At the Zoo

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

I went to the zoo yesterday and renewed my membership. It had been a couple of years since I had last been there and I was delighted to be able to spend a day with the animals. Of course, I brought my camera and lots of film. I did notice that I was probably the only dinosaur there...everyone else with a camera was shooting digitally, with the exception of the disposable cameras . You can also tell which kids come from wealthier families because they are not using those disposable cameras...some of them had fairly sophisticated models!!

My MO at the zoo is radically different than most others I see, who like to zoom from one exhibit to the next, trying to see EVERYTHING in 5 ot 6 hours. I prefer to sit and linger and observe...sometimes spending an entire afternoon watching one particular group of critters. I do this because it gives me time to see the animals over a period of time. Very often, especially in the afternoons, the animals tend to be rather sedentary and it DOES take time if you want to see them interact with each other. I have found that the early mornings or late afternoons are often the best times to be at the zoo just because of this very reason. The time spent with a particluar exhibit gives me a chance to observe and get to understand the kinds of things that are idiosyncratic to a species...and...is really the only way to get the kinds of photographs that have a dynamic sense.

Now that I have reactivated my membership, I hope to make weekly trips over the summer and enjoy what is, perhaps, one of the most amazing and prolific zoos I have had the pleasure to visit.

trickster108