John Denton - Tigers at 09:00

One of the things I love most about my chosen profession is that work can come from a most unexpected direction and take you to the most unexpected places. Take the other day, for example. Last year a lady rang, as a result of a recommendation, and asked me to photograph her husband and kids. Not an unusual experience, but most welcome, referral business is always the best.

A month ago the same lady rang me and asked me to do another 'little job' for her. Had she had another child in the meantime, change of home, change of husband? No, it turned out she and her husband own a zoo and theme park, specifically Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire. Her enquiry was whether I could give the park and animals a different slant to the standard photographs they'd had taken previously. Specifically could I add a Fashion/Lifestyle element to the place?

Quite a challenge, but never one to turn a challenge down I accepted readily. My excitement grew when I received the itinerary for the day. The second line alone did it for me – '09:00 Tiger's Bedroom'.

Filled with a mix of artistic inspiration and sheer terror I mugged my good friend, Mark Miller, into assisting/second shooting/holding my hand and at 05:30am on the appointed day we drove off into the darkness wondering what to expect.

I'm not usually so eager to be out in the dawn but I wanted to try and capture sunrise around the park, especially seeing the light come through the soaring steel structures of the roller coasters and other rides. It wasn't the best sunrise ever, but for ten minutes the horizon lit up and my heart raced as I ran between rides, capturing the light.

The highest ride in the park is the magnificent Kumali, which has a very photographer-friendly maintenance staircase running alongside the initial incline. Friendly that is if you like heights! I used to work on helicopters, shooting pictures by leaning out of the sides at anything up to 5,000ft. There's something very different to being on a moving structure at 50ft though, and I always feel icky. I got half way up Kumali, took the shots and came down. Sorry, but I wasn't going to start the day losing my nerve and breakfast!

By 8am the main park staff had arrived, although it was still slightly spooky to be in such a big place with no sign of visitors. We were invited to the keeper's meeting, along with Mark, our guide for the day, and chaired by Ross, the head keeper. It was an enlightening experience listening to the minute detail these dedicated people go into to make sure their animals have the best possible conditions to live, thrive and survive.