Do you have a desire to know how to take digital photos while visiting zoos, aquariums, nature sanctuaries and wildlife parks? All animal photography takes a lot of patience, creativity and persistence to get the perfect photo. You need to think first about framing your subject, and the ideal way to handle this is to vary your framing. Click a few shots where the animal is looking right at you along with some side shots of the animal as it turns either right or left. You might have to move your position to accomplish all these shots. This is where you being patient and persistent will come into play. Using a monopod or a tripod can help stabilize your camera in ensure the sharpest digital photo.
The other part of composition is subject placement. Use the rule of thirds. Visually breakdown the scene in your viewfinder into thirds both vertically and horizontally, like a tic-tac-toe board. Place your subject on one of the intersecting points in the grid.
The second consideration is time of day. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to shoot. From sunrise, to about 2 hours after, and again about 2 hours before sunset to sunset, produces digital photos softly illuminated with a golden, highly directional light, thereby bringing out the color in your subject.
Also, the places have less people in them during the early morning and later afternoon than the rest of the day. The animals also move around more during these hours. If they were in the wild, these hours would be when they would hunt for food. The animals tend to sleep or rest during mid-day.
When you desire to display the animals minus any barriers, a long lens could help minimize the barriers or using a wide-angle lens would work to blur the background or foreground. When possible shoot close-ups of the subject to minimize the environment, this works best in a non-natural setting.
Wildlife parks have the animals in an environment closer to their natural habitats this enables you to include picturesque surroundings in the portrait of your subject. A small aperture will help you bring the background and foreground into proper focus.
When you are driving through a wildlife park, stay inside your car while shooting. Make use of a bean bag or window mount for your camera. Turn off the car’s engine to lessen vibrations.
For glass barriers, try to find a piece of clean glass and place the lens hood up against it to minimize reflections. If using a flash, use it off camera and hold it at a 45 degree angle to the camera and up against the glass.
For shots in the outdoors, the slow ISO such as 100 would be ideal. In the aquariums, use an ISO rated either 400 or 800 to do the trick.
Taking photos in a zoo can be fun. There is nowhere else that you can find so many different animals from across the world in one place. Be patient, plan what shots to take, and discover the fun of wildlife digital photography.
For photos that capture memories that last a life time visit Melanie Acker Photography at Senior Photography St Louis. or her blog at www.melanieackerphotography.com/blog. Melanie specializes in newborn, children, maternity, engaged couples & high school senior fine art portrait photography.