Mini-Challenge #76 "unexpected"

Tango · May 14, 2009

Andreas Gursky was caught by surprise by a single cable car moving into the fog. He had but just a moment to photograph the scene, and he did.

It was totally unexpected.

I learned of this while watching a tv series on the ovation channel. To hear him explain the story facinated me.

--only link i could find of the image was here: http://www.nyartsmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1567&Itemid=691

but the story was great and i hope you can catch the show sometime......

so, whats your story?
what image are you proud of that came as totally unexpected...? (and likely to not ever be reproduced)

There can only be one i choose as the winner, but im sure we all will enjoy your story and entry! ~~ lets have fun!

here is my example:

I headed over with my family to the elementary school for some kind of a parent and student science fair "fun night"... i figured to get a few photographs of the kids doing science display stuff like exploding green goo and crazy stuff of that sort. Well, at some point during the evening we made it to a room that had this sheet hung up with special lighting behind it, and some kind of music was being played also......
funny thing is i dont even remember what the display was suppose to be, but while my wife and I visited with the teacher running the display, my children decided to wonder behind the sheet and start making dancing silhouettes... well i quickly snapped this image, it became a favorite maybe because of the little personalities behind the sheet but still, totally unexpected.

Superstars

this round ends 10pm mst 05/27/09

jeffmeyers · May 14, 2009

Sunset Pillar
I like the theme, Aaron. I'll start it off with this one. I'm driving back from a weekend trip in Iowa this past winter. I'm driving east and I look behind me and see a glorious sunset developing, so I look for a place to pull off the road and get a few shots. Once I've grabbed my camera and am out of the car, I notice something odd. There's a shaft of light coming up where the sun has just set. It remains there for 5 minutes or so, as the sunset changes colors and darkens. Later I learned that this is called a Sunset Pillar and is not very common. I thought it might be the result of a "hole" in the clouds, but the clouds were moving and the pillar remained in place. I believe it has something to do with ice crystals in the atmosphere. Anyway, here's one of my captures.

DaddyO · May 15, 2009

Nice one Jeff.

Well captured.

Might check out this fellow... He knows a detail or two for sky.

http://www.atoptics.co.uk/

Katmitchell · May 15, 2009

Here are my 3
A Father's Love:

It took me some thinking before I finally decided to share this particular photo. It is personal and dear to my heart; and the one photo out of my entire family album that I have to call my favorite, as difficult as that is to actually have a favorite. This photo is of my husband Robert, and my first son Derek, 12 years ago. They thought he may develop an infection in the lungs because he was having some breathing problems from labor lasting so long. He kept ripping the hoses from his nose so they put him under this plastic air hood. The nurse and my grandmother helped me down the hall after labor to go see my son, and I walked up on this scene from behind the window. I remember yelling to my grandmother to give me the camera I had brought so that we could photograph the labor, and I shot this. I could barely stand up, and it is with a Polaroid camera so I had to scan it. So it is not a technically perfect shot, but still means the world to me. At the moment when I came up on the scene, I knew that looking at my husband's face and body language that he loved me and he loved our child dearly. He was so exhausted, and at the same time tender and focused and worried about our child. I think this photo speaks measures for that, as you can see him holding our child's foot in his huge hand graced by our wedding ring. To this very day when we argue, I look at this photo to remind me of why I married my husband and why after 16 years we are still happily married.

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Hello Me:

This photo is also a scanned Polaroid, and is of my son Derek when he was around a year old. Being a new mother, full time wife and full time college student at the time, as well as working a full time job left me little time to study. On this day I remember trying to cram for finals and was trying to entertain my son so that I could study. I had an old mirror propped up against the wall and noticed he was curious, so I pulled it down and leaned it against the wall for him to gaze at himself. Well, I went back to my studies and after sometime, I looked over and saw this shot.. I practically tripped over my own feet getting across the room to fetch the Polaroid camera to get the shot. It is like everything lined up for this one, as I looked over and saw my son almost communicating with himself in the mirror....It was so unexpected that the original is actually "very lopsided" as I had under a minute to catch it like you see here and had to dive down on the floor. I was able to straighten it in photoshop and make it a black and white, as it was very greenish and yellowish with a lot of noise from the camera. Nothing fancy just very special to me..

