SLR Photography Guide Blog » Tips for beginners

zoo photography, tips for photographing zoo animals

Tanya Puntti — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:17:08 +0000

Zoo Photography – Tips for photographing zoo animals

Over the last couple of years, my partner and I have visited numerous zoo’s and taken hundreds of photographs of zoo animals. Although the photographs during these years were taken with different DSLR camera’s, including a Nikon D40, Canon 400D, Canon 5D and a Canon 5D Mark 11, the basic techniques for photographing zoo animals remained the same.

Zoo photography requires a DSLR photographer to think about numerous problems that may occur such as:

Distance between the photographer and the animal.
Cages and glass windows surrounding the enclosures.
The movement of the animals.
Tricky lighting. In most cases zoo’s don’t open until mid morning. By the time you stand in front of the first animal and set your camera up, the lighting can prove to be a challenge. Especially if the animal is in an enclosure that offers both light and shade.
Other photographers and visitors. You don’t always have a whole area to yourself for setting up a tripod etc.

The answers to these problems, lie in both the equipment a zoo photographer chooses to use on the day, as well as his or her technique.

What camera equipment will you need to take to the zoo

In my experience, a long zoom lens is required to take good photographs at the zoo. By a long zoom lens, I am referring to one in the range of 100mm, to say 400mm focal length. In a lot of cases, you’ll find yourself shooting within the 200 – 300mm focal length.

My partner photographs with a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens which is perfect for most situations, whether the animal is close in distance with 70mm being useful, or further away, with the 300mm range giving plenty of reach.

Monkey photographed with a Canon EOS 5D camera + Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens.

A focal length of 300mm allowed me to get in nice and close for an ideal animal portrait, which was then cropped with Photoshop software, into a square for display purposes.

Camera Settings

Exposure:     0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture:     f/5.6
Focal Length:     300 mm
ISO Speed:     200

For comparison, the photograph of a giraffe below was taken with a focal length of 100mm to fit in both the animal and its surroundings.

Tripods or monopods?

Whether or not to use a tripod or monopod is often a grey area when it comes to zoo photography. Yes, it’s true that animals in darker enclosures may need a slower shutter speed to allow more light into the shot, therefore requiring extra stability. Personally in these cases, I prefer to increase the ISO to a higher number, for example 800.

Now those more experienced photographers would most likely argue that you could simply use a tripod instead of increasing the ISO.

This is why I don’t use tripods for zoo photography.

I recently visited Sydney Taronga Zoo where a photographer was rather upset at an infant who grabbed the leg of his tripod to collect his balance. It doesn’t matter what type of expensive setup you have, photographers won’t look good getting angry at infants and children who may accidentally bump into their equipment. This same photographer also expected other zoo visitors to give him ample room so he could take his professional photo. Need I say more?

If you own a DSLR camera the equivalent of a Canon 5D or Nikon D300, there is no reason why you couldn’t up your ISO to 1200 and still get a good quality image.

If you own an entry level DSLR and can’t reasonably increase your ISO, or you feel like you need more stability, then I recommend using a monopod instead of a tripod. Monopods of course, taking up less floorspace, keeping other visitors in mind.

Silverback gorilla, photographed at Taronga Zoo in Sydney Australia, with a Canon 5D Mark 11 camera + Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens, no tripod.

Camera Settings

Exposure:     0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture:     f/6.3
Focal Length:     400 mm
ISO Speed:     1250

Lens Hoods

Lens hoods come in handy for times when you have no choice as to the angle from which to shoot. Often you may need to shoot into the sun. Lens hoods may be useful for stopping sun flares in these situations.

Zoo photography tips for beginners

Now for the technical side of zoo photography. Listed below are our top 10 tips for taking good photographs at the zoo.

