Post a beautiful nature picture

[Phil 132]

Some great images in this thread.  

 

I recently procured a Tokina 100mm 1:1 macro lens and considering adding more nature close-ups/macro images to my Alamy portfolio.

 

Anyone have a feel for how nature close-up/macro stock images on Alamy sells - or not?   Bug-eyed insects and flowers are over-represented I suspect.

[spacecadet 4,615]

45 minutes ago, Phil said:

Some great images in this thread.  

 

I recently procured a Tokina 100mm 1:1 macro lens and considering adding more nature close-ups/macro images to my Alamy portfolio.

 

Anyone have a feel for how nature close-up/macro stock images on Alamy sells - or not?   Bug-eyed insects and flowers are over-represented I suspect.

My efforts here have been purely for our own amusement and to keep my hand in, in the absence of anything else to photograph. There's been very little that I'd reckon would compete here, since they're mostly wild flowers and most of the market is for cultivars. The only exception is one of a hoverfly in a bellflower, just because it looks terrific. I don't have high hopes for it.

Edited September 23, 2020 by spacecadet

[MizBrown 940]

1 hour ago, Phil said:

Anyone have a feel for how nature close-up/macro stock images on Alamy sells - or not?   Bug-eyed insects and flowers are over-represented I suspect.

Try aquarium fish doing things.   Most aquarium fish and a lot of others are straight side shots.   Plants that aren't necessarily flowers seem to get zoomed and purchased, just not for very much money: two licenses on one Maranta, an oregano plant licensed to China, and a double blossom African violet.  Other thing to consider would be craft people's hands doing something (zoomed but not bought, so searches exist, but my examples were not compelling enough).   I think that the key for any bugs, spiders, or plants is complete scientific name(s) and as many common names as you find on Wikipedia.   Also, making sure you have photos that allow people to use them for identifying other examples of the plant or bug.

 

[VbFolly 922]

3 hours ago, Phil said:

Some great images in this thread.  

 

I recently procured a Tokina 100mm 1:1 macro lens and considering adding more nature close-ups/macro images to my Alamy portfolio.

 

Anyone have a feel for how nature close-up/macro stock images on Alamy sells - or not?   Bug-eyed insects and flowers are over-represented I suspect.

They certainly sell. My best 2 sales this month are macro shots of insects. Having said that, there is a lot of competition with some subjects, such as butterflies and bees, so it can be hard to stand out. Of course there are a lot of insect species, so it's worth trying to find and photograph the rarer species, and life stages, etc. As with photography of people, it can help if the bugs are doing something! 

[Betty LaRue 3,987]

On 21/09/2020 at 10:43, Allan Bell said:

 

Not exactly nature but nice all the same.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allan

 

I like them very much.

[Betty LaRue 3,987]

On 28/08/2020 at 19:06, Shergar said:

Very nice. We only have ruby-throats. I this an Anna?

[Betty LaRue 3,987]

On 18/09/2020 at 04:57, gvallee said:

Blue-faced honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanotis) feeding on grevillea.

 

Your birds make me so envious!

[MizBrown 940]

Jinotega from the ridge on the other side of town.   North end of town showing under the mountains.  Jinotega is at 1,000 meters/3200 ft.  Ridge in the clouds is around 6,000 ft.

 

[Allan Bell 3,107]

8 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I like them very much.

 

Thank you Betty.

 

Allan

 

[Betty LaRue 3,987]

11 hours ago, MizBrown said:

Jinotega from the ridge on the other side of town.   North end of town showing under the mountains.  Jinotega is at 1,000 meters/3200 ft.  Ridge in the clouds is around 6,000 ft.

 

Beautiful country. I love mountains, but no longer can go up in them. Actually never should have. But I was a sponsor for my daughter’s Girl Scout troop twice on ski trips. I learned to ski there, and went on another 6 or so family ski trips.  My irregular heart beat was made much worse by the thin air and I always had altitude sickness.  I loved skiing so much that I soldiered through.  I finally, after some pretty severe chest pain, realized I could no longer do that if I wanted to survive.
There are two things I adore. Mountains and beaches/sea. I do well snorkeling or beach combing!

[MizBrown 940]

10 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Beautiful country. I love mountains, but no longer can go up in them. Actually never should have. But I was a sponsor for my daughter’s Girl Scout troop twice on ski trips. I learned to ski there, and went on another 6 or so family ski trips.  My irregular heart beat was made much worse by the thin air and I always had altitude sickness.  I loved skiing so much that I soldiered through.  I finally, after some pretty severe chest pain, realized I could no longer do that if I wanted to survive.
There are two things I adore. Mountains and beaches/sea. I do well snorkeling or beach combing!

