Disqualified in the photo contest

[turbo]

Here is one that I almost entered in the Animal Instinct contest. It's an assassin bug - capable of killing big beetles, bees, etc. I've seen a bigger one in the garden (slightly different appearance) but didn't have a camera at the time.

Edit: this guy is about 2 to 2-1/2" long and I've seen these guys lugging off bumblebees, so they have some incredible lift capacity. I don't know much about them, but the little pale "flapper" you see on this side may be a vestigial wing, and the big hump on its back may be the real motor-power required to lug off its prey.

 

[Math Jeans]

I've never seen a dragonfly that upclose before.

 

[turbo]

It's not a dragonfly. It's an assassin bug with a (retracted in the image) piercing mouth that can penetrate its victim and suck out the juices. The fact that this rascal can fly out of my garden with a bee in its clutches is pretty good testimony to its stealth and power.

 

[Math Jeans]

Oh ya. I guess dragonflies don't usually have a large (to the bugs) spike.

I had to look up some pictures for that one .

 

[glondor]

here is a link to my photobucket, It has the remainder of shots from the chinese lantern festival in T.O.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v697/23224/

 

[matthyaouw]

Missed the halloween contest deadline by about an hour. I didn't have any pumpkins to hand so I improvised.

 

[Moonbear]

Missed the halloween contest deadline by about an hour. I didn't have any pumpkins to hand so I improvised.

What is it? At first I thought you'd carved up an apple, which would be really impressive, but then it looks like there's a thicker stem, so maybe it's some sort of squash? I like that idea of doing jack-o-lanterns out of things other than pumpkins! Maybe too small to light the inside, but could still make a nifty day-time display!

 

[matthyaouw]

It is an apple, it's just got a bit of a funny stem. I tried lighting a candle in it, but with the top on there's not enough airflow and it goes out pretty promptly, right after it's done nearly setting fire to the apple.

 

[Moonbear]

It is an apple, it's just got a bit of a funny stem. I tried lighting a candle in it, but with the top on there's not enough airflow and it goes out pretty promptly, right after it's done nearly setting fire to the apple.

Maybe a little stump of birthday candle would work in it. That's pretty clever to carve it out of an apple. *thinks about the bushels of apples in the fridge and garage*

 

[matthyaouw]

You should make one! I supect it won't be long til it will go brown and sag into a mushy heap, but it was fun for a short while.

 

[Borek]

These were prepared for the "well beaten path" contest.

 

[Evo]

I would have loved to have submitted this for the "Autumn/Fall thread, but my friend Twisting_Edge took it. It's the view from his kitchen window.

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/3674/windowjh9.jpg

 

[Andre]

For the threesome thread I totally forgot about this picture made last year:

 

[hypatia]

What sweet faces these birdies have. Nice shot.

 

[Evo]

The birdies are adorable Andre.

 

[turbo]

Here's a baby phoebe on its very first outing. A short trip from the nest under my deck to the deck itself. Its parents were freaking out, and it moved to a nearby branch to get fed.

 

[Borek]

Churches and the like:

 

[turbo]

And here is a view of the north side of the church I entered in the contest, showing the cylindrical annex with its semi-conical roof.

 

[Borek]

IMHO Moody Chapel looks much more interesting from the other side (no wonder you have used the other picture for the contest). It is just boring here.

 

[Borek]

For the farmyard animals:

No kids, but cute But that would be third horse picture, as if the horses were the only animals. What about pigs?

And swallows? (no idea if this is european, or african one):

 

[Moonbear]

I can't even enter the farmyard animals thread, even though I have plenty of photos...because I can't remember which ones I've already used, and others I've already edited and didn't save originals.

 

[matthyaouw]

I wanted to enter this, but haven't a clue if I have done already.

 

[Andre]

I wasn't sure if geese would count as farm animals:

Sorry Gus, it looks as if that contact lens of yours is a goner.

 

[turbo]

Here is the vase that I entered in the photo contest today. It has wonderful colors, with an acid-etched surface, and an unpolished pontil. It is less than 4" tall, so it's pretty tiny.

 

[Redbelly98]

And swallows? (no idea if this is european, or african one):

African swallows are non-migratory.

 

[Andre]

This is the gadget that I took a smaller part of on the left side for the unusual picture.

I realize that this Christmas ball sized piece of glass is rather unusual too but I thought it better to use a fragment of it for aesthetical reasons

 

[Borek]

Right decision IMHO, I find this fragment more interesting than the whole thing.

 

[Andre]

Actually, considering the physical limitations of glass-blowing, it's amazing how to get such an ornament into a glass bulb.

Anyway, these were disqualified for this weeks fog contest, all made on the same location:

 

[Borek]

Browsing my trees...

I like first for its treelikeness, but it has ugly colors. Second one was taken in the same fog that helped me won an earlier fog contest. Third and fourth are much better in color.

 

[Redbelly98]

Browsing my trees...

I especially like the one in the fog.
Was the 4th picture taken with a polarizer? It's such a nice shade of blue.