We return from the zoo!
I will look at these photos tomorrow. I really hope the one of the grizzly bear crapping came out--I can't imagine doing a painting of it, but there are some shots that you just treasure for rarity value, if nothing else. I think I blew half a disk on the grizzly. He was very cool.
The zoo was smaller than I expected. A number of people had told me that it was quite a large zoo, but I think it was actually smaller than both Minnesota and Phoenix zoos. Nice exhibits, but generally pretty standard stuff. It was quite large enough for my feet, however--my Birkenstocks are comfy in the arch support, but the leather and I are not as happy together as we might be, which is why I am trying to limp with both feet (not all that effective.) There's a long sheet of blister on the inside of both feet, and the sore, pea-under-the-mattress feeling of blisters under the thick callus at the heel. As is usual when I have a camera in my hand, I was completely unaware of this until the very end. The sight of a cool animal (or more likely in zoos, a cool animal's butt) keeps me from noticing that I am walking the skin off my feet until much later. And since my discomfort fades, but my photos and thus paintings will last much longer, I am just as glad for that.
Next time, I think I'd go during the week--stroller traffic was pretty savage, and a few of the interiors were made impassable by multi-stroller pile-ups.
I should do a series of careful wildlife portraits of charismatic animal butts. I have so many on film. (I'm sure somebody's done it already, but it's tempting.)
I will look at these photos tomorrow. I really hope the one of the grizzly bear crapping came out--I can't imagine doing a painting of it, but there are some shots that you just treasure for rarity value, if nothing else. I think I blew half a disk on the grizzly. He was very cool.
The zoo was smaller than I expected. A number of people had told me that it was quite a large zoo, but I think it was actually smaller than both Minnesota and Phoenix zoos. Nice exhibits, but generally pretty standard stuff. It was quite large enough for my feet, however--my Birkenstocks are comfy in the arch support, but the leather and I are not as happy together as we might be, which is why I am trying to limp with both feet (not all that effective.) There's a long sheet of blister on the inside of both feet, and the sore, pea-under-the-mattress feeling of blisters under the thick callus at the heel. As is usual when I have a camera in my hand, I was completely unaware of this until the very end. The sight of a cool animal (or more likely in zoos, a cool animal's butt) keeps me from noticing that I am walking the skin off my feet until much later. And since my discomfort fades, but my photos and thus paintings will last much longer, I am just as glad for that.
Next time, I think I'd go during the week--stroller traffic was pretty savage, and a few of the interiors were made impassable by multi-stroller pile-ups.
I should do a series of careful wildlife portraits of charismatic animal butts. I have so many on film. (I'm sure somebody's done it already, but it's tempting.)