Zookeeper for a Day at the Santa Barbara Zoo Part 2

Here is part 2 of my Zoo Keeper for a Day experience at the Santa Barbara Zoo. You can catch up and read Part 1 of my experience here.

After lunch we headed out to the Capybara exhibit with Melanie. These animals are the largest rodents in the world, and are very skittish -- we had to move slowly around these guinea pig relatives. Of the three animals in the exhibit,  only one was interested in eating the romaine lettuce from our hands.

I even got to pet him---he really enjoyed it.

After the rodent experience, we got to go into the barnyard with--you guessed it, barnyard animals.

Melanie showed us how she was in the process of training some baby goats, and we even got to feed them out of our hands.

Our last stop of our day was the elephant exhibit. I had sort of added the elephants in because  I thought it would be cool---the penguins and giraffes were definitely my top priority.

We got to interact with these Asian elephants in ways that I couldn't imagine. Something really cool we got to do was to hose down the elephants. The elephants really loved the water, and it was such a unique experience. I never thought I'd ever get the opportunity to wash an elephant.

After we washed the elephants we got to feed them. Watching how they use their trunks was just amazing. There are no words to describe being next to these huge, amazing creatures.

Thank you to the Santa Barbara Zoo for offering this amazing opportunity, and thank you to the awesome keepers and staff for making this a memorable and wonderful day!

Zookeeper for a Day at the Santa Barbara Zoo Part 1

My awesome boyfriend gifted me with the experience of being zoo keeper for a day at the Santa Barbara Zoo. I got to pick animals to hang out with---it couldn't have been a more perfect gift. Except I couldn't utilize it in March ( when I got it for my birthday) because...the giraffes were pregnant, so we needed to wait until the babies were born and on exhibit. Baby giraffes?!! My perfect gift got even more perfect. This was such a wonderful day, that I have to post about it in two parts: The morning and the afternoon.

Our day started out with the giraffe shift, which meant getting them from the giraffe barn out to the exhibit area. Something that is awesome about the Santa Barbara Zoo is that they don't force their animals out to an exhibit area. The animals move at their own pace. For the giraffes, this meant calling them and rattling buckets of treats.

Once the adults got into the area, we were able to feed the giraffes. This was such a cool experience...I can't even describe how it feels to have a giraffe eat out of your hands. So of course I took pictures and video.

Next we got to visit the Humboldt penguin exhibit. We got to get into the penguin exhibit and helped Lacey, their keeper, keep tally of their medication and food 9they love herring, by the way). We were literally surrounded by penguins as they waddled around us.

One penguin that stood out was Lucky. Lucky was born with a deformed foot---so Deckers partnered with the zoo to create a special boot so that Lucky could live a normal life.

We got to feed a brown pelican and then visited these beautiful toucans.

I have never seen toucans in such close proximity--these birds are beautifully vibrant and very smart.

Our morning concluded with lunch with out keepers from the morning. The ladies were so sweet to tell us about their lines and to spend their lunch hour with us. It was  so cool to meet and chat with the keepers that take such great care of these animals.

Check back later this week for Part 2!

Why I always carry a dedicated camera

That's right. A dedicated camera. Not a smartphone with a camera. Not a camera smartphone. A camera that is only a camera. I know -- it's a foreign concept. But I always have my trusty point and shoot with me. It's small, fitting in every purse I have (and I have some tiny purses).  Since I can't always carry around my big DSLR, the point and shoot is always there.

The other morning when I found a hitchhiker on my windshield, I first tried to capture him with my smartphone camera. It just wasn't working at all. It wasn't focusing that close, wasn't getting the exposure right, nothing. I needed something with macro capability.

So I pulled out my trusty point and shoot to capture this little guy:

By the way, he stayed with me on the freeway until I got to my destination. He hunkered down as my car gained speed (at one point I thought he was gone as his little leg lifted), but was a total trooper and stuck it out. He looked a little bit discombobulated when the car stopped, but after a survey of his surroundings, he took off.

As the honey bee populations are declining, I'm happy that I was able to aid in transporting this bee to another part of the world.

Summer clouds

Welcome to August! I love summer evenings and summer clouds. While walking around the neighborhood with my camera the other evening, I just had to make an image with these clouds. The gradient of the blue and the pink of the clouds made for a beautiful contrast.

What are some of your favorite things to see on summer evenings?

The Photoshop World Experience

You will see me posting a lot about Photoshop World from now until September. I am so excited to announce that I will be blogging for Photoshop World, as well as on my own personal blog. Aside from the fact that I'll be blogging, Photoshop World (PSW) is an important event to me. Not only is it an amazing few days of inspiration and education, but it is something my dad and I have attended pretty much every year since the first year we went.

