Ducks and a Lemur

One of the ways I am working on improving my skills is not just in trying new ways to take pictures, but also in trying new ways to edit pictures.  I love learning, but I have a tendency to be somewhat hesitant in photography because I don't want to fail.  I'm getting myself comfortable again with this process of trying and learning, and it's been very rewarding.  This year has included a lot of growth which has led to a lot of motivation to keep this up!   I can't wait to see what the future holds!  

Penguins

I really like these fancy guys in their tuxedos.  😍

Tiger

Happy October!  This year is just chugging right along!  It's been a good year, I've accomplished more than I thought I would, and yet I hope it can be even better with some more hard work in the last couple months of 2018!

Serval

This serval is just so cool!  His facial expressions remind me of a house-cat, but then I gotta remember that this is a fierce killer, unlike my lazy fur-ball at home.  😂

Random

I would have titled this cute furry things, but then if you keep scrolling, you can see why that title had to change.  Haha!

Various Monkeys

From what I can tell, monkeys fall into two categories.  They are either crazy and swinging around everywhere, or they are lazy and sleeping.  There doesn't seem to be much in-between.  Well, that is except for these chill guys.  

Various Birds

I am finding I am really enjoying taking pictures of birds again.  I like the challenge it can be and the ability to see the intrinsic beauty of their feathers. 

De Brazza's Monkeys

All these baby animals are killing me with cuteness!

Baby Swamp Monkey

Happy Monday!  I hope this baby Swamp Monkey can get your week started out right!

Now that I am finally caught up on posting vacation pictures, prepare yourselves for a whole lot of pictures from the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo.

Wild Bears

I was definitely surprised by the number of bears we saw on our trip!  I also wasn't expecting to see so many cubs, but most of the bears we spotted were moms with their babies.  I will be the first to admit that these pictures aren't the greatest, and I wish I had gotten better pictures.  However, I definitely chose safety over getting the perfect shot.  These bears were all spotted in Cade's Cove from our car.  The bears were either really close such that we stayed in the car or very near the car to be safe, or they were so far away that it was a miracle we even saw them.  The bears that were close also drew a crowd of cars and people which meant that the bears typically moved fairly quickly through the area which didn't give many chances for any good shots.  Anyways, despite all of that, I am thrilled with this first picture I got!  I mean, how cute is that cub??!!?!

Here are a couple examples of how far away some of the bears were.

And just for fun, here is a picture I took with my phone of a bear spotted on the road outside of the cabin we were staying in.