Photography Assignment - Animals
Submitted by stevej on Sat, 05/28/2016 - 12:01pm
Animals
Pets, fish, fowl, general wildlife, insect macros, signs with animals on, - broad topic this one.
Of course any photographs can be posted here - they don't have to relate to the assignment.
Open Thread These assignments are posted in conjunction with Friday Night Photography Open Thread.
This weeks Friday Night Photography Open Thread
Comments
Tabby
I have very few animal pics - here is one of our cat who is no longer with us. (that is her in the top pic too.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Love the reflection in his/her eye!
Very nice!
Reminds me of 'back in na day' when I took photography in HS. B&W is my fave. And processing them was magical.
Excellent!
Is the image in your essay a picture you took?
I love the poster to begin with, but in the picture with the cat is fantastic.
I am not a photographer. The only camera I have is in my iPhone. I think it would be a great hobby, like painting, but I am not sure I have the "eye" for it. What do you think of attachments for iPhones?
We have a photographer that takes groups out for photo shoots. He does some amazing work.
http://galleries.lakesuperiorphoto.com/
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Thanks DK
Took it about five years ago IIRC, coincidentally with with an iPhone. I am a big fan of iPhone cameras for their size they can can take very high quality photos.
attachments are OK - I just got a fisheye, wideangle and macro set for $25 and they seem pretty good - especially the macro one.
here is a pic with the macro:
I am dubious about the whole having an eye thing - I really do think that it comes with practice. Trick with photography is to remember that the camera is really stupid and that you have to decide what is important in the scene and work towards highlighting that. The camera just treats everything as equal. Opinons do vary a lot on that one though.
I do think that photography is a great hobby - its got me through a lot of rough times. Also it can be taken really seriously or done purely for fun or anything inbetween. I like art so I use it to teach myself about visual language - yeh I know that sounds really pompous
Very cool work on the website - like it a lot.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Good to know about the attachment thing...
Maybe I'll look into it. They sure are cheap enough. As one of the newly retired, I am looking for things to get involved in. I just need to shut off the damn computer.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
I have to watch
the amount of time I spend on the computer. Photography is great for that. If I don't get out of the house with a camera every couple of days or so I get really antsy and my work begins to suffer. If I need to think hard about something I just grab a camera and either get on my bike or in the car and disappear somewhere for a couple of hours. whether I actually come back with any useable photographs is secondary tbh. I always learn something.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
My best critter pics
Harris' antelope squirrel:
Couch's Spadefoot toad:
And a baby Spur-throated grasshopper:
(I had to include a bug, heh.)
The toad is my favorite. She sat for several pictures, but she looks like she's had just about enough of this.
“We may not be able to change the system, but we can make the system irrelevant in our lives and in the lives of those around us.”—John Beckett
We have (and love) Couch's, and two other
Spadefoots here. They've got some toady features, some froggy features, and some unique ones.
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X
and cannibalistic tadpoles
apparently - at least with one species.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_spadefoot_toad
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Yes. We decorated our house one Halloween as
"The Night of the Living Spadefoots" Kids had to go through the mouth of a Spadefoot Toad to get to the house, and candy.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkGSZbnY5Rw]
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X
Ha! excellent
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
No pig? :)
love them all. The frog is my favorite.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Not exactly pigs
But a family of javelinas stopped by for a pool party once:
Bliss!
“We may not be able to change the system, but we can make the system irrelevant in our lives and in the lives of those around us.”—John Beckett
Well I've learned
something tonight - just read the Wikepedia page on them - really interesting. pparently they will attack humans if they feel threatened.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Good!
Because I always learn things from these posts, so that's fair
I do try to stay out of the javelinas' way. I saw a momma chase a coyote away from her baby recently. Anything the coyote runs away from is best left alone.
“We may not be able to change the system, but we can make the system irrelevant in our lives and in the lives of those around us.”—John Beckett
No pig? :)
love them all. The frog is my favorite.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
You Don't Have Enough ...
... Photos of Donald Drumpf?
Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.
ha! if I did
it would be an accident and they wouldn't make it off the camera memory card
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Hummingbird nest
A Costa's hummingbird nest photo I converted to B+W:
My hummer pic
"If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back" - Regina Brett
Hi MB
All the bird pics make me want to get the long lenses out again. Nice hummer
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
I took that with a panasonic fz35 about 4 years ago
which has a reasonable zoom. I was pruning the tree it is in, then saw it and switched shears for a camera. I like how it blends into the surroundings. I still got to within 6 feet of it - mom's head is up as she watches me. The client loved my pics and had a lot of fun watching her hatch and raise her brood.
