Zoo trip!
Had some fun stuff happening this week! Among other things, just finished up my first month as a full karate instructor (i.e. no longer assistant-instructor-in-training). I think it's going well - I've had some good feedback, at any rate!
The big event this week, though, was the trip Nef and I took in to the Cities to spend a couple days at the zoo. Officially, this was because our zoo membership was expiring and we wanted to get some more photos before it did (me for art/anatomy reference, her for graphic design), and they also had a new exhibit for the summer with anamatronic dinosaurs. Unofficially... we really wanted a getaway with just the two of us, and it was a good excuse.
It was an awesome trip, too! Couldn't have asked for nicer weather, the dinosaur exibit was very fun, and we ended up going to the bird show twice because it was so good. We basically hardly sat down for two days straight, and I don't even know how many miles we ended up walking - so pretty wiped out by the time we got home, but happy.
Nef got some really beautiful photos. I don't have a whole lot to share on that front, because though I took a fair amount I am a terrible photographer and was only using my phone, so I got quite a few that're useful for my reference purposes but not much that's particularly interesting or artistic in its own right. :P I think I'm getting a little better hang of photography generaly, though, so I've resolved to actually bring a proper camera that I know how to use next time.
I do have a few fun photos, though!
First off, the entrance to the dinosaur exhibit:
You can't see the pterodactyls on the gate very well, but the whole place was really cool. They had the Jurassic Park theme playing, and a bunch of fog machines scattered around to create some fun atmosphere.
Also! A picture I am actually a little proud of! (Okay, I know, it's not super exciting. But hey, I'm learning. And it's in focus. XD)
There was also a beautiful butterfly garden there this summer! Particularly fun for me because it was the one place where there was both decent light and the ability to get close enough to take pretty good photos even with my phone, so I ended up with a ridiculous number of butterfly pics.
Most of the birds in the aviary were much too far away for me to photograph with my phone. (For most things it's basically useless beyond a couple of feet, seems like. Or maybe that's mostly my incompetence.) A couple of them were nice enough to pose for me, though. The little guy on the left was just adorable - very playful and kept coming over to us and posing like he wanted his picture taken, but of course he couldn't stay still for more than a few seconds at a time.
And of course, had to spend plenty of time hanging out with my faves here, the Amur leopards.
I actually took a little bit of video, too! We spent some time with them just before their dinner time, and the male was getting really impatient and started roaring. Very fun to hear!
(In case it doesn't embed properly, direct link here. I started up a channel to post this, and a couple of other brief clips, so if you want to see those they're here.)
The big event this week, though, was the trip Nef and I took in to the Cities to spend a couple days at the zoo. Officially, this was because our zoo membership was expiring and we wanted to get some more photos before it did (me for art/anatomy reference, her for graphic design), and they also had a new exhibit for the summer with anamatronic dinosaurs. Unofficially... we really wanted a getaway with just the two of us, and it was a good excuse.
It was an awesome trip, too! Couldn't have asked for nicer weather, the dinosaur exibit was very fun, and we ended up going to the bird show twice because it was so good. We basically hardly sat down for two days straight, and I don't even know how many miles we ended up walking - so pretty wiped out by the time we got home, but happy.
Nef got some really beautiful photos. I don't have a whole lot to share on that front, because though I took a fair amount I am a terrible photographer and was only using my phone, so I got quite a few that're useful for my reference purposes but not much that's particularly interesting or artistic in its own right. :P I think I'm getting a little better hang of photography generaly, though, so I've resolved to actually bring a proper camera that I know how to use next time.
I do have a few fun photos, though!
First off, the entrance to the dinosaur exhibit:
You can't see the pterodactyls on the gate very well, but the whole place was really cool. They had the Jurassic Park theme playing, and a bunch of fog machines scattered around to create some fun atmosphere.
Also! A picture I am actually a little proud of! (Okay, I know, it's not super exciting. But hey, I'm learning. And it's in focus. XD)
There was also a beautiful butterfly garden there this summer! Particularly fun for me because it was the one place where there was both decent light and the ability to get close enough to take pretty good photos even with my phone, so I ended up with a ridiculous number of butterfly pics.
Most of the birds in the aviary were much too far away for me to photograph with my phone. (For most things it's basically useless beyond a couple of feet, seems like. Or maybe that's mostly my incompetence.) A couple of them were nice enough to pose for me, though. The little guy on the left was just adorable - very playful and kept coming over to us and posing like he wanted his picture taken, but of course he couldn't stay still for more than a few seconds at a time.
And of course, had to spend plenty of time hanging out with my faves here, the Amur leopards.
I actually took a little bit of video, too! We spent some time with them just before their dinner time, and the male was getting really impatient and started roaring. Very fun to hear!
Click to view(In case it doesn't embed properly, direct link here. I started up a channel to post this, and a couple of other brief clips, so if you want to see those they're here.)