What’s in a Face?

tanjabrittonwriter 65 Comments

Do you like to look at or take photos of faces? A friend once told me that my people snapshots suck, and she was right, so I take very few images of people, including selfies, which I abhor. But I love to look into the eyes and take photos of other-than-human creatures, and a good place to do so is at a zoo, with its captive (for better or worse) residents.

Today’s post contains pictures of faces of the denizens at our local Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which many of you have toured with me before. The faces of all these animals have touched me one way or another, either because they are majestic (like the Mountain Lion above), or cute, or droll, or fearsome (see alligator below), but these perceptions are in the eyes of the beholder, and your impressions might be different from mine.

To enlarge a photo, click on it. To read its caption, hover cursor over it.

Budgies (Wellensittiche)
Gray Crowned-Crane (Grauhals-Kronenkranich)
Brown Bear (Braunbär)
Eastern Black Rhinoceros (Ostafrikanisches Spitzmaulnashorn)
Red-necked Wallaby (Rotnackenwallaby)
American Alligator (Mississippis-Alligator)
Blue Tree Monitor (Blauer Baumwaran)
Chameleon (Chamäleon)

I would also like to use this occasion to give you an update on our “baby” hippo. Omo is no longer a baby, but at 2 years and seven months is considered a “tween” (he was born July 20, 2021). He weighed in at about 1,300 pounds (590 kg) most recently and continues to live with his mother, Zambesi (both are named for African rivers). He loves to dive in their pool and during our visit on February 21, we caught only brief glimpses when he resurfaced for air, until he and his mom came out of the water to feed. He does his family and species proud!

Hippo (Nilpferd) “Omo,” now a “tween”
Hippo (Nilpferd) “Omo,” now a “tween”

Last but not least, the following portrait shows “Hoosier,” the zoo’s resident Barn Owl. We always visit this gorgeous, inquisitive—and very photogenic—bird of prey and I’m utterly enchanted by him, so much the more as I have yet to photograph a representative of this species in the wild. So while I gaze at Hoosier’s heart-shaped face and soulful eyes, my heart and soul long for a similarly enchanting encounter in his kind’s native haunt.

“Hoosier,” the Barn Owl (Schleiereule)

As was announced only today, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was voted the #5 “Best Zoo in North America” by the USA TODAY 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, the eighth year in a row it has been ranked among America’s top ten zoos. In the “Best Zoo Exhibit in North America” subcategory, our local “Rocky Mountain Wild” exhibit ranked #2 (click here for the fresh-off-the-press news release). Congratulations, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

65 thoughts on “What’s in a Face?”

  2. Well, you take excellent bird shots (if not human shots), Tanja.

    Love the expression on the rhinoceros’ face. Right place, right time. :)

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    • Thank you, Vicki. There are few things I love more than looking at birds and taking their pictures.
      I was lucky to capture the rhino while it was waiting to be fed, so I happened to be there at the right time.

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  5. The difference in favorites among readers is interesting: I vote for the puma and owl.

    Most people hate photos of themselves because they are used to seeing the reverse image of themselves in a mirror. As amateur portrait and figure artist, I spend a lot of time looking at the works of others to see what makes an image “good.”

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    • A fascinating observation regarding mirror images. I’d not thought of that, but can see that’s probably true. I saw myself in some wedding photographs recently and barely recognised myself.

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    • Thank you for your comment. I also find it interesting to see people’s preferences (and dislikes, for that matter).

      Your comment about selfies is intriguing. I had not considered the mirror image effect; rather, I have always assumed that people, who have trouble with self-acceptance, don’t like to see themselves in photos, which is something that’s true for me.

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  8. I’m not good with human faces either, Tanja. I had a spell photographing the faces of cows and sheep, which are plentiful in my area, and reading all sorts into their character.

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    • Thank you, Michael. Maybe the fact that animal faces hold a greater appeal for us reflects our ambivalence about people. At least that’s true for me. While I have seen wonderful portraits of humans that show the good sides of humanity, it doesn’t seem to be up to me to try to capture those.

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  9. So you faced up to your weakness with human visages and turned to those you have more than a superficial rapport with. The chameleon’s lime-sherbet green looks good against the dull red of the bricks behind it.

    I see German calls a hippopotamus a Nile horse, which is more specific than the water horse that hippopotamus means in (Latinized) Greek, and which American schoolteachers often don’t explain to children. For German-speaking children, the meaning is right in their face.

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    • Thank you for your comment, Steve.

      Considering how obvious the chameleon in the photo, it took us a while to see it in its enclosure. Despite the contrast to the red wall, it blended in quite well.

      A German synonym for Nilpferd is Flußpferd, which is actually a more literal and accurate translation of hippopotamus, as many hippos live in rivers besides the Nile.

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  12. Thank you, Tanja, your fabulous photos have really cheered me up. That chameleon is wonderful, and the budgies remind me of Toby, who lives with Mrs P’s parents and happily wishes every visitor to their home a cheery “good morning!”, regardless of the time of day!

    Delighted to see that Omo is doing so well. What a big boy he’s grown into!

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    • Thank you, Mr. P. It always makes me happy if I can spread some cheer. Which sounds like what Toby is doing for his humans all the time! Pets are so great in that regard (at least most of the time).

      I thought of you when I reported about Omo since I remembered how much you enjoyed meeting him and watching the zoo’s videos about him. He seems to be a happy hippo whenever we see him, which is very comforting.

