One Week as a SeaWorld Adventure Camper

Back in the summer of 2006, I went on a trip with my cousin and her family to San Diego SeaWorld to participate in an educational program called Adventure Camps. As part of our five-day “adventure,” we got to see everything, and I mean everything, that the park had to offer – including a part of SeaWorld that is typically off-limits to regular park-goers: “behind the scenes.”

As a previous aspiring __________ (insert any job title relating to the care or study of animals, here), and since my cousin dreamed of being a dolphin trainer, I knew there was no way I could turn down her invitation to join her on the trip. After all, how many times in your life do you actually get to meet and greet dolphins; sit in the front row at the Shamu Show; learn about sharks, hands-on; go snorkeling; ride and re-ride (and re-ride) the Journey to Atlantis water coaster; spend quality time with your cousin and her family (brownie points?!); and MORE, all in the same week? (Seriously, people, I was a Junior in high school at the time). Well, where I’m from (land-locked and surrounded by mountains), there was no way any of that would have EVER happened if I hadn’t gone. And despite how bland the last two days at the park seemed (due to repetition in activities), I’m pretty glad I was given the chance to experience this.

My cousin, her cousin, and I all signed up for a five-day day camp program offered by SeaWorld. This not only allowed us to spend time at the park, but outside the park, as well, for personal itineraries during the evenings. The groups were split up according to age group, and luckily, the three of us were all placed in the 9th-12th grade group, along with about ten or so other kids. Each group had a guide, and if I recall correctly, an assistant guide, that not only held the responsibility of “guiding” us around, but to make sure that each of us stayed with the group. Even as a kid, I recall the whole park experience to be very organized, and not to mention, our guides were pretty awesome.

Now, let’s see if I can dig into that deep part of my memory…ah, yes. Here is a list of the activities (that I remember) that were included in the five-day day camp:

• A tour of the “hospital” area – we saw a plethora of detained sick and recovering marine animals and were told about their treatment process, facilities, etc. One story that I remember a vet tech told us was how a sea lion was in the hospital for having a parasite, and that the end of the worm came out with a bowel movement one day. Knowing that they had no other way, one of the employees ran over and stepped on the tail of the parasite to prevent it from going back in. After pulling it out completely, the parasite ended up being about 30 feet long. (GROSS)!
• Dolphin meet and greet – best part of the whole five-day trip. We were each allowed to stand right by the edge of their pool with one or two small fish. When they approached, we got to toss the fish right into their mouths and pet them. I wish this could’ve lasted all day…

Dolphina (my name for this one) smiles for the camera!

My cousin Hailey shares a moment with a dolphin, behind the scenes at SeaWorld.

• Fed sting rays. Actually, they had their stings removed, so they were safe to touch! The trainer explained to us that all we needed to do was clamp the piece of meat in between two fingers, stick it in the water for a nearby ray, and then it would suck it into its mouth like a vacuum. That’s exactly what it felt like, and it was awesome. This is probably my second-most memorable part of the trip.
• Got to hold/touch starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, etc. One of the animals (sea cucumber?) was the most interesting and eerie of them all to hold – if they are out of the water for too long, they start to expand as a defense mechanism. If they aren’t placed back in soon, they will simply explode. (Don’t worry – I didn’t “try it to see what would happen.”)

Holding a starfish!

• Sat in on a plethora of shows, including the Shamu Show, which we got to see front-and-center. Yes, we got very wet that day.

Front-and-center at the Shamu Show

• Toured all of the other open features and displays in the park – the non-exclusive part of the program.

Flamingo pond at SeaWorld.

View from the Bayside Skyride

• Went on all the rides once or twice (or thrice or…).
• Learned about sharks, hands-on – got to study and touch baby leopard sharks.

My group listening to some guides talk about sharks.

• Went on a two or three hour-long snorkeling excursion at a marina nearby Seaworld – got to swim around and view the underwater life. There wasn’t anything more than sea grass, crawdads, and the occasional fish here-and-there, but it was still pretty fun.

This marina near SeaWorld was the location of our snorkeling excursion.

