Some of my best animal photos were created at the zoo. My Kung-Fu snow leopards photos were taken at the Central Park Zoo in NYC. If you want to get special moments at the zoo, my first recommendation would be to get a member card, because getting to know the animals is a big advantage for a photographer. The people of NYC have a great deal: we pay 119 USD for a one year membership card and get free unlimited visits, plus one guest, to all 5 NYC zoos: Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium (located at Coney Island).
From the 5 zoos, the Bronx Zoo is, without a doubt, the most attractive. The Congo exhibit at the Bronx Zoo is gorgeous and I can spend hours watching the gorillas. Knowing Julia, the female western lowland gorilla, for quite a while, I knew she sometimes communicate with the visitors by sticking her tongue out. So, I brought my friend Alex with me and guided her on how to amuse Julia and interact with her. This is an abnormal behavior on Julia's part, but, on the other hand, she successfully creates a lifetime memory for the zoo visitors. By doing so, Julia takes a significant role as an ambassador for her own critically engendered species.
Another advantage of getting to know the zoo is becoming familiar with the feeding schedule. Feeding time is usually very interesting to watch since the animals are actually moving instead of resting or hiding. Also, you can prepare your gear before the keepers bring the food out to the exhibit. I find that my 70-300mm lens is the best for photographing at the zoo.
At the zoo, watching baby animals is always a safe bet. They are very cute, they are playful and they interact with different members of their group. They are also very curious and will investigate any new object in their exhibit. Baby apes are extremely lovable because of their great resemblance to humans. I will always remember the first time I photographed the Bronx Zoo new baby gorilla because my heart missed a beat when I looked at him through the lens.
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