Life with Dylan

Category: photography

  • Photographing Apes: Spotlight Chimpanzees

    I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with a wonderful troop of chimpanzees. This particular troop was very animated and had me laughing at the similarities I could see from the human species. Like humans, chimpanzees are very curious and social animals – they are also highly intelligent. So intelligent, that they share 95-98% of our DNA, making chimpanzees one of the closet living relatives to humans.

    Chimpanzees develop strong family bonds that can last a lifetime, especially between mother and child.

    Watching the babies play and interact with each other was so much fun. The way they used sticks as tools and communicated with each other through hand gestures and body language was truly fascinating. It was like I was watching kids play at a park. The facial expressions completely melted my heart.

    I believe the same characteristics that drew me to watching the chimpanzees play and interact for so long are the very traits that are causing these animals to disappear from their habitats. Chimpanzees are intelligent; therefore, it is easy to train them to do tricks and become performers or in some cases, a household pet. Chimpanzees are neither performers or pets – Chimpanzees are wild animals and should be treated as such. We need to be respectful of their natural habitats and support organizations like the Jane Goodall Institute to help save these highly intelligent primates.

    Even though chimpanzees share close to 98% of our genetic makeup, humans are the main cause of harm to the species. As part of the great ape family, chimpanzees are endangered and live under continuous threat from habitat destruction and bushmeat hunters.

    If that isn’t enough to make you think about saving the chimpanzees, then maybe this statistic from the Jane Goodall Institute will at least make you want to learn more.

    At the turn of the 20th Century, they numbered between 1 and 2 million . . . now there are estimated to be fewer than 300,000 chimpanzees remaining in the wild. Incredibly—over the past 100 years—we may have lost as many as 1.7 million of the chimpanzees that roamed the forests of Africa.

  • Happy Fourth of July!

    Our national bird since 1782, the bald eagle is a symbol of great strength and freedom. Whether nesting high atop the majestic mountain ranges or soaring over the crystal blue waters, the bald eagle is an American treasure that deserves our respect and appreciation. 


    Happy Fourth of July! 

  • When Nature Becomes a Symbol of More

    I remember walking down the path and seeing this tree stump. It caught my attention. The shape, the coloring against the green foliage, something about this old tree fascinated me.

    No longer a symbol of strength, but a symbol of what once was.
    Yet still a symbol of nature, conservation, and the hope of saving the environment.

    “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
     – John Muir

  • Catching Up with Lion Cubs Ken and Dixie

    What a difference three months makes in the life of a lion cub. Although I have seen Ken and Dixie a few times since they left the nursery back in April, today was the first time I was able to photograph them outside at Lion Camp.

    Talk about growing up too fast, wow. These two have gotten so big in just a few months, I mean take a look at those paws!

    Born on December 6, Ken and Dixie will be 7 months old next week. The cubs take turns enjoying the grassy slopes of Lion Camp with their parents Izu and Oshana. I love that Dylan and I have the opportunity to visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on a regular basis to watch them grow up and become adult lions.

    Ken and Dixie are just like your average toddlers – well, except that they are lions and not humans. When it comes to taking pictures, you have a 50-50 chance of them cooperating.

    Typical brother and sister, one is always making funny faces.

    Uh-oh, looks like Ken and Dixie are up to something. Whispering lion cubs are never a good sign.

    Yep, there he goes. So much for taking a family portrait today.

    I look forward to spending some late summer nights watching these two frolic at Lion Camp during Summer Safari.

    More pictures of Ken and Dixie on Flickr.

  • If You Dream It, You Can Be It

    Nothing makes me happier than being able to share a story through photography.
    Sometimes the pictures come out crystal clear and sometimes they are a bit fuzzy.

    Just like life, the story isn’t always clear, but somehow we manage to get the message.

    I’m gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!

    I’m gonna be the mane event, Like no king was before

    I’m brushing up on looking down

    I’m working on my ROAR

    Oh, I just can’t wait to be king!

    It’s never too soon to start dreaming of what you can become …

  • Photographing Big Cats: Spotlight Snow Leopards

    A few weeks ago I headed down to the San Diego Zoo with one goal – to get some fantastic pictures of the big cats. I love watching the leopards and jaguars, but have never had much luck getting decent pictures of them.

    Up until recently I had been using a Canon Power Shot SX150 IS, which is a great camera and gave me some amazing photographs, even award-winning photographs. However, I wanted more. I wanted to get those amazing images that my friends were capturing. Last December I bought myself a Canon EOS Rebel T3 and I’ve had a blast experimenting with the settings. This particular day I used my 75-300mm lens and was finally able to capture the cats in a way like never before.

    Meet Beau, the Snow Leopard

    Snow leopards are endangered and need our help. They have thick luxurious fur that is 5 inches thick to help protect them from the extreme cold temperatures of their natural habitat in the mountain ranges of Central Asia.

    Their thick tail is used for balancing while climbing the rocky cliffs of the Himalayas.