Back when I first got into photography and got my camera, my dad introduced me to the world of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), and I believe he gave me the gift of membership for that first year. As he was introducing me to the likes of Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski, and Rafael "RC" Concepcion through blog posts and NAPP videos, he kept talking about this conference in Las Vegas called Photoshop World that he had always wanted to attend. Every time he would describe it, his eyes would light up.

The following year, dad and I decided to bite the bullet and go to PSW Vegas. We were both like little kids in a candy store from the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony. Not only was that first year awesome fun, but it truly opened my eyes to this community of photographers, and that other people also see the world differently through a lens. Needless to say, my dad and I loved every minute of it and kept talking about "next year".

I have gone several times by now with my dad, because it is the most inspiring few days of the year for both of us. To learn from great photographers and digital artists is just awesome. The fact that my dad and I get to attend together is just so cool. Photoshop World is not just an event or conference; it is an experience.

Whenever I meet other attendees or instructors at PSW, they always ask, "You brought your dad (or parents, depending on the year) to Vegas?!" My answer is always, "Absolutely!". My dad introduced me to NAPP, and it is only right that I attend the biggest NAPP gathering on the West Coast with him.

You can also attend Photoshop World to experience it for yourself. Don't worry, if you go alone, you will make a lot of new friends along the way. However the deadline to save $100 is fast approaching -- Plus this year, everyone who registers gets to try Adobe Creative Cloud for one year free! The deadline for earlybird registration is August 2, 2013. To register 800.738.8513 or visit PHOTOSHOPWORLD.COM

Pretty big Photoshop World news

In case you haven't heard, everyone that registers for Photoshop World gets one year of Adobe Creative Cloud for free.  That's right,  this amazing event just got even more amazing! Find out more and register here: http://photoshopworld.com/

See you there!

Photoshop World Las Vegas 2013

We are just under 50 days away from an event that I look forward to every year...Photoshop World!

Here is all of the information you need from NAPP about Photoshop World, and how to sign up:

THE ULTIMATE PHOTOSHOP, PHOTOGRAPHY, & LIGHTING   TRAINING 


Photoshop World Conference & Expo

Las Vegas

September 4-6, 2013

REGISTER BY AUGUST 2, 2013 & SAVE $100!

TO REGISTER CALL 800.738.8513 OR VISIT PHOTOSHOPWORLD.COM

Gardenias in bloom

My absolute favorite part of summer is smelling the amazing aroma of the gardenia bushes in the yard. The blooming (more like popping) of the mystery gardenias really means the start of summer. Last year while recovering from hip surgery, I was at home a lot and had an abundant amount of time to enjoy the beautiful aroma and aesthetics of the gardenias. Which, of course, meant some photo shoots while I was -- literally -- sitting around. Here is one of my subjects from last summer:

This year, my hip is much stronger than it was last summer, but the gardenia bushes have bloomed and the peak time is now over. However, every time I look at the above image, I can smell the beautiful aroma of the gardenia, and I feel so happy.

What is your favorite summer scent?

Lavender days of summer

Ahh the hazy, lavender days of summer. Relaxing by the pool with a refreshing beverage, enjoying the summer sunshine. For me, it means extended hours of daylight to take photos (of course):  

This lavender plant grows in my garden, and smells amazing. Beauty and relaxation in my backyard -- but most importantly, a photo subject.

Every time I look at this image, it reminds me of lavender vanilla ice cream, or a lavender mojito recipe I have been wanting to try.

What does this image make you think of? Let me know in the comments below.

Urban sunset

 

Sometimes, living in the San Fernando Valley isn't so bad. Not when I look up in the sky and see gorgeous colors like this.

Big picture vs. detail

I love chasing light while walking around my neighborhood with my camera and my iPhone. Yes I look like the crazy camera woman cruising around the neighborhood with multiple cameras, but sometimes just using the camera in my iPhone just doesn't match my vision.

 I was drawn this this purple Gladiola flower, and started off by taking an overall image of the flower. I used my iPhone for the image below (no filter, this is straight out of the camera):

And this is the image I posted on my Instagram (using the X-Pro II filter):

But as I love the details of flowers and petals, I had to get in closer to make a macro image. This is the result (edited in Lightroom 4):

Which do you like- the big, overall flower pictures straight out of the iPhone and on Instagram or the detailed macro? Why? Let me know In the comments below.

Byrce Canyon Photography

A few summers ago, I had the opportunity to visit Utah. This image is from the end of a day in Bryce Canyon National Park. It had rained in the afternoon, and this beautiful rainbow appeared just after sunset.