That's me as a 17 year-old! Snorkeling for the first time!

• Made awesome friends, whom I personally kept in touch with for a few months after the trip.
• Made memories and the gained the ability to say that I’ve done all of the above.

So if you’ve come to this post searching for a review of SeaWorld’s Adventure Camps, I can tell you from my own experience that it was probably one of the coolest experiences of my young life. At the age of 17, I got to see and learn about something that I was highly interested in at the time – virtually directly. The five-day day camp option cost upwards of $300 dollars, but I’d say that it was well-worth the expense because of all the exclusive stuff we got to see and do in and around the park. The atmosphere that was set by our guides was very laid-back, yet respectful, and they provided us with safety; kept our well-being sound by providing us with water and snacks; and gave us the chance to go do other things around the park based on “rule of majority.” The only relatively negative thing I have to say about the whole experience is that it seemed like five days was too long. Some of the activities that we did in the first three days seemed to be repeated on days four and five, and, well, frankly, there’s only so much to do at SeaWorld. I would look into all their Adventure Camps programs if that worries you. But, of course, I went six years ago, so some of the programs are probably different by now. You have to provide your own sack lunch, which is another downside (sushi is probably not the best meal to have in a park that promotes the well-being of marine life, anyway).

Overall, that week was pretty amazing considering all the new things I got to see and do; the people I got to meet and become closer to; and the memories that were made. I would highly recommend this experience for any K-12 student who is highly interested in marine or animal life. Lastly, I would also recommend sending them with at least one other friend or family member around the same age. That way, neither of them will be alone, which will make their experience all the more enjoyable!

Feel free to comment with questions that I haven’t already covered, or to share your own memories of a SeaWorld Adventure Camp!

Random Black and White Shots

So I finally got my black and white film roll developed and digitalized, but before I show them, I’d like to tell you a story…

On Saturday, I first went to Inkley’s to have the developing done. I could only assume that they provided that service, but they said that they outsource black and white film, and the turnaround time is usually 2-3 weeks. “Uh, I don’t think so – there’s no way I’m waiting that long,” I thought to myself. The kind associate then referred me to Nichol’s (probably by reading my facial reaction), which is another local photo lab who does in-house developing. I was all for heading over there immediately. Unfortunately for me, however, they are only open weekdays from 8-5 (like, seriously?). And who else would happen to have a full-time job and works until 5, Monday through Friday? Me, of course! Seeing no chance at making it across the valley from my work place without sacrificing too many hours on-the-clock, I knew there was only one way that I would ever see the 36 images I had produced over the course of two years: develop them myself. After a few days of sporadic back-and-forth texts to prior photography instructor Kerry Jones, I had set up a time to make a visit to the photo lab in the Communications building at the U.

Thursday at 7:30 p.m. came all too soon, but I welcomed it with wide-open arms. I walked into the photo lab that I used to know so well (I was a photo lab tech there for more than a year). I saw the cheery old man getting things all set up just for me, and I couldn’t help but feel the familiar feelings of joy and anticipation associated with manual film development. (I feel extremely sorry for all you digital-junkies who have never stepped foot in a dark room – you’re missing out on A LOT)! After a brief bout of friendly conversation, Kerry left me to it.

I’m not going to deny that I had shoved my knowledge of the film development process into the back of my mind, since the last time I actually developed was probably about a year ago. It took me a little while to orient myself, but I eventually got started. With the handful of instruction sheets hanging on the walls, there was no way I could mess it up, right? Wrong. Just kidding – but I did find myself panicking when I thought that I had missed a step. (Silly me – there is no Stop Bath step in development. Duh)! Phew.

When my film was all done and dry, Kyle and I viewed the frames through a magnifying glass and tried to identify each scene. If I had more time, I would have gladly done some prints – but after spending almost two hours in the lab, I was ready to go. The next day, I went back to Inkley’s and had the negatives scanned onto a CD. Once I got it back, I discovered that this roll holds such a random assortment of images. Check out my favorites below:

Driver's cabin in the old 107.5 The End (Salt Lake City FM radio station) bus. Date unknown, but between 2010-2011.

