A day at the zoo

The week before my oldest granddaughter, Lizzy, started kindergarten, she, her little sister, Addy, and their mom and I went to the Indianapolis Zoo, where -- among all the other animals and exhibits -- we got our first chance to see the newborn elephant that had made local headlines recently.

I brought along only my PowerShot G12, wanting this not to be so much about a photography outing as it was a family outing. The G12 did nicely, but there were times I wish I'd have had more reach with a longer focal length lens than the G12's built-in 5x (140mm).

Still, it was a beautiful day, and we had a great time, even if 2-year-old Addy did manage to lose her prescription glasses at some point while her mom and I weren't looking, and neither of us adults realizing they were gone until we were ready to leave.

Today's post is another in a recent line of "catch-up" entries; our trip to the zoo was Aug. 12, so it's almost been a month. Well, at least it isn't ancient news just yet. Pictures in this post are from that day's trip.

Above: Lizzy (left) and Addy, parked against the wall surrounding the walrus tank.

Above: My one chance to capture the walrus with its head above the waterline.

Above: A visitor was pointing to the oncoming sting ray, pressing against the glass, while discussing the fish with one of her children.

Above: The fish tank was colorful; the key was getting a shutter fast enough to stop action.

Above: Another human juxtaposition, this time at the baby shark pool.

Above: They say penguins sleep standing up ... and at least in the case of two of these guys, turned away from onlookers.

 

Above: If I were able to make adjustments to the setup, I'd have removed the foliage on the left near the mouth, but ... I'm not sure the tiger would have sat still for that. So ... we left things status quo.

Above: Just hanging out, I guess.

Above: The grizzly stayed a good distance from visitors in the time we were there. This is a radical crop of a frame to better detail the bear.

Above: Not an ideal day for grabbing zebra shots. This was as good as any in my batch.

Above: Mother and fawn antelopes.

Above: Not sure of the species; just know it was photoworthy.

Above: Even the rhinos knew to find shade wherever possible. 

Above: My favorite of the batch I shot of the giraffes in the Plains section.

Above: Lizzy absorbing an answer to one of her many questions of a zoo staffer at the rhino overlook. The staffer assured us several times she didn't mind Lizzy's inquisition. 

 

Above: One of the cheetahs checking out the visitors. I'd think it would be used to it by now ...

The baby elephant in step with its mother (above) and an extensive crop from another frame to get some detail (below).

Above: Overhead of the lizard and turtle in the Desert Dome.

Above: Another instance in which I knew the species of these birds in the Desert Dome a day or so after the visit, but ... almost a month later, I've forgotten. 

 

Above: The G12 was able to grab few shots inside the dome where they hold the dolphin shows. I pushed the ISO to 1600 (it can go to 3200, but the noise at that level is unbearable for my taste).

Above: A dolphin show trainer -- with a little help from spectators -- directs this dolphin to lean to its left.