There is something both interesting and beautiful.... in the fundamental ugliness of the Hippo.
You often hear stories of their bad temper and meaness.... which happily I am unlikely to experience here in Colorado.
I have however noticed that our local resident hippo, at the Denver Zoo.... spends alot (perhaps even most) of it's time with it's back to the viewing public.
So, I thought it was worth the time.... to see what kind of pixture I could make from that angle.
As you might expect.... from a guy who does "fill the frame".
I favor faces.... when it comes to pixtures of both people and animals.
This is especially true when it comes to the zebras.
When I look at the whole animal.... I see a short, pudgy horse.
But when I get in close on their face.... it is always interesting and feels like it is about character.
My nature adventure for the week.
Actually one of the two of these adventures that I had, on the same day.... while riding my bike on the Big Dry Creek Trail.
Both of these guys had stretched out across the path.... to take the morning sun I guess.
Some may be ambivalent when meeting a snake.... but I am not one of them.
So I always get a start, at the start of an encounter.
Hence, no picture of the first one I met.... the big one.
Neither of these guys was really the least bit interested that I was there.... but I did have to take a minute to figure that out, and to figure my way around the 1st one as he was pretty much dead center on the path.
After a little, post ride, internet research I am going to say that this guy is either a Bull Snake or a Great Basin Gopher Snake.... and I am leaning towards the latter.
There are a lot of great subjects at the Zoo.... and I am sure there is not a "perfect" shot of any of them.
This, along with the "it might be today and it might not be" nature of making pictures of wild animals, even in captivity.... is what keeps me coming back for the next "safari".
It would be tough to "pick a favorite" for my subjects at the Zoo, but if I had to, it could very well be this girl.... the Snow Leopard.
In addition to just being a pretty subject, there is a haunting melancholy to her.
And then, there is the challenge of making a good picture, through the bars, as there is no "without bars" option.
The trick is a cloudy day or an early morning shot.... so there is no sun reflecting off the bars.
