a day at the zoo:

I needed to get out of the house. I wanted to play with my camera. I wanted to go to the zoo. However, Steve and Wyatt wanted to stay at home. Solution: I went to the zoo all by my self. I seldom go anywhere by myself. Well, not counting work or grocery shopping. I was surprised when I found myself actually enjoying the day. I could walk at my own pace. I could stop and sit and just enjoy the view. I could wait until I was able to set up and take the perfect shot. I was able to relax. Some of the pictures that I took didn't come out so well. I'm okay with that. Not every photo will be perfect. It's a learning process. I have to stop and remember that I have only seriously been taking photos for about 1 month now. It takes time. I can live with that. That means more days to be alone and relax. These are two of my favorite shots of the day.

I never get to go and look at the parrots. Wyatt thinks that they are boring. I think that they are beautiful. I stood at the different bird cages for a long time admiring their beautiful colors. It was very shady in that area. Shady means cooler. Shady also means hard to take photos. So this one is very special to me.

The alligators are usually under the water or facing the wrong way. I was lucky that this guy was up near the front and "smiling" for the camera. It looks like I was right there in the cage with him. But there were two fences between us. They are low fences, so I was able to get a good clear shot of this guy.

While I was walking around the zoo, I noticed myself looking at the landscape more carefully. There are lots of areas that are shady and so pretty to just look at. I found myself trying to capture the feeling of peace and tranquilty that they portray to me. This is one of the areas that leads to the "behind the scenes areas" Not really important, but so peaceful feeling. I would love to put a blanket in the shade, and sit and read a book.