- Katey Ladika
The Furry Faces I Met Along the Way
“The message is simple: love and conserve our wildlife.” - Steve Irwin
There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t sit and marvel at the wildlife scurrying around me. A grey squirrel hunting for snacks or a bird perched peacefully on a nearby tree branch just seem to captivate my attention and keep me staring on.
Sometimes, I’m lucky enough to have my camera in hand when I come across one of these creatures. Sometimes, I go exploring with the determination to capture images of a specific breed or species. No matter the case, I always take a few moments to soak in the natural world that I have stepped into and observe the animals I hold so dear.

In August of 2020, I was fortunate enough to take a two week road trip across the US. I hope to detail my adventures out in a later blog post, but for now we are focusing on the furry faces I met along the way. From Maryland to North Dakota and back my boyfriend and I traveled stopping at places like Indiana Dunes State Park, the Badlands, and the Black Hills. While there I got to meet some pretty friendly animals and truly fell in love with the wildlife around me.
Buffalo, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and even reptiles from a roadside attraction acted as models for my animal portraiture. Because I was so incredibly proud of the wildlife photographs I took on this adventure in particular, I wanted to put together a little photo essay of my favorite images.
Check them out below!









