Life with Dylan

Category: photography

  • The World Gardens are bursting with color

    The World Gardens are another hidden treasure at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park that I just can’t get enough of. High atop the park, between Tiger Trail and Condor Ridge, is a secret world filled with an abundance of botanical beauty.

    Thousands of species native to Southern California fill the Nativescapes Garden. This one caught my eye and reminded me of the ocean, which is ironic since this is a succulent that doesn’t require much water.

    The gardens are bursting with color right now and will continue to flourish through February.

    The World Gardens are about a 30 minute walk from the entrance and a bit of a climb, so come prepared with water to drink especially during the warmer months. The Conifer Forest smells divine and is a wonderful place to reconnect with nature; and walking through the gates of the Bonsai Pavilion will instantly transport you to a place of peace and tranquility.

    Throughout the gardens there are benches to sit on and views that will take your breath away.
    So come – visit – enjoy – stay awhile – and don’t forget your camera!

    More pictures can be found in my World Gardens Flickr Album.

  • Learning to love the photographer inside of me

    There is nothing quite like looking through the lens of camera and capturing a moment in time. A moment that will now live on forever in a photograph. Photography started as a hobby, but has quickly become a passion of mine and I am finally beginning to let the photographer in me shine through. It is always a little scary to put your work out there for the public to see; not knowing what their reaction will be.

    Will they point out my flaws or will they say job well done? 
    Will my photos be as good as the others or will it be obvious that I’m new to this?

    Well, about 6 months ago I took the plunge and submitted a picture for Wildlife Photo of the Month. It was like easing into the public realm because unless my photo was selected as a finalist, nobody would really see it.  
    This was the result.
    Wait, is that really my picture on the front page of San Diego Zoo Global’s website? I better click the picture just to make sure … Oh my, somebody pinch me!

    My first photograph that was published someplace other than my own blog – with my name as the photo credit – pretty darn awesome. 
    Confidence level boosted.
    Fast forward a few months to last September when I entered two of my photographs into the Zoological Society of San Diego President’s Club Wildlife Wonders Photo Contest.

    Imagine my surprise at the President’s Associates event in October when my name was announced not once, but twice. I think I may have stopped breathing for a moment.
    Confidence level boosted a little more.
    Now I didn’t feel so bad that I was only using a point and shoot camera when all my photographer friends had fancy DSLR cameras. I felt like Sally Field. I wanted to scream, “They like me, They really like me”. 
    Well, ok, confession time. I did scream … but not until after the event when I was in my car.
    Now I was really motivated to take pictures. I wanted to learn more and yes, I still wanted my very own fancy DSLR camera with lenses and a pretty camera strap around my neck.
    So I used Christmas money and did just that. I bought myself a new camera with a pretty lens.
    Then I searched for the perfect camera strap. I found just what I was looking for at Jodie’s Camera Straps and had it personalized too. This arrived in the mail today.
    Now the photographer inside of me is ready to take on the world – capturing moments in time with a new found confidence. 
    Tiger stripes around my neck and Tiga close to my heart. 

  • The Magnificent Bald Eagle

    Creating awareness about these beautiful birds has played a major role in bringing the Bald Eagle, the US National Bird, back from the brink of extinction. 

    The Bald Eagle is no longer listed on the endangered species list, but they are still protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

    Once on the brink of extinction, the majestic bald eagle is now flourishing across the nation.
    A friend of mine was lucky enough to see one in the wild at Snoqualmie Falls, WA and captured this beautiful photograph.

    Photo by Randy Campbell
    To learn more about the Bald Eagle you can visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife website. 

  • Lorikeet Landing just got a little more colorful

    Lorikeets are bright and cheerful. They love nectar and have a fairly loud chatter; especially when they are inches from your ear. However, being surrounded by these little birds and experiencing them up close is worth some high-pitched chirping. Last week Dylan and I went to say hello to a few of the newest members to call Lorikeet Landing home.

    Recently thirty more birds have joined the existing population at the Lorikeet Landing aviary, nearly doubling the population from 43 to 73 lorikeets. The new birds came from an already-established flock and keepers say the new birds are very social and integrating well with the existing flock.

    Lorikeets are very social birds that flit around the trees looking for flowers and nectar. While lorikeets are interesting to watch, they also serve an important role as pollinators. Yes, these birds are pollinators! The lorikeets feed on nectar from various plants and that feeding helps transfer pollen. They have a very unique tongue, with its brush-like texture, to drink the nectar.

    When not flitting around the tree tops, lorikeets will spend time grooming each other.


    The next time you visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park be sure to stop by the Lorikeet Landing aviary and purchase a cup of nectar to feed them. The aviary is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. daily and is located in the Nairobi Village at the Park.  


    There are a few hidden gems at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park that don’t always get the attention I think they deserve. Lorikeet Landing is one of them … and next week I will share the other hidden gem with you.


    Have you been to Lorikeet Landing? 






  • Smooches from Tatqiq

    Tatqiq blowing kisses to her adoring fans.

    Tatqiq is a 13 year old polar bear who lives at the San Diego Zoo. She is one of my favorites because she has such a wonderful personality. Tatqiq and her brother Kalluk were orphaned at a very young age when their mother was killed by a hunter in Alaska. After being rescued, the cubs were brought to the San Diego Zoo where they continue to thrive, entertain guests, and educate us about the plight of the polar bear.

