Last updated: 2024/12/18

On the Home Page, I have a section entitled Featured Photo. Each photo has some information about why it’s my current favorite photo. Below is a collection of all the old photos, which will be regularly updated every time I update that section. They run in reverse order, with the newest at the top.

Cheetah

If you’ve looked around on my site, you’ve undoubtedly come across this photo before. It’s a cheetah taken at the Omaha Henry Doorley Zoo in Sept. 2020. This is one of my all-time favorite photos for two reasons.

First, it’s a beautiful image.

Second, it marked a significant turning point in my photography journey. I’d spent the summer of Covid watching wildlife photography and editing tips on YouTube. As restrictions lifted, this was my first opportunity to go out and try what I’d been studying for months. I walked away from the zoo that day with seven of the best animal photos I’d ever captured, most of which you can see in the “My Favorites” section of my Gallery. I also learned how to edit wildlife photos using high and low exposure layers, a style I still use today. You can see me using this technique in this blog post: Editing a Photo of an Elk.

It was a significant event for me because my skills had completely evolved over that summer, and I finally felt that I was capable of taking professional quality photos. I explain many of these techniques in this blog post: 11 Secrets to Stunning Zoo Photography.

Scarlet Ibis

This scarlet ibis, with an injured leg, looked so endearing as he watched a nearby young spoonbill gather nesting material nearby. My heart went out to him as he sat in the shade. I'm glad he’s in the zoo, where he can have an easy life and get any treatment he needs.