Fall is an amazingly beautiful time of year in the Northeast. Plus I get to celebrate my birthday in the fall, so this year I decided to gift myself a Photography Tour at Lakota Wolf Preserve in New Jersey. It truly was an amazing experience and the perfect birthday gift to myself.

I arrived at the Preserve around 7:15 to embark on my 7:30 tour with the wolves. My tour guide (one of the owners), Becky, arrived on time and we went over the guidelines and headed up to the wolves. She brought me into the wolf area and guided me in between the enclosures and opened portholes in the fencing for me to shoot threw. There were four different enclosures and they housed Timber, Arctic, and British Columbian Wolves. The wolves were all so beautiful. They each had their own unique personality as well as different colors, markings, and sizes.

Becky was so awesome about working with me and the wolves to make sure I would get the best possible photo opportunities. She worked hard to bring them in close, move them back, and get them to howl. It was truly an awesome experience and the beautiful fall colors helped to enhance my shots.

After my two hour window at the Preserve I headed to PA to enjoy a zoo near my sisters house. The zoo was smaller than I expected, but still very enjoyable. My favorite exhibits were the Otters and the Penguins. I probably spent a good two plus hours with the Otters. After the zoo I went to my sisters house and surprised my niece and nephew with my visit. We had an awesome evening hanging out, having tacos for dinner, then my sister and I snuck out to a winery.

It was truly a great day to begin my long weekend and my birthday celebration!