Cloud, sun, and sky at an unknown location. Taken app. 2010-2011.

My dog, Chloe - probably at a dog park or on a hiking trail somewhere in the Salt Lake valley. Date app. 2010-2011.

Long-exposure of a creek. Date app. 2010-2011.

Inside my fridge. Date app. late 2011. (Yah, notice the time difference between this and the last picture, haha).

Flock of birds in flight. Date app. October? 2011.

My dog, Baby - resting in the late fall/early winter sun. Date app. December 2011.

Top-view of Souk and Kyle as they prepare eggrolls for our New Year's Eve get-together. Taken December 31, 2011 (Ha! Finally know a date!)

Kyle about to shoot for WATER Pong. Haha. Taken December 31, 2011.

Eric and Kyle trying to distract the other Water Pong team. Taken December 31, 2011.

Lovely glass of bubbly to celebrate the new year. Taken December 31, 2011.

Chloe being oh-so bored. Taken January 2012.

Nice shallow depth-of-field shot of dried roses with bokeh of Christmas lights in the background. Taken January 2012.

I used Kodak T-Max 400 film in a Canon AE-1 and slightly post-processed these images in Photoshop (just levels and curves). I have some more rolls that I have yet to use but the one in my camera is already well over half done. I hope to go back to the lab this week to develop it! Stay tuned for more!

P.S. Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Remembering Capilano Suspension Bridge

Last May, Kyle and I traveled to the Pacific Northwest for a week of leisure and to attend our friend’s wedding. Since then, I have only posted one – yes, ONE – blog entry featuring my photos of public markets in Seattle and Vancouver. For whatever reason, posting anything more about the trip has been a challenge for me – until now; I’m determined to finally share my stories and showcase pictures from the vacation.

Having done research prior to the trip, I figured that the week would be more relaxing than anything, because unless you’re a complete outdoors-junkie (I’m only half of one), it seemed that there were not a whole lot of other things to do in this densely-forested area of North America. I was wrong. Even with its diversity in terrain (we’re talking the Rocky Mountain range within miles of the Pacific Ocean, here), Vancouver’s natural-turned-manmade attractions were, fortunately for me, catered to the average tourist (and no, we did not attempt the Grouse Grind).

One of the better experiences that I had (not that they weren’t all amazing), and the only activity that sticks out in my memory of Vancouver like a sore thumb, was when we went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Nestled shallow in the mountains of the Canadian Rockies hangs the free-swinging, 450-foot long bridge, which crosses 230 feet above the Capilano River.

Capilano Suspension Bridge from a distance. May 17, 2011.

I stood at the overlooking base and watched as others made their way onto and across the bridge. I was eager to go, so I made my way toward it. “Get ready to use your sea legs!” exclaimed a wife to her husband just steps behind me. Even though she wasn’t talking to me, I embraced her advice and curiously stepped forward with caution.

A man grasps both sides of the bridge's railings as he walks further onto the Cap Bridge. May 17, 2011.

Okay, so it wasn’t so bad that you had to use your “sea legs,” but the bridge did noticeably sway. Actually, “sway” might even be an exaggeration. It more like…”bounced” slightly. Remember those bridges that you used to jump up and down on at the playground when you were a kid (or even now)? Well that’s pretty much what it was – the only difference being that the Cap Bridge was like, a gazillion times longer.

Kyle and I took our time on the bridge, walking slowly to fully immerse ourselves in our surroundings. We stood near the middle and looked down at the river (well, at least I did). We took pictures. We listened to the sounds of the river and the surrounding rainforest. We even tried to taunt everyone on the bridge by jumping subtly, during which I was forced to block any “what if” thoughts from entering my busy mind. (I figured that if the wires DID snap, I would just grab and hold onto the railing for dear life).

There's my babe on the bridge! May 17, 2011.

Soon enough, we were at the other end of the bridge and walking right into dense forest. I looked up and saw people strolling across even more bridges that were perched up in the giant Douglas firs. This would be our next event: the Treetops Adventure. We easily ventured across each short bridge that connected one tree to another without any fear or hesitation. The ambiance was oh-so peaceful and the cold, moist air on my face was refreshing. And unlike the main suspension bridge, these smaller ones weren’t as crowded.