Plan your dayAs soon as you get to the zoo, grab yourself a map and plan out what animals you want to see and at what times. We have found the best times to see animals is just before feeding time, when they are most active.
Treat animals as moving subjectsWith a lot of animals constantly on the move at feeding time, I like to keep my camera settings on shutter priority mode with a fast shutter. My partner on the other hand, keeps his camera on P mode, with continuous shooting also set. Another way to do this (for entry level DSLR’s) is to set it on sports mode. This will enable you to capture a burst of shots, one after another, never missing an opportunity.Lion photographed by John Hodgkin (aka 2minutes) with a Canon 400D, hand held.
Camera Settings

Exposure:
0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture:     f/6.3
Focal Length:     300 mm
ISO Speed:     800
Eliminate cagesThere is nothing more annoying to a zoo photographer than not being able to photograph through the cage and capture only the animal. The best way to do this, is to zoom your lens to a longer focal length and place the focal spot on the animal itself. This should in most cases, eliminate the cage.A trick my partner uses, is to set your DSLR camera to P mode, zoom your lens out to a longer focal length and take your shot. This tip also tends to ensure the focus is on the animal and not the cage.
If all else fails, move your physical position and try again.
Eliminate glassYou eliminate glass using the same method as eliminating cages, as explained above. However, there are a few other tips for glass including: wiping the glass with a cloth to get rid of grubby marks, or positioning yourself so there are no scratches between you and the animal.
Get in close, then crop the images even closerWhen you arrive at the zoo, take time to look through the shop and take notice of the posters and postcards being sold. You’ll soon learn that tightly cropped faces and body parts have more impact than those with ample surroundings. This allows you to capture details otherwise not seen.Giraffe photographed at the National Zoo in Canberra, Australia.
Camera Settings

Exposure:     0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture:     f/7.1
Focal Length:     400 mm
ISO Speed:     400
Focus on the eyesAs with all living subjects, if the eyes aren’t sharp, you lose the connection between the animal and the viewer.
Get down (or up) to the animals level where possibleEven if it means being on your knees or laying in the dirt Other times, you might need to stand on a seat. You’ll find your images have a lot more impact if you are at eye level to the animal, within reason of course.
Have patienceGive yourself ample time at each enclosure. My partner is very good at this. I can’t count the number of times I’ve walked away from an animal, to find he then takes the perfect shot of it yawning, displaying its teeth in hunger, or capturing that unique expression.A mandrill, photographed by John Hodgkin at the Melbourne Zoo with a Canon 400D + 70 – 300mm zoom lens.
Camera Settings

Exposure:     0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture:     f/5.6
Focal Length:     90 mm
ISO Speed:     400
Eliminate backgrounds where possibleNothing is more distracting in a zoo photo than a fence in the background, or a feeding bucket. Where possible, always make the main focus on the animal. I often do this by repositioning myself so the distracting object isn’t in view, or using aperture mode (set to a small F number) to nicely smooth the background.
Photograph people and their enjoyment The main reason to visit the zoo, should be to experience the enjoyment of viewing the different animals. Don’t forget to stand back and photograph that human enjoyment. At the end of the day when you look over your photographs, it will often be these images that bring a smile to your face.
Photographed by John Hodgkin at Melbourne Zoo, Australia.

Tips for illustrating height within photographs

Tanya Puntti — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:21:29 +0000

Use a person in the photo to show height

A few months back my partner and I visited Yarrangobilly Caves in NSW, Australia. Both being avid photographers, it’s useful to return home and compare photographs. This time, there was a particular shot where my own image miserably failed to show the humongous size of the caves. On the other hand, my partner’s photograph showed it perfectly, as demonstrated below.

As you can see, by placing a person in the scene helps to really keep the overall image in perspective. Now compare it to my photo below that doesn’t include a person. The actual entry to the cave itself looks quite small.

Free PDF ebook downloads for Photographers

Tanya Puntti — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:55:49 +0000

Free photography PDF ebooks

Here are 3 useful O’Reilly PDF files for photographers to download. They are not the full text, however are still useful in the chapters that they do offer and are definately worth the download.

Note: You will need a copy of Adobe PDF reader to view the ebooks you download.

Digital Photography Expert Techniques

Professional Tips for Using Photoshop & Related Tools to Enhance Your Digital Photographs.

Here is a PDF download that covers chapter 3 of O’Reilly’s Digital Photography Expert Techniques. The chapter is useful in that it discusses:

Using Photoshop file browser
Using image management programs
Making accurate correction to your photographs
Keeping original photographs and images in tact
Using layers
Minimizing duplicate files
Using special names
How to maintain your photographs file information
Archiving your photographs

The PDF file is a 6.85MB download: Click here to download ‘Digital Photography Expert Techniques’

If you find this chapter useful, you can purchase the full text from Amazon.

