Photo Contest - Born Free (6/18-6/24)

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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses a photo contest themed "Born Free," focusing on capturing images of animals that are not confined or captivated, such as those found in the wild or in backyards. Participants share their thoughts on the contest rules, the nature of the animals eligible for submission, and engage in light-hearted banter about the definitions and interpretations of "free" animals.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants seek clarification on whether the animals must be alive, with a later reply confirming that they do.
  • There is a playful debate about the definition of "captivated," with references to the Oxford English Dictionary and humorous remarks about cuteness being banned.
  • Participants express personal anecdotes about local wildlife, including snakes and deer, and share their experiences with these animals.
  • Several participants joke about the contest, suggesting that a picture of a "wild, cute kitten" would be a winning entry.
  • There are discussions about the nature of animal reproduction, with references to garter snakes and their birthing methods.
  • Participants share links to their photo submissions and engage in light-hearted commentary about the images and the animals depicted.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the contest rules and the theme, but there are multiple interpretations of what constitutes a "free" animal, and playful disagreements about definitions and the nature of the animals discussed.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the definitions used in the contest rules, particularly regarding the term "captivated." There are also humorous exchanges that reflect a playful interpretation of the contest theme.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in photography, animal behavior, and light-hearted community contests may find this discussion engaging.

ZapperZ
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Born Free[/color][/size]

Our contest this week focuses on animals. But not any animals. These animals must be "free", i.e. not captived. This means that pets, zoos animals, and other animals that are confined are disqualified. Animals in the wild, or squirrels in your backyard, for example, qualify.

Good luck!

Zz.

Contest Rules:

1. Any digital photo or digitally-scanned photo relevant to the theme will be accepted within the contest period. In case there's a gray area, or you're not sure if the picture is suitable, check with me first.

2. Please resize your digital photo to no more than 650 x 490 or 490 x 650 pixels. You may also crop your picture if you wish. You are also allowed to adjust the brightness and contrast of your picture but these should not dramatically alter the look of the picture. But other than those, any form of picture editing or modification is not allowed. This is a photo contest, not a picture editing/special effect contest. You may add a watermark or your name/nickname to the photo for identification purposes.

3. Upload your photos to any of the photo servers such as imageshack or photobucket. Then post it the relevant contest thread and link your picture using the img command. PM me if you do not know how.

4. Only ONE picture per member per contest. Once a picture is posted, it cannot be changed other than a total withdrawl by that member from that week's photo contest. Exceptions will be made for modification to comply with the rules, such as resizing.

5. At the end of the contest period, I will open a poll and every PF member can vote for the picture they like best.

6. Note that in case we have a large number of entries, I will do the polling in more than one thread. If that's the case, you can vote in each of the polling threads. The photos will be assigned in the polling threads in the order they were submitted.

7. These pictures must be something that you took, not something taken off someone else's photo albums or taken by someone else. I have no way of checking if you did this, so we'll go by the honor system.

8. You can use a picture only once. Once it is used in a contest, it cannot be reused in another contest.

9. Please post only pictures meant for submission in this thread

Zz.
 
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do the animals have to be alive?
 
Animals like anything from the kingdom Animalia?

(as if it mattered - we all know how to win, picture of wild, cute kitten will do)
 
ZapperZ said:
These animals must be "free", i.e. not captivated.

? Captivate: 1 overwhelm with charm or affection. 2 fascinate. (Oxford English Dictionary).

Ahh ... I guess you mean "captivated" as in "refudiated" :rolleyes:

Borek said:
(as if it mattered - we all know how to win, picture of wild, cute kitten will do)
Hmm... the OED definition seems to imply cuteness is banned :confused:
 
Minimum cuteness, here, but maximum beauty in my eyes. I love predators that can clean up on rodents and bugs. Every year, my woodpile features at least one of the lovely garter snakes. When they shed skins, and I find them, I save them for my neighbor's grand-daughters so they can display them in their club-house.

garter_cont.jpg
 
turbo-1 said:
Minimum cuteness, here, but maximum beauty in my eyes. I love predators that can clean up on rodents and bugs. Every year, my woodpile features at least one of the lovely garter snakes. When they shed skins, and I find them, I save them for my neighbor's grand-daughters so they can display them in their club-house.

garter_cont.jpg

I wish I could get a picture of the 6 foot black snake that lives here. He's been around for years and his main diet were my chicken eggs. I caught him in a tree two years ago eating blue jays; eating all 5 large enough to fly while still in their nest. I kept him caged for a day to show off then let him go. I hope Evo doesn't read this. Hopefully, with the cows out in the pasture, he'll say away from the chicken coop.
 
dav2008 said:
do the animals have to be alive?

Yes.

AlephZero said:
? Captivate: 1 overwhelm with charm or affection. 2 fascinate. (Oxford English Dictionary).

Ahh ... I guess you mean "captivated" as in "refudiated" :rolleyes:


Hmm... the OED definition seems to imply cuteness is banned :confused:

I was typing it very early in the morning here. It should be "captived".

Zz.
 
We've had really bad flooding this year so one day I went out to take some pictures of it. Found this guy watching me on the banks of a very swollen river.

beaver.png
 
ZapperZ said:
It should be "captived".
Verbing weirds language :smile:
 
  • #10
Small, furry, cute lunch for snakes...

wild2.jpg
 
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  • #11
I found this guy digging through the dumpster this morning eating trash. Apparently deer are the new racoons.

16h7w3c.jpg
 
  • #12
5852369790_a2c37a8a91_z.jpg
 
  • #13
[PLAIN]http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/6636/dsc5931.jpg

"Born Free Bird"
 
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  • #14
Technically birds were hatched.
 
  • #15
Perhaps, but "hatched free" is not a song title. :P
 
  • #16
"Hatched Free?" Luckily, garter snakes don't lay eggs, but give birth to live babies - up to 90+ at a time.
 
  • #17
jezyk1.jpg
 
  • #18
Marzena said:
jezyk1.jpg
Stand back! Cuteness in progress!
 
  • #19
Marzena said:
jezyk1.jpg

Ahh. Would it be safe to give it a hug? So cute indeed.
 
  • #20
dlgoff said:
Would it be safe to give it a hug?

I don't know about Polish or US hedgehogs, but don't try to hug a UK hedgehog unless you really really like fleas. Hedgehog fleas seem to have only one ambition in life, and that is to live on a different animal species from hedgehogs. Humans and dogs willl both do nicely!
 
  • #21
dlgoff said:
Ahh. Would it be safe to give it a hug? So cute indeed.
Maybe my garter snake could vie for 2nd place?... Win, place, or show, I love my woodpile snakes!
 
  • #22
turbo-1 said:
Maybe my garter snake could vie for 2nd place?... Win, place, or show, I love my woodpile snakes!

Hell. I love snakes. I'd like to hug him too.
 
  • #24
The infamous white deer that roam the Argonne grounds.

img0063ub.jpg


Zz.
 
  • #25
Oldies goldies.

squirrel.jpg
 
  • #26
Look at those ear-hairs! Must be a middle-aged Ferengi squirrel. :-p
 
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  • #27
turbo-1 said:
Look at those ear-hairs! Must be a middle-aged Ferengi squirrel. :-p

That's what makes them his erogenous zones. :biggrin:
 
  • #28
Last day to submit photos for our contest.

Zz.
 

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