Just a couple of the very tall Douglas firs on the other side of the bridge. Depth is kind of hard to perceive in this photo.

One of the short suspended bridges that make up the Treetops Adventure at Capilano. May 17, 2011.

That's me being a tree-hugger. Although not nearly as wide as a redwood, Douglas firs are still pretty large. May 17, 2011.

Kyle as he takes a picture of the main bridge from the other side. May 17, 2011.

Within two hours, we had experienced all the features that Capilano had to offer. It was a relatively expensive two hours ($30 per person), but I think that it was worth experiencing, especially because there are neither rainforests nor cool bridges where I’m from. If you’re afraid of heights, this might not exactly be the perfect activity for you, and even though I’m not, I must admit the first steps onto the bridge were somewhat agonizing. But in the end, it wasn’t at all bad. So if you like nature, architecture, and/or “cliche” tourist attractions, then I would highly recommend visiting the Capilano Suspension Bridge if you’re ever in Vancouver. Your memory of it, amongst everything else, will stick out like a sore thumb

Mile-High City

I find it funny that I had never set foot in Colorado until I was 22 years old – it being a neighboring state of Utah and all. Well, last week I finally had the opportunity to do so! The point of the trip was mainly to visit Kyle’s cousin who is about to be deployed to Afghanistan (stay safe, buddy!), but it was also nice just to “get away” (again). Luckily, I didn’t have to spend a dime as we got to stay with Kyle’s family at their home in Thornton, just north of Denver, and our transportation to and fro was courtesy of Kyle’s mom and her spacious SUV.

The 8-turned-6-hour drive (late night = no traffic…and speeding) started on Friday night at about 7:30. Yet, the drive didn’t seem that long even through the most boring state of Wyoming. With the company of the entire backseat, my cuddly dog, entertaining conversation, and Journey’s greatest hits, 2:30 a.m. and our destination came sooner than later. And despite the time, everyone was still up to “welcome” us, which also made it seem earlier than it really was.

The trip was more relaxing than not, and we didn’t do too much other than sleep in, go out to eat, play family games, and do a bit of sight-seeing. The first thing we did on Saturday was go to the Flat Iron Mall, for whatever reason…(I mean, it’s not like I’ve never been to a mall before). After a few hours there, we headed to a Moroccan restaurant called Mataam Fez for dinner. The food, even though delicious, wasn’t as gratifying as the overall experience itself – we ate with our right hands without utensils, grabbed food off community food platters, sat on pillows on the floor, and watched a belly dancer perform. The atmosphere was also appealingly different than any restaurant I’d been to before; all the customers seemed to be having a good time, the music was joyful, the hospitality was amazing, and the walls were covered in bright and beautifully-woven tapestries. I would highly recommend going there if you’re ever in the area.

On Sunday, we drove past Denver toward Lakewood to eat lunch at the world-famous Casa Bonita. (On the way, we saw a lot full of tailgaters and the Sports Authority Field stadium filling up with blue and orange-colored Broncos fans. This was my first NFL sighting!)

Taken while driving past Sports Authority Stadium in Denver, January 8, 2012.

In case you aren’t a frequent watcher of the Travel Channel or haven’t actually been to Denver, Casa Bonita is a historic-Hispanic-themed restaurant that features a huge dining area, arcades, “hidden” areas to explore, and live mini-shows and performances which include cliff divers. (If you’re from Salt Lake, this may sound an awful lot like The Mayan – this is because Larry H. Miller ripped off the idea of the 40-year-established Denver attraction and thought he could make it better). The restaurant is very family-oriented, but is mainly geared toward younger children, which was very noticeable in the quality of food served. Speaking of the food, I may as well just come out honestly and say that it was pretty much horrible, and each nacho cheese-y, watery bean-y, and tasteless rice-y bite I took were exponentially-challenging efforts to not vomit. Alas, I couldn’t help but stop trying with almost 75% of the food still on my plate. The complimentary honey-filled sopaipillas at the end were alright, though (probably because I was starving so anything at that point would taste good, LOL).

