If you?ve dreamed of becoming a wildlife photographer, here?s your chance to get some experience: Spend a day taking pictures at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. You may discover that when you?re looking through a camera window, you “see” things a whole new way.
Here are some tips for taking good pictures of animals or people. They come from Daniel J. Cox, an accomplished professional wildlife photographer whose photos are featured in the zoo?s Polar Bear Watch exhibit:
» Capture the unexpected moment. If you remember only one thing, remember this.
» Be patient. “Hang out with the animals long enough and you?ll get to see things,” Cox said.
» Don?t draw attention to yourself. You?ll get better pictures if your subject is not distracted.
» See the world as your subject does and you?ll make a more interesting photo. “Ideally for a photograph of a small animal, you want to get down on the ground,” Cox said.
» Look for contrast. If your subject blends into the background too much, Cox said, “there is so little definition and detail that you end up with a junk picture.”
Have fun taking pictures, and remember, if you?re 14 or older, you can enter the zoo?s monthly digital photo contest.
Provided by the Maryland Zoo, www.marylandzoo.org. For true photography inspiration, visit Daniel J. Cox?s Web site at www.naturalexposures.com.
