Zoo photography can net some superb images of animals, but you have to pay attention to two important factors: First, it's best to go when the sky is cloudy and the lighting is diffused. Zoos are open from mid-morning to late afternoon, and that usually means harsh light if the sun is out. That's why an overcast sky is ideal. Soft lighting is always complimentary to wildlife. Second, pay special attention to the background. It should be as out of focus as possible to eliminate any hint of a man-made environment. Use a long telephoto with a large lens aperture, for example, for shallow depth of field. I took this picture of a white Bengal tiger at the Nashville Zoo with a 500mm telephoto and a 2x teleconverter giving me 1000mm of focal length. The lens aperture was wide open at f/4, and I used a tripod with a Wimberly head to steady the large lens.
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