Challenge: Action of an animal of the wild!

[Asher Kelman]

1. Challenge, Action, Animals of the Wild, 2006_08 Wildlife Action_01 Your image can have been taken on any date, all the way back to the beginning of the 20th century as long as you shot it!

2. Aim high, but don't be shy or hold back. The images cannot be snapshots. They have to be of a quality one would expect to be able to sell or show in a gallery. If in doubt, send the image to me first, but don't get mad at me if I decline. That's just my opinion, not the truth in any way.

3. Label your image, e.g. John Smith © 2006: Mantis Preying on Cricket."


Asher

[Erik DeBill]

American coot running on mud

[Asher Kelman]

Eic, can you link the image appear without needing to click on the title, "American Coot Running in the Mud".

Asher

[Brian Lowe]

Here are my three

Titled: I'll show mama who's boss




Titled: Mama's the boss







Titled: Monkey Business





Enjoy the wildlife action,
Brian

[Dierk Haasis]

Going for a Walk

[Asher Kelman]

Brian, I guess the big cats have to rough up the cubs! What are those chimps doing?

Dierk,

That is a work of art. It transmits to me more than the recorded image. It is tranquil but has risk, a path through life itself. The dead roots in the foreground attest to a cycle that requires death.

Those are my feelings when I look at your picture. Thanks for sharing.

Asher

[Erik DeBill]

Since it won't let me edit my previous post,

[Asher Kelman]

Sorry Erik,

Do you want me to change something for you, just PM me. Editing now stops at 2hrs.

Asher

[Don Lashier]

Sandpiper.


- DL

[Sean DeMerchant]

Great shot Don,

I really like the tonalities of the blues and their correlation to the waves of sand. I personally would suggest exploring cropping the right side and bottom to the better balance the negative space of the composition with the action and body language of the bird. It might improve it, it might not, but it is only exploration I susggest.

all the best,

Sean

[Don Lashier]

Originally Posted by Sean DeMerchant

Great shot Don,

I really like the tonalities of the blues and their correlation to the waves of sand. I personally would suggest exploring cropping the right side and bottom to the better balance the negative space of the composition with the action and body language of the bird. It might improve it, it might not, but it is only exploration I susggest.

Thanks Sean,

I had considered cropping it - although I'm basically a "full frame" shooter this is often difficult with bird shots, particularly with these hyperactive critters where a tripod and careful composition is impossible. The problem cropping this image is the strong diagonal lines which fall reasonably well with the FF shot. If I were willing to vary the aspect ratio this would be easier, but here's a crop try and I think it works pretty well.


- DL

[Nicolas Claris]

Originally Posted by Don Lashier

but here's a crop try and I think it works pretty well.
- DL

I really prefer the FF version, more depth, more environement, more space...
€ ,000002 cts

[Nicolas Claris]

Originally Posted by Erik DeBill

Since it won't let me edit my previous post,

Beautifull shot!
With what did you feed that bird, he really looks sick!
;-)

[Asher Kelman]

Could even be wider! Do have others in the same series?

asher

[Nicolas Claris]

Asher
you mean Don's pic, aren't you?

[Don Lashier]

Originally Posted by Asher Kelman

Could even be wider! Do have others in the same series?

asher

I had the same thought - wish I had a little more room to the top and left. I have a few others but none have the nice clear diagonals.

Sandpipers have got to be the most frustrating birds to photograph. Gulls and Egrets sit quietly, move slowly, look at you, blink, and even pose. But sandpipers need ritalin - they're constantly on the move, usually a flock in unison, flitting this way and that, landing, digging, running, taking off - down the beach, back, all as one.

I don't understand this unison thing. Gulls do it too - I was down on the bayfront once and a flock of gulls swooped in, reversed direction, dipped, and all in unison shat - twenty splats on the street in front of me at the same time. How do they do this?

- DL

[Sean DeMerchant]

Originally Posted by Don Lashier

Thanks Sean,

I had considered cropping it - although I'm basically a "full frame" shooter this is often difficult with bird shots, particularly with these hyperactive critters where a tripod and careful composition is impossible. The problem cropping this image is the strong diagonal lines which fall reasonably well with the FF shot. If I were willing to vary the aspect ratio this would be easier, but here's a crop try and I think it works pretty well.

I know the feeling Don. I aim for maximum resolution in a print and I am very reticient to crop. Albeit, Asher recently encouraged me to try a larger print of a shot (to which I have yet to reply) and I printed out an 11x14 of it which is much smaller than Asher encouraged, but was easily printed locally and it showed me new aspects of the print on close viewing that were in contrast to the blurry aspect of the larger print. In other words I have things to learn in my artistic tastes (my professional tastes are based solely on the happy smile on a clients face which is much easier to produce than within my own mind).

Stepping back to centered compositions, I use a Rebel XT which only has a cross type sensor on the central autofocus point so I use that single point for 99.9% of what I shoot. Sometimes this forces my to crop to get good composition IMNRHO (In My Not Remotely Humble Opinion ;) ).

Stepping back to your work, I like the action of the tighter crop. Even though the bird is dead centered, the action is more balanced.