Entrance to the world-famous Casa Bonita "Mexican" restaurant. January 8, 2012.

An employee at Casa Bonita shoves our food down from out of the kitchen. January 8, 2012.

A cliff diver at the Casa Bonita takes his final plunge of the 5-minute performance. Januray 8, 2012.

After we were all finished with our lunch, we spent about another hour inside the place “exploring” and watching shows. Toward the end of our visit, we even decided to get our pictures taken as a group of old Western outlaws:

I think I look pretty badass with a rifle. Just saying. January 8, 2012.

We then headed downtown so I could get a quick looksie of the mile-high city. My main request was to visit the State Capitol Building so I could get some pictures of the stair-step that serves as the infamous mile-marker:

There I stood at the mile-high marker, at the Denver State Capitol Building on January 8, 2012.

Statue of establishment with the Denver State Capitol in the background. January 8, 2012.

Can anyone tell me what bulding is in the distance? Is it the courthouse? Located west of the State Capitol. Taken January 8, 2012.

The rest of the night was filled with more (real and tasty!) food, meeting more of Kyle’s relatives, and some more fun and games to round it all out. The next morning, everyone sadly bid adieu to their brave Marine, and soon enough, it was time for us to make our way back home as well. To start our trip, we stopped at an Einstein Bagels in downtown Denver for a to-go breakfast. While we waited for our food, I took the pleasure of going outside to take some pictures:

Highrises in downtown Denver, January 9, 2012.

16th Avenue in downtown Denver on a Monday morning. January 9, 2012.

People of downtown Denver. Taken near lunch time on January 9, 2012.

Just a photojournalistic capture of a patron at a bus stop on 16th Avenue in downtown Denver. January 9, 2012.

We then hopped back on the road and took the beautiful scenic i-70 route through the Rockies and up through Grand Junction, Colorado and Green River, Utah. We passed famous Coloradan ski towns during the 11,000-foot altitude drive, all of which looked exactly like Utah’s own Park City – nothing special. In fact, the overall trip was just that: nothing special – besides the mere fact that I’d never been to Colorado before. Denver is depressingly similar to Salt Lake City, so even though we were 500 miles away from home, I still felt, well, at home.

Forgotten Surprises

What’s also fun about film is that when I do happen to wait a long time to get it developed, more often than not I will have forgotten the pictures I took. As a result, I never fail to find joy in the surprises that reveal themselves upon getting my prints back. The following are the last few of such surprises from my Lomo roll:

Nice wide-angle shot of Long Beach, CA. Taken with Lomography Fisheye 2 on August 9, 2010.

Just a self-portrait of Kyle and I at Long Beach. Taken August 9, 2010.

Bulb exposure of the two-story merry-go-round at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Taken November 24, 2011.

I don't know if this shot was intentional, but it turned out to be kind of interesting. Taken at Pier 39 on November 24, 2011 with Lomography Fisheye 2.

(I decided to separate my Lomo photos into themed posts – today’s theme was “travel” if you couldn’t tell).

P.S. Happy birthday, Dad! Love you

So I Finally Got My Lomo Film Developed…

The funny thing about film photography is that after about using half a roll of film, you lose interest in it and go back to digital. Then, a year or more later you randomly feel the urge to play with film again. You take out your camera, notice it has 15 exposures left from who knows when, and then you frantically shoot anything that seems “film worthy” in your apartment within one hour just to finish off the roll because you seriously just want to go get it developed.

That, my friends, is exactly what happened to me a few nights ago. Except, I had a bigger challenge: to finish off not one, but TWO rolls of film – one in my Lomo, the other in my dad’s old Canon AE-1. That’s basically one full roll of film! And let me tell you – using the rest of that film was no easy task for a Monday evening.

When I had finally used up both rolls, I promptly headed to the local drug store to get them developed. To my dismay, I had forgotten that most places only do c-41 color film, so half of my work (the one black and white roll), will be sitting in my purse until I can find the time to take it somewhere else. But it’s all good – I got my Lomo prints done within a few hours and now I would like to share some with you:

Chloe in my bedroom. Taken with Lomography Fisheye 2, date unknown but approximately June-August 2010.