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Web of Man - This photo is with my SLR and is more recent.. This was a picture from my very first day out learning my SLR and photography. It has truly been a blessing to have discovered my own passion for photography. I spent so many years in college and in business only to find that it was photography that I was missing.. Anyways,,, I was out with my sister looking for "that first shot" and after driving around all day and coming back with nothing, I got this.. We were driving home, and off the side of the road, I noticed through the trees the sun setting. As typical with your first work, you usually focus on one element and forget the rest, composition, WB, ect... All my mind saw was gorgeous colors and how cool it was to see the sun set between the tree trunks, it reminded me of some setting in Africa. So, I pulled the car to a screeching halt, jumped out and shot it..only later when I got it home did I even notice all of the telephone wires...so, as not to trash my first attempt at a sunset and good photo, I call it art.. haha... I named it : Web Of Man. Kind of a man versus nature photo..

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well there are mine. I look forward to hearing about and seeing yours..

rofl

Kat

JAG · May 15, 2009

1. Crazy Nephew...this one was taken a few summers ago on our Wasilla lake. Our family had been enjoying a nice evening down at the lake and it was about 10pm. I had been shooting my son and nephew playing on the waverunners with my new Tameron 200 - 500mm lens, when my nephew all the sudden went flying off as the waverunner went the opposite direction. A definate once in a lifetime catch! He said that he landed pretty hard on that mineral laden water and had the red water burn to prove it!

2. Lets have lunch....I was out one afternoon with camera in hand (never leave home without it) and was trying to capture some busy bees out near the forest edge, when all the sudden this Damsel lands on my shoe to have her lunch. If you look closely you will see the fly she had just caught.

3. Warmth of the Dung hill......this was a total suprize when I was at horseback riding lesson with my lil one. Outside behind the barn there is a huge dung hill that they shovel all the horse stuff out to. We had a weird late sping snowfall the night before and the temps had dropped below freezing. There were a pair of sandhill cranes that were visiting the dung hill and picking through for any fly larve or whatever they find appitizing on a pile of c***. Anyway...I stuggled on choosing which of these images to show because I have them in the snow too...which is also unusual. I chose this one because I found it eerie with the steam rising from the dung hill....

tracyendo · May 15, 2009

Nice shots so far everyone. And, as a mother, I particularly like the pic of the dad and his baby!

Here are a few from me:

I recently was asked to shoot a Girl Scout Father/Daughter dance. I called the organizer to make sure I knew exactly how I should dress for the occasion. She told me the girls were going to be wearing their BEST DRESSES! So, I made sure to dress nice but not "black tie." It seemed I was a little overdressed even in the outfit I wore when I saw one of the dad's dressed like this. Quite unexpected!

I had just started my business and had decided to go out one Saturday morning and take pictures of people at the ice skating rink. I got a lot of action shots that day but this photo just happened. The couple was on the rink but had stopped to embrace. I loved this picture and posted it on my newly-created website. I had handed out my business card to a friend of this couple who obviously gave it to them and this was the first print I ever sold!

This last one isn't a very technically good picture but it was somewhat unexpected. You can almost always expect some incorrect kicks and hand positions when shooting a Tae Kwon Do tournament but the look on the kid's face (in the red) was priceless based on the position of the foot from the other competitor (who happens to be my son and who won a gold medal in that tournament)! I title this one...OUCH!

ghinson · May 15, 2009

Here's a recent one from me. I was just admiring the aged door and its vivid color and did not see the reflection until I looked at the photo later.

jeffmeyers · May 16, 2009

JAG wrote:

3. Warmth of the Dung hill......this was a total suprize when I was at horseback riding lesson with my lil one. Outside behind the barn there is a huge dung hill that they shovel all the horse stuff out to. We had a weird late sping snowfall the night before and the temps had dropped below freezing. There were a pair of sandhill cranes that were visiting the dung hill and picking through for any fly larve or whatever they find appitizing on a pile of c***. Anyway...I stuggled on choosing which of these images to show because I have them in the snow too...which is also unusual. I chose this one because I found it eerie with the steam rising from the dung hill....

