If you’re shooting in a particularly horrid venue, like an extremely shallow enclosure, you can sometimes save the shot with a tight cropping so no can see the front or back barriers.

See? I knew herring would be popular.

If you’re lucky and friendly with people, you might get to go behind the scenes at the zoo.

If you’re lucky and go behind the scenes at the zoo, you might get to feed a rhino.

If you’re lucky and get to feed a rhino, be careful not to feed her your camera.

It was happy hour.

You know sometimes you do something just because it’s expected, but your heart really isn’t into it?

“Don’t interrupt me. I’m about to do some SCIENCE.”

A good for life, really.

Sure, they look cute when there’s just the one small one, but as they get older they start to work with others and begin building cities and weapons and destroy everything around them.

#JustSayNoToHumans

I am not sure which one of us got a better picture.

Cub: “Mom, come on. I mean, really. I’m not a baby anymore.”
Mom: [Oblivious licking]

Bats carry blankies with them everywhere they go.

Sometimes you’re in an area where flash is allowed and the subject of the photo decides to brace against the window … and then fall asleep, unaware that it is on display, so to speak.

This is another shot that was taken by bracing myself against the window. Luckily, the wombat moved slower than the slow lorises and this shot turned out pretty well even without flash.

In some areas of the zoo, flash is banned. This is because most people don’t know how to use flash, so they wind up blinding everyone in and out of the exhibit with a full power flash when maybe a 1/64 power is all that’s needed. I don’t always follow the signs banning flash, but I am very careful to obey when kids could be watching. It turns out that sometimes you don’t need anyway.

This shot was made by carefully bracing myself against the glass trying to keep as still as possible. Flash would have helped turn this shot from one that is just okay to one that would be quite good.