TOMMY WILLIAMS / L’Observateur / April 3, 1999

As an adult, if being 38 years old really is enough to actually qualify myself as an adult, I can recall the countless times during my childhood when I consciously planned and dreamed of being a parent.

I believe that many of you may have had the same experiences as a child in that respect if you can recall how, as a child, you may have promised yourself many things that you would and wouldn’t do with your own children, such as finding the time to go to the zoo or not scolding them in the presents of others, to mention a few.

As you aged and matured you may have learned that keeping all those childhood promises can become quite an impossible task, or so it seems. Sometimes you’ve just got to grab hold of the remote andpress the pause button for some family quality time.

If you enjoy taking photographs and have children, a visit to the zoo might be just the medicine you need. It’s a great place to spend timewith the family and get wonderful photos of animals and the children. But photographers beware, the crowd can become violent ifDad spends 20 minutes fumbling around with camera to shoot just a single photo of an elephant. So be prepared.The first item on the packing list should be the zoom lens. No visitto the zoo would be complete with out it. Almost every photo takenwill be with the zoom lens because most of the animals are set back about 20 to 30 yards. A 70 to 210 zoom lens will help bring theanimals up-close to fill the frame. Long lenses also allow youselectively tune out not so undesirable areas of the cage or habitat, such as spectator litter or trash. And besides, who else would everknow that the black dot in the center of you picture was the black bear. Oh! remember to keep the normal (50mm) lens available forthose occasional family photos.

Next would be film choice. Go for fast speed films. Although no oneplans to go to the zoo on a cloudy day, they do show up unexpectedly around here from time to time. Faster speed films, such as 400 ASA,can better handle a wide variety lighting conditions and contrast. Itwill also allow you the proper shutter speeds necessary for shooting with longer focal length lenses to avoid camera vibrations for crisp, sharp photos.

If not sure what the definition of the word “elation” is, just bring your children on an outing to the zoo and watch the expressions on their faces as they look on with amazement at the animals. That’selation. You’ll see that same expression again when they view thephotos from your grand adventure for weeks thereafter.

There’s nothing more special then keeping childhood promises, both to your children and to yourself.Back to Top

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