Nice dunghill shot, JAG. What's that I smell? :flush

silversx80 · May 16, 2009

The Zoo had closed and I was on my way out. I wanted to see the lions on the way out, and they came out to see me.

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Last year in UT at Arches National Park. I turned just in time to see this guy peering out at the view.

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DsrtVW · May 17, 2009

Here would be a few for me. That would be hard to get again.

Crow with Cheetos. I was taking shots of a water fall and noticed the Crow up there 2 different times and when I went to change lenses he would always take off. The last time I got the lens on and took one shot as he was flying off. Then seen what he had.

Ibis flock, I did not see this until post processing. The one bird aking in flight adjustments.

Killdeer Cheerleading practice

jethibod · May 17, 2009

My husband and I moved from Vancouver to Ottawa about 3 years ago, making the trip in a fully loaded UHaul truck with our 4Runner on a trailer on the back. We left Vancouver 2 days after Christmas, and it took us about 6 days to drive across the country. By the time we reached Ontario, we were both pretty tired, but still in good spirits. We were driving out of Thunder Bay on the highway beside Lake Superior and talking about making it to Sault Ste. Marie before stopping, and I was taking random pictures out the passenger side window. All of a sudden, I yelled, and asked him to stop the truck - in the middle of this winding, 2 lane highway at dusk in the middle of nowhere...with cars coming up behind us. I had time to get off 3 shots, and this was one of them!

MissB · May 17, 2009

3 generations
I actually came to my parents house to photograph 4 generations of men in my family... I took this candid photo of my grandfather sitting outside and then realized later that I had captured my father and brother in the lenses of his sunglasses. what a fun surprise!

KevXman · May 17, 2009

Here are some "Street Scenes" from Italy. All of them were taken with a pocket Casio.

Street Performers – Florence

It was early morning and these two were in front of the Ufizi Gallery. They dress up, with really heavy make-up and mimic the marble statues in the area.

Consiglia Citadina – Urbino

We were taking an evening stoll through Urbino looking for a place to eat and came across these ladies. Our waiter said that this group is out there most evenings just sitting and visiting.

Entering St. Peter's Square – Vatican City

Believe it or not, these were the only two nuns that we saw in the short amount of time that we had a St. Peter's Square. I'm just glad that my camera was in my hand and not my pocket.

— Kevin

bf2015 · May 17, 2009

So this first shot was just going to be a pan of Greenlake in Seattle. I wasn't intending to have ducks in it and then at the last minute these ducks come wandering in. I liked the light so I shot anyways. I think it makes the entire pan.

One night I didn't have my tripod for whatever reason so I just set my camera on the ground and hoped for the best. This is what it captured.

This picture I just took to check my focus not really trying to get a shot so I didn't adjust the exposure from my previous shot. I am astounded at the result.

Cheers!

CWSkopec · May 17, 2009

Aaron, pretty much everytime I get at good shot, it's unexpected... do they all count?!

I was experimenting with long-ish shutter speeds on the water rushing up towards me by leaving my camera on the tripod with the remote shutter button locked down while I took shots with a camera I was testing for my dad. It wasn't until I got home and started sorting that I noticed I had captured a ghost under the pier.

System · May 18, 2009

I picked up the camera to shoot the sunrise from Sanibel Island, FL. Just as I popped the shutter, the birds flew into the shot. Darn birds!

Sanibel Sunrise

My wife and I were riding our motorcycle from Indiana to Florida via the Natchez Trace Parkway. After stopping for lunch in New Orleans, we came upon these unlikely French Quarter visitors.

Not your typical Bourbon St. visitors.

