Hi All !! A request ... for your best shots of 2008

dlplumer

That's a great set Bob. I especially like the flycatcher

vintagemxr

Not my best but the most fun
I'm not anywhere near the point of being able to take images as wonderful as most of the people here but I'm having a fine time so I thought I'd contribute to this thread. Below are some photos I took in Victorville, CA back in September.

As you can see in the last photo, I am in the picture there in the background. The hummingbird photos were taken on the spur of the moment by setting my Nikon CoolPix 8800 on the porch rail near the feeder at my mother-in-law's home and then tripping the shutter using the 3 sec. delay and IR remote. I burned up a lot of pixels trying to time the delay to the arrival and departure of each hummingbird but it was all great fun even if the pictures are not show stoppers. Hey, if you can't have fun taking pictures, why bother?

My mother-in-law (and I'm sure some of her neighbors) thought I was nuts running around the yard waving my arm about (trying to find the sweet spot for the IR) but she really enjoyed seeing the close up photos of her little feathered visitors.

rajdeep

My take
Gimme More......
Somehow I'm not able to attach more than 1 attachmernt here.

rajdeep

Another one from me

rajdeep

... and one more

MaryBoo

A few pictures from my trip to Wyoming this spring. Their all my favorites


#1 - Trumpter Swan


#2 - Four in a row - juvies


#3 - Head Butt - Mountain Goats


#4 - What happened to my ear? Mama Grizzly (tagged 399)


#5 - Dig it!


#6 - Junior



Mary
www.cherryvalleyphoto.com

Maestro

Wow. Such great great photos are in this thread, but I guess that is to be expected. Bob and Luis, yours are exceptionally good! Mary, I love the bear sequence. I hope to get one some day. RTY, I love the fox. Harry, I have always like that sandie BIF!

Ric, I love the phalarope!

Dan, cool set all around!

Wally, I love the great egret with the RWBB in pursuit!

Maestro

Here are you few I like from this year.
Green Anole.


Vole


Texas Spiney Lizard


Ruby Throated Hummingbird


Curve Billed Thrasher


Lesser Goldfinch


Green Parakeets (Wild)


Female Ruby Throated Hummingbird


Golden Fronted Woodpecker


Great Kiskadee


Crested Caracara


Groove Billed Ani


Green Jay


White Winged Dove


Hooded Merganser


Northern Pintail

dlplumer

Beautiful set Stephen. That hooded M is great

Doug, your hummers are so sharp. Really good

dbaker1221

davev

Great shots everyone.
A few of my better shots from the last year.

Smudger

I think this is a fantastic shot. I really like the way the feathers and beak pop against the black background. I hope you don't mind me asking but how did you get that background, was it actually dark behind the bird or have you done some pp to get the background like that?




[/quote]

Smudger

Sorry if that's a really obvious question (it looks like pp but you can never be sure!) but I am new to photography and looking at threads like this really gets my creative juices flowing!

Smudger wrote:

I think this is a fantastic shot. I really like the way the feathers and beak pop against the black background. I hope you don't mind me asking but how did you get that background, was it actually dark behind the bird or have you done some pp to get the background like that?

[/quote]

cgmcdonald

Some pics from the year
Nikon D80

redleash

A couple of my favorites, both shot with Nikon D80.

#1 Mockingbird (D80 with AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED)



#2 White-Tailed Deer (D80 with AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED)

dlplumer

Very cute Lauren

NorthernFocus

I'll play...

Nikon D200 w/55-200 VR DX

Pied Oystercatcher


Yellow-eyed Penguins


Weka


Nikon D200 w/Sigma 100-300 f4 EX

Snowgeese


Mates


Zeroed In


Bald Eagle Fishing


Freedom


Nikon D300 w/Nikkor 200-400 VR

Primitive Dance

redleash

Those are some terrific shots, Dan! It's hard to choose a favorite, but I think I like the snow geese the best. The mass really reflects how they travel, and the housetop in the background gives both a sense of perspective and a contrast between man and nature. Very nice!

NorthernFocus

I'm fond of that shot myself. Not technically the best but it's kind of cool.

WildWally

The power of flash !!!!!
Very little PP except for some cropping ..

Smudger wrote:

I think this is a fantastic shot. I really like the way the feathers and beak pop against the black background. I hope you don't mind me asking but how did you get that background, was it actually dark behind the bird or have you done some pp to get the background like that?

[/quote]

WildWally

Dave and Dan , your Eagle shots are outstanding !!!!!

JAG

1. Nikon D300, 1/250, f6.3, iso 200, 80mm, some pp lightening


2. Nikon D300, 1/320, f5.0, iso 200, 145mm


3.D300, 1/5000, f5.6, 400iso (oops..), 200mm polarizer


4.D300, 1/100, f5.6, iso800, 200mm


5.D300, 1/1250, f5.6, 200iso, 200mm polarizer

NorthernFocus

The pelican sunrise/sunset and the pelican is snow are really nice Hope you stayed well clear of that grumpy looking bear

JAG

articblooms wrote:

The pelican sunrise/sunset and the pelican is snow are really nice Hope you stayed well clear of that grumpy looking bear

Thanks dan. Actually that last one is a sand hill crane in the snow.

NorthernFocus

You sure that's not just a really skinny, deformed pelican Dislexic slip of the keyboard

SciurusNiger

Some 2008 Favs
We've had some really...ahem...wild goings-on here in the 'hood of late and I was (finally) going to post a few shots, then saw this thread. Great idea to do a retrospective and I'm really loving everyone's contributions!

All of these were taken with the D2XS and the 200-400mm Nikkor.


Dark-eyed junco:




Sub-adult & adult Cooper's hawks mantling:




Little green heron:




Urban pine squirrel:




Cicada:




Juvenile red-tail hawk:




Same juvie:




It looks like it's hollering, but this sub-adult Coop was really just about finished emptying its crop: