I had an artist reception a couple of months ago and someone asked me what inspires me.
I know what I like to shoot, what draws my eye – but the things that inspire me are connections. It doesn’t matter if I’m shooting my Grandpa’s car keys, an antique car, a famous place, or an ostrich – I’m looking to make it personal. I’m looking for the shot that connects the viewer with the subject. Sometimes I succeed – sometimes, not so much. Connection is always the goal for me.
Here are some shots I’ve taken this year where the subject has chosen to make a connection with me. It always amazes me when this happens. If you’ve ever tried to get a decent shot of your dog, you know how hard it can be. It’s nothing you can plan for, but when it happens…
These may not be my best shots, but they are my some of best experiences shooting. Having a wild animal pause and look you in the eye is pretty amazing even if you don’t have a camera with you. I’ve noticed that so many animals are curious, maybe as curious as I am about them.
the eff stop 
These are great — I think the chipmunk might be my favorite. But I think I will have to look again — frequently.
Thanks – stop by anytime. That chipmunk is a favorite of mine too.
Ha! – made my day – loving your photos:)
Thanks – glad it gave you a smile:)
Magic! Great examples of connection! I especially love the camel, ostrich, and chipmunk, but all were a lot of fun.
Russ
Thanks Russ – that ostrich still cracks me up.
I love them all! Animals are amazing and I want to caption each one! The last one….I think he thinks he’s peaking around to see you????
Thanks! He actually was. He came out of that brush for a drink and checked us out before he crossed the creek.
my heart would be beating so loud….I’d scare him off! great shot!
Thanks – there were a lot of elk that day – he’s the only one who seemed to notice us.
🙂
All amazing. To me, the ostrich and the camel shots are perfection.
Thanks so much. That ostrich was amazing I had no clue about how dimensional their eyes were
Amazing series of shots! I almost sprayed tea all over when I got to the chubby-cheeked chipmunk. lol!
Thanks Robin – that one cracked me up too. I had a hard time convincing some friends that no photoshop was involved.
You are so talented..I am transported by your photos – and look at each animal projecting the thoughts they have as they look at you..
Thanks! I wonder if they think I have some horrible black growth in front of my eye – maybe they feel sorry for me:)
How are you able to do this?! These are wonderful – they are looking at you, and you can read the expression in their faces. LOVE IT!
Thanks, I shoot – a lot. Mostly I just stay low key. I’ve noticed that deer and antelope seem to be curious and want to look you over if you don’t spook them at the onset.
Reblogged this on emocrippled and commented:
love them all!!! *cuddles each of em cute fella*
Great photos, great connections. I think I like the camel best. Definitely trying to project his superiority to the world!
Thanks! That camel would move his head up and down to find a line of sight through the fence. He was pretty funny.
Wow! These shots are stunning. It’s easy to see the connection in each image, but I love the chipmuck (?).
These must have been amazing encounters.
Thanks for sharing these images, Lorri, I really enjoyed viewing them.
Thanks Vicki – that chipmunk was crazy. I wrote a post about him early this summer. I had no idea that their cheeks could expand so much.
Beautiful shots!
Thanks Diana!
(smiling)
Yes, when it happens, it is magic! Love these ‘portraits’ – the ostrich and the chipmunk are my faves. So great! K
Thanks! That chipmonk cracked me up. He looked like a cartoon 🙂
I think these are wonderful and some are quite hilarious!
Thanks Julie!
These pictures are awesome. I love the ostrich picture – it looks like a belligerent old lady about ready to nail you with a handbag. The raccoon one is great as well – those are hard buggers to catch in daylight where we are. My favorite is the female cardinal – we have them, but because the females tend to be at the nest most of the time, I’ve never gotten a picture with such detail. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, I shot a series of raccoons at the home of a 99 year old neighbor earlier this year – they live in her attic, this guy was the one who paid attention to me while the others ate. The cardinal was a treat, she spent about a half hour on my porch feeding, when she turned to look at me I was stunned.
I completely get it! Magnificent photos as usual!
🙂 Thanks!