Colorwise I prefer the original. Why? Because of the shadows. The original contains that delightful dark blue shadow above your copyright note and that deep blue really brings all the blues together. But then, that is why I always (or nearly always) suggest exploring changes rather than doing them.* The loss of that balancing deep blue is just such an unintended consequence.

On the flipside, the larger size of the translucent prey in the bird's mouth is far greater and the larger size of the flying drops from the birds feet adds action.

So which is right? Neither! It is all about perception and that is filtered through so many cultural and learned biases that there is not right anser, simply the one the viewer favors.

all the best,

Sean


* My intuition is not always right, even if it often** is.

** Some aspects may do what I want, but other aspects may die.

[Sean DeMerchant]

Originally Posted by Nicolas Claris

I really prefer the FF version, more depth, more environement, more space...

Interesting. I find the original in terms of the action leaves too much choice to the viewer while the crop loses the magic of the color. Neither is right, neither is wrong, but the result is different. Regardless of the common character of the image (a seabird eating fish), the shot is pleasing either way.

Why do you consider more environment of value? Why do you consider the extra negative space of value?

No judgement here, just curiousity in my never ending quest to understand.

all the best :),

Sean

[Asher Kelman]

Sean,

Here you address an important issue.

We are supposed to have a "vision" in creating art. Sometimes out brains cannot work fast enough and the vision making, which mostly preceded picture taking might have to be delayed and put off until your computer screen displays your shots one at a time.

With animals and even with just a field and wire fence, one may have to work one week to get the right shot and the shot right!

So my solution, while I'm developing to be the worlds fastest composer in the viewfinder (of what is in my mind) to be printed, is to shoot tight and also wide and wider. As many shots as possible in the same light and without changing one's angle or position.

Then one can have alll the detail one needs and there is b.g. that can be added as you wish to take care of the beautiful repeating patterns, the fast bird and the moving tide.

The eye cannot see the feet tracks let alone place them properly in the scene.

Sometimes, it has to really begin again at the monitor.

Asher

[Nicolas Claris]

Originally Posted by Sean DeMerchant

Why do you consider more environment of value? Why do you consider the extra negative space of value?

Hi Sean
In that case (I do love also close-ups!), in this one I like the context of that tiny bird, stepping in an ocean of blue sand/water.
Small in the infinity, is in that case a great emotion to me. One of the many aspects of Wildlife.
We there and then understand we have to protect both little birds and entire wildlife.
On this point I bet that Asher will be with me!

[Sean DeMerchant]

Originally Posted by Nicolas Claris

Small in the infinity, is in that case a great emotion to me. ...
We there and then understand we have to protect both little birds and entire wildlife.

Hi Nicolas,

Thank you. It is an aspect of images I rarely feel behind the lense but have felt when viewing. Behind the lens I am somewhat trapped in the Hollywood/Madison Avenue (film and advertising) tastes in imagery that saturated my youth in the 1970s and 1980s. I enjoy the hyperreal image that shows the transcendent beauty of things (people, pets, animals, plants, landscapes, ...). My quest in creating images that show the beauty of things is part of deconstructing that childhood conditioning and learning to see in everyday things the transcendant beauty that is laid before me. Being behind the lens has certainly helped me appreciate what I see even more.

enjoy,

Sean

[Sean DeMerchant]

Originally Posted by Asher Kelman

2. Aim high,...

The camera was pointed nearly straight upwards.

Originally Posted by Asher Kelman

4. Label your image, e.g. John Smith © 2006_08 Wildlife Action_01

Logo/initials/signature on image. Details in IPTC.

European Paper Wasps Caring For Their Young

Truth be told they were sleeping and I took the shot in complete darkness. Nonetheless, I knew what the species was before approaching this close and that here on the west coast of the USA they are not particularly aggressive or territorial. This is not something to do without some caution and could be dangerous in hot weather or when getting too close to an agressive species.

[Mike Spinak]

Great Egret and California Vole

(Don't vote on this one.)

Mike

www.mikespinak.com

[Asher Kelman]

Mike,

That's the CDC Egret. It's sampling the rodent population for ticks.

Asher

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Here is my contribution:

Hope this one qualifies as "of the wild", it surely was wild enough to try and eat my lens ;)

Caged

and another brief encounter, a crested Carima:

Too close

Both are full frame shots, no cropping in post-processing.

Bart

[John_Nevill]

Here's my entry, I initially thought of the title "Caught in action", or "Squeeze me until my .... break" ok a bit provocative, so i'll stick with the former!

[Asher Kelman]

Wonderful, wonderful!

Asher

[Don Cohen]

A couple of images from earlier this year - couldn't help but join in the fun here (not for voting).

What A Day I'm Having! - Sculpin vs Pied-billed Grebe (Ding Darling NWR, FL):




Osprey Mating - Blue Cypress Lake, FL:




Best,

[Rob.Martin]

Wow, I have too many pictures to choose from, so I'll try a couple from this year.
Sorry to bore those that have already seen them.


AFRICA - Kruger National park

THAILAND



Rob

[Mary Bull]

Great photos, all three.
Those tigers are burning bright!
And the lions are speaking to me too.

Cousins of my own little Burmese Thistle.