With the new Covid -19 safety measures in place, and the one way system etc, is it now easier or harder to get your shots when photographing animals?
I'm feeling quite negative at the moment, regardless of how happy I am to see zoos opening again. I've visited three zoos so far and haven't really enjoyed any of my visits. Two main aspects that affect my enjoyment are the weather and the animals' activity. Having to book ahead to visit and then follow one way systems impede my ability to overcome those obstacles somewhat. I'm sure things will improve.
We have had some super shots taken since re-opening. I don't know if the photographers found it harder, but the results were/are certainly every bit as good, as in the 'old days'! I personally had reservations about both the areas you highlight. It is a while since I visited any zoo as a general visitor, but when I used to do so more often, it was always in the off-season at a time when there would be the fewest numbers of visitors possible, and If I saw crowds, I would head in another direction. One way systems prevent this completely - but in the eyes of our visitors, they take comfort from a one-way system, and that we have thought about their visit and their safety. What they didnt realise at first was that they could go around more than once, in fact as many times as they wished. Now they do, flow is much improved. I think the one-ways are probably here to stay into the medium term. Like you, I also had concerns that the British public would not be prepared to pre-book given the un-certainty of the weather. So far the opposite has proved to be the case. We have had almost no no-shows, and people are very grateful to be out and very tolerant of the mixed weather we've had since 15 June. This could wane of course, we'll have to see...
Chance of a bit of photography at my local would be a fine thing. Chester is booked up solid for members, with no clue given as to when further tickets may be released. I'm not inclined to venture much further afield for now. I wouldn't have expected photography to be affected though. Not outdoors anyway. I'd be interested to hear some first-hand feedback.
This is going to be my last moan about the current situation; it can only get better. I booked Chester for the 9th a few weeks ago as I have some of the week off. After hearing the news of the bear cubs and the hotels opening, I tried to get a second day but only managed Wednesday afternoon. Like Andrew says above, I've found that visitors appear to be grateful for the chance to 'get out' and maybe they aren't as frustrated as myself at animal no shows. When something is active though, viewing areas are not being hogged so much as there are fewer visitors in general and parents have been more aware of children barging into strangers who have been patiently waiting for a species to get into the right spot. Most days out, I would spend a couple of hours going back and forth between two or three exhibits, but this might not be so easy with the one way systems. Like Colchester for example, trying to see the Leopard cubs and the Tigers in particular, but not being able to go both ways past the wolves. I wanted to see/photograph the Rhino outside at Twycross, but after a couple of loops gave up. It's the weather that's getting to me though; yet another cloudy day today with the threat of rain at the destinations I'd booked to go to. I'm not really equipped for wet weather and indoor areas being closed up to now (or whenever it is) makes the day less enjoyable. For weeks/months, I've been struggling in a face mask at work, sweat dripping onto my glasses, often in uncomfortable positions having to listen to customers moaning (rightly) about the current situation, knowing that I can't go and chill at the zoo at the weekends. The few hours I have had at the zoo since they've reopened, haven't been relaxing enough for me, not helped by having to wipe rain drops off my glasses or condensation from my camera. And looks like rain in Chester for my Wednesday visit. Great
Very interesting that you mention tolerance of no-shows... Our email this morning contained the first complaint since we re-opened on 15th June. We want our money back, because of the all the pens were empty, and not even the lions were visible... to quote it exactly. We always had a trickle of these, some of which would go onto overt black-mail, with something like 'If you don't give me my money back, I'll complain on Facebook'... Today's hasn't gone that far (yet?) but perhaps it is a sign of 'normality' returning..?
Regarding the mixed weather we are having, when I visited Dudley I was given a free return ticket as it was raining, more than generous I thought.
Me and @FunkyGibbon also received a return ticket last year due to adverse weather, which stuck in my throat a bit as I've been caught in a blizzard before and never got a free ticket then...
Perhaps we need to get the strimmer out.. Unfortunately, it is not as rare a comment at you would expect - sadly. We once had a teacher ask (absolutely in all seriousness - as we double and triple checked the question), at what age did a tigers stripes fade and it turn into a lion...
Overall, I've found photography neither easier nor more difficult - just a bit different - in each of the two collections I've visited so far (two visits to each since reopening, in varied weather conditions). Whipsnade, with its masses of space, felt little different from normal. I noticed one or two one-way sections; the one on the path between the bears and wolverine did mean a long trip round the block if you wanted to revisit those exhibits. Not a big problem for me -- although it could well be so for those with limited mobility. Many people were either wilfully ignoring the signs, or just not noticing them ( - easily done if there's a distracting bear splashing around in the pool at the time ). Not a huge problem at the less busy times, as it's quite a wide path there (I think they tried to have staff on hand at the busier times to guide people), but I tended to avoid the one-way sections if they looked very congested. Hamerton, being compact enough overall, and being more a linked succession of small one-way loops, was no problem at all. The system still allows for a certain amount of flitting back and forth between favourite exhibits without having to negotiate a huge loop each time. One of the benefits of visiting smaller (in area) collections. Aside from Whipsnade, my instinct is to not visit any of the major collections at the present time, and maybe not until restrictions are further eased, or more likely until the mid/low season, when visitor numbers will naturally drop off. To be honest, I tend to visit mainly out of season anyway - and I appreciate that I'm lucky to have the freedom to be able to do just that. Whilst on the subject of enforced one-way systems; at least twice during my last two Hamerton visits, I've come across some really interesting behaviour, or an unusual composition opportunity (and got some pretty good photos as a result), precisely because I'd had to go around the longer way. I definitely would not have enjoyed observing that behaviour -- nor have got those shots -- if I was just focussing (excuse the pun) on the shortest distance between a couple of exhibits. I suspect my approach to zoo photography may be different to some, in that -- when visiting purely for my own pleasure -- I rarely say "I'm going to visit collection X to get a photo of Y (exhibiting behaviour Z)" or similar. I feel that would be the surest way of setting myself up for disappointment, particularly in the current situation. My mindset is almost always "I'm going to collection X, and let's see what photos I can get" ... and then just see what happens. It doesn't bother me that I might've already photographed a species, or even an individual, tens or even hundreds of times before. I don't get any pleasure from effectively ticking things off a list (which bemuses some of my birdwatching companions), but I do get a huge kick out of trying to improve on those photos I've captured previously. If, along the way, I also happen to get a good view or photo of whatever the current latest honeypot attraction might be, then I'll consider that a bonus, nothing more. Anyway, that's just the way that I operate; I'm certainly not saying it's the right way for others - it just suits me. The weather doesn't usually worry me too much, unless it's driving horizontal rain, or oppressive heat. With full-on sunshine creating at least as many problems as it solves, photographically speaking, I'm also usually happy to see at least a few clouds in the forecast. Some of my favourite photos have been taken in the rain, as it will often elicit some interesting behaviours, and can bring a different dimension to certain subjects (eg. closeups of fur and feather etc.). I'm lucky, in that my camera gear is largely weather-sealed, so I can usually continue shooting without much issue; although the lens front element and viewfinder still need to be wiped down or protected of course. I have to agree that wearing glasses can be bothersome occasionally when trying to continue photography in the rain - I really must get a hat. (side note: I find Hamerton is great in the rain, as so much is viewable from the covered walkways. If you're not too choosy about your subjects, you can often just carry on photographing there as normal, without having to wipe everything down before each shot). I'm certain I'm very much in the minority here, but, as a photographer wanting a range of interesting images, I will often seek out rainy days to visit. And blizzards? I'd willingly pay double if my visit included a guaranteed blizzard thrown in! Fantastic! Classic! On that basis I reckon I must be owed at least a grand by now. Pesky lions.
Personally, I prefer to see a wilder uncultivated enclosure for the exhibit, rather than one that is landscaped to perfection. I'm probably in the minority here though.
@ro6ca66 , I totally agree with you re. photography. Although I haven't been out to try the one way systems etc yet, as I plan to wait a few months until the crowds die back a little. My attitude is, tool up (camera wise) for every opportunity, expect nothing to co-operate, shoot everything, and be thankful if at least 2 shots out of every 20 are good.