    One of the things I love about photographing wildlife is that it gives me another avenue to use when connecting with my readers. Sometimes it is the picture that tells the story and captures the heart more than the words.

    Sadly, these beautiful animals are rarely seen in the wild. Visit SnowLeopardTrust.org and find out how you can help to save these beautiful cats.

  • When a camera lens meets a tree, the result is magical

    I recently spent several hours, ok maybe an entire day, clearing out all 2,000 plus pictures from my iPhone and putting them on Flickr for storage. As daunting as this task was, it was also a wonderful trip down memory lane. Some pictures made me happy and and others made me long for days gone by and friends that are no longer with us.

    One thing that I noticed was how much I love pictures of trees. Why did I stop taking pictures of trees? I need to take more tree pictures. There is something about capturing a tree that is so magical.

    Changing seasons against the fall sky at sunset 
    Things are looking up – Springtime is here 
    Greeting the day with a beautiful sunrise  

    The barren trees of winter
    and the magical tree that comes to life at sunset

    The time of year does not matter. Winter, spring, summer, or fall. What matters is that your camera lens takes the time to meet a tree. To capture the beauty of a tree and to watch the magic come to life when the two become one.

  • Watching Mother Nature

    Have you ever watched Mother Nature? Have you ever sat in pure amazement at what she holds in her hands?

    If you are like me, then you probably need to continually remind yourself to take the time. The time to watch nature … because nature is all around us and does not stop for our busy lives.

    A few weeks ago Dylan told me about a hummingbird nest at my parents house; so of course I had to see for myself and take a picture. Holding my phone as close to the nest as possible without touching the branch was a nerve-racking experience. I did not want to disturb the nest, nor did I want the nest to fall.

    Mother hummingbird was fluttering around the patio and watching my every move. I quickly went inside the house and let her get back to her eggs.

    About 10 days later we were at my parents house again. Yep, I had to take another picture. I was anxious to see what miracle Mother Nature had performed when I was not looking.
    The eggs had hatched!

    The baby hummingbirds were so tiny. Yes, I realize they are hummingbirds and hummingbirds are tiny, but these were babies. They didn’t even have their eyes open yet! Again, I only stayed long enough to take a picture and then went back to the house.

    Today was exactly one week later and this is what I saw …

    Eyes open. Feathers coming in. Beaks growing.
    These two are looking more and more like little hummingbirds. Sitting snug in the nest, it was almost like the stopped for a moment to pose for the picture. Either that, or they froze fearing that I was going to harm them.

    From inside the house we could see the mom zipping around. She is very cautious and very aware of her surroundings. If she senses anything or anyone is watching her, she will not go to the nest. She flies up, down, and all around the tree as if to cover her tracks before landing to feed her babies.

    Taking the time to watch this family grow has reminded me of the miracles that happen every day. The miracle of life. Like I said before, Mother Nature does not stop to wait for us. She keeps going on while we are busy making plans. I am not saying what you and I do is unimportant. However, I am saying that taking the time to watch nature will make your life that much better.

  • What season is it again?

    Living in Southern California I have become accustomed to not having real seasons. This doesn’t mean that I am complaining about the beautiful weather we have, but I do wish we had just a tad more authentic fall and winter days. Aside from the desperate need for rain, Southern Californians get way to excited about a little rainfall. Less than inch of rain is a big deal.

    Rain clouds? We love those too.

    Why?

    Well, you see, a few rain clouds against a blue sky after the rain in Southern California make for the most beautiful pictures. So I guess I will take the spring-like winter days if it means I have views like this. However, I would like to experience the snow in winter just once.

    What is winter weather like where you live?

  • My Son the Photographer

    Over the past few nights I have been going through Dylan’s photographs from the last year. Yes, I am a year behind on photos. I have been editing his pictures, posting some of his favorites to a photo group we belong to, and uploading them to his Flickr account. Some of his photographs, well, they are really good. I only wish I had been doing this sooner.

    Dylan has come such a long way from when he first started taking pictures and I have really enjoyed watching him grow as a photographer. He takes his time now and thinks about the image in his mind. Sure, there are still those times when the picture is out of focus or a head gets cut off, but for the most part he is a pretty darn good photographer for being only 10 years old.

    My favorite is when he takes a picture and says, “Hey mom, is this one any good?” Like he took a really bad picture, but then smirks because he knows that he just nailed it!

    Tigress Danai

    Sharing a love for photography with my son is wonderful and not something that I anticipated. It’s the hobby that quickly became an obsession and now we don’t go anywhere without at least one camera.  Dylan is starting to use Instagram more and loves leaving comments on others Flickr photos.

    He is learning to use words like contrast, depth of field, clarity, and composition. I look forward to seeing what he photographs this year. Because after all, the possibilities are endless when you give a child a camera.

    Photos by Dylan Fryer

    To see more of Dylan’s photographs visit his Flickr page.