Lowry Park Zoo

Lowry Park Zoo is a wonderful zoo located in Tampa. I always have a fantastic time and one of my favorite places to take photos is within the free-flight aviary located just inside the entrance. 

A pair of Pied Imperial Pigeons from Southeast Asia.

A Sun Bittern from Central and South America showing off its beautifully patterned feathers.

A breeding pair of Red Legged Seriemas from Brazil with their two chicks. 

A young Orangutan munching on some leafs. 

An adolescent Orangutan joins the younger one who was eating. I was able to capture this dynamic pose of the older one reaching for the Orangutan below. 

One of my favorite animals from the zoo - a Yellow-Footed Rock Wallaby. Just adorable!

The incredible thing about the Wallaby's was that they were held in an enclosure that the guests could walk through. You were able to be inches away from them as long as you did not touch them. The enclosure also had two attendants standing by the entrance and exit. Apparently the Wallaby's were a little too curious about the rest of the zoo. 

An Alligator Snapping Turtle. 

A resting Pine Snake. 

A Bald Eagle framed beautifully by the branches of the tree. 

A decorative bust in the Asian Gardens.

The Murky Depths

During my trip to the Tampa Aquarium one of the most captivating creatures I came across was also one of the most challenging to get a good look at - the Octopus. 

At first I approached the dark tank not sure what I was supposed to be looking at. Then I saw one long arm pressed against the glass towards the bottom. He was hiding in the shadows under a rocky canopy. 

He was difficult to see and most other people at the aquarium passed by without a second look. I knelt down to be at his eye level. He moved his tentacle aside and shifted to get a better look at me. 

We started at each other for a few moments.

For such a foreign looking animal people often over look how intelligent they are. Beautifully sensitive and surprisingly powerful, there is a long list of things they are capable of. They can detect signs of underwater volcanic activity well before any tangible clues become evident and they have an astonishing ability to change the color and texture of their skin in the blink of an eye.

There are also many stories of octopi who have escaped tanks only to be found walking around in a lab or breaking in to food storage containers.

We continue to study each other through the glass that divides our two lives and I wonder if he requires any special precautions.

The Tampa Aquarium

One day my best friend Amber called me and asked if I would take a trip to Tampa for a girls weekend. I jumped at the chance. She had recently gotten married and I was working two jobs so we hadn't had many chances to catch up with each other. A weekend to ourselves sounded like a perfect idea. 

On a whim we ended up going to the Florida Aquarium. I hadn't been in years and I loved every minute of it. 

The Upside Down Jellyfish. Normally it does what its name suggests, but these three individuals were pulsing with their bells pressed against the glass. 

This stream of bubbles was filtering its way up to the top of one of the tanks. I love the way I was able to catch the view from under the surface of the water all the way up to trees and glass ceiling above. 

This lovely little Sea Turtle had a missing front flipper from a previous accident. I was lucky enough to snap this shot while he was resting at the bottom just as a shark was swimming past. 

Some tiny fish darting past some elegant sea grass. 

Amber silhouetted in the process of capturing the image of a fish against the neon backdrop of the tank. 

Certainly one of my more unique shots from the trip. This tank was supposed to hold a tiny octopus but was instead undergoing some minor renovations. 

Stunning shot of a beam of sunlight slicing through a murky tank. 

A school of Lookdowns swirling around a column. 

One of my absolute favorite places in any aquarium is the Stingray touch tank. Once the harmful barbs are removed these surprisingly docile creatures become easily approachable. I never get tired of watching children smile when one glides just under their finger tips. I was lucky enough to get a shot of this young man petting one of the Stingrays who seemed to enjoy the attention. 

A delicate Sea Horse gently wrapped around a small patch of sea weed. 

A "bouquet" of Sea Horses. 

I took this photo on the drive home. The famous Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the distance behind the rain drizzled windshield. 

Animal Kingdom

Curtis has an immense love for animals so for his birthday we went to Animal Kingdom.

As we were waiting outside the park to get tickets I spotted this man checking his phone. I loved that the leaves of the palms resembled falling rain. 

