There are A LOT of photographers on the internet these days. Zac Herr of ZTH Photography as taken social media by storm with his incredible shots, interesting combinations of animals and backgrounds, and the wide range of species he’s photographed over the years. As lovers of his work, we wanted to know more about how it all came to be.
HM: When did you first get interested in herps?
ZH: I have pretty much always had an interest. Like most people that love reptiles and amphibians, I fell in love with dinosaurs as a kid and it grew from there. I had some frogs and turtles as a kid but always had a fascination with dart frogs. Around my freshman year of college, I saw dart frogs in a pet store and knew I was going to start into that realm. I spent a few months researching them and then found a private breeder to purchase from and now almost 9 years later I’m still just has hooked.
HM: When did you pick up photography and how did you get into it?
ZH: Shortly after I got my first dart frogs, I got a camera just to take better photos of them to show people. I didn’t really have a desire to do much beyond that and wasn’t at all thinking “I’m going to be a photographer”. I messed around on my own for awhile and then as I bought more frogs and talked to more people in the hobby, people started expressing interest in what I did and I started to set up shoots. I am pretty sure Jared Ruffing with Ruffing’s Ranitomeya was the first person that let me shoot their collection. It really just snowballed from there and to this day probably 99% of what I do just starts from “I heard about you from my friend”. I’m really thankful for all the people that have let me come see their collections.
HM: What gear are you using for your work?
ZH: I have switched things up a lot over the years. I started with a Canon Rebel t3i because my cousin, who is also a photographer, shot Canon so I followed his advice and it also allowed me to test out some other lenses and gear easily. After a couple years though I switched to Sony mirrorless and now use the A7R2. For lenses, I use my Sony 90mm Macro for just about everything but I also use the Zeiss Batis 40mm, 85mm, and 135mm for a few scenarios. I recently picked up a Laowa 2:1 macro lens though and that has really been a fun lens. For lighting I use two Profoto D2 strobes.
I think it is important though to reinforce though that gear isn’t everything. Some of my favorite images I have taken to this day were the ones I took on the Canon Rebel. The shot I did of the tadpole on the frog’s back was done with a used Canon 6D and shot in a cardboard box and a $50 flash. The gear is just there to help you capture your vision in a specific way, but it’s the vision that matters.
HM: What’s your favorite species to shoot?
ZH: That is a really tough question. I think all animals have something about them that is incredibly unique and amazing. Dart frogs will always be a favorite but I will say that the first time I sat across from a king cobra with nothing between us is something I will never forget. For the sake of saying it, don’t try that at home!
HM: What do you keep currently or have kept in the past?
ZH: I think the most I ever had at once was five different species of dart frogs with about 50-60 specimens when I was breeding (Dendrobates, Phyllobates, Adelphobates, Ranitomeya, and Allobates for those wondering) and a few other odds and ends. Eventually photography started to take up a lot of my time so I slimmed down the collection. I was spending so much time with other amazing collections I was getting the same fulfillment I did from keeping the animals myself. Now, I am in the process of setting up a Costa Rican display tank with a few native species of frogs including glass frogs (H. valerioi). It’s always surprising to people that despite having spent a lot of time working with venomous snakes, I have never had a snake of my own.
HM: What’s the coolest place you’ve traveled to for photography?
ZH: Honestly I go to a lot of boring places. The exotic animal hobby facilitates some cool experiences but my shoots are usually just in someone’s living room or basement. It’s not really glamorous that’s for sure.
HM: What groups do you support either in or outside of your work?
ZH: For a while I ran a weekly segment called Frog Fact Friday for the Rainforest Alliance and whether it be for resource conservation or another charity effort, I always try and donate my work when possible for different fundraisers. Knowing my work helped further a good cause is incredibly rewarding and I think it’s important that I give back to the hobby and organizations that let me do what I do.
HM: What’s the accomplishment you’re most proud of with your photography?
ZH: Through a local friend, I was able to spend a day in a university research lab photographing salamanders. The room was in the 40s and I had to keep my hands wet most of the time so it was not the most comfortable shoot but it was so much fun to work with those animals. A few weeks later, the research project was picked up for an online story by National Geographic and they ended up using my image for it. That’s probably the most ‘cool’ thing I am proud of, but doing a solo gallery show was also a big personal milestone.
HM: What’s the goal of your work or what are you wanting to convey with your work?
ZH: I really just want to show the animals I get to work with to as many people as I possibly can. A lot of them are quickly losing their natural habitat or facing extinction for a variety of reasons and I just don’t want anything to go away without having been seen. I was so inspired early on by the work Joel Sartore and Robin Moore do and how they translate photos so easily into educational tools.
I try and make my own path by using education as a guide but I also try to present my work in a relatable and fun way to help bring people in. For example, I think the animals speak for themselves, but sometimes putting a baby gecko on a pencil eraser helps grab someone’s attention. That being said, the edutainment route is a fine line. There have been plenty of times I have thrown out an idea or simply stopped photographing an animal mid-shoot because they were obviously stressed by it. You always have to put the animal first and sometimes it means not getting the shot.
