Zoo cages

I am having a lot of problems trying to get around zoo cages. My

images are coming out without the cage but are fuzzy. Is there a

technique that will get around this? Any help is appreciated because

I couldn't find any other forums discussing this.

If you must do zoo photography, find a zoo that doesn't keep animals

in cages. Most, if not all, of the better zoos now have free enclosures for most animals, better for you and <em>MUCH</em> better for the animals!

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Using a large aperture and getting close to the bars will tend to

minimize the effect of obstructions.

Spencer: I am lamenting the same problem as you, and my local zoo in Columbus, OH. is generally well regarded, but it too has far too many enclosures that are not photographer friendly. I'm especially disappointed that the primate enclosures are hopelessly marred by thick, heavy caging. And, where there are plexiglass viewing areas for some of the other animals, the glass is usually filthy. Also, some animals are clearly showing signs of depression, such as pacing, lethargy or self-mutilation. Our outdoor aviary is, however, very photographer friendly. But even here (as elsewhere at zoos), you have to contend with screaming toddlers and their often inconsiderate, entitled, and sometimes militant parents wielding strollers the size of RVs. Despite these problems, I still feel that a decent zoo is a good place to practice honing our skills, for many of us cannot yet afford the time and travel to shoot these animals in their native habitats. Personally, if I can't photograph an animal w/o bars or wires, I just won't shoot. I hear the San Diego zoo is the best, and hope to visit there soon. The Cincinnati zoo is reported to be 2nd best--I'll be there this weekend, so email me if you're interested.

Meeting the needs of photographers and zoo visitors can sometimes (unfortunately) be contrary to meeting the needs of the animals in zoos. I agree for the most part with what Bob said, but his comments about "open" enclosures applies primarily to terrestrial and/or large mammals. All bats, flighted birds, and many small mammals still require some kind of complete glass or wire enclosure. Enclosure design at most modern zoos is focused primarily on meeting the biological and social needs of the animals, while still trying to make for pleasant and adequate viewing by zoo visitors. There is a lot of science and art involved in modern exhibit design, and our anthropomorphic notions are actually relatively poor predictors of how well an exhibit meets the social and biological needs of animals. Having said all that, the original question had to do with how to shoot good photos of animals in complete enclosures. You need to get your camera lens as close as possible to the enclosure wire or glass, make sure the sun is not shining on the wire or glass, shoot wide open to minimize depth of field, and make sure the animal is away from the back or side of the enclosure (so your background doesn't look artificial). Rarely, a flash exposure (with the flash held away from where the lens meets the enclosure) with a small aperture will result in a useful animal ID photo (the small aperture will cause light from the flash to fall off quickly so it is too dark to see the back or side of the enclosure). If none of these things improves your photos, you may have to give up on that exhibit. There are some exhibits that simply can't be photographed well without going inside!

The better zoos have free flight aviaries, though some of the birds

may have clipped wings:-( The basic idea is to put you in the "cage"

with the birds of course. More room for the birds, a much more natural habitat, plus better for photography. If your local zoo still keeps it's birds in cages, tell them you object! Of course there are

some birds (like eagles) that you probably don't want to be with

inside a free flight aviary...

 

Some species have to be kept in an enclosure and out of human contact of course, mostly for the benefit of humans. As Bruce suggests, you

don't have to photograph the more difficult exhibits. It's not a lot

of fun (for me at least) to take bad pictures of an unappy animal in a cage. Don't suppose it's a lot of fun for the animal either.

I recently visited the Alexandria LA city zoo ... It was a pleasure to walk on boardwalks even with the tops of fencing. this is a user friendly zoo, which has delt with many of the problems previously mentioned.

Thanks for the info, but I do agree that some enclosures are impossible to photograph. But I have found that even at the San Diego zoo there are wonderful subjects beind bars and even these are hard to photograph. Anyway I found that an exhibit always has an element to photograph be it the cruelty or the beauty of the exhibit.

What does zoo photography have to do with nature photography? How can the study and understanding of the natural world be separated from nature photography? Someone above mentioned going to the Columbus Zoo. I live in Columbus and was forced to go in there for a gig about 10 years ago. It was pretty disgusting seeing those fat leopards! I'll never step foot in there again.

 

Sorry for the cynical response, but I don't feel that zoos accomplish anything whatsoever. People leave there as ignorant of the wildlife habitat that the condo they moved into destroyed as when they went in. I'll go as far as to say that zoos do far more harm than good. They display animals or birds confined in a humanly prescribed world rather than show that people exist in a whole world with many species besides itself. Fortunately I can drive in any direction outside of Columbus and enjoy observing and photographing a large variety of subjects and habitats.