  • Hopes and Wishes are so much better than Resolutions

    It’s that time again. Time to say goodbye to the old year and hello to the new one. Some people have a hard time with the transition and dwell on all the things that did not get accomplished. I used to be one of those people until I made a simple change. So simple in fact, that I was just changing the words. Two years ago I started making New Year Wishes instead of New Year Resolutions. Wishes remind me of a birthday cake and blowing out candles … Resolutions just sound like work.  So far, the majority of my wishes have come true.

    Jungle Bells - San Diego Zoo

    The first year (2012) I was able to make 4 out of 5 wishes come true. I call that a job well done. So imagine my surprise today when I went back to read my New Year Wishes for 2013 and realized that I had made all 5 wishes come true …

    Hello. Amazing! I can’t think of a better way to start 2014.

    I definitely took a step back last year and spent lots of time looking within myself. There were lots of changes and learning experiences for both me and Dylan. However, one thing that remained the same was our passion for creating awareness about endangered species and doing all we could to make a difference.

    Here are my New Year Wishes for 2014 …

    1. Start drawing again. In high school I loved to sketch and paint. This will be the year I rekindle that creative side I once loved so much.
    2. Teach more kids about endangered animals and conservation by expanding Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp into more than just a summer camp. 
    3. Make time to write about what inspires me. I have a folder filled with notes and ideas for posts, but never found the time to actually write them. 
    4. Stay current on my photography and share more of my images. No more falling a year behind on editing and posting pictures. 
    5. Continue to read more, explore more, and keep learning more. 
    Yes, I know that #5 is a repeat from last year, but it is just such a good wish to have. 
    Dylan and I were very blessed with some unforgettable experiences and wonderful supporters of his fundraising projects last year. We are both excited to see what the new year has in store for us and what new doors may open leading us to new adventures. 

  • I never get tired of watching sunsets

    I still say the best cure for a bad day is watching the sunset. Watching that big ball of fire get smaller and smaller and finally disappearing below the horizon … perfection in my book.

  • Our road trip was a blast, Now back to reality

    The days leading up to a vacation are almost as exciting as the day that you actually leave, but the days after you come home from vacation … well, that’s a totally different story. We have been home from our zoo road trip for a week now and I am just starting to feel like myself.

    Although we made numerous stops and had tons of fun, the last two days of the road trip involved all day in the car. We left hotels by 9 am and didn’t arrive at the next hotel until dinner time. That made for one tired Mom when we got home. I don’t think I even got dressed, let alone got off the couch our first day home. Then it was Dylan’s birthday and we got Tiga. I’m finally starting to get back to my routine and feel like I’m not sleep deprived.

    As for the 800 pictures I took on our zoo road trip … yeah, those will just have to wait a bit longer. However, I did manage to get the 85 mobile pictures from my iPhone up on Flickr. Sometimes it’s fun to see spur of the moment pics from your phone.

    Not all are perfect – some may be blurry (since the car was going 75 m.p.h.) – and some are just plain silly. Regardless, they are memories.

    I’m starting to think that coming home from vacation is more work than planning and actually going on vacation!

  • Fingers crossed – My tiger picture might be Wildlife Photo of the Month

    Last month I captured some pretty great pictures of Connor at the San Diego Zoo and wrote a little post about tigers. (In case you missed it, you can click here and read it) Well, one picture got lots of views on Flickr … like over 12,000 views in a few days. I thought there must be something wrong with Flickr because my pictures, the good ones, generally get a few hundred views. 

    So I decided to submit the picture to San Diego Zoo Global for the Wildlife Photo of the Month contest. To be honest, with school ending and our road trip I had totally forgotten about submitting the picture of Connor.
    “No Floaties Needed”
    Then today I see on Facebook that my photograph is one of the choices for Wildlife Photo of the Month. What? My picture could possibly be featured on the San Diego Zoo Global website? Cool!
    You see, when you are a little fish in a big sea of really amazing photographers, like my friends who also love to photograph animals at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, then you will understand how something as little as being recognized for your work can be utterly amazing and inspiring. 
    The photograph with the most “likes” will be featured as Wildlife Photo of the Month, so if you haven’t voted yet … well, what are you waiting for? 
    Log on to Facebook and choose your favorite here.

  • Time to check sunsets off the bucket list

    Part of the fun to making a bucket list is getting to check things off the list. Although we have checked a few things off our family bucket list, the one I completed last week was a long time coming. A year to be exact. Ironically, I took the final sunset picture on my birthday.

    With the help of doing Sunset Sunday for a few months, which kept me on track, I was able to take a picture of the sunset every month. The goal was just one picture of the sunset each month, but I got hooked and often took one a week.

    Sunsets are so beautiful and after completing this family bucket list item I have learned that it is true – no two sunsets are the same.

    Birthday sunset on the bay

    One of my favorite sunsets was in September overlooking the Back Bay, also know as the Upper Newport Bay. The colors were phenomenal and I was truly thankful to have my iPhone that day.

    Another favorite was when the skies turned bright pink. I was walking the track at the local high school and looked up to see a sky filled with cotton candy clouds.

    Although beautiful sunsets are associated with summer and tropical islands, I will admit that winter sunsets aren’t too shabby.

    Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.

    Oh, and when the golden hour ends … be patient and wait for the magic moment that occurs just as the day is ending and the night is beginning.