For everyone who wants to go on Safari, or to a remote jungle, or an exotic island, or even to someplace more local to photograph wildlife, there is a place you have to start. You must get familiar with your gear, practice shooting animals, and practice post processing in order to avoid coming home with a bunch photographs that you are not going to be happy with.
While this starting place could be a backyard for some people, or a short trip down the road to a seashore or mountain forest, there are many people who do not live near wide open spaces with lots of native wildlife.
Let’s face it, if you want to photograph African lions, or African elephants, and you live a long way from Africa, you are simply out of luck. And if you want a guarantee that an animal, any animal, will be wherever you go to shoot photographs? Good luck. Nature does not always cooperate.
Therefore, it is my opinion that photographing animals at a zoo, safari park or other places where the animals are treated properly, but are either born in captivity, or are rescues unable to be returned to the wild, is a good way to prepare for photographing animals in the wild.
Not only that, but there is more to photograph at a zoo than just trying to capture images of animals that look like they are out in their native habitat. My blog posts will address many topics and hopefully you will find them helpful.
In future posts I will tell you some stories, provide any additional information I find useful, and show you some photos that I have captured.
This site is designed for the benefit of people learning the Art of Zootography. Primarily, those who have watched my class on KelbyOne.com. If you are not a member of KelbyOne.com, then what are you waiting for? There is no better way to learn Photography, Photoshop, Lightroom and many other topics.
My same is Steven Gotz, and I am a Zootographer.
My portfolio of my favorite zoo photos is located at: https://artofzootography.myportfolio.com/