Monday in Nature, 27 March 2017

Basic Guidelines: In the strictest sense, nature photography should not include "hand of man elements". Please refrain from images with buildings or human made structures like roads, fences, walls. Pets are not permitted. Captive subjects in zoos, arboretums, or aquariums are permitted, but must be declared, and must focus on the subject, not the captivity. Images with obvious human made elements will likely be deleted from the thread, with an explanation to the photographer. Guidelines are based on PSA rules governing Nature photography which also cover the Nature Forum. Keep your image at/under 1000 pixels on the long axis for in-line viewing. Note that this includes photos hosted off-site at Flicker, Photobucket, your own site, etc Are you new to this thread? We post one image per week.

Realizing that we can't have a Monday without MiN, and acknowledging that the challenge posed by this long-running challenge thread (the challenge: make a photo that fits within the guidelines posed) is one that so many of us enjoy, and appreciating the dedication of Laura in keeping it going for so long, as well as the initiative that Gup showed last week--I figured I'd leap in for this week.

And the photo: this was a chance encounter at the local wildlife refuge a few days ago--don't know which of us was more startled.

While the weather has been slow to warm, Spring is on its way as evidenced by these jelly fungi fruiting on a dead Hemlock sapling.

I got an error message again this week when trying to upload my image. After nearly 2 months this site is still a train wreck.

Thanks, Leslie. Here's a plant out at the wetlands, northern California.

Spring is busting out all over here in the Rocky Mountain West.

Ducks overwintering in Ontario Lake.

Caddisfly larva, probably Ptilostomis species, on the bottom of a pond.

Magnolia flower bud.

Announcing spring.

Well, I have an hour into trying to post this morning/afternoon. I think I finally have a window here. Photo.net has been flashing on and off and refusing to settle on a page for more than a second or two. Very frustrating. That and demanding my email and password each time.

Here is one of nature's own pruners hard at work on a Sumac bush.

Anna's hummingbird, female

Pacific Brown Pelican obliging with a fly-by

D800 with AF-S 80-400 at 400mm, f/5.6, 1/1000s, ISO100

Amazing nature stories in so many aspects, for so many reasons. This forum is even more precious after attacks of the posting guidelines (by people who never participated) which are the reason we enjoy this space,

When I visited China's Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) several years ago, I did not realize how much I would enjoy and treasure the memories. In order to stake out a good location to photograph the sunrise, we woke up in middle of the night, hiked up the cliff with flash lights and be the first to arrive to find a good spot without having to fall off the mountain. Then set up the tripod. Then we waited and waited. A little later, we saw other photographers coming. About 30 minutes before the sunrise, throngs of people began to arrive...until there were hundreds and thousands of them. Then everyone waited. When the sun began to appear behind a jagged peak, there were gasps, then cheers, than applause, then singing. It was quite an experience. The only thing I feared was my inability to do it justice.

At extreme low tides Seastars like to shelter on the shady sides of large rocks. On this day I had a Rolleiflex loaded with B&W film. Location Vancouver Island.[ATTACH=full]1180796[/ATTACH]

Wow. I bet they are colorful. Wish you had another camera with Fuji Velvia. ;)

Here is a Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) from Singapore last week. Nearby I also saw a Water Monitor running along, but unfortunately it crossed a manicured lawn and sidewalk, so was out of bounds for MIN.

Frankly, I don't think it is that challenging to shoot a photo that fits into the guidelines of this forum. I think more challenging is to include the human elements that are potentially distracting and still keep the focus on the nature theme.

Here is a photo that conforms to the guidelines of the forum (Indian Bulbul). Enjoy!

Not a bad shot Supriyo. ;) No hand-of-man (or woman?) is how we like it here. Thanks.

Well thanks, Mary Doo. I respect your and others' positions. I still hope you and others will at least read and consider my point of view. Thats the least we can expect from one another.

Frankly, I don't think it is that challenging to shoot a photo that fits into the guidelines of this forum. I think more challenging is to include the human elements that are potentially distracting and still keep the focus on the nature theme.

It's not a challenge, it's a rule. ;-)

Well thanks, Mary Doo. I respect your and others' positions. I still hope you and others will at least read and consider my point of view. Thats the least we can expect from one another.

Supriyo, thought the moderator ended that "discussion". I am sure your opinion has merit, but you are now at the Nature MIN forum with a tried and true set of rules that participants enjoy. Your point of view can probably be served very well in another forum and there will be photographers who embrace that, whatever that may be.