What are your favorite/best shots & why

Harryb

Hi y'all,

Here's a chance to show your favorite shots. Let's keep it to two shots per poster. Post the two shots are out of your collection that you really, really like and tell us why the shots stand out for you.

Here are mine.



This one is special to me because I saw it before it happened. I saw the wood storks in the water with the cloud's reflections in the water and I said to myself "now that would be a cool shot if you could get another bird flying in out of the cloud's reflection". So I decided to wait and sure enough an egret came flying in after a bit.



I love silhouette shots and this is my best of this type. I took this shot at the first Merritt Island shoot. Everybody else had rushed off to shoot an eagle sitting in a tree. I had enough eagle in a tree shots so I stayed where I was. I had been shooting with the light but when I turned around and looked into the light I saw the great colors in the sky and decided to shoot that way for a silhoutte shot.

Dick on Aruba

Great work Harry, very beautiful.

[Click image to enlarge]

Well, in my category of favorites is this one of the pictures because of the composition and...I just have a weakness for small birds.



In the category of (one of my) best pictures is this capture. I find it just a beautiful shot and love the facial expression.



Dick

Ric Grupe

Here's mine.
It was a day filled with futility...just couldn't get a shot, when this Gray Catbird decided to pose for me. This shot shows all the identifiable characteristics that birders use to determine which bird is which.



The eyes say it all in this one from the zoo.

Andy

I like the composition, and the sharpness. I totally dig the "pose" of my Skimmer. I called it "X-Wing Fighter."

The detail at large print size, is outstanding. Helps I was using a borrowed Canon 500mm f/4 ( thanks Ian)

SteveF

Hello,

Harry - that first one of your is one my my favorites too. I remember showing it to my wife when I first saw it. Simply top notch.


This first one I like for a few reasons. I sell it as "Pelican in pre-dawn fog". First I really worked to get low to capture the sky colors for background - this was on the Pacific about 15 minutes before dawn and the earth's shadow cast a wonderful pink band on the sky. Secondly, I realized when shooting that if I got my lens right up to some dirt that I was laying on and shot wide open I could create an image of 'fog' at the base of the bird. I spent a lot of time repositioning and got this one. The 'fog' is just out of focus dirt right in front of the lens. What amazes me is that if I had been standing up this same image would just be a bird standing on poop covered dirt.




Second (tough choice here) was a picture of a loon landing. I spent a good bit of time in the canoe this last summer chasing these guys. They land with their feet behind them, chest first, and so I was trying to capture the really neat crest of water that comes with their landing. The web version doesn't do this one justice - I've been selling it as 10x20", but the light that morning was just magical, and I felt the high shutter speed really gave a glimpse into a scene that the human eye otherwise could not see. Maybe not my best #2, but this one has some emotional baggage for me that moves it up the ladder.

gluwater

The first shot was taken at sunrise while I was taking pictures of a Black Crowned Night Heron. Then all of a sudden this Robin flew over with a worm in it's mouth and posed just long enough for me to get a couple shots off. Goes to show, early bird gets the worm.



Alright, added the second pic. This was at last years MI3 shootout in Florida. This was shot at the Orlando Wetlands just before the sun set. The Red-Shouldered Hawk sat there posing for us seeming to admire the sunset. It was extremely windy and to take off it needed to just stretch its wings and it was in the air. This is my favorite wildlife shot I have taken so far.

ian408

I think my two favorites are these.


A Northern Harrier

and this GBH.



Both where shot with the 500 (you're welcome Andy!).


Ian

Ric Grupe

SteveF wrote:

Outstanding, Steve.

traunerk

man, two shots is tough...
I;ve got to go with at least one birdie, since i've taken quite a few, but one just doesn't do justice. Raptors seem to be favorites, so...

Northern Harrier...




And I think I gotta go with at least one landscape...or cityscape if you wish...it was just such a spectacular sunset...



And neither is with the camera i'm currently using - first was drebel and second a sony v-1.

Regards...Keith

traunerk

I realized my cityscape may not fit...
...although it is the mighty Hudson River...so permit me to add one more clearly NATURE shot that fits the category...

I love the pastels in this photo - and it was taken in my wife's garden about ten steps from the front door... (moderator -feel free to remove my landscape if you wish - don't want anyone bothered by my extra pic...



Regards...Keith

GraphyFotoz

My favorite top 3 for THIS YEAR!
All taken in the past month....imagine that.
This one cuz I hunted all Summer for a great Butterfly shot for a seller.
Nice framing....nice bokeh and super color! Just what I wanted!!!




Then this one cuz HummingBirds were top on my list to get.
Then I got a super shot of one in action!



There is the Bear I got last weekend.
Heard of reports around here of PPL seeing em for years and I never saw one.
Lucked out cuz I had my camera handy for ONCE!
So now I have pictorial proof of my first personal Bear!

Harryb

Andy wrote:

I like the composition, and the sharpness. I totally dig the "pose" of my Skimmer. I called it "X-Wing Fighter."

The detail at large print size, is outstanding. Helps I was using a borrowed Canon 500mm f/4 ( thanks Ian)

I've always like that shot but I was sure you would post your hawk shot too.

Andy

Harryb wrote:

I've always like that shot but I was sure you would post your hawk shot too.

