We reached out to one of the featured photographers, Mac So, to learn more about his unique approach to capturing wildlife, his creative process, and how his work challenges common perceptions of zoo photography.
Mac So is a zoo photographer, so we asked him about common misconceptions in zoo photography. He shared that many believe it's far easier than photographing wildlife, that anyone can take the shot, and that there are negative feelings about zoos themselves. "Zoos are facilities where wild animals are kept in a closed space and made into a spectacle. It is an egoistic facility born out of human interest. If there are negative feelings toward zoos, zoo photos tend to be viewed with prejudice and misunderstanding from the very beginning. However, what I want to photograph is basically animal portraits. I do not think it matters whether they are in the wild or in captivity as far as photography is concerned."
When photographing animals, Mac So first identifies his favorite animal. He asks himself, "Why is it your favorite? What attracted you to it?" From there, he thinks about how to communicate those feelings to others through his photos. He focuses on the sensations he experiences when shooting — the angle, composition, light, and timing. "By continuing to do so, the dots become lines and a story is born. This is how I approach each animal."
When asked if there’s a particular species or type of animal he feels especially connected to or drawn to photography, Mac So shared that the animal he’s most attached to is the polar bear. "The biggest reason is that I was able to meet a polar bear that was just raising its cubs. The loving parent and child. The adorableness of the cubs. I think anyone would be strongly attracted to this. There are Bornean orangutans, Asian elephants, lions, snow leopards, etc., but most of them are relatively large animals and mammals. This may be the reason why they are easy to photograph as portraits."
"Through observing animals, you will get a glimpse of their habits and individual characteristics derived from their habitat. You will also learn about the current environment and the current conditions of the area where they originally lived.
At the zoo, you may only see the superficial aspects of the animals, such as how cute, beautiful, adorable, and fierce they are. But if you dig deeper with interest, you will learn that there is more to them than that. Polar bears, my favorite animal, are now in an extremely difficult survival environment due to global warming and are even in danger of extinction in the future. There are many other animals that are being hunted down by humans due to global warming, natural development, overhunting, and other human-caused factors."
