Trip Log: 9/30/2001, Central Florida Zoological Park (Sanford Zoo) - Photography

Pic. 1 Sunrise

"I'm late!!"

That was the first thing that popped up in my head when I saw the red digits on the alarm clock formed the shape of 6:45 a.m., I was supposed to be up 45 minutes ago! I wanted to get to the western side of Lake Monroe by 7 o’clock to photograph the sunrise over water, that’s not going to happen now. But no time to waste, if I leave right away, I might still catch the "golden hour" by the lake before I head into Sanford Zoo to photograph the animals. So after putting a cup of dog food in my dog’s bowl, I grabbed two bananas for breakfast and my camera gear and rushed to my truck.

It’s half an hour later before I got to Lake Monroe, the sun was already above the horizon. The clouds were few in the sky, "it probably was not a spectacular sunrise as I had hoped for", I made myself feel better. With the sun low in the sky, I was still able to fire a couple shots that had some potential. (Pic. 1 and Sunwatcher) Then it was just an hour of sitting by the lake, writing to my girl, and waiting for the zoo to open.

It was my first time at Sanford Zoo, and I was the first visitor there. The zoo isn’t big, it took me less than 3 hours to visit all the animals. A lot of animals are in cages, and since you can’t get very close to the cage, it was pretty much impossible to create a photo for these caged animals that doesn’t look like a regular zoo snapshot taken by some tourists (no offense to those who enjoy travel). But in the Herpetarium, all of the reptiles and amphibians are in display with clear glass, which provides good opportunity for close-up shots with some creatures you would rarely encounter in the wild, and most certainly don’t want to get too intimate with (such as the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake). A good macro lens and a tripod can give you hours in the Herpetarium.

Sleeping Desert Monitor

The Cheetah (although I didn’t see it when I was there), Asian Elephant, River Hippopotamus, Llama, Zebu, Hoffman’s Two-toed Sloth (if he ever wakes up), South African Crested Porcupine (also asleep under a rock), African Slender-snouted Crocodile, American Alligator and Crocodile, and Bald eagles are the other animals you can photograph without having the cage get into your way. I waited by the bald eagles for half an hour while getting mosquito bites all over the place (note to self: bring bug repellent next time). The two bald eagles were permanently injured in the wild so they can't fly anymore, but they can still open their wings and jump from place to place. I was hoping to catch one of these eagles on my camera with its wing spread wide. "Wait... I see some movement in his feathers, I think he's going to make a move. Yeah, he's raising his tail... he's extending his neck forward, this is it! he's... oh great, he's pooping." But regardless whether you're trying to get some action shot of the eagle spreading its wings or just going to the bathroom, a fast long telephoto lens would give you advantages in photographing these animals.

• Resources: (updated March 05, 2004)
  • Central Florida Zoological Park
    • Phone: 407-323-4450
    • Admission: adults $8.75, seniors $6.75, children (3-12) $4.75
    • Annual membership: $25/person
    • Operation Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day
• How to get there:
  In Orlando, take Interstate-4 East to exit 104 (Hwy. 17-92). Go south on Hwy. 17-92 (turn right when getting off I-4), the zoo is just a couple hundred feet on your right.