Zoo Photo Tips

We are all excited to be at the zoo taking pictures. No matter your skill level or experience, you can take great shots at the world’s 10,000 zoos, animal parks and aquariums.

Stop background photobombs

Wait! What’s that in the background. OMG, how did I miss that?

First things first on your visit

When arriving at a zoo, what animal should you check out first?

Join us in learning how to make the best photographs at the world’s zoos and aquariums.

Let's make our zoo photos come alive!

Eye contact rocks

The patience to wait for eye contact will pay off.

Arrive early to get great photos at the zoo

The early zoo photographer captures the great images.

Arrive early and beat the crowds

Quick TIP: Shooting through glass

Glass enclosures can be tricky with reflections, smudges and scratches. Always carry a lint free cloth to wipe the glass clean.

Rainy Days

Most people don’t go to zoos on rainy days. That makes it the perfect time for photography of the indoor exhibits. It allowed me to setup a tripod in front of the snake exhibits and shoot without interruption.

Reduce Reflections

Reflections in glass will ruin our images. We will talk about a number of ways to reduce the reflections from positions of the camera, special lens hoods and simply wearing black shirts to keep our own reflections to a minimum.

Fill the image frame

Get close or crop your images to have the subject fill the frame. By filling the image frame with the subject we reduce the amount of the animal’s enclosure that is visible. Our images are engaging with details of the animal and not unnecessary distractions in the final image.

Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited

Number of Zoos Worldwide (over)

US Dept of Agriculture Licensed Animal Exhibitors

World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) accredited

WAZA – World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (http://www.waza.org)

AZA – Association of Zoos & Aquariums (http://www.aza.org)