Share Animal Pictures: For Animal Lovers

[DennisN]

A funny blue fish (with a reflection of my hands holding the camera ):

 

[DennisN]

A lucky shot with a manual lens recently... (Canon 50mm, I think):

A greylag goose family out for a swim:

And another one... swans being fed:

 

[DennisN]

I just got a new, relatively cheap Sony zoom lens (55-210mm with autofocus and image stabilization), which I bought second hand for ca 50% of the original price. I decided to try it out because I wanted the ability to shoot animals from a distance with a handheld camera. You can shoot animals from a distance with manual lenses, but there are clear disadvantages:

• You need a LOT of patience (and sometimes luck), since animals move as they like
• It's better to use a tripod but this makes you immobile
• Prime lenses are usually better than zoom lenses, but with primes you are stuck to a specific focal length, and it takes time to change lens if you want to

Thus, a zoom lens with autofocus is a much easier tool to use when shooting distant animals.

I took the lens out immediately for a first run, and I often used "burst mode" on the camera and fast shutter speed, and I will experiment with settings in the near future. I don't have any previous experience yet with this setup.

Here are some photos from the test run:Pigeon in tree:

Pigeon on sidewalk:

Blackbird:
- this made me quite happy. I've been previously struggling to get decent shots of blackbirds.

A greylag goose:

Another greylag goose ("I'm free!"):

A crow:
- not perfect focus, which is a pity since I thought the background was pretty nice

 

[DennisN]

I stumbled upon a pair of pheasants in the park yesterday,
and they couldn't escape my new Sony 55-210mm lens...

The male:

The female:

A close-up of the head of the male:

 

[DennisN]

Another blackbird I found in the park.
I got lucky since this was one was pretty courageous and curious and came up close (ca 1-1.5 m from me).

"Should I get closer?"

"Yes, a little closer..."

"Now I'm close"

"Now I'm really close"

 

[pinball1970]

Another blackbird I found in the park.
I got lucky since this was one was pretty courageous and curious and came up close (ca 1-1.5 m from me).

"Should I get closer?"
View attachment 301377

"Yes, a little closer..."
View attachment 301378

"Now I'm close"
View attachment 301379

"Now I'm really close"
View attachment 301380

Beautiful. My very good friend informed me that the blackbird is a thrush not a crow. I have got mixed up somewhere down the line. Great pictures

 

[berkeman]

I was really touched by this image that came in via my Facebook feed today. I worked a Medic standby shift at an Abilities Expo event in San Jose a few years back, and was very impressed by the wonderful mix of technology and innovation and sincere caring that goes into trying to make the lives of disabled folks better and easier. If you know any folks or families who are dealing with disabilities, I'd encourage them to look up the Abilities Expo events and try to attend one near them (they are held all over the US and perhaps elsewhere as well by now).

This picture shows a relatively new soft-terrain adapted wheelchair (there are also modular versions that you can connect to an existing wheelchair) and a little girl enjoying a moment with a (big!) support animal. Heartwarming...

 

[DennisN]

More animal treats for me and my camera...

After my photo session of the partial lunar eclipse, I took a walk in the nearby park area in the morning, and I found some new photo opportunities.

I saw a couple of rabbits enjoying the morning sun, and spent about 10 minutes trying to take photos. It's not easy to get close; they are extremely observant and meticulously keeping the distance to humans. I however very much enjoyed "hunting" them with the camera. This was the best shot I got:

Enjoying the sun (European rabbit):

After that I spotted a strange bird I've never seen before, and managed to take only four photos before it disappeared (that's why the photo is not as good as the others; I had to act fast as lightning). With Google picture search I got the bird identified:

Eurasian oystercatcher:

And last, my pride and joy of the day...

I heard birds chirping in a tree, and stopped to see if I could get some shots.
This was not easy, as these two birds were high up in a tree and very good at hiding behind branches and leaves. Well, they were probably not actively trying to hide from me, but the tree
had a lot of leaves obscuring them. They also moved around a lot.
I spent ten minutes trying to get good shots, and my patience was finally rewarded.

Birds in love (European goldfinches)
(note: I've removed a leaf from the center in this photo with Photoshop)

Bird companions (European goldfinches)

Bird feeding (European goldfinch)

I enjoyed shooting these finches so much that I realized I've got to do more of this.
I'm even already thinking about getting a somewhat better zoom lens with more reach,
and go hunting more birds and maybe even visit a bird reserve.

I have to say I've realized I enjoy this as much as doing astrophotography (which I still consider myself a beginner at).

But it's a completely different experience.
With astrophotography you have to do a lot of planning and careful tweaking, which requires patience.

With animals you have to be observant, sometimes fast (sometimes very fast), but also patient at the same time. But I think it's very fun, much more fun than I actually imagined it would be.

 

[BillTre]

With animals you have to be observant, sometimes fast (sometimes very fast), but also patient at the same time. But I think it's very fun, much more fun than I actually imagined it would be.

Although this is usually the case with shooting animal pictures, its not always the case.
With planning, you can also increase your probability of success with animals.
I have shot a lot of fish pictures (in aquaria mostly), but I have had my greatest success with making set-ups specifically to get certain shots.
With birds, I would do what my Mom did which was to set-up a few well placed bird feeders for the species I was interested in. Then you can have the birds come to your camera.
We had a lot of (non-European) goldfinches around when I was a kid.

 

[BillTre]

Lots of cute little Scorplings!
From a National Geographic e-mail I got:

 

[Ibix]

I had no idea scorpions were caring mothers. Apparently all species give birth to live young (unusual for arachnids) that cling on to the mother until they've molted at least once. They then begin to become more independent, but still return when they sense potential danger.

 

[fresh_42]

 

[DennisN]

A cute photo (I think I saved it from facebook):

 

[DennisN]

Good morning!

 

[fresh_42]

Stalker!

 

[fresh_42]

 

[BillTre]

Here is a National Geographic picture of an eel larvae.
Where eels came from was not well understood for a surprisingly long time.
The larvae look quite different from the adults and are laid in difficult to observe locations.

The white thread going back fromthe head is the spinal cord. It expands into the larger and more complex brain, just behind the shiny eye.

 

[Ibix]

Where eels came from was not well understood for a surprisingly long time.

The understanding was eelusive?

(I'll get my coat...)

 

[fresh_42]

Such a big playground with lots of people to play with!

 

[Rive]

It's hot here

 

[fresh_42]

It's hot here

"Easy, pal. That's canine profiling, and I resent it." (Agent F)

Pug owners here say: A life without a pug is possible but senseless.

 

[fresh_42]

 

[fresh_42]

 

[fresh_42]

Donatello's daily practice!

 

[BillTre]

Largest known turtle:

Weevil face:

A Kingfisher:

 

[BillTre]

Some nice looking butterflies:

 

[BillTre]

 

[pinball1970]

View attachment 305270

I thought they were more like this...

 

[BillTre]

 

[fresh_42]