The Nashville Zoo

Susan, my lovely bride, suggested last summer that we purchase a membership to the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. I was a bit skeptical at first, wondering if we would actually visit the zoo enough times to make the membership worthwile. Well, let me tell anyone who is considering a membership to the zoo that this has probably been the most well spent money since Suz and I met. We have been to the Nashville Zoo well over 50 times since the membership was purchased. This summer while she has been at home with the kids they have been atleast once a week every week but two this summer. I have been many times; but not nearly the number of times that the rest of the family has gone.

Usually I go with the family and try to take some good pictures of the animals; however, I am not able to spend the time composing and "waiting for the shot" that I am acostomed to when on a shoot by myself or with other photographers. Photographicly, what these trips have done is forced me to see all of the bad shots that I have taken over the last year and a half, critique them, and figure out how to take them better when I return to the Zoo with the ability to take the time. Recently, I took a morning to do just that. I was able to draw upon all of the mental notes that I had taken and get several of the compositions that I had visualized. Here are the results. Some, one in particular, still require more work.