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    • Thank you, Julie, I’m so glad the faces perked up your day. I’m always fascinated with reptiles, though some also make me shudder a little, such as alligators or some snakes. It’s good to be able to study them in a controlled setting, such as the zoo.

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  16. Aw. I visited the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo many years ago. It is a beautiful little zoo! My son was almost 2 at the time, and I remember him endlessly giggling at the antics of the meerkats. I also have a great picture of him feeding a giraffe.

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  19. Ich mag deine Aufnahmen sehr, besonders jene der Raubkatze und der Schleiereule. Eine Schleiereule ist mir mal an einem Winterabend ca. 7 Meter vor mir aufgeflogen. Ein wunderbares Erlebnis. Danke für den informativen Bericht.
    Liebi Grüess ond heb’s guet. Ernst

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  20. Wow – dann hat der Zoo ja wirklich gute Noten erhalten. Ich habe in den USA den Zoo von Denver besucht und den Zoo in Homosassa. In Denver habe ich (damals gerade aus dem Yellowstone kommend) gesehen, wie müde und wenig lebendig die Augen und Faces der Zootiere aussahen, im direkten Vergleich zu den Wildtieren im Yellowstone. Bighorn Sheep, Grizzlies Z.B.
    LG
    MAren

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    • Danke, liebe Maren. Ich habe trotz aller Liebe zu Zoos immer noch Probleme mit manchen, und auch hier wäre es schön, wenn einige Tiere etwas mehr Platz hätten. Aber sie werden sehr gut behandelt und der gute Ruf ist sicherlich verdient.
      Natürlich kann man freilebende Tiere nicht mit Zootieren vergleichen, doch wie wir wissen, würde es einige Arten ohne Zoos nicht mehr geben, oder ihr Überleben wäre noch unsicherer. Wir leben halt mal in einer Welt, wo das Tier Mensch über Jahrtausende hinweg hauptsächlich im eigenen Interesse gehandelt hat.
      Den Denver Zoo möchte ich übrigens auch gerne mal besuchen.
      Liebe Grüße,
      Tanja

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  21. A zoo can be a great place for gaining experience with the camera as we try different techniques, work with new equipment or attempt to perfect our compositional expertise.

    Funny thing. Along the way we begin to realize how very different each subject can be and we fall in love with the reason we have a camera in the first place. The force of Nature is a magnet which many of us cannot resist.

    Thank you, Tanja, for sharing your lovely work.

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    • Thank you for your kind comment, Wally. I’m so glad and grateful to have fallen under the spell of Nature’s magnetism and I find it hard to think back to a loong period of my life when I was too busy or distracted to notice. Lost years, those.

      All the more reason to spend as much time outdoors and to try to learn as much as possible. And reason to keep observing and learning from the animals at the zoo whom I might never get to see in the wild.

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  22. Hello Tanja, if I may say so, you make wonderful portraits.
    I love taking a peek into the lives of the animals your photograph through your images.
    This seems like a lovely zoo – I can understand why you like it so.
    Wishing you and all your dear ones a wonderful week ahead.

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    • I much appreciate your kind comment, dear Takami. It’s such a privilege to have these eye-to-eye moments with various animals, which are definitely easier at a zoo than in the wild. We love spending time there.
      Best wishes for you and yours as well.
      Tanja

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  24. I’m completely taken with the barn owl. Are they related to Snowy Owls, or are the facial similarities coincidental? Both are beautiful creatures. I’ve yet to get any good looks at owls, and I’m afraid I couldn’t identify them by sound. One of these days.

    I confess to feeling some affection for the alligator, too. In the case of those creatures, familiarity has bred not contempt, but admiration — and greatly lessened fear. Learning to recognize their ‘slides’ in the grass, or to know the variety of sounds they make, doesn’t lessen caution, but it does allow for more interesting observations. One thing most people wouldn’t imagine about them is that the females exhibit remarkably strong maternal instincts, and can be quite tender with their babies. There’s nothing more fun that finding a mother gator sunning herself with her babies lined up on her back.

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    • It’s a sad statement about birders and photographers who are willing to disturb a bird over and over just to check it off their list or add it to their photo archives, without realizing or acknowledging how disruptive their behavior is. Which is one of the reasons eBird hides a number of other sensitive species, as they should. Each of us bears a lot of responsibility for the birds’ well-being, if not survival.

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      • Kind of like the people who go to a refuge and walk off the trails. In the past I’ve seen some photographers do just that so they could sit in the field and hope to get a better shot. Or the ones that go on the trails that are blocked and closed with clearly marked signs saying so. I saw some people do that yesterday. If you are a photographer that loves wildlife you will respect and follow the rules. The majority of photographers at these places are not pros for a living, so it’s puzzling they are like that. I go for the animals and hope for the best. If I am lucky I am lucky. If not it’s disappointing but I will live with it.

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  28. These picture are incredible – per the question of photographing humans vs wildlife, I think it is the quandary as to what is going on behind those eyes. When it comes to humans we can take an educated guess from the other clues, expression, posture, setting from our own experiences, but there is nothing in wildlife that gives us a similar certainty. Granted, we may not want to know what they are thinking – may equate to something like ‘I wonder how tasty Bri is” ha. Good news on the little Hippo..scratch that, let’s go with “young” Hippo hehehe. I have only managed to capture a wing of a Barn Owl thanks to a surprise encounter on South Padre Island, but the Barn is my target bird for this year and some fellow birders have given me good info on where to find them – fingers crossed. By the way, have you listened to their calls? So horrifying I us those sound clips on my haunted trail – give them a listen…but during the day with the lights on! Great post.

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