Zoo Photography

It's a thing. I actually took a class at Columbus State Community College from the photography department called zoo photography.

I am not a big fan of the zoo. I get the whole conservation piece and the mission to save so many species that are endangered. From the human side, it is just difficult for me to see these ‘wild’ animals locked into such small spaces. The Columbus Zoo is one of the best in the world. We had Jack Hannah as our director for many years. He put our zoo on the map, and he did establish some really excellent programs. From a photographer’s perspective, I’m not thrilled about shooting through fences, bars and glass (that people lean against all day, leaving fingerprints and every other kind of shmutz).

I have a good friend that I go out to shoot with about once a month. We were introduced through our rabbi. He knew that we had similar difficult life circumstances and shared a love of photography. Bruce has a great understanding of the technology, both in the equipment and the programs we use to work our images. I’ve learned a lot from him, and he’s offered me many great ideas that have ultimately improved my work. He also happens to be a wonderful human being, and I enjoy my time out with him. Bruce has introduced me to some great places where we shoot together. I’m almost always a lone shooter. I can neurotically hover around a spot for way longer than most normal people can tolerate. It is just easier for me to do this stuff on my own. Bruce is amazingly patient with me when I get sucked into that unconscious space when I’ve stumbled onto a spectacular small scene.

Bruce suggested that we do a zoo trip. It was a beautiful and unusually cool morning for the hot and humid summers of central Ohio.

When I shoot at the zoo I use a telephoto lens. I'm seeking a unique perspective and that usually means that I need to get in tight to a scene. My telephoto lens is 75-300mm and it isn't a good lens. Good lenses have stabilization. My lens does not. What that means is that the slightest bit of movement is going to blur the image. Movement is magnified with a telephoto lens. The rule of thumb is that to help avoid this kind of movement, the shutter speed needs to be as fast or faster than the focal length. Thus, if shooting all the way out to 300mm, my exposure needs to be at least 1/300th of a second or faster. Depending on my desired aperture setting, it means that I'm changing my ISO to accommodate my shutter speeds. As I can become somewhat mindless through a focus on subject matter, I need to constantly remind myself about checking for the appropriate settings on my camera. My next camera will have camera shake features built into the body, and I'm going to suck it up and purchase much better than good lenses.

Okay, this isn't a zoo animal. The grounds at the zoo are really beautiful. I am easily distracted by cattails wherever they are located.

When I shoot at the zoo, I’m looking for a different perspective. As with so much of my photography, I’m drawn to the abstracts.

My focus takes on a different approach when it comes to the primates, and particularly, the pongids. At the Columbus zoo, our great apes include gorillas, bonobos and orangutans. We also have beautiful old-world monkeys. When I photograph these creatures, I’m doing family portraits … our family. Again, I appreciate the positive aspect to having these animals in zoos, including they are well fed and don’t have predators to be concerned about. However, seeing our relatives locked into these relatively small spaces is disconcerting for me.

As a graduate student in anthropology, the first classes I taught were an introduction to physical anthropology. I taught these classes for four years. Physical anthropology includes human biology and human evolution, which is primate evolution, and it includes primatology. One of the professors in our department was a world renown primatologist, and thus, several of my fellow students were specializing in primatology. They are an interesting breed (think Jane Goodall and Diane Fosse).

Through my education and experiences, I have come to view our closest living relatives as just that … our relatives. It is impossible for me to spend time with them and not see us.