5Q4 > An Australia Zoo photographer

At Australia Zoo, things are always happening and are kept exciting by the owner-operator, Steve Irwin. Capturing this action with his camera is Ben Beaden, roving photographer at the zoo.

1 What does an average day for you entail? > As a roving photographer, my job is pretty exciting, and I spend most of my day photographing Australia Zoo’s guests with our “wandering wildlife,” which includes an amazing array of animals, including wedge-tailed eagles, koalas, snakes, alligators, wombats, Tassie devils, dingoes and tortoises to name a few. Some of the most exciting photographs I take are at the saltwater crocodile demonstrations. The most explosive shots are when Steve Irwin has the crocodile striking from the water’s edge!

2 What are our favourite animals to photograph? > I love photographing pretty much every animal at the zoo, but one of my favourites would have to be birds. With many different environments throughout the zoo there is such a great variety of birdlife, and getting good photos can be challenging! The birds I photograph range in size from tiny finches to majestic wedge-tailed eagles and tall emus!

3 What sorts of places have you visited with your work? > I'm based at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. As you can imagine, working in this zoological facility, my work can take me to a variety of different places every day, from one enclosure to the next. I could be taking photos in any of the many mammal enclosures, safari-type parkland or natural wetlands. I love to spend time inside the rainforest and the birds of prey aviary. My workplace is so diverse; I can go from being in a temperature-controlled room with newly hatched baby alligators, to the operating theatre and rehabilitation centre at our Koala and Wildlife Hospital.

4 Have you met many famous people as a result of your work at the zoo?> Yes—famous people visit Australia Zoo all the time—and I am privileged to be able to meet and photograph them from time to time, and help create some lasting memories that they can take home with them!

5 How did you go about getting a job like this? > I used to work as a web-site developer, and also did a bit of freelance photography. I wanted to pursue photography further, so applied to join the photography team at Australia Zoo. I started off in the photo studio, before moving into the roving photography section—which I absolutely love! Australia Zoo also gives me Saturdays off to go to church, which is a real blessing. It's great to work in such an awesome environment, and be part of such a dynamic team (now over 500 staff). It's a great opportunity to use my talents to help educate people about wildlife conservation