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Julie Larsen Maher: The A List: At the ZooBeginner Content

© Julie Larsen Maher Loading...

© Julie Larsen Maher

Caribbean Flamingo

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Julie Larsen Maher is staff photographer of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which comprises five wildlife parks in New York City: the Bronx Zoo (WCS's headquarters), the New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and the Queens Zoo. WCS also coordinates some 500 global field sites in 60 nations around the world to protect a variety of species and habitats. Here's Julie's A-list of tips for making the photographic most of your trips to the zoo.

• Unless it's a special zoo event or education class that's going to get you fairly close to the animals, you have to expect you're going to be at least five feet (and probably a greater distance) away. Shooting from a distance comes with the territory at zoos; in fact, I shot many of the photos you see here from public access areas. My suggestion for a basic two-lens kit would be the zooms I carry most often: a 24-70mm [AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED] and a 70-200mm [AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED]. The 24-70mm will let you include some of the animal's natural environment; the 70-200mm VR will give you some extended reach. I also use a 1.4X teleconverter [AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E II] with the 70-200mm zoom, and will sometimes carry an 80-400mm [AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED] to extend my reach.

• I like to shoot at wider apertures—f/2.8 to f/5.6—because they provide a shallow-depth-of field that blurs distracting backgrounds as well as the wire borders of fences. And a shallow depth of field isolates the animals and directs the viewer's attention where I want it.

• When you're shooting through a fence or safety netting, you don't have to be really close to it; three feet away should be good enough. I don't go right up against fences because that tends to scare the animals. It's equally important that the animal is a decent distance back from the fence: eight to ten feet is ideal.

• You'll notice that my lenses are VRs. Vibration reduction is invaluable for getting hand-held shots of zoo animals. What about carrying a tripod? Some zoos have policies against them, and some exhibits prohibit them, so check the zoo's website. But if you're a casual shooter, you probably don't want to be carrying a tripod around all day, especially if the zoo is crowded. A monopod is a good option, though.