The hawk seemed kinda clinical to me - sure it's a nice portrait, but I dig the action of the skimmer

Awais Yaqub

Beautiful photos everyone
here are my 2 both from H5
well this one because it was one of the 1st fews and shutter speed was really low (1/50 at full zoom)and i love that spider in his mouth

And i love his eyes in this one but nose is over exposed :cry

GraphyFotoz

Both are super shots Awais!! thumb

GraphyFotoz

Harryb wrote:

I've always like that shot but I was sure you would post your hawk shot too.

Given Andy's line of Photography it's hard to imagine Him doing Wildlife! D

dbaker1221

Wow. I'm in awe. mine are not nearly as good.
This little guy cause I like the color.

& this sandhill that was walking through a subdivison as I drove by.

Thusie

Nice favs folks!

I have quite a few I really like but will post the 2 that have the most meaning.



This shot took me 2 months. Not on the bird feeder, good background and light. High point I didn't blow the shot when it all came together.




I worked hard for this one too and haven't come close to anything like it since.

Ok make that 3




THis one could be a bit shaper around the face, still it was sort of a milestone. I knew where he was and actually set the camera on the fly and set it right:D

Harryb

Outstanding shots so far but unless I'm even older and more feeble than I thought I'm sure that I said 2 shots per customer.

Andy

Harryb wrote:

I'm sure that I said 2 shots per customer.

2? Oh ok

This is a personal favorite. I like the sharpness against the soft, fading away lavender flowerbud; the creamy bokeh. And the IR dreaminess.

Thusie

Harryb wrote:

Outstanding shots so far but unless I'm even older and more feeble than I thought I'm sure that I said 2 shots per customer.

Whoopsie, trying to take the last shot off and not doing so hot, wanna help there Harry:D

GraphyFotoz

Harryb wrote:

Outstanding shots so far but unless I'm even older and more feeble than I thought I'm sure that I said 2 shots per customer.

Sorry Harry! hide
I dunno how to read just look at the pictures!

ChrisJ

This was my first post on Dgrin... I still love this shot. The colors are great and it's tack sharp with a nice bokeh.



This one may not have as much impact to other people... but the Hippos in Africa are so much more dynamic than ones in zoos. This one just looked so happy; it brings back great memories of Africa. Scanned from a 35mm negative.

thebigsky

I've don't take many pictures of wildlife, but I liked this shot because the birds looked very mischievious:-



and I like this image because for me it has a kind of on safari feel even though it was shot at Whipsnade:-



Charlie

gus

I like this one because it isnt a zoo. We were driving in Botswana when a heard of ele's decided they had right away...so you just stop the car until they are happy to move off.




Camping out in the bush saw a visitor...he circled the tent for a while. I swear he was the devil himself, man what an ugly animal.

Harryb

gus wrote:

Camping out in the bush saw a visitor...he circled the tent for a while. I swear he was the devil himself, man what an ugly animal.

I'm glad that I didn't see him in the flesh, just the picture scares the bejeesus out of me. :yikes

davev

2 Shots. You've got to be kidding.
Normally, I'd post something recent, but I'll go with a couple of older ones.

This shot is the shot that made me think that I could take an OK nature shot.



This shot is from a raptor release last May.
I was lucky enough to be in the right spot. This female eagle came in at 14 pounds, 2 pounds larger than any other eagle that they had previously released. She was all of 20 feet from me when she struck this mid air pose.
I believe that this was a once in a lifetime shot for me, and that's why it's one of my favorites.



I have about 10 others that I could move in and out of this thread. Some are better, more technical shots, some are shots that I probably will never get the chance to do again. But I'm sure everyone has a story like that.

Seamus

davev wrote:

Wow !!!!!!!

Swartzy

What a great thread
I'm in awe of the fantastic shots posted here. I haven't done much wildlife as my lens length isn't long enough....but, am working on solving the problem. In any case, this shot appeals to me for several reasons. My wife and daughter were walking around a south Mpls. lake each evening, then coming home and telling me how I should have been there taking pictures. I finally went with them and they were suggesting I go up on a bridge to take shots. We pulled in a parking place and as I got out of the car, across the street were these sailboats. Full moon, sun was starting to go down...."Forget the bridge, nothing is up there....look at this", I said to them. So I set up and fired off too many shots to count. This just captured the mood of a fun shoot for me and I love the look.



This next one is our neighbor's dog Lexie. She is groomed every 6 weeks and babied like no other dog. I wanted to do something for the neighbors so I fired off about 75 shots using my new 50 mm. Had this enlarged and framed and gave it to them....it's really the sum of my life....touching others using the abilities I've been given.

Harryb

ChrisJ wrote:

This was my first post on Dgrin... I still love this shot. The colors are great and it's tack sharp with a nice bokeh.



This one may not have as much impact to other people... but the Hippos in Africa are so much more dynamic than ones in zoos. This one just looked so happy; it brings back great memories of Africa. Scanned from a 35mm negative.

Well congrats on your first post and welcome

Excellent shots

Ric Grupe

Harryb wrote:

Well congrats on your first post and welcome

Excellent shots

Harry....I think you miss read ....Chris has been here since January 2005.

I agree with the excellent shot part.