Kinkajou · May 18, 2009

I had my 40D for about a week - my first dSLR. I was walking around town shooting whatever struck my fancy and this cat came over and was very friendly. He is actually missing one eye and was looking a little rough, but was rubbing all over my legs and letting me pet him, so I pet him a little and shot him a little. About 20 minutes later I was looking through my images and found this gem. Pure luck - I had no idea that I captured this image - and it's nearly perfect! It's sharp, the cat fits in the frame, the feeling is great, and the background is clear. A little blown out, but hey, I only had the SLR for a week

This is still one of my favorites.

A great surprise when shooting a fountain - the perfect collision:

lLst one - taken with my powershot a couple years ago in the Italian Alps. I hadn't really realized it when I took the shot, but when looking at it later, it looked almost like a small cloud had collided with the rock face, which was impeding its motion through the sky:

tykemama · May 18, 2009

Great theme!

AaronNelson wrote:

There can only be one i choose as the winner, but im sure we all will enjoy your story and entry! ~~ lets have fun!

I've got some work to do to find my story... but I love this theme! Already some outstanding entries.

LoriKTM · May 18, 2009

This is probably the shot that launched my new obsession, and with it nearly drained my bank account.

I've never been more than a casual shooter. My husband spent many years as a photojournalist, but after a move out of state he changed careers (to IT), and photography interest dropped. During that time, I spent maybe a couple of hours with his Minolta, a fully manual 35mm film SLR. I got frustrated trying to learn all the f-stop/aperture/exposure crap, never mind waiting a few days to get film developed to see results.

Then digital started to get big. I've been through a few point and shoot cameras, but the Canon A620 had good resolution and was small enough to carry around. Just so happened I took it with when we went skiing at Taos Ski Valley earlier this year. When you play hooky from work to go ski a powder day, you want documentation.

When we opened up this pic for editing, we were both blown away. Based on this and a couple other photos, he says, "You may have a natural eye for photography!" That was all the encouragement I needed. I picked up his old photography textbook from college, and then found Dgrin. This led to the purchase of our first dSLR, the Canon 5dMkII. But oh what fun I'm having in this brave new world! Unexpected? I'll say.

Trevlan · May 20, 2009

I've been away for a long time my friends. Celebrating my return with this entry. Once in a life time shot. Believe me, I tried to stage it afterwards. Right place at the right time I guess. Enjoy.

Cool Tuna · May 20, 2009

Challenge #76
I was on a fishing trip and I wanted to get a shot of a buddy fighting a fish. I was going for the action shot of the pole bent and the water as a background. As I took the shot his catch wanted to get in the shot as well. To my surprize a 150 lb Marlin came out of the water just as clicked the shot off..

This is a "Green Flash Sunset" this happens when the sun sets over the waterand when condinations are just right. I have lived mostly around water and heard of this but never saw it. I happen to be shooting a sunset and caught this, I saw it but didn't know if I got with the camera till I got home and was able to enlarge it and see the green.. No PS touch up here.. you may have to view it in 3X to see it well. I was not going for the green flash just a great sunset.

Luke J. Photography · May 21, 2009

I did what I thought was the impossible. To breaks on one player.
One Off Of his hand and the Other off of his loader.

Wasn't Expecting this one Either

Sonanstine did the the unexpected. Hitting a double into left field. For those who don't know, he's a pitcher and usually couldn't hit a baseball if his life depended on it let alone a double.

ghinson · May 21, 2009

Wish I had taken this photo. That is what I call "unexpected."

Thesmaz · May 23, 2009

Would this one fit the context?
This would be my first entry in one of the Challenges here on DGrin!
Would this one fit the theme? We were at the Dublin Zoo and when we stopped by the Tiger enclosure one of the cats appeared and starred right at one son through the glass! Little did we know that the cats were waiting to be fed! Also, any recommendations on how to improve the pics would be greatly appreciated!
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Benjer · May 23, 2009

This is a really fun theme! It's funny how so much of photography is about being in the right place at the right time - sometimes through careful planning, but often the moment arrives unexpectedly and that's when those sharpshooting skills come in to play. I can't count the number of amazing one-off shots I missed because I hesitated or just didn't have my camera with me! But here's a few I managed to catch.

