Ever have trouble getting nice images at a zoo. The environment can cause problems. What I try to do is to eliminate man made objects from the frame. This can be difficult when cages and fences are involved. This is where a reasonably wide aperture or a longer lens and some distance can help.

If there's a fence between you and the animal, shoot with shallow depth of field and get close to the fence. But not too close as to endanger yourself or to stress the animal. If the animal isn't too close, you'll be surprised to see the fence seems to have disappeared.

In other situations, a longer focal length comes in handy in that you can shoot tighter head-shots and therefore eliminate man made distractions, for the most part. I do this a lot. Depending on the facility that you're at, it can be difficult to get distraction free images when photographing the entire body. That's especially true for larger animals.

Here are a few shots from recent trips to the Columbus Zoo in Ohio.

African Lion African Lion Mountain Lion Polar Bear Polar Bear Pallas' Cat African Lion African Lion