Printable View
We often see great photos on this site, But I know that there is an occasional funny, educational or lessons learned story behind these shots; So, If you have a photo with a interesting, educational or funny story behind it---post it now and post it here. I am sure there are others ( as well as myself) that would enjoy reading the story.
Bob
Maybe it is not much of a story, but here it goes:
This is a 20-years-old photo I took from the pier on the North Carolina beach. The wind was very strong and I struggled to keep my 400mm tele lens focused and steady - handheld - even at ISO 400. That caused me to take a shot not very well composed. Most certainly, this is the kind of shot that breaks traditional compositional rules. In fact, I rejected it for almost 2 decades.
And then, it downed on me: this is actually a composition very well suited to the situation. Why? Because I knew the people in the shot and the delicate relationship that intertwined between them. The girl was with one of the men, but attracted to the other one. She hasn't decided yet which one is to be her partner, but one of them had much less chances and was pushed to the margin of her life.
(Canon EOS A2E with Tokina 400/5.6, Tri-X film, exposure unknown.)
http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/4...0003smalli.jpg
like the picture and the story!
I
What a hook, you got me Firestarter. You are living up to your name.
Where do you fit in with this picture? And I don
Great story firestarter, Its funny how you can sometimes miss the subtle impressions of a photo until one day they just jump up and slap you in the face.
Great way to start off the string,
Bob
In Kananaskis Country west of Calgary, a large section of the highway is closed to traffic from December to June to minimize disturbance to wildlife. It is a beautiful stretch of road, so it is wonderful to go therefor a bike ride before it opens to vehicles. Naturally I can't carry my big lens with me on the bike, so I stuff a little point & shoot in my jersey pocket just in case I see something. As I was cruising down from the pass in June 2009, I noticed a large group of cyclists all stopped and looking at something. Sure enough, it was a gorgeous grizzly bear, munching on dandelions right on the side of the road. I gathered up my courage, got into position, and tried to hold the camera as steadily as I could (which was quite a trick, given how nervous I was). I continued to straddle my bike in case I needed to take off in a hurry. I was able to get this shot before the bear got fed up with the attention and ambled back into the woods. It remains my best grizzly photo to date, even though the quality is nowhere near what an SLR can deliver.
[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/600x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/5710.IMGP0015_2D00_1.JPG[/img]
@Jonathan, I visited Kananaskis last year(3 week camper road trip from Calgary to Banff and Jasper), and I absolutely loved it. A bunch of tourists near the road or some kind of trafic jam in the middle of an np is usually a good sign that there is some wildlife activity. Bad thing is ofcourse that sometimes people get far too close to the animal to get the best picture..
Pieter, yes you are quite right. When photographing wildlife, there are a lot of ethical considerations to bear in mind (pardon the pun). The bottom line is, if the animal is changing its behaviour because of you, then you need to bug out. In this case, you could well argue that I should have stayed away from the grizzly. I came across another situation once, where we saw a bunch of vehicles pulled over on a park road(we call it a bear jam). As we approached, we could see a mother bear with two cubs, very near the road. I had the camera on the seat beside me, but I elected to keep driving. I could have easily grabbed an awesome shot, but it would not have had any value to me at all because I know the mother bear was probably very stressed at that point and wondering how on earth was she going to get her cubs safely across that road.
I
@Jonathan,
BTW, I absolutely love this picture in your portfolio: www.huyerperspectives.com/.../6779711_QsYV7
(I like them all, but this one definitely most)
That's very kind of you! And there's a story behind that shot too: It was incredibly painful for my fingertips, trying to manipulate the camera and ND grad filter in the outrageously cold weather, even with gloves, mitts, and hand warmers. Main Street in Canmore Alberta is only 5 metres behind this vantage point, and I'm sure that the people driving by were shaking their collective heads in wonder at the crazy dude standing there with a tripod. And I can hardly blame them! As photographers, we've all probably encountered that experience at some time in some form. It's good to be able to laugh at ourselves.
Thanks again Pieter, and by all means please post a link on your profile to your own web album if you have one. I really like checking out other people'swork, especially the members of this forum.
The story of a winter day in the midwest:
Sitting inside, nothing to take pictures of. Hello doggie. If you ever thought you wanted a bulldog, you probably don't. Look at all that drool.
[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/700x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/7242.Annie.jpg[/img]
What's going on outside? Ahhh, that's right! It's wintertime. Only boring Robins (well, I did see a Downy woodpecker but he was too fast).
[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/700x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/0268.Robin-2.jpg[/img]
Who else is by the birdfeeder today? One of a million squirrels eating my birdseed. Hello squirrel! I see that your cheeks are filled with my birdseed.
[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/700x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/0564.Squirell-2.jpg[/img]
Just think, only about one more month and the cricket frogs will be back out! I can't wait for this winter to end....
[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/700x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/8032.Acris.jpg[/img]
HA! HA! Love the story! My dogs & I have had enough of this midwest winter also ...and BTW, love the bulldog shot!
Denise
Thanks Denise. She