Tom, you have clearly elevated the art of taking zoo pictures to an incredible level. This is a great group of images.
Since you invited others to post some zoo pictures, I will throw a few in of my own that aren't at the level of yours, but still may be good examples for the Kid.
Kanon Kid wrote:
i know my zoo dont got tags. BTW Tom, they are some of the best pics i ever did see. Especially the one with theat yellow bird on the v shaped sticks. its huge eye is fantastic and funny. Thnx a ton these pics really help me.
Thanks for the examples and the tips this will help me out as well. I will be visiting the Tokyo Zoo this saturday and hope to come away with some great shots.
scott
your welcome Scott, for some this is all we have to shoot , so we have to make the most of what we have .
these are incredible, i've been to the zoo plenty and never get anywhere near these kind of shots but then again I usually shoot with a 70-200 Have not made the 400mm investment.
Keep trying Sam , it's worth the extra work and thought process.
Hungtran10 wrote:
wow tom. awesome gallery of shots. i love your exposure and tight compositions. i haven't gone to the zoo yet to shoot. i'm waiting for my 2 little babies to get a bit older. maybe in a year we will take a family trip out to the zoo. i originally was thinking of borrowing a 70-200 lens, but now i think my trusty 400 is gonna work out just fine. thanks for the tips and the inspiration!
- hung
Hung it's easier to take shots without the wife and kids pulling on you and telling you to hurry up . When I go with the family I take pics of the family , If I try for animals they never are very good , hard to get the creative juices flowing when there are so many distractions , I'm hungry , I have to go to the bathroom , I'm thirsty, Koby keeps hitting me , honey I have to be back be 1:30 .
Depending on the Zoo, they may have a photoclub site that gives some good suggestions. I know the local zoo is very open about when the animals are active, if you can catch the keepers and ask. They've even given me feeding times for individual animals in the past, which makes shooting something other than the sleeping Lion much easier.
In the Omaha Zoo I had a keeper/handler point out the best place to stand before feeding to minimize the human references. the relationship of the keepr and the animal is unique and a lot of times people want to make sure the picture of their "kid" is the best possible.
Just like working with people, the more you know about the animals at the zoo the easer it is to capture their attitude and personality.
I love photographing in the Desert Museum at the Saguaro National Forest outside Tucson. All the animals are native to the area and can be easily photographed as natural habitat animals! There's a large hummingbird house (and hummers all over outside, too) as well as a large aviary with other birds. And, of course, birds of all kinds all over the grounds flitting here and there. They are so accustomed to people it's not hard to get close. Best to spend several days, as Tom said!
If you get anywhere close to Tucson, don't miss it!
