WWW Part Two - Perth Zoo

Warwick Williams, Head Trainer for Fujifilm in Australia, had been invited by digiDirect to lead several photographic events over two consecutive days, and I had signed up for all of them. The previous day, a large group assembled on the South Perth foreshore to shoot the Perth skyline at sunset, which you can read about here. The following day, I had to get up rather early - for a Saturday - to head down to Perth Zoo where Warwick would be walking us around for a morning of “wildlife” photography.

This is part two of a Weekend with Warwick Williams - WWW.

I had not been to the zoo in perhaps two decades, so I was excited to explore it for effectively the first time as I couldn’t recall anything about my previous visit. I always enjoy wandering around zoos when travelling, however, I have mixed feelings about them - being able to watch animals up close is an incredible experience, but it’s equally depressing to see them confined to such a small space.

The dingoes are fortunate enough to get taken on walks through the zoo though.

Despite the impressive showing at the previous evening’s event, only three other people besides myself came along for this walk, and one was using a Canon. In retrospect, however, I think I enjoyed it more that way - I don’t think I would have been able to tolerate dozens of people packed into tight areas all trying to get the same shot.

This was an opportunity for my 55-200 mm telephoto lens, which I typically only get to use on occasion, to see some action. Its decent range (84-305 mm full frame equivalent) and optical image stabilisation made it the perfect choice to complement my smaller X-T20 and I left it on the whole morning.

Out first stop was the Australian Wetlands, an enclosure filled with myriad birds and reptiles. We certainly took our time here trying out various techniques, such as continuous shooting to try to capture the birds in flight (I was not successful) and experimenting with the different metering modes - or “photometry” as Fujifilm cleverly likes to refer to it.

We then meandered up to the Australian Bushwalk, but along the way caught sight of some rainbow lorikeets resting atop a waterfall. To the naked eye, it seemed a mundane scene, but through 200 mm of glass, they were transformed into creatures of majesty.

The bushwalk itself was largely uninspiring, perhaps due to our familiarity with native animals. Kangaroos are nonetheless fascinating creatures, but when they’re just laying in the dirt under the harsh sunlight it’s difficult to get a flattering picture. One seemingly older kangaroo did make its way directly towards me, though it simply passed by unperturbed.

The emu also proved to be a bit of a challenge as a fence obstructed our view, but with a long enough focal length and a wide aperture, it’s barely perceptible, especially after some cropping.

Halfway into the walk, the rest of our small contingent decided to call it a morning and headed off, leaving just myself, Warwick, and our digiDirect chaperone. We were persistent, however, and continued to the Asian Rainforest.

We didn’t see many of the animals in this area, but we did pay a visit to the sun bear enclosure, probably the most poignant exhibition in the whole zoo. Two sun bears are kept next to each other but unable to interact, one of which constantly paces and stares through the cage at its companion. Of course, this is for the sake of their well-being and preservation efforts, but you can’t help but feel pitiful for them.

As we headed back down the trail we discussed where we should head next, and a loud trumpet made the decision for us - the Asian elephant bull was in the middle of a show which we were just able to catch the end of. From behind the safety of a large gate, his trainer issued commands to retrieve and balance a hefty log onto a post, as well and bounce and kick a basketball. Witnessing such a large animal demonstrate learned behaviours is a perfect example of my ambivalence towards zoos.

As the dedicated viewing area was full, we balanced precariously on a short fence to gain a slight height advantage, allowing us to peer over the fence.

We then wandered down the Primate Trail, first stopping to observe some white-cheeked gibbons. They are very active creatures, and with such a dense fence between us, it was difficult to get a decent shot. However, with some patience and determination, I finally got what I feel was the perfect moment and composition.

Further along, we passed the Sumatran orangutan enclosure, a fascinating array of artificial trees made of metal and timber, though I’m sure they would much rather have real trees. Fortunately, they still enjoy climbing and resting atop these platforms and I barely spotted a female who soon after became quite lively. I moved to a better position and started shooting, hoping for the right moment, which presented itself soon enough.

We continued through to the last area - the African Savannah - to view the giraffes, meerkats and the giant Galapagos tortoises. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to see the southern white rhinoceroses.

Finally, we concluded the tour with a visit to the queens of the animal kingdom - a pair of female African lions. It was difficult to get sharp focus through the glass, but utilising the full lens hood to block most of the reflective glare allowed me to maximise the clarity of the image.

We didn’t make it to every single animal in the zoo, but it was still a thoroughly fulfilling experience and given we spent a lot of time stopping to shoot I think we certainly made the best of our time there. I even had a chance while grabbing some lunch to play around with Warwick’s Fujifilm GFX100 - a beast of a camera with three separate LCD displays.

In a few hours I would be meeting up with Warwick again in Fremantle for an evening photo walk - the last of the three events - so I headed home to rest and recharge my batteries. I'll be putting that article up shortly.

Thanks for reading.

WWW Part Two - Perth Zoo

WWW Part Three - Fremantle Boardwalk

WWW Part One - Evening Cityscapes