Earthlings Documentary

I recently found this documentary which further cemented my views on why I eat what I eat, and how I choose to support animal rights. While not brand new, it shows real footage which looks to have been captured primarily by hidden camera concerning all aspects of how animals are treated and used around the world. This ranges from food production to the pet trade finishing up with how common items such as leather goods come to be.

Those behind the movie are so eager for everyone to have the opportunity to see it that they have provided it free on their website (LINK). They give the option to purchase the DVD as well in order to provide support for the project as well as their future endeavors.

It is sheer insanity to see how much the developed world has come to demand meat, pets of very specific breed, and products/accessories which ultimately come from animals in one respect or another. Humans have developed such sophisticated brains that nothing else rivals them, yet these brains are being used to hunt, trap, exploit, torture, and kill nearly each and every species of animal.

While I am not necessarily against people eating meat, especially for sustenance, I am against people eating meat from animals who have suffered a terrible and very unhealthy life from birth till death. In most places it is not overly difficult to find meat which comes from smaller farms where animals eat the foods they evolved to eat, live outdoors, and are commonly termed “free range.”

Whatever your view on the topic, I encourage you to watch the documentary just so you can be informed on the topic. After all, it would be quite silly to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars a year supporting something you know nothing about.

Denver Zoo

On Friday I went to the Denver Zoo to shoot some photos and see what kinds of animals they had. Friday was one of the zoo’s annual free days for the public, yet it was not nearly as busy as I would have expected. The weather was perfect and it was a great day out with perfect blue skies. Many of the shots were taken indoors as the zoo had just opened when I arrived and it was still a bit cold for many of the animals to be put in their outdoor enclosures.

Here are are a few of the photos I took. I have posted the rest in a gallery here. Everything was shot in RAW and processed with Aperture.

A Hiena which was running around excitedly.

This cheetah was sunning itself and watching the crowd.

The zoo had gorgeous peacocks running free on the grounds.

A beautiful green tree monitor was basking under its UV light.

A lion fish.

One of the zoo’s stunning juvenile komodo dragons.

Amazing Animal Photos

While looking for wallpapers for my computer today I stumbled across the Deviant Art page of Igor Siwanowicz. His work is absolutely amazing when it comes to photographing some of my favorite animals such as reptiles. He also has some brilliant shots of insects and arachnids. I definitely suggest everyone take a look at his gallery: here

With my newfound hobby of photography on a more serious scale I hope to be able to take some similar shots in the future. I guess my pet lizard Vanessa better get ready for her photo shoot!