We’re having a cold spell here in Los Angeles and I caught my cats, Moo and Miao, snuggling together in one of their cat beds by the front balcony. Very cute! Miao is the orange one in the front. He was found when he was only a few weeks old, alone and flea ridden, in Hawaii. Moo is the black and white cat in the back. He was adopted from the Glendale Humane Society shortly after Miao arrived in Los Angeles as an companion and younger brother for Miao. They are almost polar opposites in personality. They fight and argue from time to time but at the end of the day, they really love being together.

Scheepmaker's Crowned Pigeon

Native to the dry and flooded forests of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, the Scheepmaker’s Crowned Pigeon is related to the common gray pigeon we see on the streets of big cities around the world. Their unique feature is their striking headdresses of blue-grey lacy feathers and beautiful maroon feathers on their breasts and bellies.

Snow Leopard Cub

Snow leopards are native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia. They are an endangered species, and it has been estimated that between 3,500 to 7,000 exist in the wild. Between 600 and 700, like this 6 month old cub, are found in zoos worldwide.

I was shooting in the Los Angeles Arboretum a few days ago and wandered upon a group of turtles perched on top of a floating log. At first glance, turtles don’t seem like interesting subjects.  They don’t move much, standing in the same spot for hours at a time sun bathing and perhaps contemplating the meaning of life. I never paid much attention to them. But this time I decided to sit down nearby to observe and do a little contemplation of my own.

The first few minutes were quiet and still. They noticed my presence and we were just looking at each other in silent curiosity. Looking closely at their faces and subtle body movements, their unique personalities start to show. There was the really big turtle that lazily turned his head at me and stuck up his nose as I was initially sitting down. There was the upstart turtle that swam onto the log shortly after I arrived and proceeded to push over the other turtles and climbed onto the big turtle. There was the shy turtle on the right edge of the log who tucked his head closer into his shell each time something happened nearby.

Growing up in a big city, I was not exposed to nature until college. And it wasn’t until my 20s that I started to appreciate nature  — not just for its physical beauty but also for its ability to heal and strengthen our souls. Out in the open sky, the crisp mountain air and the unpaved trails is where we can go to reconnect with the natural world and the many generations of humans who lived before. Out here we can see what our ancestors saw, walk where our ancestors walked and learn lessons from nature just like they learned.

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Crystal Jellies at the Aquarium of the Pacific

Underwater aquarium photography taken at the Aquarium of the Pacific. No flash, fast lenses (50mm 1.4 and 24-70mm 2.8), lots of patience and a monopod.

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Hungry Squirrel

This is a collection of various encounters I have had in my travels with four legged friends, insects, birds and more.

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