Photographing wildlife at the zoo is an excellent way to practice animal photography, while at the same time, getting some very dynamic photos.  One of the major obstacles can be the barriers that are in your way.  If there is no sunlight on the mesh or bars, then use a long lens, focus on the animal and use a limited depth of field (large sized lens opening - aperture F4 - limits the width of the band of focus) to get the animal in focus and to make the barrier optically disappear.  If the sunlight or your flash strikes the barrier, it will show up in the image regardless of the depth of field.  In this photograph, Peggy had spent quite a bit of time waiting for the leopard to do something.  For just an instant it slotted open its eyes.  The look Peggy captured in this shot made it quite apparent that in spite of the relaxed position of the animal, the photographer was not unnoticed!

Helen is a very unusual photographer because she sees the drama in things that are quite simple.  Many of us who travel Highway 395 become complacent and fail to see the beauty in the ordinary.  Helen stops and takes the time to plan and think about what the purpose of the photograph needs to be.  She attempts to translate her vision in the simplest of terms.  In this image of cattle on the range, she has used the trees at the very edge of the photograph to balance and contain the animals.  The shadow ties the trees together and completes the visual "corral".  The trail leading to the cattle brings us into the photograph while the large bushy trees on the left prevent the eye from leaving.  The subtlety of the monochromatic Inyo Mountains in the background focus your attention on the detail of the cattle.

Strong autumn color in the cottonwood trees as well as the bright yellow rabbit brush in the field creates a base that allows your eye to move around the photograph.  The volcanic cinder cone also adds color.  It is a simple scene that works because of the color, the lines and shapes.  Audrey took command of the scene by taking the time to simplify the design.  By doing this, her photographic statement created strong impact.

Richard is an enthusiastic photographer who is learning to use his computer to enhance his photographs.  In this image, he simplified the background by blurring it with the use an image editing program.  In addition to the computer enhancement, the underlying photograph is simple and clean

This photograph of a 350 pound young grizzly bear was taken at the Triple D Game Farm in Kalispell, Montana.  Working with animals, even in controlled situations, is difficult.  You strive to capture the essence of the animal in as natural a setting as you can.  The behavior should be as natural as possible.  BJ was coming up a small hill foraging for tidbits.  The ambling posture, the interest in his surroundings is typical of his behavior in the wild.

Regular visitors to Bodie can only look through the windows at the artifacts.  With reservations, photographers are able to enter the buildings and create intimate still life images.  Chris found this old table and bottles.  We are not permitted to touch anything in the buildings but, by moving carefully around the table, he was able to compose this shot using the existing light coming through a window.  The simplicity of design and light combine to make this a very successful image.