Taken at Virginia Safari Park in Natural Bridge, VA on June 11, 2005. I spent the day shooting exotic birds (ostriches, emus, rheas, etc.) in preparation for the Birds Challenge, but never could seem to get the shot I wanted. Then at the end of the day in the Petting section of the Zoo, these bantam chickens appeared and were more than happy to pose for the camera. The rooster seemed to love the attention and I found that shots of him seemed (at least to me) to be the best I'd taken all day. Then I changed my mind again and decided on this shot. I really like the zebra in the background and the "seemingly curious" expression on the ostrich's face. HOPEFULLY, you'll like it too!
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EDIT: Kodak's POTD July 17, 2006.
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Place: 60 out of 289 Avg (all users): 6.0403 Avg (commenters): 6.9250 Avg (participants): 5.7963 Avg (non-participants): 6.3964 Views since voting: 2983 Views during voting: 450 Votes: 273 Comments: 57 Favorites: 6 (view)
so i've read the comments of others and looked at this for a long time and i think the presence of the zebra makes the shot. in my mind's eye, i see the photographer taking the time to carefully compose the zebra in the shot when this ostrich pops his head up just as he/she presses the shutter.
i think it's hysterical!
I agree with that comment. One of those shots that makes you laugh out loud. I just love the "expression" on his face.
so i've read the comments of others and looked at this for a long time and i think the presence of the zebra makes the shot. in my mind's eye, i see the photographer taking the time to carefully compose the zebra in the shot when this ostrich pops his head up just as he/she presses the shutter.
This is very cute, very sharp and very cool. I'm sure the zoo would buy this it is a great expression of nature and harmony between different species. The colours and textures and the eyes on the bird are all sweet. Added you as a fave.
Really wish you had done better on this one. It looks a bit over-processed, but the shot is perfect. The striking difference between the two apparent moods of the animals is fantastic. Very well done!
A cute candid capture. His expression is priceless.
The post processing is a bit too much, imo. It needs to be toned down.
Big emphasis on imo...lol. Pretty decent score, so the voters liked it!
Great expression. Looks slightly oversharpened but that may be his feathers. Its kinda like oyu were taking a picture of a zebra and he popped his head in - just like a little kid. 8 - good luck in the challenge!
This looks very oversharpened, but I love the expression. Something about the dumb but happy look on the ostrich's face and his placement in the frame makes it feel like a goofy kid just bobbed unexpectedly into the frame. The oversharpening is the only identifiable thing preventing me from rating this higher.
Nice ! Love the look on the face - can't help but make you smile. The zebra in the background, adds a different texture and draws you into the image. Well done, good luck !
Is the zebra distracting ? I almost didn't know what I was looking at to start with, and yet without it the shot wouldn't have the same impact, it would just be an ostrich. Mmmm. It made me laugh.
This is one of those photographs that just make you smile. Reminds me of my little brother jumping into the middle of every picture when we were kids! VERY cute!
Perfect! It kills me to say this, as I entered the least interesting emu shot, but you really got it right! The look on this guy's face is priceless, the composition is wonderful, the detail, light & colors are great. 10
I have a bit of a problem with the way the ostrich "disects" the zebra - i.e. the composition is not what it could be.
However, you got a nice close-up of the bird which is always a good thing - and the zebra looks good, too :-)
Got yourself a fun capture. Makes me smile. Too bad the zebra is in the background because he's distracting and makes the photo looks like a quick snapshot. That said, the expression on your bird is priceless.
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