My favorite of this year because it was a new adventure behind the lens for me in that I have never attempted macro before. While it is a macro shot I am sure that it is wild within the aphid community, and treacherous in light of all the parasited aphids also seen here.
I'm still amazed by the quality of photos I see here. This thread is proof of the high quality of work here. I though I'd post one anyway. It's from before I started posting here. Taken at the local rookery this spring ~ Ron
Unbelievable shots everyone! I don't have anything as good as what people have posted here, but i'll show you one shot that i really enjoy. I hope you like it too!
My choice for best is cuz of the challenge and time it took to get the photo. I needed some more big horn sheep photos for the book we were doing so I spent a week in Colorado chasing big horn sheep. My goal was to get a mature ram laying down in the sun waiting to go have dinner. The first few days I managed to fill 16gb cards many times with lots of photos but still not the one I really wanted. I tried numerous approaches and no luck, I decided about the only chance I had was to use my camera wagon as a blind out in the open. I parked it around noon below the ridge they were using to take a nap and hiked back and chased some others up in the rocks. I wanted them to get used to the camera wagon being there. I went back after dark and got the camera wagon so I could go back to town and my motel. 2 days of this and I was ready to try cuz they did lay down on the ridge the 2nd day. About noon I drove the camera wagon to the same spot and got in on the opposite side (Passenger side) so when and if they showed up they couldn't see movement in the camera wagon. They showed up a couple of hours later and laid down for their pre-dinner nap. I grabbed a couple of hundred shots and sat back and drank coffee until they went over the ridge down into the meadow for dinner. When I got back to the motel I download the photos and I noticed in this one you can see the reflection of the camera wagon in his eye.
I haven't been here in a while, and I'm glad I popped in at the right time to catch this post. I love this post... you people are inspirational and so very talented.
I don't shoot wildlife often, but here's one from my backyard this summer:
I took this shot and didn't expect it to turn out this way. Some grass in the foreground gives it a blurred/sharp look that is interesting. These big rams are lip curling during the rut. Apparently they rub their nose in the ewe's urine and then do this lip curl to smell whether the ewe is coming into estrous. Great huh?
Alright guys and gals, don't be shy now. I have seen far more superb images than just these over the past 12 months. Andy/Hanh, Lil, DeeDee, Ken, Dan, Doug, Geneo...step up please.