Blue Denver Morning

I had forgotten to reset my white balance from shooting Denver street scenes the night before when I snapped this shot. At first I cursed myself for the screw up, but when I saw how the blue cast really set the mood, and the red of the neon sign just popped, I was thrilled at my "mistake." Now it's one of my favorites from the trip, and I'm much more open to playing with "wrong" white balance settings to create mood or interest.

Outsider Art

This is another unexpected image from my trip to Denver, which you might recognize from the "book cover" challenge a while back. I just love telling the story of this unlikely shot. I had just gotten to the Denver Art Museum and was looking around the lobby admiring the architecture when I spotted these bright purple recycling bins on the street outside a conference room window. In the context of the museum the scene just struck me, and I tried a couple shots from inside. Then I rushed to the nearest exit and took this shot outside. When I tried to come back in, I was met at the door by a security guard who was fuming mad and almost threw me out of the museum. Apparently in my haste I didn't realize I went through an emergency exit and had tripped a silent alarm! I apologized and explained I wasn't a terrorist, just a silly photographer, but was so happy to have gotten the shot I didn't care too much. The image became the basis for my "Trash Couture" cover and ended up placing in the challenge. Yay!

Calvin of Santa Fe

I was driving around in the middle of nowhere, otherwise known as Santa Fe, TN (pronounced Santa "Fee" not "Fay") and found some really cool old farmhouses and bright green spring landscapes. I had pulled off the side of the road and was shooting when I was surprised by this friendly farmer on his tractor coming around the bend. Turned out he owned pretty much all the land I was shooting and we had a really great conversation which included some local folklore, history of the town of Santa Fe, and a rich family history. He was happy to let me take a picture of him on his tractor as a memento of the meeting, and I'll always remember this salt of the earth character and his stories that were as bright, expansive, and old as the hills I had stopped to shoot.

Scott MacKenzie · May 24, 2009

Fortunately, he wasn't hurt:

ghinson · May 25, 2009

Went to the wharves to take pictures of sailboats in town for a race and the best pic I got was of a smart, thirsty pigeon.

ic4u · May 25, 2009

Here is one that I thought would fit the theme. My son has his drivers permit right now, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays we have to drive to school early for Jazz band. This particular morning (as a passenger in the car) this opportunity came up. I had to laugh, because undoubtedly I am always the one stuck in this situation

Stuck in the Middle

When my middle guy was in 2nd grade he had a field trip to the Milwaukee Zoo. My camera was fairly new then and I was anxious to test it out. This brown bear was posing so nicely for me...it wasn't until I loaded them on the computer that I noticed he was sticking his tongue out at me

cmkultradome · May 25, 2009

These were taken in Acadia National Park a few years ago. I was trying to get a good landscape picture for my parents. I shot this photo because I like the waves, it wasn't until I got home and looked at the photo that I realized I had captured the rainbow.

This photo was taken when I came back from taking the other photo. My kids were just sitting with Nanny enjoying "the wave action" as they call it. They get bored following me around while taking pictures. I was just trying to get a "Nanny & me" photo when a huge wave came in - I loved the kids reaction, as if they were directing the waves like in the Disney movie "Fantasia" and the Sorcerer's apprentice.

Stephanie

fotoshipper · May 26, 2009

Challenge #76 - Polish Wedding
This is my first post and first challenge so please be kind if I screw up this post...

thanks in advance.

I was on a visit to Poland, in a small village near the Czech border. It was one of those really long first days of the summer and we were enjoying ourselves out on the balcony. I heard some noise below, looked, and ran like @^!$! to get my trusty Nikon 990 ( this was in June 2000 ). I got 3 shots off, two were blurry, but I think ( and I am somewhat biased here ) that this is just a gem....it's my favorite shot from that trip. In the Polish tradition the bride and groom are being presented with a loaf of bread and salt. C&C are always welcome.

-ron

Bkodger · May 26, 2009

I only have 1 for now. This is my puppy Tyson. He was playing with his toy when I decided to mess around with the camera. He looks unsuspecting to me

Mini-Challenge #76 "unexpected"

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