GETTING STARTED

[adrian1963]

I hope to start a website shortly with the aim to get young people interested in zoo or wildlife park photography, what I would like is as much input as possible from my fellow zoo chatters as to what problems you have incurred and how you have solved them.
Which are the best enclosures and easiest ones to take photographs at.
How you find the accessabilty to the enclosures for photography.
When is the best time to go your local collection for the best photographs.
What is your zoo doing to encourage youngsters to take photographs of their collections
Any help would be gratefully recieved

 

[Javan Rhino]

I haven't worked this one out yet, but I was told at the Twilight Zone (Fruit Bat Forest) at Chester that taking photos WAS allowed, providing that you don't use the flash. I've fiddled around with shutter-speeds etc, but the animals move to quickly and any photos come out blurred. Is there a perfect balance (like recommended settings) for nocturnal houses so that the shutter speed is quick enough to stop blur from animals moving, but slow enough to let enough light in?

Any feedback on that would be great.

Also, I would list all of the big British zoos and have separate pages for photography at each (since all zoos are different with times, animals, lighting etc). For example, I have taken some good shots at Chester, but always struggle at Welsh Mountain.

You could also do suggested 'Photography routes' for each zoo, timing so that it should take you past each exhibit at the best time of day (feedings, when the area is least busy, when the lighting is good, when the animals are generally more active). Using Chester as an example again, I always do Realm of the Red Ape first since if you go much after the zoo opens it is heaving and you barely stand a chance (and the orangs come outside more in the morning).

Just some ideas there. The biggest idea I can give you though is do your research. Go to different zoos and have the photography days, and go to each zoo 3 or 4 times at least to get a general idea if things are the norm (if you see the bears at dinner time, it might just be a fluke. Do the same route over and over, and see what is consistant in all visits). Other than that, just use your own experiances, write down what works for you etc.

Hope that helps

 

[gentle lemur]

I guess I have done more of this sort of thing in the UK than most ZooChatters. There are lots of little tips some of which I have learned the hard way, for example don't try to photograph chimps or gorillas in the middle of a bright sunny summer day - their eyes will be hidden by the shadows of their brow ridges. For nocturnal exhibits: lots of patience, static animals, ISO 1600+, firm camera support, fast lens (preferably with vibration reduction technology) and, as always, a large memory card and lots of luck! Alternatively, there is a tip a tip I learned here, which is the easy way: go to Bristol in time for its opening at 9 am and you can have about 30 minutes shooting time in the nocturnal house before they turn out the lights - easier and better pictures (and if you underexpose a little, no one will suspect you 'cheated' )

Alan

 

[Javan Rhino]

I guess I have done more of this sort of thing in the UK than most ZooChatters. There are lots of little tips some of which I have learned the hard way, for example don't try to photograph chimps or gorillas in the middle of a bright sunny summer day - their eyes will be hidden by the shadows of their brow ridges. For nocturnal exhibits: lots of patience, static animals, ISO 1600+, firm camera support, fast lens (preferably with vibration reduction technology) and, as always, a large memory card and lots of luck! Alternatively, there is a tip a tip I learned here, which is the easy way: go to Bristol in time for its opening at 9 am and you can have about 30 minutes shooting time in the nocturnal house before they turn out the lights - easier and better pictures (and if you underexpose a little, no one will suspect you 'cheated' )

Alan

Ahh cool, I might try a little on Saturday at Chester, but my tripod is flimsy and I decided to go with a monopod as my latest purchase. Don't know whether it'll be steady enough for that though.

 

[SMR]

I've fiddled around with shutter-speeds etc, but the animals move to quickly and any photos come out blurred. Is there a perfect balance (like recommended settings) for nocturnal houses so that the shutter speed is quick enough to stop blur from animals moving, but slow enough to let enough light in?

Start with the easy stuff hey?!

A high ISO is your best friend, but of course at the expense of noise. Modern DSLRs are much better in this regard than they used to be, but even at the extreme ISO equivalents I can push my Canon to, I still wouldn't get a fast enough shutter speed (with an f/1.4 lens) to capture moving bats in Fruit Bat Forest, it's just too dark. IS helps, but not in this instance. Your best bet is a static bat, a tripod and a compromise between ISO and shutter speed. Sometimes you can jam a monopod in a fence or against a wall with your knee for extra-stable support.

As Alan says, fire off a lot of shots and then you might get one where the animal has paused for a moment and it isn't blurred.

 

[Javan Rhino]

Start with the easy stuff hey?!

A high ISO is your best friend, but of course at the expense of noise. Modern DSLRs are much better in this regard than they used to be, but even at the extreme ISO equivalents I can push my Canon to, I still wouldn't get a fast enough shutter speed (with an f/1.4 lens) to capture moving bats in Fruit Bat Forest, it's just too dark. IS helps, but not in this instance. Your best bet is a static bat, a tripod and a compromise between ISO and shutter speed. Sometimes you can jam a monopod in a fence or against a wall with your knee for extra-stable support.

As Alan says, fire off a lot of shots and then you might get one where the animal has paused for a moment and it isn't blurred.

Ahh cool. I'm not too bothered, but tried it a couple of times and nothing really worked so I just wondered. There are many more species that I can use memory on .