Reel Geek

The Lincoln Park Zoo is a free zoo in the middle of Chicago near the lake. It’s one of those really old (1868) zoos that is mildly depressing to walk around. The cages are tiny in most cases and the animals just look… depressed. I personally have a love/hate relationship with the entire idea of zoos. On one side animals really should have more room. On the other side it’s good for kids to learn about animals and their habitats. Not to mention how much zoologists can learn from them and of course I can take pictures of monkeys without leaving the city.

Anyways… a bit over a week ago the Chicagoland Digital Photography Meetup Group descended on the zoo for an afternoon of fun. We started out with lunch – the place only had hot dogs which made me feel ill for days – and then we went on our way. This time around I barely talked with anyone.

Due to the weather being still a bit on the cold side, most of the animals were inside and behind glass. Add in all the people and it was a bit difficult to photograph.

With out a doubt, the Meerkats were the most fun to photograph. The little hams actually seemed like they were posing for all the cameras. I talked with one guy later who said that one sat there long enough to get his exposure settings right.

Camera: Pentax K10D – Programs Used: Photoshop

Last weekend a friend and I took 2 trains in the middle of a bloody cold day to the Garfield Park Conservatory. Saying it was awesome seems to be a bit of an understatement.

First of all, it’s free. You can spend the entire day wandering around in absolute warmth surrounded by pretty things and the only then you have to worry about is the train rides there.

The only downside for me was the amount of people, especially the kids. If my nieces and nephew weren’t so creepily well mannered I’d still like them, but I’m just not a fan of children. Which is sort of odd because I did used to photograph them for my job. They are an exercise in patience, which I have little of. There is just nothing more frustrating when they bump into you or the flower you painstakingly set the shot up for. Well.. except when adults do it.

Anyways… I haven’t had the time to process all 200+ pictures, but here’s a few that I have done.

What’s next? Hopefully the Chinese New Year Parade next Sunday.