I disagree with Bob Royse. I think zoos accomplish a great deal. In Washington DC the zoo is free and there are busloads upon busloads of inner city youth who come here and have the ability to see animals they might otherwise never see live. It is one thing to read about animals and an entirely different experience to see them in person. The difference is huge. Listening to some of there comments from children, I come away with a sense that it was a very positive thing. They ask questions like 'what does endangered mean', 'why are people killing them' ... Many species have been brought back from the brink of extinction through efforts in zoos. Many are embarking on projects that has them acquiring land and restoring the habitat in order to reintroduce animals.

 

I think some nature photographers forget that this is a luxury hobby, that is, not many people are able to afford to participate. Some of us may take for granted the fact that we are able to go out into the 'wild' and experience nature firsthand and look down upon the ignoramuses who 'just visit zoos'. Visiting zoos as a youngster is what first drew me to nature/wildlife photography.

 

Back to the original zoo cages question.

 

I have found that there are several things that can help improve your images:

 

1. use the largest aperature lens you have at its largest opening

(e.g. use your 300mm f/4 at f/4, rather than f/5.6). Some camera stores rent large aperature telephotos (300mm f/2.8, 400mm f/2.8);

 

2. get as close to the wire/chain link fence as possible and try to find a position where the least amount of wire/fence is in front of the lense (of course keep in mind that you may not use the most desireable spot as it may stress the animal and/or put you in danger);

 

3. try to pay attention to how the sunlight is striking the wire/fence (it may be creating highlights on the wire/fence that may further degrade the image). Try shooting at a different time of day when the sunlight's reflection is minimized.

 

4. try a different vantage point. Go up to higher ground and shoot over the fence.

 

5. get to know some of the curators. They know the animals and their habits well and may be able to reccomend a better time or shooting position. I have had good success by waiting around for the curators to make their rounds (feeding, cleaning or just a visit) and the animals usually become much more active/alert.

 

6. Some zoos take out demonstration animals to allow the public closer access to these animals. At the Metro Toronto Zoo they had a baby moose that was rescued from the wild when its mother was killed in a car collision. The curator would take this moose and let it roam in a field and allow people to photgraph it from a distance.

 

Good luck

Bravo, Yuri! Well said, indeed.

I second that, bravo, very well said Yuri and thanks alot for the info.

To get back to the original question, if the animals are fuzzy (out of focus?) perhaps it's just a matter of the camera's autofocus system being seduced by the bold lines of the cage.

First, having lived in lower Westchester county which is near the Bronx Zoo, I completely agree with Yuri. The long term survival of endangered species relies critically on society deciding that it is worth the cost, and many people these days have never experienced animals first hand, and probably never will see them in the wild. Despite the typically unnatural surroundings, I think that zoos do help to educate people. As Yuri mentioned, zoos can also be credited with saving some animals from the brink of extinction, such as the Bison, and the Wildlife Conservation Society which runs the zoos in NYC is also one of the largest promoters of species protection in the world both in terms of political lobbying and scientific research, so supporting them is supporting endangered species protection. Finally, it is unfortunately the case that many of these animals were stolen from the wild many decades ago and they and their offspring could not survive there now. Thus, given that they must remain in captivity, why not use them to try to educate people about their wild brethren? (while making them as comfortable as possible too of course!)

 

On zoo photography (which I have done quite a bit of) and cages: You should follow the suggestions above for removing the effect of the wire cages from the frame. Note that flash will cause the cage to show up *much* worse so you should use available light only. You can also compose the photo so that key parts such as the animal's face, are not blurred by the wire and this will make the photo much more pleasing even if the blurring is not entirely eliminated. If the cage is really prominent I will often switch to emphasizing it, going for the animal in zoo look, which may or may not make a political statement.

Most zoos will not allow you to get right up next to the bars of cages because of liability. As a volunteer at the <a href="http://www.cathouse-fcc.org/">Feline Conservation Center</a> I can get good photos of the cats because I can shoot 'through" the openings in the fence. If your local zoo has a volunteer program try it out, you may have to work there a while before they let you near the cages. Then the problem becomes the animals get to know you and come up to the cage when you approach and you can't get any pictures of them.

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It would be nice if it was not necessary to keep animals in captivity but the cats we breed are endangered due to habitat destruction and/or hunting.