My dad and I showed up at one of the overlooks just in time, and rushed to the edge of the canyon, running with our tripods and gear in tow. After the rainbow had disappeared and we were retreating back to the car, the storms started moving on and raining on us.

Wildlife Learning Center Adult Zoology Recap

For five weeks in May, the Wildlife Learning Center hosted a Tuesday night Adult Zoology class. There are a few reasons that I took this class:

• I love visiting the Wildlife Learning Center and supporting the work that they do. In April of this year, they hosted an art auction to raise funds for the organization (it's a non-profit) and I donated a framed print of this image of one of their Sulcatta Tortoises:

• I have been on the waiting list for this class for about a year. previously, they had only offered the five week class on weekends, and didn't allow for the ability to make up missed classes. This weeknight class was perfect!

• I  have always loved animals, and usually the weirder, the cuter. In fact, earlier this year, I had started the search for some type of zoology class to learn more about animal behavior in order to photograph them better. This class was definitely a step in the right direction to learning more about my subjects.

I couldn't have been happier with this class. OK, maybe if I could have actually pet the porcupine. I digress.

Our instructor Marissa was amazing. She is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge and was willing to share that information in each class without trying to overwhelm us, was very patient and direct, and let us take photos to our heart's content (well, of course I could have spent five hours alone taking porcupine pictures). but most of all, her passion for animals and education about animals really shone through. if anyone is exhibiting doing what they love and sharing their enthusiasm, it is most definitely Marissa.

I'm sure that I drove Marissa crazy bobbing and weaving with my DSLR and Speedlite, but she was always very accommodating to my photography needs.

While looking through five weeks' worth of images, here are some of my favorites-- some may have been seen here on my blog before:

 

First and foremost, this is our instructor Marissa holding a California Desert Tortoise. She always handled the animals with great care and grace, and made taking an alligator out of a crate look easy.

This is a porcupine from our first class. Porcupines may very well be my new favorite animals, after spending some time in their habitat.

Getting up close with Lola the two-toed sloth was definitely a class highlight. I loved being able to get up close and detailed images of what made each animal unique. You can see here why these sloths are called "two-toed".

I don't know when or where else I'd be able to get this close to a Great Horned Owl.

This red Tailed hawk was recused because it was hit by a vehicle, and needed to have one of its wings removed. This is the type of work the Wildlife Learning Center does that I think is so awesome, and makes me happy to continue visiting and supporting them.

Wildlife Learning Center Adult Zoology Class – Week 5

Well last week was my last adult zoology class at the Wildlife Learning Center. It was such a great class, and I learned a lot about animals. I am hoping that there will be more in-depth classes, or at least more classes like this in the near future. We saw a few animals, highlighted below:

Coatamundi

Great Horned Owl

California Desert Tortoise

California Desert Tortoise foot (isn't it cute?)

Wildlife Learning Center Adult Zoology Class - Week 4

This is week 4 of the 5-week class...so it was our second to last one. Every class has been awesome and has exceeded my expectations. However, week 4 might as well have been titled "Animals Kristina would love to have". A macaw, a rabbit, a kinkajou, bonus time with the sloth, and....a hedgehog. Yes, I would love to own a hedgehog, but unfortunately they are also illegal to own as a pet in California. Of course we saw lots of animals, but I will highlight just a few here.

Macaw

Prairie Dog

Rex rabbit

African Pygmy Hedgehog

Cute little hedgehog face

Kinkajou peeking through the hole

Kinkajou

And... we got bonus time with Lola the two-toed sloth! So of course I am showing you more pictures that I took of her:

I have to thank the Wildlife Learning Center for offering this amazing class. Tomorrow is the last of the series, and I am so very sad that it is ending.

Thank you for stopping by!

Amgen Tour of California- Stages 3 and 4

The Amgen Tour of California , which happens to be the largest bicycle race in the United States, breezed into Santa Clarita, CA with an exciting finish of Stage 3 on Tuesday May 14 and out of Santa Clarita, CA on Wednesday May 15. I had the opportunity to shoot this sporting event last week, and it was such a fun experience. Here are a few photos from the finish line, where the cyclists finished the race from Palmdale to Santa Clarita. Peter Sagan won that stage:

The start of Stage 4 -- from Santa Clarita to Santa Barbara --was a much more relaxed atmosphere. I was able to get some candids of the riders before they took off:

It was really fun to step out of my comfort zone and try to utilize some of the concepts that I have learned from the likes of Dave Black and Scott Kelby. Of course it will take a lot of  practice and shooting a lot more sports -- but the main thing is that I had so much fun making these images!

Thank you for stopping by!

