The "Post a Picture You Took" thread

[BearSchlong 8,083]

Lol no, but recently I toured the defunct TDC Juvenile facility here and saw a bunch of the same vintage control panels.

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

Lol no, but recently I toured the defunct TDC Juvenile facility here and saw a bunch of the same vintage control panels.

Oh really? Why were you touring it? Is it about to demolished or repurposed? Is it stand alone or on active property. I am of course asking for a friend.

[BearSchlong 8,083]

It's being repurposed into something called the dream center, sorta a drug rehab, homeless shelter place. They had a reception for potential donors and I was invited.

http://beaumontdreamcenter.org

 

 

 

[DougO 5,243]

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

Fantastic shots Doug.

[Sten 3]

[Anton Chigurh 3,319]

A few more from the Chihuahuan desert...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this lil fella

 

[fluff 87]

Seems to be Robin time around Austin...

[DougO 5,243]

[DougO 5,243]

[DougO 5,243]

 

Dang front was just hitting, dark afternoon clouds, when I saw this hawk on a country road, had my camera in the back seat.

 

[fluff 87]

Great shot! Seems like everywhere I go now all I do is look around to see what kind of birds might be in the trees around me that I might want to take a picture of.

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

Always impressed by your bird photos Doug.

 

[DougO 5,243]

 

I've gotten to the point where I started keeping the camera and the big lens in the car almost any time I go out during the day. I got tired of seeing stuff and not having a camera. I just hope I don't get in a wreck paying more attention to the skies than the road.

 

[DougO 5,243]

I got a bonus prize the other day, too. I went to a lake park to check out the scene for birding, and I found a pocket knife on the ground. I was the only one at the park, nobody around to ask if they had dropped one. I took it home and looked it up, it's a Benchmade knife that lists for about $200. Score!

Edited January 12, 2019 by DougO

[DougO 5,243]

And I STILL haven't seen a single robin.

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

I see too many damn robins haha.  And Benchmades are great knives.  I have a couple of them.

[Armybrat 40,820]

Don't know diddly about the artistry & science of photography, but.....was having a drink & surfing Surly with my cheap iPad on the patio the other evening and stopped to snap this.

[El Diablo 4,232]

I took this picture of a fish in my aquarium. Little guy, maybe a hair over an inch long.

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

A friend of mine turned me onto this spot near Houston where Northern Harriers hunt.  I got this shot today which I am not very proud of.  I wasn't able to really hang out and get a better shot because I was there with my daughter, but hoping this Friday I will get plenty of time to get something better.

[DougO 5,243]

That's another bird Ive been trying to get close enough to to get a decent shot. No luck so far. I've seen them around several times. The only time they were right over me was when I didn't have a camera with me.

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

On 1/13/2019 at 11:49 AM, DougO said:

That's another bird Ive been trying to get close enough to to get a decent shot. No luck so far. I've seen them around several times. The only time they were right over me was when I didn't have a camera with me.

Yeah, they fly slow and low, but somehow are still allusive.

Ran into some more train hoppers.  They jumped in the back of my truck and I gave them a ride to the McDonald's near the rail yard in exchange for a few photos.

[DougO 5,243]

Saw a harrier almost close enough to get a decent pic, but this shitty cloudyass weather is killin' me

 

 

[DougO 5,243]

12 hours ago, DougO said:

Saw a harrier almost close enough to get a decent pic, but this shitty cloudyass weather is killin' me

 

 

That's actually an Osprey up top. Total brainfart.

[DougO 5,243]

 

 

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

Beautiful shots.

[Anton Chigurh 3,319]

 

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

Got to love when you have a day off to do nothing but go shoot and the weather is shitty.  Bird photography just didn't want to happen today.  Lots of sandhill cranes, but just a bit too far off for 400mm.  No harriers to be found.  Saw the mating pair of bald eagles, but the nest we visited was way too high to get any good shots.  Went to a few abandoned farms, nothing to exciting.

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[DougO 5,243]

Crested Caracara, officially my 100th identified species of bird since I started counting last year.

 

 

And a shrike.

 

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

Damn Doug, great shots of caracaras. Really cool looking birds. I posted some on the old site, but nothing like that. Vibrant colors and sharp.