Years ago I got one of the first Olympus OM1's into New Zealand through a professional photographer friend of my dad's. I was still in high school, and had so much fun with it. I need to pull out my slides and digitise what I can. I had a 50 mm lens (standard) and a 75 - 150mm zoom and I carried it backpacking for years.
Then a wonderful slide (I mean off the charts great picture) I finally got printed into a 16 x 20 (it was the first time I sent a slide out to get printed) was never returned and I was offered a roll of blank film as compensation. I was so hurt. I quit taking pictures. That was in the 70's.
I tried with the panasonic about 5 years ago, but it is nowhere near as good as the Olympus. I bought a Nikon D3100 with some lenses for my daughter as she has a great eye, but she just uses her damn cell phone. The Nikon is a door stop for her, but she took great pictures.
So I got a cell phone, and damn, I am having so much fun with it. It is not as good as having real lenses, but so much easier and the results are great.
These were before I got the macro kit. Still haven't even tried the other lenses, lol. I am not a wide angle thinker, I guess.
Look at the color in these things!
"If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back" - Regina Brett
Gorgeous, MB! Thanks Steve & Caucus photographers! ;-D EOM
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Pleasure as always
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
I always mean to use
the cell phone more than I do - to be honest I find it awkward - the macro attachment makes it easier for me though as I now know where the lens is without having to turn the thing around. Agree totally re the color and quality - many think the cellphone will replace the large sensor cameras and I am beginning to see why.
I use two cameras more than any other, one of which is a Nikon D3100. The other is a Samsung mirrorless with a Nikon 50mm f1.8 more or less glued to it - I can get on my bike, sling it over my shoulder (it weighs nothing) and dissappear. The older I get the less equipment I carry. I have often considered going full frame but I really like the way the crop sensor 'sees' the world.
I could never afford an OM-1 so I cut my teeth on Practicas and Zenit(h)s - great cameras for the money and a great way to learn. The first Zenit I owned was completely manual so I had to get the hang of using a lightmeter. After awhile I could more or less guess exposure but mistakes were costly!
I find wideangle work much harder than normal -telephoto but when it works it makes the effort worth it. Surprisingly I like using an ultra wide for portraits -really pulls the viewer into the action. They are very unforgiving though.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
I really like this
and the monochrome conversion works really well - perfect.
I once tried to photograph a humming bird and failed miserably - every time I got set it moved to a different flower.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Oh my!
Never seen one before. Thank you so much! How amazing!
Purfleet the Cat
One more of Purf...
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
That's a beautiful shot of Purrfleet!
With all your beautiful plants surrounding him, it gives off the feeling of being outside in a treed green swath.
I LOVE green plants in the house. Unfortunately, I totally have a black thumb. Most of them commit hari kiri a few days after I get them home.
Thanks Slightkc
I should note though that Purfleet is a 'she'.
The chattiest cat I've ever met. She even talks in her sleep. I was having a nap the other day and she decided to sit down beside me and fall asleep also. She said something, woke me up...... but she was still fast asleep!!
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
Purfleet is one beautiful cat
I like the sepia toning.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Sunny the Maine Coon cat
Sunny the Maine Coon cat
Sunny is absolutely gorgeous!
Maine Coons just love to tease you with their tummies, don't they? Tickle or run and pull back a stub half the time! (LOL)
My Whiskers was a black and white Tuxedo Maine Coon cat. I lost him a few months ago. Such a hole they leave in your life! Whiskers would get in bed with me at night, pull down the covers, and snuggle and spoon with me under the covers all night. I honestly didn't know how I was going to go to sleep at night without him. One of my other cats must have felt my pain, because he suddenly began sleeping with me. Only, instead of spooning, this one drapes himself over my neck and shoulders. At least he's a short-haired cat!
Ha! gorgeous!
Those eyes are amazing!
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
My Cammie as a baby
He's a Maine Coon and 1 year old now... but he still thinks and acts like he's a 10 week old kitten! Has led to some hilarious mishaps on his part! The "rug" he's using as a pillow here is actually a mouse pad, about 8"x6," so that will give you an idea of how small he was when this pic was taken. He's gained a few pounds over this year... about 20, and he's still my growing boy! Has this habit of cleaning any remains from everyone else's bowls before going back and eating his (that is, if someone hasn't already eaten the food in HIS bowl!) Cammie's actually one of the youngest of my brood; most of the cats I've rescued and kept are seniors now.
awwwe cute
20lbs is a fair size for a cat isn't it? Our tabby was around 23 and she was a lump.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Yippers, 20 is a pretty big boy...
