So, I decided I wanted to get out and take some pictures the other day. The weather looked decent, and I felt like seeing some animals. The Guadalajara Zoo popped into my head. Haven’t been there in a while, figured it’d be a good spot to practice with my camera.
Didn’t do much planning, honestly. Just grabbed my camera bag, made sure the battery was charged, and checked I had an empty memory card. That’s usually how I roll. Headed out the door pretty early to try and beat the biggest crowds and catch the morning light, you know?
Getting there was straightforward. Found parking without too much hassle, which was a plus. Paid the entrance fee and walked in. The first thing I usually do is just take a moment, look at the map – even though I rarely stick to a strict path – and get a feel for the place again.
Getting Started with the Photos
Alright, camera out. I switched it on, did a quick check of the settings. ISO, aperture, shutter speed – just the basics to start. I usually shoot in Aperture Priority mode when I’m walking around like this, makes things quicker.
I started wandering. My process isn’t very scientific. I just walk towards whatever looks interesting. Saw the flamingos first, always a good warm-up. Lots of pink. Tried getting some shots of them standing on one leg, the usual stuff. Moved on to the monkey area. Monkeys are tough, they move fast. Took a bunch of shots, hoping a few would turn out sharp. You learn to just keep shooting and hope for the best sometimes.
Finding the Right Spots
Taking photos at a zoo isn’t just point-and-shoot, at least not if you want decent pictures. You gotta deal with fences, glass reflections, other people. I spent a lot of time just standing, waiting. Waiting for an animal to turn its head, or move into better light, or for a kid to walk out of the frame.
- Found a good spot by the tiger enclosure. Had to wait ages for him to actually get up and walk around. Patience is key, really.
- The aviary was cool. Lots of birds flying free. Tricky to photograph, but fun. Switched to a faster shutter speed for those.
- Tried getting some close-ups of the reptiles through the glass. Wiped the glass with my sleeve first, haha. You do what you gotta do.
Challenges and Highlights
Lighting was tricky in some spots, especially indoors or under heavy tree cover. Had to bump up the ISO more than I like sometimes, but better a noisy photo than a blurry one, right? Spent some time near the giraffes, they’re usually pretty photogenic. Tried to get some shots with the city skyline kinda blurred in the background, but it didn’t quite work out how I imagined.
One highlight was definitely the safari ride thing they have. Bumpy as hell, but you get different angles you wouldn’t normally see. Fired off a ton of shots there, just hoping to capture something cool as we drove past zebras and antelope.
By the afternoon, I was getting tired. Feet were sore, camera felt heavy. Checked my memory card, saw I’d taken hundreds of pictures. That’s pretty standard for me on a day like this. You take a lot, maybe keep 10% if you’re lucky.
Packed up my camera, grabbed a quick drink, and started heading towards the exit. Felt good, though. Always nice to spend a day just focused on taking photos, observing things. Even if half the shots end up deleted, the process itself is rewarding. Got home, immediately plugged the memory card into the computer. Now comes the fun part: seeing what I actually captured.
