Kid Territory:Jobs: Taking the Pictures and Telling the Story
It’s a tough job to have to get nose to nose with a baby rhino, but someone has to do it! Our videographer takes footage that can be used for television segments and commercials, videos in our gift shops, and video clips for our Web site.
Looking through the camera’s lens is a big part of a photographer’s job. Our photographers are on hand to take pictures that will be used in ZOONOOZ, advertising pieces, and almost everything you see on our Web site.
ZOONOOZ editors carefully check a color proof to make sure everything is correct before the issue is sent to the printers. Our editors also make sure information in our publications is accurate, interesting, and informative.
What we do
Our work is about gathering information from all departments at the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park, and deciding what our members and the public would like to know about. We record the plant and animal collections through photographs, videos, and published articles, take pictures for all the departments, and put together publications. We constantly do research to keep updated on what’s happening with our animal and plant collections.
When a story seems interesting, we assign writers (sometimes curators and keepers) to create an article for our publications or Web site, or video for television stations. We’re responsible for the whole production process of putting together the Zoological Society of San Diego’s magazines, video clips, and Web site—designing, taking the images, finding writers for the articles, editing, and printing them or putting them online. You might have seen one or more of our magazines: approximately 250,000 members receive ZOONOOZ each month. If you’ve read Sydney’s Koala Club News, you’ve seen our work! And since you’re reading this on our Web site, you’re seeing our work here as well!
What’s cool about this job
We learn something new every day! As we do our research, we discover lots of interesting things about all kinds of animals. There are so many exciting things going on—the stuff we get to photograph and write about is truly amazing. Every day is different. There’s always something new to find out.
Job challenges
Believe it or not, the biggest challenge for the photographers is getting out to take pictures! It’s easy to get distracted by the little details and office-related tasks. The only way to take a great photograph, however, is to get out of the office and behind a camera. That may sound simplistic, but it’s true. When we’re out in the field, we come across immediate photo opportunities or get ideas for something that we’ll do in the future.
The most challenging aspect of putting together a publication or Web site is coordinating information from so many different sources. We work hard to make sure that everything is accurate and that everyone’s happy with the final product.
How this job helps animals
We have the opportunity to educate a large audience about all the fascinating natural history details, physiology, behavior, and habitats of animals. Today, zoo animals are the ambassadors of their species. We hope that our photos and stories inspire people in a positive way. Someone reading one of our publications might make eye contact with an animal in a photo, and they’ve made a connection. The more people know about animals, the more they appreciate them and want them to be around in the future.
How to get a job like this
The key is to start from the end goal and move backwards! Explore different job options, decide what kind of job you would like, then find out what steps it would take to get there. Practice writing and photography, and do a lot of reading. Study literature, liberal arts, journalism, visual arts, science writing, or some related field. Art, business, and computer classes also come in handy. And be creative!
