Photographing the Bronx Zoo

Written by Brittany G.
Photo Credits to Michael Downey

With the guidance of Unique University's instructor Michael Downey, our attendees headed to the Bronx Zoo for this past weekend's excursion.

The Bronx Zoo is located in New York within the Bronx, and has been a Wildlife Conservation Society flagship park since its opening in November of 1899. The zoo itself is home to over 10,000 animals including more than 700 species which span over the 260 acres of hardwood forest. The animals at the Bronz Zoo range from big cats from the Russian Far East, all the way to tiny toads they home. They average nearly 4 million visitors a year through the Wildlife Conservation Society's five parks and convey their impactful message on conservation, nature and science.

While navigating through the Bronx Zoo, Michael Downey led all attendees on a journey through the park sharing his knowledge on animal photography and techniques they can utilize when photographing animals in a controlled environment. While viewing the animals, our attendees were able to not only learn about the animals themselves and the photography tips from Michael, but also they were able to learn what gear is best for animal photography as well as Safari trips.

Attendees had cameras and lenses in tow, alongside many accessories to aid in their journey. Our knowledgeable instruct will suggest many pieces of gear to bring on this particular excursion, and while they aren't all a necessity, they are very helpful to have on this guided tour.

Here are some of the items to think about bringing if you are interested in our next excursion to the Bronx Zoo:

• Lens Cleaning Cloth
• Spare Memory Cards & Batteries
• Filters like Circular Polarizers
• Lenses Ranging in Focal Length
  • Primes: 50mm, 70mm, or 85mm
  • Telephoto Zooms: 70-200mm, 100-400mm, or 200-500mm
  • Standard Lenses: 24-70/28-70mm, 15-35mm, or 18-55mm

As seen in the image above, this excursion does not just limit to you capturing photos of the animals themselves. You can get creative, and think about your composition and how to set yourself apart from the rest of the photographers that may be shooting animals. Always looking in a different perspective can really set you apart from others, and it's always good to experiment new techniques!

So whether you are interested in Animal Photography, or potentially going on a Safari - you can learn the techniques you will need, in a controlled environment before heading out to journey on your own. For those interested to attend our next excursion to the Bronx Zoo be on the lookout for our next dates in our email newsletters.

To Learn More About the Bronx Zoo Click Here!

If you have any questions in regards to our Unique University and excursions we have, feel free to contact our team at any time.