Snapshot Society Art & Conservation

Art & Conservation

By John Reed, Photography Volunteer & Snapshot Society Instructor

People often forget that Zoos, and certainly our Zoo, exist not just to entertain, but have a deeper role of species survival and sending a conservation message. With that in mind, this month let us talk about making images with an artistic bent in the hopes that those images will inspire others to care more about plants and animals. The more they care, the more they will support conservation activities. This is my primary goal with my zoo photographs, and especially so when I set out to turn an image into a more artful presentation.

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There are two strategies for “artistic” images. The first is simply to use good photographic technique to create pleasing, well composed, technically correct images that stand on their own. The Snapshot Society is a great way to learn how to do this. Ideally this means not including any manmade items in the image for a more natural presentation. The degree of difficulty for this is very much dependent on the exhibit as well as the animals. Some require more effort and patience than others, but all are from the camera with little or no post processing. See photos one through six.

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Notice that for larger subjects it may mean only showing part of an animal instead of the entire body. For fenced exhibits, shooting through the fence requires a special technique involving lens aperture, lens focal length, distance to subject and distance to fence. Here again this may mean only being able to show part of the animal. Watch for special moments, looks, dramatic light, interactions and eye contact with you. Some days none of this may happen. Here’s where patience comes in.

The second strategy is to digitally edit the photos using Photoshop or other software. This can be as simple as removing unwanted items from the scene, all the way to creating composites with totally different backgrounds and other artistic effects. Often this is the only approach If you want an image with an entire animal and not just part of one. See photos seven and eight for a before and after.

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Many folks do not want to take the time for this, and others may not have the software or computer or ability to do it. Hey, that is totally fine. Stick with strategy number one. I enjoy this creative manipulation such as photos nine through 14. If you enjoy photography and the Zoo, make amazing images with either strategy and you too will be doing your part to promote conservation and species survival. Have fun and see you at the Zoo.

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