Photoshop CS2 RAW

Using Adobe Camera Raw, Bridge, and Photoshop to Get the Most out of Your Digital Camera

This PDF download offers chapter 7 for photographers to read for free. Chapter contents include:

About noise
Using camera RAW to reduce noise in your photographs
How to use Photoshops reduce noise filter
About chromatic aberrations
Reducing chomatic aberrations with Photoshops lens correction filter
Diminishing or adding vignetting

The PDF file is a 3.86MB download: Click here to download ‘Photoshop CS2 RAW’

If you find this chapter useful, you can purchase the full text from Amazon.

Digital Photography Pocket Guide

This download offers chapter 3 of O’Reilly’s Digital Photography Pocket Guide (1st edition). It covers tips and trips for shooting and sharing your photographs.

The PDF file is a 2.09Mb download: Click here to download ‘Digital Photography Pocket Guide’.

If you find this chapter useful, you can purchase the full 3rd edition of O’Reilly Digital Photography Pocket Guide from Amazon.

Understanding shutter speed fractions

Tanya Puntti — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:12:22 +0000

Shutter Speed = Fractions

To understand shutter speeds fully, you also need to understand how fractions work. More specifically, it’s important that you understand the relationship between fractions and your camera’s shutter speed setting.

The faster or shorter your shutter speed, the less light that is let in to your camera’s sensor. Therefore, to use a fast shutter speed, you also need a lot of natural light (sunlight) or a flash, to ensure your images don’t turn out too dark or underexposed.

On the otherhand, the slower or longer your shutter speed, the more light that is let in to your camera’s sensor. This is great for low light situations, but not so good if you have a moving subject where you want to freeze action.

So how do you know if your camera is set on a fast or slow shutter speed? This is where understanding fractions is important.

For example, if you had your camera set on a 1 second shutter speed and noticed the photographs were too light or overexposed, you would need to set a faster / shorter speed. 10 times faster than 1 second is shown as 1/10 in fractions. Depending on your camera set up, it may display this as either 1/10 or simply as a numeral 10.

Now if you wanted to set a speed 10 times faster again, you would change your shutter speed to 1/100 or 100 on some camera’s. So from these examples you can conclude that 1/100 is a faster shutter speed than 1/10. The faster the shutter speed, the more natural light or flash light that will be required.

For more examples on fractions and how they relate to your camera’s shutter speed, I recommend watching the video tutorial below:

Pure white backgrounds in product photography gray card

Tanya Puntti — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:14:43 +0000

How to get a pure white background in product photography

If you do a lot of product photography, either for stock or ebay listings, you’d have probably realised by now that items that sell the most, are those that have a pure white background. Many photographers new to this style of photography, start off by placing a white background such as a sheet behind the object they are shooting, then change the exposure until they achieve the look they are after.

However, this isn’t always very effective. For example, recently I tried photographing a shiny tin bucket using the method explained above. After each shot, I viewed the image in the LCD screen then overexposed the photo one stop at a time until I had a completely white background. Unfortunately, after viewing it on my computer monitor, I found this method also took away the edges of the bucket.

It was then that I came across this video on Utube, that explains nicely how using a gray card (grey card, exposure card) can help product photographers to achieve a pure white background. Note: The video presumes you already know how to use a gray card. For those that have never used one before, I have some quick tips explaining how to use them further down this page.

How to use a photographers gray card (sometimes spelt grey card or called an exposure card)

Using a gray card is easy. First set your camera to spot or partial metering, then place the gray card near the object you are going to photograph and look through your viewfinder as if you are going to take a photograph of it. Get in close enough to fill the frame with the grey card, then lock the exposure (check your camera’s manual). Remove the card and take the image.

Baby photography tips, how to photograph your baby

Tanya Puntti — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:08:51 +0000

Baby photography tips

Professional photographer and mom Tracey Clark, shows you how to create treasured baby photo’s you’ll want to keep and show off to all your friends and family. Her top tips for photographing babies include:

Take lots of photographs. More than you normally would in any other photo shoot. This gives you a greater chance of getting that perfect shot.
Don’t do it all yourself. Have someone help you entertain your baby, while you concentrate on taking the photographs. This will minimise your chances of missing that smile or cute facial expression.
Use your camera’s burst mode (also called continuous mode) so you can fire off numerous shots in quick succession.

