An Afternoon at Lincoln Park Conservatory & The Zoo

We joked that we have walked by the Lincoln Park Conservatory and Zoo 100 million times...just always with the dogs.  So we decided to head over and check it out...without the dogs.  We started out in the Conservatory which is huge, with different rooms for different types of plants, like Ferns, Orchids and Palms.  The weather was brisk outside so the humid warm climate was soothing. 

With our new DSLR camera, we set out to practice something different than pictures of the dogs in the apartment.  Working on depth of field and the different lighting sources and strengths were fun as each of us has different ideas for the same shot.

Using a shallow depth of field fuzzed out the white statue in the background but still kept it part of the picture.

Directly next to the Conservatory is the gorgeous Lincoln Park Zoo.  Being still brisk outside we headed to the African House to get warm.  With the DSLR in tow, we set out and found this guy.

Apparently he is very well fed because in the pond below him are hundreds of tasty fish, amazing restraint.  I was hoping for a show, but nope.  Moving through the building, most of the exhibits were through thick glass, which isn't the most ideal for pictures.  It wasn't until the room opened up and we saw this guy were we able to capture more.

He was determined....and not to worry when the weather is warmer he can go outside which allows him a lot of room to play.  We will be back to prove it.

Directly next to the Giraffes were these little guys, who were very interested in the funny pink skinned creatures. 

Moving into the Bird house was equally as cool, and more photography challenges awaited us.  The lighting was soft and the birds were fast moving, so finding the right balance of shutter speed and apeture size forced you to change both without looking and faster in order to get the shot desired.

The main bird room was a little different.  There weren't cages, or different exhibits, they were free to fly around as they pleased.  Some flew only a foot away from Tara's head, which was entertaining to say the least. 

The Lion House was the last stop on our mini tour of the Zoo.  The Lions were gorgeous, but lazy as it was nap time when we were there.  They were behind a mesh metal screen so Tara focused on the beautiful architecture of the building that was easier to photograph.

It was a fun afternoon, which we both enjoyed a lot, and even better both of these are free to the public, so the only cost were hot dogs at Mello's before and Starbucks coffee afterwards to warm up.