the animals are caged or kept in enclosures that may be surrounded by glass or fencing. So, there are certain things you need to know and be prepared for before photographing at a zoo. So how was your first visit to the zoo? Did you return with great images? Were you happy with them? If you weren't, not to worry – we have some amazing advice here for you so that you can come home with some brilliant images the next time you visit the zoo! Here Is What Everyone Needs To Know About Zoo Photography:Blending Out The Fence:This is one of the most important and one of the most difficult factors to overcome when photographing in a zoo. Most of the animals are kept within fences – especially birds, monkeys and other small animals. Even the bigger animals in larger enclosures are usually fenced in. Photographing through a fence can be quite tricky especially if the fence is thick. Moreover, if the animal is close to the fence there is nothing that can be done to avoid the fence or blend the fence. If you need a better image of animals or birds in a wired or fenced enclosure, you will need to use certain tricks to get a neat shot – although remembering that it is not always possible.
Photographing Through The Glass:Photographing through glass is the trickiest when it comes to zoo photographs because here you are dealing with reflections, oily smudges, and scratches on the glass. Some glass enclosures even have a colour cast in them that needs to be carefully dealt with during post-processing. How Do You Avoid These Unwanted Reflections? First of all find an area of the glass that has less specks and scratches and wipe the glass clean in that area, if possible, to remove oily or dirty smudges. Use a lens hood or any black cloth around the front part of the lens to minimise glare – your lens needs to be against the glass. If there is any glare, tilt the lens slightly at an angle where the glare is eliminated or at least minimal and then shoot. You may need to pump up the ISO a bit (between 400 to 1000) here and switch to manual focus if focussing becomes a struggle! Wait For The Action To Happen:Photographing wildlife in general requires a lot of patience, observation skills and to be ready to shoot the action when it happens. It is good to learn about the behaviour of different types of animals before your visit to the zoo so you know what to expect at certain moments. Feeding time is another a good time to be around as you can get some photographs where the animals portray their natural behaviour. This can also yield some funny moments. Revisit the zoo a few times so you get to know the animals better and chances are, with each visit you get better images. When To Visit:The best time of the day would be early in the morning when the zoo opens because at this time, the crowds are less and the animals are out active and the light will be great too! Later during the day, the animals are tired and sleeping in areas where they can be away from noise and other disturbances mostly caused by the visiting humans. Sometimes animals are quite active just before sunset (the golden hour) and this is a time when you can get some great shots utilising the beautiful golden light. What If All Else Fails And You Get Caught With The Crowd? Make the best use of this situation because you can get some really good candids where you can show human-animal interactions. With children in the frame, it can be quite interesting if there are areas where children are allowed to feed the animals. Also, most of the time you will notice that humans are excited to see these animals and some really enjoy being there observing what the animals do. Humans too can react humorously to animal behaviour. Stand back and photograph these moments as these can bring a smile on anybody’s face. Don't Forget To Bring A Tripod Or A MonopodDepending on how long you will be spending at the zoo (some may spend a whole day) you may need the help of a tripod or at least a monopod to give some rest to your hands occasionally while carrying heavy lenses around. But bear in mind, some zoos may not allow the use of tripods or monopods and you will need to check this with the zoo before your visit. So now that you have an idea of what to expect and how to deal with certain issues that you will come across in a zoo, let us look at the gear and settings that you will need to create brilliant zoo photographs. Gear Required:
Settings:
More Quick Tips:
Image 1 by Photo by david clarke on Unsplash and Image 2 by Steffiheufelder Photo by Mike Tinnion on Unsplash
Image by Alexas_Fotos
Image by Free-Photos
Image by Amy Chung
Photo by Jordan McGrath on Unsplash
Making brilliant zoo photographs can be quite a challenging task if you do not get the settings right and be patient and practice. You need to go out there to the zoo and keep trying if you are looking to photograph a specific animal in a particular environment and time of the day. Like they say, “Practise makes perfect.” Have you photographed in a zoo before? What were the limitations and how did you overcome them? Please feel free to share any tips you may have for zoo photography in the comments section below. The post What Everyone Needs To Know About Zoo Photography appeared first on Light Stalking. Photography News via Light Stalking https://ift.tt/2kwTW5i July 29, 2018 at 01:00PM
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
November 2020
|