Choosing the right light is important to create softer shades and all round tones on the babies skin. Early morning, late evening, or shady area’s of the house and yard is good for baby photography. This will also ensure you don’t have lots of shots of your baby squinting. Also, turn off that flash and use natural light where possible to stop colors and facial features from looking washed out.
As with all photography, you should try avoiding distracting background elements like toys. After all, your baby should be the main centre of attention, not that bright teddybear in the background. You can create a neutral background with the use of pillows or blankets placed around your baby. The video demonstration further down this page will show you how to do this.
Choosing the right time when your baby is happy and smiling is also important. For example, just after a feed is a good time for baby photography, as is nap time. Some of the cutest photo’s can be taken when your baby is sleeping.
Be creative. Often some of the best shots are imperfect. For example, photographing only their small feet, or part of the face, can be just as memorable than a full portrait style shot. You can see some fantastic examples of creative baby photographs over at Tracey’s website.
Above all else, make it fun for both baby and mother. Know when enough is enough.

The tips shown in the demonstration below, explains the best time of day for taking perfect baby photo’s, the right lighting, as well as how to create neutral backgrounds for taking great portrait photos.

To start watching the video, press the go arrow

Top ten digital photography tips by Rick Sammon

Tanya Puntti — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:12:30 +0000

Photography tips for beginners by Rick Sammon

Rick Sammon shares with us ten of his top photography tips for beginners and amatuer photographers. Rick Sammon is a famous nature and travel photographer who has published 27 books and writes for 3 photography magazines including PC Photo, Outdoor Photographer and Layers magazine.

Rick’s 10 Photography Tips:

Learn how to see light. Look specifically for shadows and highlights, then you can set the exposure accordingly.
Try to recreate the depth and dimension in your photographs, that you see in real life. A good way to do this is to use a foreground object within your composition.
Take the time to walk around the location you are photographing. Don’t be too hasty in picking a composition. Look for all the different angles you have available to you.
Continuing on from the last tip, look down, back, and up. Often some of your best shots can be directly behind you.
Tell the whole story. Don’t take only one photograph. Instead, take wide angle, medium and close up shots of the same scenery. Shoot both verticle and horizonal photographs. With a lot of different photographs, you can tell the whole story.
Frame your photographs. For example, look for an opening in a rock from which to photograph a landscape through, or photograph a person through a window or doorway. This will help make your images more interesting to the viewer.
Be aware of the background. This is something I’ve personally trained myself to do automatically. When looking through the camera’s viewfinder, take notice of all the background elements before taking the shot. The background can make or break a good photograph. For example, last winter I took the perfect stock photograph of a snow gum. Except when I returned home, I realised the image also had an ugly power line in the background.
Move in tight and fill the frame. Take out any elements that don’t add interest to the picture. If they are not part of the story, then get rid of them by zooming in and filling the frame.
Photograph in RAW format to get the most out of each image.
Envision the end result, or what it is you want to achieve. Rick believes in 50% camera work, 50% digital editing. For example, if you are intending on changing the image into a black and white photograph with Photoshop CS2 later on, then envision that picture before taking the shot.

Watch the video demonstration below for a more detailed explanation on each photography tip.

Two books written by Rick Sammon that I highly recommend reading include:

Rick Sammon’s Travel and Nature Photography

‘Travel and Nature Photography’ is geared to photographers of all levels. Rick’s great photographic skills are complemented by his strong writing skills. The book is informative, prescriptive and just plain fun to read. While figuratively traveling with Rick from location to location I was inspired by his images and his straight forward solutions to the challenges faced in capturing nature and travel photographs.
Idea to Image in Photoshop CS2: Rick Sammon’s Guide to Enhancing Your Digital Photographs

‘Idea to Image in Photoshop CS2, Rick Sammon’s Guide to Enhancing Your Digital Photos’, is a different sort of Photoshop book. Most Photoshop books focus on showing you what can be done to enhance your image. Idea to Image approaches from a different perspective. Rick Sammon encourages you as the reader to focus on your final vision prior to capturing the image. Throughout the chapters he sprinkles in an assortment of suggestions and examples designed to aid with composition, and timing. Learning when to take the picture, and encouraging you to experiment and think beyond a single shot.