Begineers help in Zoo Outing!~

[croomaniac]

Hi all,

I'm about to take part in zoo outing and it is a challenge!~ Currently I've never experienced taking pictures of animal, all my cats & pet fish shots are no near to my likings..

Anyway, what do you guys think on the picture that can come out to be a winning picture?

Any suggested mood, technique, angel to share? (so everyone can be a winner)

Thanks in advance!~

 

[Alfred D.]

Hi croo,

I suggest you pay particular attention – through your viewfinder – to what the animal you focus on is doing. Keep looking through the viewfinder as long as possible. Study the animal. Very carefully. Get into its mind. Imagine. Predict what it's going to do next. Be ready, and expose exactly when it does it.

And repeat that over, and over, and over again! Breathing slowly and easily.
Then change position/angle (like... how about crouching? for a 'frog perspective'). And start all over again!

There'll be some keepers there!
(Pictures, not animal keepers... well, those too, of course. Hopefully).

Have fun!

 

[darkpbstar]

I'm going to the Milwaukee zoo next sunday. I can't wait. I'll be taking my camera of course, which I look forward to. Any suggestions for settings? Just use "who cares" aperture? I guess I can just go there and try different things.

 

[Alfred D.]

I'm going to the Milwaukee zoo next sunday. I can't wait. I'll be taking my camera of course, which I look forward to. Any suggestions for settings? Just use "who cares" aperture? I guess I can just go there and try different things.

Good plan!
Why don't you have a look at the manual before you go? Can't hurt!

 

[darkpbstar]

I've looked at the manual. I have figured out Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority, nothing beyond that yet, which is fine for me now(still beginner). I'll just change the style for the different situations, and animals. I kind of answered it for myself, thanks though.

 

[croomaniac]

Thanks Alfred D. for the input, really explicit!~

 

[Overread]

I would use apature priority mode with the f number set about the 5 value - so 4 or 5.6.
Stay in ap mode all day - don't really bother changing to shutter priority unless the subject is moving very fast (bird wings fast) and you know in advance that you will get time to get the shots.

After that I suggest patience - sometimes you will pass animals and all they willl do (all day) is sleep - that would be the big cars
Personally I have found otters and meerkats to be very entertaining watching and also a little bit of a challenge as they move very quick around the pen.

Aside from that -- TAKE TRIPOD -- yes you can take it and when you use it set it to a low setting you that you have to shoot from knee height. As low as you can go gets much better results and enhances what you are shooting - just shooting from eye height all the time is not as interesting.

Have fun!

 

[jlykins]

A tripod is important, as well as a decent focal length lens if you plan on gettng tightly cropped photos of the animals that are a little farther away. Also, be concious of your background. You don't want people, or odd looking things in your background. Even farther than that, if you are really concious of your background you can sometimes make it seem as though the animal is in the wild.

 

[mrodgers]

After that I suggest patience - sometimes you will pass animals and all they willl do (all day) is sleep - that would be the big cars

Lots and lots and lots of patience

I was at the zoo a couple of weeks ago, and all I came home with was pictures of animals sleeping. They are penned up 24/7, thus have nothing else to do.

The apes were interesting. Again, all they were doing was just sitting there, but at least they sit up and look at you. Elephants you will find standing. But the lions and tigers and bears (oh my....) along with various leopards we saw at the beginning sleeping, and they hadn't moved at all a few hours later when on our way out.

I thought the zoo would be a great place with the camera. I was very disappointed. I could have sat with my 7 yr old and watched the sharks swim by in the aquarium all day long though.

As for a tripod, take note that there are a lot of children at the zoo. Many schools do field trips to the zoo, so many of those children could be giant groups. At least in Pittsburgh at the zoo, there is very limited areas to view the animals that I had difficulty seeing with the camera even hand holding let alone getting in everyone elses way if I had a tripod. Don't have the attitude that I see around here that you own the world when you have a camera and a tripod and understand that children will get in your way and you will be in everyone's way if you have a tripod.

 

[jlykins]

Lots and lots and lots of patience

I was at the zoo a couple of weeks ago, and all I came home with was pictures of animals sleeping. They are penned up 24/7, thus have nothing else to do.

The apes were interesting. Again, all they were doing was just sitting there, but at least they sit up and look at you. Elephants you will find standing. But the lions and tigers and bears (oh my....) along with various leopards we saw at the beginning sleeping, and they hadn't moved at all a few hours later when on our way out.

I thought the zoo would be a great place with the camera. I was very disappointed. I could have sat with my 7 yr old and watched the sharks swim by in the aquarium all day long though.

As for a tripod, take note that there are a lot of children at the zoo. Many schools do field trips to the zoo, so many of those children could be giant groups. At least in Pittsburgh at the zoo, there is very limited areas to view the animals that I had difficulty seeing with the camera even hand holding let alone getting in everyone elses way if I had a tripod. Don't have the attitude that I see around here that you own the world when you have a camera and a tripod and understand that children will get in your way and you will be in everyone's way if you have a tripod.

This is true. Especially now that school is out, there will be lots of kids at the zoo. Thank goodness that here in Cincy we have lots of room so a tripod isn't too much of a problem.

 

[Heck]

When I go to the zoo I use a mono pod or even hand hold the camera with my new faster lens. Trying going back to a area a few times to get a better chance of catching them awake. Before feeding time they tend to be ative.

Here are some of my zoo shots http://heck.zenfolio.com/p154867890/

 

[Overread]

ahh but you forget - if you have a camera and a longish lens (I would say about 200-300mm should be fine for zoo work) and a tripod you transform into a new creature -- suddenly you are a "Photographer" and people start to wander round you - or hold back kids -- you are a demi god!

 

[mrodgers]

ahh but you forget - if you have a camera and a longish lens (I would say about 200-300mm should be fine for zoo work) and a tripod you transform into a new creature -- suddenly you are a "Photographer" and people start to wander round you - or hold back kids -- you are a demi god!

Ah! So, with my superzoom, would coloring an empty papertowel roll with a black Sharpie marker and pushing it onto the lens of my camera work out for me? The body of it does look pretty much like "one of dem der professionalism cammras". The extended look to the added paper towel roll length will qualify me?

 

[caspertodd]

Ah! So, with my superzoom, would coloring an empty papertowel roll with a black Sharpie marker and pushing it onto the lens of my camera work out for me? The body of it does look pretty much like "one of dem der professionalism cammras". The extended look to the added paper towel roll length will qualify me?

Yes, but make sure it is a white marker though

 

[Overread]

and don't forget to add the red ring - that is key!