Wildlife Learning Center Adult Zoology Week 3

Week 3 of the Adult Zoology class at the Wildlife Learning Center exhibited a variety of animals, and a lot of the class about adaptation was spent in the reptile room. We saw a lot of neat animals, but I am highlighting just a few here.

We started off by seeing how the Fennec fox, native to Africa, adapted to the harsh temperatures of the continent by having huge ears (to release heat) and small paws (a smaller surface area to take up heat as it travels).

Our class then got to see some tricks from Merlin the Macaw. This bird's personality was as colorful as his beautiful feathers -- evident as he showed us his tricks to get treats.

Then we headed into the reptile room. Admittedly, I was a bit apprehensive about this portion of the evening, but we met some pretty cool reptiles, like this Skink:

And I think one of the cutest little geckos I met was this Eyelash Gecko-- named so because the ridges above his eyes look like, you guessed it, eyelashes:

This adorable little red-Eyed Tree Frog was our amphibian of the evening.

The highlight of the evening was seeing this little guy...Can you guess what he is?

When he unrolled himself and peeked his little head out, we saw this:

He turned out to be a Three banded Armadillo!

I have never seen an armadillo in person, so meeting this guy was definitely a treat.

Thank you to the Wildlife learning Center for this awesome five week class! Check out my experience with the first two weeks of class here.

And thank you as always for stopping by!

Wildlife Learning Center Pictures- Week 2

Last Tuesday night's adult zoologyclass at the Wildlife Learning Center was my favorite so far. I know that I only have two to choose from, and the sugar glider from last week's class was pretty awesome, but this week held porcupines and Lola the two-toed sloth, among other awesome animals. I took lots of pictures and we saw lots of animals, but I am going to highlight four here.

We visited with the -- leashed -- Serval to start the class off. No petting this gal. Every breeze and rain drop were picked up by her large ears, and she was intently looking for the source of unfamiliar sounds. Our instructor, Marissa, gave her kitty food to get her to face in our direction.

Next were the porcupines. Every time I visit the Wildlife Learning Center, I have the best time watching these little guys waddle around, climb their tree stumps and cage, and bump into each other. We were also treated to the juvenile porcupine's special way of begging--- by throwing punches into the air.

I had been dying to meet Lola the two toed sloth for quite some time. She is usually in her little warm habitat to mimic her natural environment, and just the average visitor isn't able to get into the house. However, our class got to squeeze into her little -- and very warm-- house.

In order for us to be able to pet her, she had to be distracted with a special treat of sweet potatoes.

Exerting all of that energy was so very taxing for this little sloth, so after eating and getting her photos taken, she was very tired and gave us a huge yawn:

And then she curled up for some much needed sleep (hey, life is tough when you're a sloth):

Again, while we sat in our chairs during the lecture portion of the class, there was something a crate really itching to get out. It turned out to be this Arctic fox, which came to the WLC because it was in a fur house and did not have fur up to their standard.

Thankfully for us, and even more thankfully for the fox.

Again, I have to say thank you to the Wildlife Learning Center for offering such a great opportunity! I look forward to this evening's class!

And thank you for stopping by!

Pictures at the Wildlife Learning Center

I have always loved animals, and love visiting the Wildlife Learning Center. Imagine my excitement when I found out that they were offering an interactive adult zoology class for five weeks! Last week was my first class, and of course I took some photos to share with you all. We started learning about the different animal classifications, starting with insects such as the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach:

This Indian Stick insect:

And this scorpion (I did not touch this little guy):

We moved onto learning about amphibians by looking at this African Bullfrog:

And then moved onto learning about reptiles like this baby American Alligator:

We then learned that birds are closely related to the reptile family, and saw this blind screech owl that was rescued:

The softest little animal that was brought out for us to learn about was the Sugar Glider, a marsupial (there were actually four rolled up in a blanket, I was able to catch this one as he got out -- yes it had to be held so that it wouldn't glide away):

And out night ended with a showing of this grey fox:

I look forward to the next month of classes. Thank you to the Wildlife learning Center for offering this type of outreach to adults, and for doing great work!

And thank you, as always, for stopping by!

Macro Photography Images

It has been a long time since I have posted--I have had some personal health obstacles within the past 10 months, and am finally getting back to blogging! I have some exciting news to share with my wonderful readers, I have recently gained interest in having my images hanging in a few different locations. Currently, I have six images hanging at a spa in Santa Clarita, CA-- what is more calming than some beautiful macro nature images?

Here are the six images that were chosen to hang:

Night Blooming Cerus

Backlit Leaf

Orchid Waterfall

Backlit Orchid

Cana Lily with Water Drops

Aloe Leaves

Of course you can contact me about ordering any of these images for the walls of your home of to give to someone you love!

Thank you as always for stopping by!