MKEbonoboluv
Active Member
I am looking for tips for shooting thru fencing (outside) and wires (aviary indoors)? I use a Nikon 3500 and Nikon 7500 and my iPhone 16 Pro.

Get as close to the fence as possible. Remove the lens hood if possible to get closer. Maybe bring a black marker to paint the wires to make it less noticeable. Shoot wide open. For most cameras, it's not that noticeable anyways.
This one's shot through a fence, but you can't really notice it, except for the fence in the background.
View attachment 808117
You can also try to incorporate it as a part of your image, if you'd like to.
View attachment 808116
If the animal is still in-focus and well-lit, a photo editor might be able to digitally remove the wires. For example, the following jackal shot originally was partially blocked by two electric fence wires.
Siamese Golden Jackal (Canis aureus cruesemanni) - ZooChat
If the animal is still in-focus and well-lit, a photo editor might be able to digitally remove the wires. For example, the following jackal shot originally was partially blocked by two electric fence wires.
Siamese Golden Jackal (Canis aureus cruesemanni) - ZooChat
As everyone has said, the further the animal is from the fence the better the 'throw' past the fence will be and enclosures with black or painted fencing are to be relished along with shadows and darker days as shiny wire on a bright day is a bit of a curse.
I think the other thing is patience...I prefer to wait for the animal to move the right distance away (or move myself) to bothering with trying to remove fencing or wire. It never comes off as well as getting the right shot in the first place. Sometimes you just have to live with getting a shot somewhere else or not at all. I think it helps not to 'need' a shot of something but instead to take what the animals and enclosures give you.
I would say on the whole though I much prefer fencing over glass.
I do take a little cloth with me to the zoo, for cleariong cobwebs off mesh, particularly on aviaries etc so you can get close in and hold the lens right up to it. Obviously not useful where there are standoffs!
I have to agree with preferring fence over glass. Glass makes the images softer, and also ruins the color. I also wonder what the animals prefer![]()
Does your lens have a focus limiter? If so, you can set it to "x metres to infinity" to skip past the fence. Or you can turn manual focus on and adjust it until the animal is in focus and the fence isnt.I am looking for tips for shooting thru fencing (outside) and wires (aviary indoors)? I use a Nikon 3500 and Nikon 7500 and my iPhone 16 Pro.