Another year gone and a new one begins. Sadly, some baggage has followed us, a.k.a. Covid-19…boo! There was a lot of hope for 2021 and for many it turned out to be such a let down, to say the least. For me personally, it wasn’t all that great of year. I certainly faced a number of lowlights, pitfalls and disappointments. I did, however, begin making a little progress on things I’ve wanted to accomplish so there is that; there is a shred of hope for me after all. Who knew?
Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness
-Desmond tutu
One of the best things that happened for me at the very end was taking the time to head to The Denver Zoo and wandering through their annual zoo lights exhibit for the holidays. I have posted about this before but it’s been a couple of years. Last year, I posted my first ever photo experience at The Denver Botanic Gardens – Blossoms of Light. That was magnificent! I love the Zoo lights exhibit. It’s almost always cold, but the lights are amazing, sometimes some of the animals are out and about and it’s thrilling. I remember one year, the zoo still had arctic wolves and they were out and howling at the moon! What a great night.
Anyway, I was feeling a tad down and frustrated about some things including the lack of doing anything during what is called “peak” at work. It’s that time frame that is usually busier and longer days and more shifts due to the increased spending by holiday shoppers. It’s exhausting. That said – I still hoped I would get out and do some holiday related things but for one reason or another, it didn’t happen. I lost hope but then spontaneously, I checked tickets for the zoo online and there was literally only one ticket left for Dec. 30. I took it. It was calling my name. I checked with mom and my brother to ensure no one would be upset that I planned to go by myself and I was cleared so I finalized the purchase and I could hardly wait to go.
The night came and I super prepared for the cold night. I bought hand and foot warmers, layered up, made sure I had both camera batteries charged, an empty memory card, fuel for my car and I headed to town. I spent nearly two and a half hours wandering around, taking photos to my little heart’s desire. I never felt rushed or worried I was taking too long as I can when I’m accompanied by someone. It really felt like time well spent with myself doing one of the things I really love. It was the best therapy! And, I hardly felt cold the whole time despite the low temperature. It was marvelous!
Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like.
-David alan harvey
So, once again, I took the Canon 80D with the 55-250mm lens. I still haven’t really figured out all the bells and whistles on this thing and it’s aging. Shameful. I did use the night handheld setting so it would automatically adjust for any shakiness. Lovely setting. I did also use the auto setting now and again for comparison and some of those shots were preferred. What can I say? Sometimes this camera is simply smarter than me at the moment. One day I’ll get motivated enough to read the destruction, er…, instruction manual to learn all I need to properly use this magnificent machine. I got nearly 100 photos that I felt like sharing. That’s about double from the last time or even more than double, so I did something right. I hope you enjoy! And Happy New Year everyone! Here’s to hoping 2022 is more good to bring.
stormy musings 