Having visited 3 zoos in the past week, I can say that I haven't been too bothered by the new situation. I did wonder whether I would need to 'warm up' my hand and eye after taking no photos since March (a few family snaps with my phone just don't count) - but I have been doing it for so long that it's second nature. I knew I had my first nice image within minutes of arriving at Exmoor. I don't think that my approach is very different from that of @ro6ca66, I prefer to get a good photo of a common species rather than an adequate one of a rarity: but it's important to learn from experience, so I took my longest lens and most robust monopod to Hayle because I was not satisfied with the photos of their falconets that I took before lockdown with my usual zoo kit. I spent quite lot of time at their aviary, but I was careful to step back when other visitors took an interest - as I would have done before lockdown. I think it would be frustrating if a large zoo had a single rigid one-way system, but our zoos are not built that way. As long as there are some loops and crossing places where you can choose a short cut or a long way round, there is no problem. However I would be worried if indoor areas remain closed for a long period: I will miss going through Reptile Tropics and the Desert House when I go to Paignton on Tuesday and there doesn't seem much point in visiting Bristol until at least some of their indoor areas are open. I can cope without walking through lemur exhibits, but I do want to see a nice range of reptiles again soon.
I think that I should report here on the little zoo photo tour I took between the 11th and the 16th of October this year. I decided to go to make up for the some of the visits I couldn't make during lockdown, while there was a chance of a little decent weather and before zoos might be crowded at half term: I was also concerned that the Covid situation was worsening and that Boris* was due to announce more restrictions, so I only booked 2 nights in Chester, but I took extra clothes etc so that I could add extra days while on the road, if this was allowable, as indeed I did. I visited Drayton Manor, the Blue Planet (Ellesmere Port) - ½ day, Chester - 1½ days, National Sea Life Centre (Birmingham), Hamerton and Whipsnade. On the whole it was a very good trip and I took so many photos that editing and processing them will keep me busy for a long time as winter draws in. I was lucky that my Chester membership and Blue Planet's untimed booking system meant that I could choose to spend a very wet morning indoors. The longest queues I met were at RotRA and the entrance to Whipsnade, but they weren't very bad. I followed the one way systems quite well, although I took a couple of short cuts when there was no-one to see me and on a couple of occasions I missed an arrow sign: I must confess to a real breach when my lens hood fell into the archer fish's pool at Birmingham, and I had to go the wrong way to intercept a staff member I spotted in the distance Mea culpa. Indoors there were few opportunities to wait beside an exhibit, without moving on, unless it was very quiet. My worst experience was in the Aquarium at Chester, although it was not very busy, because a loud family party followed me and their child was shouting and bouncing on the wooden staging in front of the tanks I gave up and just glanced at each tank before leaving. The small indoor exhibits at Hamerton only allow 1 family group at a time, so I was careful not to spend too long in each, especially when a family arrived outside. But I was very lucky at the sloth house, I arrived just as a very heavy shower started, so I stayed while it lasted, which gave me plenty of time to let my eyes adjust to the dark and to watch the squirrel gliders Squirrel glider at Hamerton by gentle lemur posted 19 Oct 2020 at 11:52 PM One little tip for Whipsnade visitors. Although the Bird Shows are cancelled, I did see the keepers exercising a few of their birds in the Arena around 3 pm, which is an opportunity for flight photos. I have posted my Drayton Manor images and a few others in the Gallery. Be warned that there are more from this trip to follow. * the oaf, not the chimp
I went to Monkey World today where they insist you wear masks throughout, unless exempt. It's difficult enough a place anyway, but the chill in the air meant my glasses kept fogging up due to the mask. I thought kids were still at school but there were lots of families there by 11 o'clock and I don't know if my glasses were getting steamed by me being a little hot under the collar. A little bit of rain didn't help either, but I took the gamble knowing the problems I might encounter and wonder if there would have been so many large families there if it hadn't have been for covid.
another negative affect is the covid means I can't just wonder iinto a pub to watch the football, so i'm prayin that this dodgy sport site will hold up on my little chromebook
