On this particular day, I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to photograph. Most of my photowalks are very unstructured. I just grab the camera bag and walk on out the door. If something sparks my interest, I'll take a picture. If it doesn't, I'll move on.

Today the first thing I saw was this pair of lizards sunbathing on a rock. These little guys were a key factor in deciding what I was going to actively look for: critters in town.

Soaking up the late morning sun, this pair of homies were my first subjects. I expected them to scurry off as I got closer and closer. It was surprising that I was able to get within 10 feet of them.

A realization hit me. These animals live in town and are used to people being around. They aren't tame, but they also aren't worried I'm going to try to eat them. As long as I didn't move too fast I would be able to spend as much time as I wanted with these guys.

I was able to get a couple of photos, and this one above is by far my favorite. I like how the focus shifts through the image. I like that the background feels close. I love the detail that is preserved in the in focus areas.

After finishing up with the lizards I kept walking. I now had a purpose on this walk: find more city critters. The next that I came across were these bees buzzing from flower to flower in this tree.

This was a completely different story than the lizards. Those guys were just chillin' and soaking up the rays. The bees were much more active. A different approach was needed.

I knew I wanted to get a photo with at least one on a flower. They were just high enough in the tree that I couldn't zoom in as tight as I would have liked. So I then had to start looking for different ways to make a picture interesting. In this one, I used the tree branches to frame the flower. I waited for a bee to land on the flower I had decided to use. It turns out that two of the little dudes decided to come into the frame.

The last bit of my walk was full of bird song. I believe they were House Finch's flying around and darting up to eat some of the fruit on this tree. They were constantly in motion, fluttering here and there, diving down from the tree, then swooping around again to have their fill. Much in the same way the lizards didn't have a care in the world for my existence, the Finch's were unbothered. They continued about their morning of singing and eating.

So I put myself in a spot with a clean line of sight to the fruit that captured their attention. My goal was to get a photo of one (hopefully a couple, but that didn't happen) eating from its perch. I wasn't waiting too long before one swooped in for some breakfast. I had just enough time for a couple of photos, a quick moment to recompose, and then snap a couple more. This one was my favorite of the bunch.

This photo walk served as an inspiration for a personal project. I am going to spend some of my free time this year photographing wildlife that lives in the urban areas around San Diego. As I photograph more species I'll start to do some research into them and write up a short description. I've been toying with the idea of creating a photobook lately, and think this would be a great way to start.