One of my favorites is going to the zoo. It was my daughter’s birthday so I took a day off and took her to the Miami MetroZoo to look at the animals. Some people say that the Miami Zoo is not that great. Well, it is different from other zoos. I don’t think it is worse. The way we can make it better is that we all go there more often and support it because it is OURS! I would like to encourage everybody to go there on one of the weekends. It is worth it as you see the pictures below!
Please leave a comment at the end of this page. Thanks!
This Zoo, the largest and oldest zoological garden in Florida, is the only subtropical zoo in the continental United States and houses over 1,200 wild animals. It takes a full day to see all the animals because it is huge (740 acres (3.0 km2), 300 of which are developed).
The cheetah is an atypical member of the cat family that is unique in its speed, while lacking climbing abilities. It is the fastest land animal, reaching speeds between 112 and 120 km/h (70 and 75 mph).
My favorites, the tigers:
Tigers can grow up to 3.3 metres (11 ft) in total length and weighing up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds).
Here is the unusual “white tiger”:
A white tiger is a tiger with a recessive gene that creates the pale coloration. Another genetic characteristic makes the stripes of the tiger very pale; white tigers of this type are called snow-white or “pure white”. This occurs when a tiger inherits two copies of the recessive gene for the paler coloration, which is rare. They have a pink nose, pink paw pads, grey-mottled skin, ice-blue eyes, and white to cream-colored fur with black, ash grey, or chocolate-colored stripes. Compared to orange tigers without the white gene, white tigers tend to be larger both at birth and at full adult size. This may have given them an advantage in the wild despite their unusual coloration. Heterozygous orange tigers also tend to be larger than other orange tigers.
The parrots:
Yes, you can also see the Komodo dragon:
The Komodo dragon is a species of lizard that inhabits the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang in Indonesia. A member of the monitor lizard family, it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to an average length of 6.6 to 9.8 ft and weighing around 70 kilograms (150 lb). Their unusual size is attributed to island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live; their large size is also explained by the Komodo dragon’s low metabolic rate. As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Although Komodo dragons eat mostly carrion, they will also hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals.
The history of the zoo started in my home village, in Key Biscayne. It all started in 1948, when 3 monkeys, a goat and 2 black bears were purchased for $270 from a small road show stranded near Miami . These 6 animals were the beginning of the Crandon Park Zoo on the island of Key Biscayne. Unfortunately, in 1965, Hurricane Betsy devastated the zoo and caused the death of 250 animals. After the hurricane, Dade County officials applied for 600 acres (2.4 km2) of land in the Richmond Naval Air Station property on December 11, 1970. Construction began in 1975, and the grand opening of Asia, the first major exhibit, opened on December 12, 1981. The Zoo had been expanding over the years until 1992 when Hurricane Andrew devastated the zoo and took years to recover from it.
Amazon and Beyond, a new exhibit, opened December 6, 2008. It is dedicated to the flora and fauna of tropical America. Some of the featured animals in this exhibit are jaguars, anacondas, giant river otters and harpy eagles.
As far as the photography technique is concerned, it’s important to make full use of the light at sunrise and again in the later afternoon. This has two advantages. First, at sunrise and sunset the animals are more active, there is more action is going on. Second, the light is just much better at these times of the day. While most wildlife photographs are taken with the sunlight behind the photographer thereby fully lighting the subject, it should be remembered that some spectacular images can be taken using side or back lighting, particularly using the warm glow created at sunrise and sunset.
By utilising a range of lenses it is often possible to secure an interesting sequence of images of an animal. The longest lenses for a close up of the head, through to a wide angle, which will show the landscape. As a wedding photographer I need these special lenses for my wedding photography work. I use long tele-objective lenses for candid bridal pictures.
In addition, correct exposure is the key to successful photography and modern cameras, with their built-in metering systems, go a long way to reducing the possibility of incorrect exposure. However a good photographer can not rely on these systems unfortunately. A good example would be a white bird on very dark background, the meter is likely to try and expose correctly for the background, which will over exposure the bird. This is where a good understanding of your camera comes into play. Most SLR cameras will have a +/- (over/under exposure) override and, in the situation outlined above, you will need to under expose by about 1 to 2 stops to ensure correct exposure.
Different shutter speeds produce varying effects with regard to subject blur and camera shake. Fast shutter speeds are desirable for stopping movement, such as flying birds and eliminating camera shake. I use image stabilized lens for taking wedding photos which enables me to take handheld pictures at 200-320mm.
Changing your viewpoint can totally alter your image, we get used to seeing everything from a standing position, by kneeling or even lying down you are going to show an angle that we are not familiar with, which will often produce a more unusual result. A wide-angle lens used in this way can create some very interesting effects.
In any situation where you are not sure about the exposure you can always bracket. For example if your metering reading is 1/60th at f8, take one picture at this setting, then two further exposures at 1/60th at f11 and 1/60th at f5.6, to do this you may have to switch the camera to manual mode or use the +/- override.
When the camera lens is focused to give a sharp image of a particular subject, other objects, closer or further away, do not appear equally as sharp. They can be made sharp by ‘stopping down’ using a smaller ‘f stop’. The higher the ‘f stop’ number, the more depth of field is available. It should be remembered that as you stop down your shutter speed will get slower and subject movement will become more of a problem.
Don’t forget that you can check the depth of field created by any given ‘f stop’, by using the depth of field button on your camera, This button allows you to preview the finished image though the view finder and to make adjustments to your own satisfaction prior to making any exposure.
I hope you enjoyed this post.
Please visit and support the zoo!!!
Driving directions from Miami Beach: 1. Take 395 West to the 836 West. 2. Go 7 miles on 836 to Florida Turnpike South. 3. Continue South to and get off at Exit 16. 4. Turn Right at the first traffic light. 4. Turn Right at 1521 Street. 5. You will then be going west on SW 152 Street. – The Zoo entrance is at SW 124 Avenue on your left
If you want to google it:
Metrozoo
12400 SW 152 Street; Miami, FL 33177
Phone: (305) 251-0400
Fax: (305) 378-6381
If you have any questions or you want to schedule a children photography session, please give us a call: 786 444 9743, send us an email to info@haringphotography.com or visit Key Biscayne Children Photographer’s website.
