Blending

Making my way around the Knoxville Zoo, I kept finding new, and intriguing scenes laid out before me. Mysterious, mystical, marvelous scenes, deep inside the paddocks where these animals roamed. Not all of course were opportunities for a shoot, and not all even came out when I tried, yet sometimes you find yourself on the cusp of a brilliant scene. These two Zebra for instance continued to nose, and bump each other while they shared a meal, and I was left, oddly alone in a park full of hundreds of people, as if I had a window into a private moment.

Wildlife photography as a whole is far more difficult than what you are seeing here. Wandering a zoo with a large camera, taking shots with animals who cannot retreat is hardly challenging. The difficult nature of zoo photography is finding a scene that doesn’t give away what’s really going on. You don’t want the viewer to see the truth that these animals are caged, even in a large enclosure. You can’t always help it, but when you can, you create a momentary spark, and a suspension of disbelief.

The edit here is similar to the last two photos. I used the same color pallet, the same overall style, the difficulty here was culling the images to bring out the most interesting of the lot. It’s worth while to take your time during the culling phase, to get to know the elements of the scene, and find the best mood to showcase in the end. There are so many subtle elements within photography, most of which many haven’t even considered.

Until Next Time!

Aperture: f5
ISO: 160
SS: 1/250th
Focal: 197mm

Fujinon 100-400mm