Sometimes as photographers we need a break from shooting what we normally shoot whether it be fashion. sports or commercial photography and shoot something just for the fun of it. My break from shooting the norm is going to the zoo and shooting the animals that live there. I’m lucky that I have a great zoo close by, Zoo Miami.
Since Zoo Miami had a $5 entrance fee deal this weekend, I figured it would be a great time to head on down. I guess everyone else had the same idea as the zoo was packed with people, all jostling for position to see the animals. Since this is summer in South Florida it was wise to head to the zoo early in the morning to see the animals active before the summer heat renders them tired and basically immobile. We were able to see some of the animals moving around etc., but most were hiding under the shade or lounging in the water to help avoid the heat.
I really love visiting Zoo Miami for the fact that the animals are not walking on concrete slabs surrounded by metal cages. They’re free to roam on the plot of land reserved for them. I have a couple of animals I really like to go see such as the gorillas, tigers and the elephants. I could spend most of my day there watching them.
When I visit Zoo Miami I normally just bring one lens, the 70–200 f/2.8. It is the perfect focal length for the animals there. Sure sometimes a 300mm would be great but carrying that big lens around in the South Florida heat would be daunting to say the least. The 70–200 is just perfect size to walk around with and the 2.8 gives me a bit more versatility if I want to get creative with isolating certain parts of the animals etc.
Although I did not see every exhibit because the zoo became too crowded and plus it was blazing hot, I’ll be back to visit again soon enough. So if you’re ever in Miami and want to check out a world class zoo check out Zoo Miami.
