Mini-Challenge 243 - Animals Here and There

sapphire73

(Note: Joyce asked me to launch the next mini since BlueHoseJacket had to decline and we haven't heard from Jeromy since the baton passed to him. So here goes.)

It has been a while since we have focused on mammals in one of our minis. (I think the last time was "Animal Pairs" in 2015?) So let's see some animals - in this case, mammals - photographed in their natural environment. This includes animals seen in your backyard, on safari, or domesticated animals on a farm. Photos from a trip to the zoo are also acceptable. Please hold photos of pets (such as dogs, cats, rabbits, etc.) for another time as I think that might be a fun theme to revisit for another mini.

Looking forward to seeing your photos!

This Mini will run from today, Wednesday, February 22nd to Saturday, March 11th, 2017 at 11 pm EST. (I am extending it a little longer than 2 weeks because of my travel schedule.)

OUR UN-OFFICIAL GENERAL RULES
1. Have fun sharing and seeing what others share!
2. The host supplies a topic and you post 1-3 images. The host judges the winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and is not eligible to enter.
3. The 1st place winner then chooses the next topic, judges the winner and then passes on the baton to the new champion.
4. Any photo you’ve taken is eligible, regardless of when taken or camera used.
5. Any amount of post-processing is allowed. However, it is helpful if you list your camera and lens along with your photo.
6. You may comment on other contestant's images. If you want someone to leave you some critique or criticism, just ask within your post.
7. The winner has up to three days (72 hours) to begin a new mini-challenge, or the honor goes to the #2 finisher and so forth.

**Guidelines: **
1. Enter 1-3 photos and put them in a single post.
2. Either embed your image in the thread or, if you must, supply a link to it. Keep in mind, however, most people don't want to click to open photos hosted elsewhere (i.e. on your website).
3. Also try and resize your photos prior to posting so they're sized appropriately for viewing without having to scroll (~800 pixels on the longest side works best.)
4. Give each image you enter a title.
5. Enjoy discussion with members about their images, don't let this just be an entry thread!
6. When quoting a post change the IMG urls to a 200x200 size picture so it is clear your post is feedback and not another entry. (see here for help)
7. Don't be hesitant, share'em and enter!

Mini-Challenge pointers:
1. Upon winning a mini-challenge round your first step is coming up with a new theme, and start a new thread using the same format as others have used.
2. Make sure to notify the admin of this thread to update the main thread links with your entry thread.
3. Feel free to watch the thread as it grows or wait to the end time and look at all the entries all at once.
4. After the time/date has passed, then officially close the thread with a single post notifying everyone of the fact.
5. After you're finished judging start a new thread (again use the prior formats) and post your Winner and runners-up, it is important to have runners up incase the winner does not show within the 72hr window.
6. PM the winner with this info above and let them know they have 72hrs.
7. After the 72hrs and the winner does not show up, notify the next runner-up and post a message on the Winner thread of the fact.
8. Remember, if you're the Winner, you run the show.

Some examples:

1) Zebras (Masai Mara, Kenya)

2) Zebras in Nairobi National Park (Kenya)

3) Pika (Mount Evans, Colorado, USA)

4) Sheep (Grasmere, United Kingdom)

5) Kangaroos (Australia)

JAG

Thank you Gretchen. This is going to be a great theme! I'll play just for fun. As always, do not consider mine for judging.

1. Pee on the Run
   

2. What crocodile?
   

3. Hitching a ride
   

grandmaR

Can we include reptiles?

sapphire73

@grandmaR said:
Can we include reptiles?

Thank you for asking, grandmaR. Let's try to stick to mammals for this challenge but I would be happy to broaden it to include pets (such as dogs, cats, rabbits, etc.) if that would allow more people to participate. I was just trying to leave the door open for pets to be the focus of another challenge.

As for reptiles, amphibians, birds, etc., perhaps a future mini-challenge could be "those other animals" following the lead of 242: "Those other sports"?

JAG

@sapphire73 said:

@grandmaR said:
Can we include reptiles?

Thank you for asking, grandmaR. Let's try to stick to mammals for this challenge but I would be happy to broaden it to include pets (such as dogs, cats, rabbits, etc.) if that would allow more people to participate. I was just trying to leave the door open for pets to be the focus of another challenge.

As for reptiles, amphibians, birds, etc., perhaps a future mini-challenge could be "those other animals" following the lead of 242: "Those other sports"?

Oops! I had forgot that we were looking for mammals. So I wiped the smile of the crocks face and changed the picture.

sapphire73

@JAG said:

Oops! I had forgot that we were looking for mammals. So I wiped the smile of the crocks face and changed the picture.

Thank you for getting things rolling, Joyce! Fun set of photos!

sarasphotos

Fun challenge, Gretchen!

Because I grew up on a dairy farm in central California I still have an affinity for cows, so this time I'm choosing three cow pictures as my entries.

1) This French bull was keeping watch over four cows.

2) Typical scene in the foothils of the Allgäu Alps, about 1 1/2 hours south of where I live. Taken on a bike tour through the area.

3) Last spring we took a day hike, also in the alpine foothills.

And naturally not for consideration... here you can see how I developed my early affinity. That's me (on the left) with my sister and our very first cow, in 1960.

