Eying the massive hippo in front of her, senior Emily Ryan concentrated on getting every wrinkle in focus before snapping a photo as part of an assignment with the photo magnet at the Fort Worth Zoo.

“It gives you a different experience and perspective to get different photos other than just in the studio and just with people,” Ryan said.

Ryan and fellow senior Gwen Wyatt said the trip gave them the opportunity to get more action shots.

“I think when it comes to plant shots, it’s kind of hard to make them artistic,” Wyatt said. “But like, I feel like it’s easier to have a more meaningful photo.”

As photographers focused on different parts of assignment, sophomore Mauricio Hernandez said that birds had a certain aesthetic he appreciated.

“The colors are very vibrant and diverse compared to the other animals, where usually it’s like one or two colors,” Hernandez said. “I think it’s like, pleasing to my eye.”

Hernandez’s favorite moment was one of an interaction between two animals.

“It was when I was leaving from the exhibit where the jaguar and coyote were,” Hernandez said. “Then I heard little chatter, so I looked back and saw that they were right there, and they were pretty much trying to find a way to get to each other. It was interesting seeing the animals actually interact with each other.”

Students used different strategies to get the best photos on the field trip, such as getting as close as possible with their lenses and waiting for long periods of time until other animals were out of the frame and the main subject was in focus. Wyatt said one of the main concepts she thought about when photographing the animals was composition.

“I want to make sure that it’s first-glance appealing to the eye,” Wyatt said. “I want to make sure that it piques your interest, like that could potentially be a good photo.”

After taking photos of the animals, the students used Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom to edit them. Wyatt has learned through editing her photos for her magnet classes that her interests lie more on the post-processing side than the actual shooting.

“I really love graphic design and everything, and I love surrealism,” Wyatt said. “I wouldn’t have necessarily known that if I hadn’t gone into the magnet and explored those things.”

Ryan has also explored her interests through the photography magnet and plans to become a professional photographer with her own business.

“I want to continue photography because I love capturing memories that you can hold on to forever because each photo has a story,” Ryan said.