A sleepy little Spoonbill.

This was the arena on which the staff held a bird show. I loved the architecture and the giant quilted canopy. 

I decided to take a picture of this large Tambaqui (a.k.a - Pacu) as it swam past me. I didn't realize until later that I had caught my own reflection within the silhouette of the fish. 

I love the way the colorful fish playfully arch over the water fountains. In a strange way it almost reminded me of the stylized paintings on cave walls. Ancient and without words the message is still clear - "This way to water". 

I affectionately refer to this particular Painted Stork as "The Old Soul". Curtis and I were bouncing from one enclosure to the next when this unlikely creature caught my eye. He was only about two feet tall with a fence between us that was just a little taller than he was. I practically could have reached out and touched him. He would have been easy to overlook, and many people continued to walk by without even slowing down. But their was something so commanding about this little bird's presence. All the other Painted Storks were further back in the enclosure but he was right next to the fence looking out as if he was standing guard. Even as I approach he did not move away. He only tilted his head so he could get a better look at me. I sat down in front of him so that we could get a better look at each other. His face was rich with texture and intensity. We sat still and examined each other for a long time. I saw many animals that day but "Old Soul" still stands out. 

One of the  monkey's climbing to his look out tower. 

A soft pink Hibiscus set against the ruffled leaf of a large palm. 

I took this photo of Curtis as we were riding around the park. I love this photo because I was able to capture the moment of anticipation right before he saw one of his favorite animals. 

A little gem of a Kingfisher perched during the sudden downpour. 

Curtis at the Hippo tank admiring some passing ducks who seemed at home in all rain. 

Atlanta

Atlanta had many beautiful experiences to offer: My first business trip with DRIP, getting to see The Blue Man Group in the Fox Theater, helping Mariko facilitate Master Classes at the Core Dance Studio. That entire trip was absolutely wonderful in many different ways.

One of our adventures in Atlanta involved going to the aquarium. I brought my camera and allowed my inner observationalist to step into the light.

This image is of a tank that is actually on the ceiling and wraps around the room. Sunlight was able to streak through the water creating an elegant shift from blue to gold. 

The Atlanta Aquarium is home to two albino alligators. Its white skin cuts through the dark landscape like a knife. Its stillness betrays its danger. 

The other alligator was much closer to the glass and I was able to get a better look. Something about the skin being so light made the texture stand out even more. 

This little girl's name was Ruth. I was sitting in that dark window looking at the piranhas when she crawled up next to me. She asked me some questions about my camera and then asked me to take a picture of her in front of the glass, which I did. We finished chatting and I crawled out of the space to go to the next exhibit. When I turned around I saw her curled up in the little nook gazing intently at the fish. I loved the way the light from the tank made her visible in the dark. I think this one came out better than the original one she asked me to take.

When I came up to the Beluga exhibit they were very active. They were swimming around each other and kept interacting in a way that felt like they were in a heated conversation. I took several photos of them, but this one was my favorite. Their playfulness and graceful curves really give this photograph a unique character.

In this tropical tank full of color I was able to spot one tiny, isolated sea horse. 

Jelly Fish don't even look like they should be alive, and yet they move with their own undeniable pulse. Pushing up slow and steady to reach for the light or drifting almost motionless with the current, they move with a grace that is uniquely theirs. The Pacific Sea Nettle is extremely toxic, yet in the the light of the tank manages to live in a kind of angelic awe. 

The Atlanta Aquarium is the only aquarium outside of Asia to house Whale Sharks. They have two males and two females each about 30 feet in length. I didn't know that they were going to be in that exhibit until I saw them drift over me like rain clouds. They actually block out the light from above. 

Two people enjoying the effortless gliding of a manta ray. 

One of Atlanta's office buildings. I love the form and shape of the structure as you look up at it from such a close perspective. 

I liked the look of this tree in front of a building disappearing in the January fog. 

Mariko on the subway to one of her Master Classes. She was taking notes and preparing for her students.