Double-exposure, "love" on a whiteboard and LED-tip decorative branches (white dots visible in the picture). Taken January 2, 2012 with Lomography Fisheye 2.

Brightly-lit fisheye photo of my world map. Taken January 2, 2012 with Lomography Fisheye 2.

Candid capture of Chloe licking Kyle's neck (gross). Taken January 2, 2012 with Lomography Fisheye 2.

Upon receiving the photos back, I have pretty much decided that I really dislike this toy camera. It can be fun for certain looks and styles, but overall, I don’t appreciate that I wasted over half a roll of film because the scenes were not bright enough. The few photos that I actually wanted to see didn’t turn out, to say the least (I largely shot on “Normal” mode without flash). I also noticed how, when using the one-sided built-in flash, a large shadow of the outward-protruding lens was cast, therefore blacking out the whole right-side of the photo (very apparent in the map photo above). As a result, the disappointment and irritation are enough to make me never want to use it again. But, that’s just my opinion – I never really took the time to learn the “art of Lomo,” so I would still encourage anyone who finds joy in it to continue using theirs.

There will be more photos to come in the coming days/weeks, so keep an eye out! In the meantime, if you have a Fisheye 2, or any other Lomo camera, post me a link to your photos – I’d love to see them!

P.S. My urge to shoot film wasn’t as “random” as I previously mentioned – I was inspired by a recent follower, Film Wins (shout out!), as well as by a plethora of others in the photo community who have taken a step back from technology to re-experiment with film.

My Top Ten Blog Posts of 2011

I did this last year, so I thought, “Hey! Why not do it again?” I mainly do it for record purposes, but it also benefits my new followers if they haven’t looked into my archive of blog posts. It’s also interesting for me to see how much I’ve grown and improved as an artist. Not too complicated, right?

Although it experienced a lack of posts for long periods of time, I do feel that this was a great year for my blog. This is mostly because the content I got onto my blog varied – from writing and expressive posts, to portrait and travel photography posts. And after this whole year, I think I have finally found my niche in travel writing and photography. This is scary, yet so relieving at the same time! I also don’t know how this will work out since I rarely get to go anywhere new…but, alas, I want to try and focus more on that in 2012. It’s going to be exciting, and will probably make me feel obligated to leave town when I run out of content (Uh-oh, I hope I didn’t jinx myself there…)

Without further ado, here are my top ten blog posts of 2011, based on ascending view count:

10. As a Model… A post in which I reflect on what it’s like to be in front of the camera (yep, that’s me).

9. Memories of Hong Kong, Part 1 – Remembering the four-year period of my life that was spent living in Hong Kong.

8. A Thunderstorm in Salt Lake City – Just a sweet post with lightning photos!

7. The Business Proposal – Just a narrative set of pictures taken during a photoshoot of Steve.

6. Photographing a Stranger – Done for a class assignment. Probably one of the most intimidating experiences ever!

5. I Am My Own Worst Critic – Well You Can Be, Too! – I was discouraged and frustrated when I wrote this. Interestingly, I no longer worry about what everyone else thinks about my work

4. Bennion Center Winter Retreat 2011 – A photographic record of a weekend spent at Brighton Ski Resort with the community service center.

(If this were a television show, I would have strategically put a five minute-long commercial break here).

3. Nose – “For lack of better words,” LOL.

2. Urban Photoshoot Featuring Malevolent MC – For whatever reason all the images were deleted!!! Will try and find them…

1. An Evil Art: Expression Through Words – Final documentary class project featuring MMC!

Take a look at the posts if you haven’t seen/remember them. Which are your favorites? Mine would be the thunderstorm post, not because that post is all purple (I LOVE purple), but because I captured some pretty sweet photos that night! Overall, I was quite surprised that most of these made the list. It’s also interesting how the top two posts are about Malevolent MC! People must really be interested in him

Hope y’all had a great night out (or in) last night! Let’s make 2012 a better year for all of us! Happy New Year!