 

Thanks.  I don't walk up mountains anymore either.   Loved cross country skiing, never did alpine/downhill on the fatter skis.   Nicaragua has the Corn Islands which have diving on the last tail end of the Belize reef, I believe.  Haven't been there, yet. 

[gvallee 4,054]

On 24/09/2020 at 09:43, Betty LaRue said:

Your birds make me so envious!

 

This guy is pretty but a big bully!! Juveniles have a green face instead of blue.

[Betty LaRue 3,987]

 

Our blue jays are bullies, too. We can’t escape bullies. Once I heard the loudest bird screams. Rushed through my patio door and one bluejay was on top of another, had it pinned on its back. They are loud birds at any time, but this was beyond the pale. I ran out clapping my hands and they broke it up, flew away. The violence scared me. I never thought birds could be so vicious except for birds of prey.

Edited September 25, 2020 by Betty LaRue

[Cal 244]

 

 

Juvenile Moorhen having a good flap about here. Felt very lucky to have captured this and in nice light too. They're so shy that several previous attempts failed.

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by Cal

[R De Marigny 33]

On 25/09/2020 at 03:21, Betty LaRue said:

 

Our blue jays are bullies, too. We can’t escape bullies. Once I heard the loudest bird screams. Rushed through my patio door and one bluejay was on top of another, had it pinned on its back. They are loud birds at any time, but this was beyond the pale. I ran out clapping my hands and they broke it up, flew away. The violence scared me. I never thought birds could be so vicious except for birds of prey.

These are fabulous images Betty. 

[Betty LaRue 3,987]

1 hour ago, R De Marigny said:

These are fabulous images Betty. 

Thank you!

[Shergar 252]

On 23/09/2020 at 17:11, Betty LaRue said:

Very nice. We only have ruby-throats. I this an Anna?

This guys a Rufous Betty.

[Phil 132]

On 23/09/2020 at 13:28, MizBrown said:

 I think that the key for any bugs, spiders, or plants is complete scientific name(s) and as many common names as you find on Wikipedia.   Also, making sure you have photos that allow people to use them for identifying other examples of the plant or bug.

 

 

I know that providing scientific names in an image's Desc & keywords for critters and plants is highly recommended.  

 

I'm OK figuring out what kinda critter/bird I've snapped - but for other than the most common bugs and trees/flowers/plants I'm pretty clueless. 

 

Are there some good on-line methods/resources of ID'ing North American bugs & trees/plants/flowers suggested?      

[MizBrown 940]

2 hours ago, Phil said:

 

I know that providing scientific names in an image's Desc & keywords for critters and plants is highly recommended.  

 

I'm OK figuring out what kinda critter/bird I've snapped - but for other than the most common bugs and trees/flowers/plants I'm pretty clueless. 

 

Are there some good on-line methods/resources of ID'ing North American bugs & trees/plants/flowers suggested?      

 

Seek from iNature, Google Lens, and PlantSnap are useful.  We've had a discussion of them on another thread.  You can get at least the genus for most things and check with Google Images and Wikipedia and see if the app ID matches what you can find on line.

 

[Phil 132]

5 hours ago, MizBrown said:

 

Seek from iNature, Google Lens, and PlantSnap are useful.  We've had a discussion of them on another thread.  You can get at least the genus for most things and check with Google Images and Wikipedia and see if the app ID matches what you can find on line.

 

 

Thanks for the suggestions

 

I installed the Seek and PlantSnap apps and gave them a quick test run outside the house.  The technology is pretty amazing.  Should help a lot ID'ing flowers/plants etc. and not get bogged down so much when trying to figure out what vegetation I've photographed.

 

 

 

[gvallee 4,054]

Magpie Goose taking off in a wetland

 

[Betty LaRue 3,987]

16 hours ago, gvallee said:

Magpie Goose taking off in a wetland

 

Okay, so I don’t envy you your birds. That's one ugly bird. 🤣

[gvallee 4,054]

4 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Okay, so I don’t envy you your birds. That's one ugly bird. 🤣

 

LOL!! Aborigenes' stapple diet during migration season.

[spacecadet 4,615]

Yarrow, achillea millifolium, in the lawn. Some rather unkindly call it a weed. Not I.

Spotted during a party in our new Superdome tent in the garden. Hope to catch the one currently in bud later and do a studio job on it.

Edited September 29, 2020 by spacecadet

[Betty LaRue 3,987]

7 hours ago, gvallee said:

 

LOL!! Aborigenes' stapple diet during migration season.

I like that you “get” my sense of humor. 😊