Some others from the zoo walk

robbins.photo · Jan 3, 2015

Ok, now that the cuteness barrage has been taken care of, here are a few other shots from my recent zoo trips:

20150103 328 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

20150103 897 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

20141228 217 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

20150103 109 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

20150103 812 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

DrDave · Jan 3, 2015

Nice photos! Is that Tony the Tiger?

missy3276 · Jan 3, 2015

amazing photos from the zoo. looking at your photos reminded me of a time I was at the zoo with the nieces and taking (attempting) photos. Seeing your photos, I realized mine weren't so good! great photos

robbins.photo · Jan 3, 2015

DrDave said:
Nice photos! Is that Tony the Tiger?

Actually her name is Isabella - and she is a card.. lol

JustJazzie · Jan 3, 2015

Ohhh! Those kitties!!!great set!!

robbins.photo · Jan 3, 2015

missy3276 said:
amazing photos from the zoo. looking at your photos reminded me of a time I was at the zoo with the nieces and taking (attempting) photos. Seeing your photos, I realized mine weren't so good! great photos

Thanks Missy, I spend a lot of time at the zoo - I have a season pass, so I shoot there often. As a result I've had a bit of practice.

Pretty much my weirdest day ever at the zoo today though, normally when I go I run into some fun and interesting people but today really took the cake. The zoo was actually pretty busy today for January, it's been bitterly cold here and today it was relatively warm by comparison so the zoo was actually crowded.

I shoot a Nikon D7100 and when I shoot at the zoo my lens of preference is a 70-200 mm F/2.8, and since it is a fairly good sized lens it generally attracts a bit of attention paritcularly from other camera owners when I'm walking around the zoo.

So as usual I get stopped by a few other folks and they hand me their cameras and ask if I'll take a family photo for them with their camera. I guess they see the big lens and figure I must at least have half a clue whet I'm doing. Well this happened 5 times today - pretty much a record.

So I'm outside the Desert Dome this afternoon when a good sized Korean family comes running up to me and they are extremely excited. The dad shakes my hand so hard I thought for a moment I wasn't going to get my hand back. He's bowing, his wife is bowing.. unfortunately we've got a bit of a communication issue going since the only thing I can remember how to say in Korean is not exactly something you say when you want to be polite.

But I see the camera around his neck and I figure he's trying to ask me for a family portrait in front of the Dome - well I guessed wrong. Instead he has his two daughters (I'm guessing their ages were something in the neighborhood of 12 and 8) stand on either side of me, he backs up and takes our picture.

He's talking to the girls and they are smiling and laughing and they start making pistols with their fingers and thumbs and making phew phew sounds like they are shooting at their father while he's taking there picture. He's smiling and laughing and so are they, and I'm completely confused. I have no idea what the hell is going on or why this crazy family of Koreans is taking my picture.

So I try asking the guy what's going on and he's trying I guess to explain it to me and he keeps saying "Jun Woan". Ya, I have no clue.

So his wife apparently needs to get her picture taken with me as well and then he hands her the camera and he's getting is picture taken with me and at this point I'm actually wondering if maybe I've fallen into some sort of strange Twilight zone episode.

Well mercifully another gentleman comes out of the Desert Dome, turns out he's the man's cousin and the person they are staying with on vacation, better yet he speaks English. His cousin from Korea who's been taking my picture with his family for the last 5 minutes is all excited and waving his hands and I keep hearing him say Jun Woan, Jun Woan...

Well I'm completely confused and the English speaking cousin explains, "He wants to take your picture and he's hoping for an autograph." I'm flabbergasted and I ask the guy why he wants my autograph, and then I finally get an explanation. The guy visiting from Korea is convinced that I'm John Wayne.

So I try to explain that I'm not John Wayne but after about 5 minutes both the English speaking cousin and I gave up, this guy was absolutely positive I was John Wayne, he's apparently seen all my movies and I wasn't fooling him at all.

So I relented, took a few more photos with them and gave them my autograph. I just hope my agent doesn't find out... rotfl.

So yup.. weirdest zoo trip ever. Well, at least it's never dull... lol

JacaRanda · Jan 3, 2015

Never gets old seeing that white tiger and the colors and texture in the first reptile is Sweetness!

robbins.photo · Jan 3, 2015

JustJazzie said:
Ohhh! Those kitties!!!great set!!

Posted more kitties for you in another thread, Lion cubs no less. I know how you are about kitties.. lol

missy3276 · Jan 3, 2015

what an experience. I must admit I love when two cultures collide. always...and I mean always it make for an interesting day. at least now you have a story to tell

Hunter58 · Jan 4, 2015

Very nice set.

weepete · Jan 4, 2015

I really like the fish shot, it's creative and cool. The others are pretty damn good too.

matthias bader · Jan 4, 2015

Really, really cool shot's there! I like no 4 the most, with the shallow DOF, really great! :encouragement:

pjaye · Jan 4, 2015

Great set. Love that fish shot.

P.s. can I have your autograph too?

qleak · Jan 4, 2015

Nice story!

Someone needs to say it #2 is spectacular thanks for sharing

Designer · Jan 4, 2015

I hope you signed "John Wayne" for them.

Or you could have signed "Marion Robert Morrison", which was John Wayne's, real name, and they would not have realized that you scammed them until much later.