I am still struggling to finish this roll of JCH Streetpan. I think I have 10 frames left. Tomorrow is a short day R work, hope to shoot afterwards. But next Friday I have a road trip planned to central Texas. Several houses on the list. Hopefully a few of them are photogenic.

[DougO 5,243]

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

Getting some awesome shots Doug.  This is one of my favorite threads on this site.  I suppose I could find a photography specific forum, but I feel like those get competitive and hyper critical of everyone's contributions.  I like seeing everyone's shots of all skill levels and subjects.  I wish there were some more contributors!

I saw this Texas Ratsnake on yesterday.  Kind of surprised to see him in January.  I figure he was about 4' long.

Various...

Playing with editing

And a Rough Earthsnake...

 

[DougO 5,243]

Pretzelsnek. Very cool.

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

My Doug impersonation but with less lens, shitty light and more obstructions!

[DougO 5,243]

I like how the leaves wrap all around the bird. Those bastards are tough. They're tiny, hyperactive, and always in the shit.

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

10 minutes ago, DougO said:

I like how the leaves wrap all around the bird. Those bastards are tough. They're tiny, hyperactive, and always in the shit.

Thanks.  And absolutely.  I had one dead to rights and some jackhole came walking down the trail and scared it off.

[hookem2010 2,623]

I spend most weekends wandering around urban wilderness. I really need to invest in at least a decent point-and-shoot. Any recs for a beginners camera for birds and other wildlife?

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

I spend most weekends wandering around urban wilderness. I really need to invest in at least a decent point-and-shoot. Any recs for a beginners camera for birds and other wildlife?

I haven’t used a point and shoot in many years, but I think the canon powershot series of camera would work well. Several have powerful optical zooms but I pretty compact.

[Anton Chigurh 3,319]

The Sony RX-100 series is very nice but gets pricey quick. You can get an older generation for less, though. I think the current generation is VI.



In other news, I bought an equatorial mount. Excited to use it.

[DougO 5,243]

I'm not sure what point & shoot type camera would be good for birds and nature, but I haven't kept up with them. I wouldn't recommend a fixed lens rig. The lens is the biggest thing. I would encourage one to get a DSLR or mirrorless equivalent with interchangeable lenses. You don't necessarily need the fast frame rate and pro build and extra pricey features. Many of the cheaper models have the same sensor as the higher end stuff. You can start with a zoom lens that isn't wildly expensive, something that gets you in the 300mm range.

[stc 1,460]

A few from last year that I liked.

[DougO 5,243]

It was supposed to be cold as hell today, but the birds were really active and it ended up being a nice day for birding. This Osprey put on a lengthy display of his hunting skills over a creek. I just wish he could stay in the light.

 

 

 

 

Red-shouldered hawks seem to be all over the place now.

 

[SurlyBDR 22,763]

[baboso 6,054]

Second pic of the osprey - is that fishing line trailing off his/her wing?

[DougO 5,243]

3 hours ago, baboso said:

Second pic of the osprey - is that fishing line trailing off his/her wing?

It could be, or it could be something organic like a spider web. I zoomed in on several pics and it looks like it is tucked between the wing and tail. I don't see any evidence of it being wrapped around something or hooked in.

Edited January 31, 2019 by DougO

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

Took a drive through Central Texas today.  Most of the spots I had planned to stop at were either not doable or a let down.  I did get a few shots I liked.  Oh, Doug, I was up near Holland and saw a large Kingfisher sitting on a power line above a creek.  Of course, I turned the truck around, got my 400mm lens on, looked up and he was gone.  Such is my experience with birds.  Only snake I saw was a Rough Earthsnake. 

 

[DougO 5,243]

[hookem2010 2,623]

Vermillion flycatcher, nice! In keeping with the local wildlife theme, I just took this horrible cell phone photo of a bobcat in Arlington.

[Anton Chigurh 3,319]

Vermillion flycatcher, nice! In keeping with the local wildlife theme, I just took this horrible cell phone photo of a bobcat in Arlington.

Ha, River Legacy looks like. I’ve seen a few there myself.

[DougO 5,243]

32 minutes ago, hookem2010 said:

Vermillion flycatcher, nice! In keeping with the local wildlife theme, I just took this horrible cell phone photo of a bobcat in Arlington.

That's a very nice cell phone photo. I have a tougher time taking pics with a phone than a pro camera.