20lbs is a fair size for a cat isn't it?
Yes, and especially when my compared to my Japanese Bobtail who's only about 6 pounds! I also get the feeling Cammie's not done with his growing yet, even tho he's a year old. And with all his fur, he looks twice as big as he actually is! With my fibro and a (very) bad back, he's long past the size I could carry him comfortably to and from the outside play room we built the cats.
My tuxedo Maine Coon was enormous in his hay-day, too, tho. He once topped out at 25 lbs at his heaviest and there was no fat on him anywhere. He was just a large cat.
But even more... can you believe these were "throw away" cats?! Many were scrawny, and all were flea-ridden, bedraggled, and panic stricken when they found our house. Just makes you feel like wringing somebody's neck at times! (I live one block from a county pound (which charges you to turn in an animal). We're surrounded by 2 large parks and an enormous green-space with a forest and creek across the street from us. We've taken in more terrified animals over the 20 years we've been here than I can count. Vet $$ to get them checked out and up on shots, medication for parsites and then the fun begins with getting them to trust any giant with 2 legs again. So far, I've been successful at finding homes for everyone - except the ones I couldn't part with. I'd so totally fail at being a foster parent for critters!
You are doing a wonderful thing
Treating any animal badly is completely inexcusable as far as I'm concerned. Also charging to turn in an animal seems very odd.
We have always got animals from shelters in the past and will probably do so again in the future.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
A few from the last week
" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "
Not taken with a cell phone :)
These are great pictures. But what are we seeing in the third to last - between the ducks and the red bird? A turtle?
"If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back" - Regina Brett
Yes, a Painted Turtle
" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "
Apple (I think) have
filed a patent for an optical zoom for iPhones etc. so give it a couple of years...
They are probably working on software to blur the background like a bigger sensor.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Hi B, I really look forward
to seeing your bird photos. The red and black one is very striking.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
That is a Scarlet Tanager
The best look I've ever had at one. They are usually too high up and directly overhead.
" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "
My pooties are camera shy and it's difficult to catch them at
just the right moment. So my workaround is to turn on the computer's video camera. Then I can stop the playback at just the right moment and take a screenshot. It's slightly blurry, but I love the composition and their expressions here.
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
Looks like a watercolor
very sweet as they probably plot your demise.
"If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back" - Regina Brett
Ha, my demise! Could be. Or more likely just plotting how to
guilt me into giving more treats. They were adopted after being rescued so probably wouldn't want to have to go through that again. But junk food is always more fun than a wholesome meal.
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
Thank you for this comment!
It has stuck with me since you made it. I have been thinking, "Rats, blurry," but now see it with your eyes and you're right, it has its own texture much like a painting. I like it a lot better now! Thanks for the compliment.
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
Cute :)
I often wonder if pulling stills from videos will become the norm. Cameras have improved to the point now where high (print)quality images are possible using this method.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
It's a lot easier than trying to get your finger to react fast
enough. I spent an evening trying to get photos of bats in the park with my regular old point and shoot. Ended up with nice sunset pics, but no bats! Dang, those critters are fast. I tried to anticipate their coming, even tried just shooting in their general direction without knowing where they were. Not a single bat pic. A video camera would have worked much better.
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
I love point and shoots
use a Panasonic myself but the downside is that there is always some shutter lag - very hard to get moving targets.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Love the kitty's
I guess you could say I'm a cat person with an affinity for the big cats
I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.
Big cats are
beautiful animals. Great pics - love the background separation in the first one and the detail in both.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
A lil loose with the rules
for this assignment. The camera for me is more a means to an end. Here are two sketches from this afternoon that represent my animals. The first is a sketch of a relief...hope ancient beasties are ok. It reminds me of my puppy. The second is a quick sketch of my cat with her head resting on the window ledge.
"Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change." Stephen Hawking
NEW: http://www.twitter.com/trueblueinwdc
Extra credit for manual picture mode
"If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back" - Regina Brett
Excellent!
and not stretching the rules at all! - they are photos and there are animals
Great sense of fun -wonderful compositions too.
I was taught to draw before I ever picked up a camera and I am always eternally grateful for that. I had an extremely strict and brutally blunt teacher who just knew exactly when I had put effort in or whether I was trying to skate. She was merciless and exactly the right tutor for me at the age of 15.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire