The focal length you choose determines the field of view of your camera and thus the extent of the world you're able to capture. It can have a dramatic effect on the way your photo is perceived. It can describe an entire scene, help you tell a story, draw attention to an important object, or even convey a particular mood. Your choice determines the level of intimacy viewers will have with your subjects so it’s important to train your eye to analyze your surroundings and correctly match the point of view to the scenes you encounter.
Wide Shot: Trumpeter Swans, Saint Louis Zoo
Wide Angle
This point of view is great when the environment itself is an important element in the scene. It provides a broad expanse that contributes greatly to the overall impression of the image. You can capture a large area of the surroundings and potentially include a large number of animals. But be careful with this perspective – the distortions caused by the lens curvature often lend a comical feel to the image.
Setting the Scene: White Pelicans, Saint Louis Zoo
Establishing Shot
Much like a wide-angle shot, this point of view includes animals and their surroundings but the narrower field of view creates a sense of isolation and draws attention directly to the animals and the environment as if the viewer is personally walking up on the subject. This point of view is great for describing animals and their enclosures and can set the stage for closer shots if you’re creating a photo story or expose. Movie makers call this the establishing shot because it establishes the setting for the story that will unfold.
Medium Shot: Amur Tiger, Saint Louis Zoo
Medium Shot / Environmental Portrait
This point-of-view captures only your subject and its immediate surroundings. It’s perfect for showing behaviors such as animals interacting with each other, their handlers, or enclosures. You would typically include the entire animal’s body and some portion of the enclosure. For viewers, this view point naturally evokes the feeling of being right there with the animal and experiencing it’s behavior first hand.
Close-up: Blue and Gold Macaw, Saint Louis Zoo
Close-up
Often called a head-shot by portrait photographers, this point of view typically includes the subject’s head and a portion of their shoulders. This point of view is all about intimacy. It evokes the feeling of closeness, as if the viewer is sitting right down next to the animal. The expression on the animal’s face will almost always project a mood or emotion on the viewer – serenity, playfulness, sorrow, fear, even pain.
Extreme Close-up: Amur Leopard, Saint Louis Zoo
Extreme close-up
Take the close-up one step closer to raise the intimacy level even higher. Typically, it’s the face that’s chosen as the area of attention in extreme close-ups. These types of shots are great for highlighting an expression to great effect - either serious or comical.
Detail: Gorilla, Saint Louis Zoo
Detail
To bring attention to some aspect of an animal that often goes unnoticed, going in even tighter to capture a detail shot can yield some extremely powerful images. Whether it’s a calloused foot, an attention grabbing fur pattern, or even an expressive eye or nose, your viewer will be immediately drawn into the scene with the feeling that they’re holding the animal in their own hands.
Macro: Malachite Butterfly, Saint Louis Zoo
Macro
An entirely new world becomes visible when you start shooting macro images. Getting a glimpse of something that can’t normally be seen with the naked eye can be a captivating experience. Insects and flowers are favorites of macro photographers but opportunities abound – keep your eyes open for opportunities around tiny plants and animals.
