These images were captured at the Bronx Zoo. Admittedly it's not technically 'street' photography, but I do like to branch out now and then.I didn't realize it when I made the plans to go, but the zoo was amazingly diverse photographically.I found myself alternating between taking pictures in the bright sunlight of slow-moving seals, to attempting to capture fast-moving lemurs and birds in dark shade.I tried to display the diversity of creatures compositionally by showcasing the personality and essence of the animals I saw.

this photograph, intentional and unintentional circumstances came together to create a mirroring of themes.I purposefully set the bird against the enclosure wall because of the stark contrast between the bright orange feathers and teal paint.As I was taking the picture, the bird spread its wings and splayed its' feathers, which mirror the leaflets on the branch in the foreground.

To the naked eye, the array of colors displayed on the bird were invisible, but the beauty of post-processing is the ability of the photographer to bring forth things that are difficult to see normally.I’m personally not a huge fan of over-processing photos, so I focused on only bringing out the color of the bird’s wings.

Nestled – A tropical bird sleeps in its nest.

The purpose of a nest is to give birds a safe place to sleep.They’re usually sheltered high up in trees out of reach of predators and prying eyes.In order to carry over the idea of nests and safety, I framed the bird with branches and leaves, much of which I left in the composition instead of cropping it.Very little of the image is actually of the bird, and it gives the viewer the sense that the bird and its nest are distant and inaccessible.

Seal – A sea lion breaches the surface water.

Seals spend most of their time in the water, so the majority of the picture is taken up by water.The low positioning of the seal in the frame is to give the viewer a sense of its weight, and the gradual loss of focus in the water is to give the viewer a sense that the water continues for much longer than it actually does.

Hide and Seek – A Red Ruffed Lemur balances on a branch

Primates are relatively close to humans genetically, as well as behaviorally.Knowing this, I think it’s important to portray the ways that they are connected to us.I caught the Lemur as it was watching another, halfway through a game of tag.

Triptych – Three female Nyala graze together

Nyala are African grazing animals, who gather in small groups.I wanted to show the group mentality of herd animals, and the three repeated heads at the same angle reinforce the idea of sameness.

Stoic – A snow leopard looks to the right.

Snow Leopards are known for their reclusiveness, which is why I partially framed it using the window and wall of the enclosure.The angles of both, combined with the side profile of the leopard convey its focus and strength, while also covering it slightly, representing its rarity.Similarly, to the nesting bird, the animal itself takes up little of the frame, but in this instance is not completely encircled by foreground elements, indicating that it is not complacent and that it is ready to move and hunt.