far studio gallery

I recently discovered a wild life photographer, Nick Brandt. Not only does he take fantastic photographs of African animals, he has a very distinctive style. I’ve tried to capture some of his style on the photographs I have taken at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Zoo.

Gorillas

We went to the Wild Animal Park fairly late in the day as a whim. After all, we have season passes – have to get our money’s worth. Our treat was that the gorillas were active and made great photo subjects.

Baby Elephant Walk

When I took this photo, it was midday in the hot sun. (Not exactly the ideal time to take pictures.) I caught this picture of the baby, but the colors were dull and the scene was uninviting. However, once it was transformed into a black and white study, the picture comes alive.

Orangutans

Our trip to the San Diego Zoo on Labor Day was crowded but entertaining. There was much to see there. The orangutans were the best photo opportunity of the day. The huge male was lounging on the ground like a lazy Wookie or discarded fur rug. The smaller orangutan was just holding on to a nearby clump of wood, obviously bored.

Cheetah and Friend

My favorite moment at the Wild Animal Park was watching the trainer work with the trio of Cheetahs. He would throw a lure attached to a string and let the cheetahs play with it like kittens. After they were tired from play, he sat down on the grass and one of the large cats came up and started cleaning him. I imagine that her tongue had to be like sandpaper, but it was still a very loving gesture.