BlueHoseJacket

Mother Panda @ Atlanta Zoo

Baby Panda @ Atlanta Zoo

Prairie Dog???, Gopher??? Near Boulder CO

StueveShots

I've got so many...I decided to stick with a theme of black & white:

1. Our goat, the fashion model.
   

2. Elk. Yellowstone National Park.
   

3. Our horse, just before competition. (My son rode for his high school equestrian team, primarily cutting cows.)
   

sapphire73

Happy to see so many great entries appearing!

moose135

1 - There is a farm on the Blue Ridge Parkway with a herd of Scottish Highland Cattle. They often can be seen grazing in a field right next to the parkway.

2 - Elk at the entrance to Great Smoky Mountain National Park

3 - Hobbes, one of the residents of Suzie's Pride, a Sanctuary and Rescue for big cats in Rockwell, NC.

Cavalier

Ooh - I love this theme! Thanks for starting the mini, Gretchen. Here are a few of mine.

Where's Waldo:

Tule Elk - In Profile

And following Joyce's lead - Mr. Pee-a-lot (defiantly, I might add)

sapphire73

Judging this mini will definitely be a challenge!

[Deleted User]

Young lions in South Africa

Sledgedogs in Greenland

Highland Cattle and Starling in Denmark

grandmaR

This was the first thing I thought of

1) The Monkey with the Pink Vagina

We were on a wildlife spotting boat tour in Tortugero Costa Rica when one of the monkeys decided to hang upside down and eat fruit that was below him on another branch. There were a couple of little girls sitting with me and they were pointing and giggling and one of them said the monkey had a pink vagina. The monkey was quite away off, and I couldn't see that well, so I zoomed in with my 300 mm lens and took a look. I guess they just did know the word for it/them.

**2) Pony Jumping **

3) Motherhood

[Deleted User]

@grandmaR said:
This was the first thing I thought of
1) The Monkey with the Pink Vagina

Interesting. Sad I didn't upload my pic of the monkey with blue testicles

slpollett

I don't get animal shots very often (except for my kitties which don't count), but I did find a few to share.

1. Bear crossing road in Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park.
   

2. Momma and baby orangutan at Cameron Park Zoo, Waco TX. The baby unfortunately passed away a week or two after I took this.
   

3. I have a ton of bison photos from Yellowstone, but my favorite one is not the best photographically. I took this photo as we were just coming into the park. It was the first (of oh, so many) that we saw and I was pretty excited about it. Obviously, I took it from the car and obviously it was on my husband's side of the road. I just couldn't get over how they were that close to the road that I could take a picture from the car without even a long lens. I laugh now thinking that at the time I thought that was so unusual and special.
   

Sherry

pegelli

Great theme, thanks!

# 1195:

Keeping the harem together

The nose of an ass

hammy8241

A field Mouse

Grey Squirrel coming to get my nuts!

and finally, Amur tiger & cub from Marwell (UK)

sapphire73

Fun to see so many great shots of mammals here!

Whether you have already shared your entries or are contemplating doing so, I would invite you to discuss one or more of the photos. Or perhaps you would like to share your thoughts on photographing animals (in this case, mammals)? The guidelines for these mini-challenges encourages discussion: "Enjoy discussion with members about their images, don't let this just be an entry thread!"

Note - When quoting a post, the guidelines suggest changing the IMG urls to a 200x200 size picture so it is clear your post is feedback and not another entry.

I look forward to seeing further discussion and/or more entries! Thank you all!

Cavalier

I have a blog post from October of 2014 - a light-hearted look at my experiences with photographing animals. It's a quick read and one I had fun doing. If anyone is interested here is the link

https://jowestimages.wordpress.com/2014/10/04/the-art-of-photographing-animals/

sapphire73

@Cavalier said:
I have a blog post from October of 2014 - a light-hearted look at my experiences with photographing animals. It's a quick read and one I had fun doing. If anyone is interested here is the link

https://jowestimages.wordpress.com/2014/10/04/the-art-of-photographing-animals/

Thanks for sharing this fun blog post! I have experienced this lack of cooperation while on safari when animals turn their backs to the camera almost as soon as we see them.

El Gato

I am amazed at all of the excellent images and the varied mammals, which we encounter throughout our life.

In today's rush, rush world, Jorgen's image of the Highland Cattle and Starling reminded me to always take time to be with friends. Sherry's mamma and baby orangutan shows the very human side of animals, which we may sometimes take for granted or even overlook in our 24/7, always on, globally connected, technology infused world.

After some time with Dgrin, this is actually my first post to a mini-challenge. Thanks for the encouragement.

North of the Arctic Circle, in Bettles, Alaska, at -48F, taking this picture was a challenge. Not only was the husky a bit nervous of me being so close to his "house," everything in my kit was freezing or already frozen. I learned a lot about photographing in harsh conditions and the limits one can push one's gear. Claim to fame on this trip...I was photographing in temps that eventually reached -69F. I know now what cold is.

Image #1

Thanks everyone for sharing some wonderful images!!!

Gatto

TEXAS down time

UTAH The Calm before the storm

TEXAS The elusive BobTheCat

sapphire73

Just back from a family trip to Disney World, and I'm having fun looking through all of these entries! This challenge will be ending in a couple of hours. Many thanks to all who have shared photos here!

sapphire73

This mini-challenge is now closed. I will try to post results sometime tomorrow, but it will be a challenge in itself. So many great shots of mammals in a variety of settings!

sapphire73

Results are posted now!