Well since everyone seems to LOVE looking at photos.... I have decided to try something new.

This thread is gonna be devoted to my photography... and I'm gonna post "A PHOTO A DAY" until I run out of photos. Feel free to comment or criticize my photography (thats how I get better).... If ya see something that could be better... speak up.

Within this thread you will be able to see photos of everything from herps to hawks.... from flowers to felines.... from Sunsets to Snakes... and everything else in between.

I will try to add the camera data if I have it along with maybe a little info on the shot.

No matter where I take my photos.... I always strive to limit or eliminate man made objects all together... especially if I am shooting nature shots. I feel that it takes out the distractions from the image and in the end you get a much more powerful image.

Case in point is the image below.... it was taken when me and a few other photographers got together to shoot the Memphis Zoo. Without the massive lens... I would have just another eagle pic in the zoo (just like so many others)... however with the lens I am able to get an up close, intimate portrait of the eagle while he/she is screaching.... and you would never be able to tell it was at the zoo.

Photo shot with a Nikon D80 & Sigma 50/500mm with a 1.4x tele added
Focal length = 600mm
ISO = 400
Shutter = 1/100
Apature = f/9

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii139/kbnaturephotography/Birds/BaldEagle0803001WEB.jpg

Thanks for looking.... comments and critiques are welcome

I hate you kevin...now if ya could just get the eagle to get the brown spot out of it's eye that'd be perfect...

I have to agree that brown spot has to go...I expected better of you Kevin :lol:

Naaah that's a pretty sweet picture..:yessir:

That is a great shot :rockon:

DONE..... take me bout 15 sec's to make it go bye bye

lol so lets see it without the spot! you have mail btw...

I will have to take care of that when I get home.

I will have to take care of that when I get home.

BOOOO you said 15 sec's :lol:

Very nice shot Kevin. Look forward to a pic a day.

Very nice Kevin

That's a great shot. We've got 3 nesting pair here in the county where I live so theye're quite a common sight. I love birds of prey.

That's a bird right?










































Sorry, great shot Kevin!

Got to love a bald eagle.........Very nice!

Sput.... It was over with the bears.... so Im not real shur... let me goggle it.

Sput.... It was over with the bears.... so Im not real shur... let me goggle it.

Not the bears again.... :lol:

Beautiful . They nest on Cane Creek Lake where we live . It is wonderful to see them in the wild .
Do you have any pix of the pileated wood peckers ? they are all over the place down here .
Only one a day ?
Toni

woooops

Only one a day.... I have always wanted to Canoe Cane Creek... I may have to hit you up if your willing to be a guide.

Only one a day.... I have always wanted to Canoe Cane Creek... I may have to hit you up if your willing to be a guide.

There are a lot of waterfowl including pelicans now . There are gators ,lots of wildlife . I used to walk down there on the road and these little red fox pups would sit beside the road and watch me go by .
There is a ton of cypress . But, the ticks are bad in the summer and the mosquitos . my daughter and I were fishing a pond just across from the entrance for a couple months last spring . She has been a vegetarian ..almost vegan since she was 14 and the 1st day she fell on the ground and cried when I put a big bass on the stringer and refused to use live bait til the next day when I told her to hold my rod while I worked on her line ...she caught a big ole bass on the minnow and thats all she wrote after that . She is better than I am now. Her favorite place at that pond was a cove with lots of water plants and pools . She kept telling me about some sort of fish with a really wide head that moves ontop of the water...wasnt long we were wading all out in that pond after the monterfish....turned out to be an 8ft gator..a 5 ft gator and I am so thankful we got away with that alive....especially her . I counted 14 otters down there one day .
You know you can canoe the bayou also ...full of gators...never been.
I want to get out there and catch some of those huge crappie .
The pond sold and we cant go there any more. Need a new fishin hole for spring .
Toni

sounds like my kind of place.... Id have a blast with my camera.

sounds like my kind of place.... Id have a blast with my camera.

yep. yep .
t

SWEET pic Kevin

This past spring (spring '08)... myself and about 20 others got together for some field herping at Snake Road. The day was overcast and cloudy all day long while we herped and late into the evening we decided to call it a day and head back to camp. There was 5 vehicles in our little conga line and I was leading the pack.... as we headed the 40 miles or so back to camp I happend to glance to the west and the sun was breaking free of the clouds.

I got on the radio to everyone else in the convoy of herpers and let them know that I was turning around and going to the top of the bluffs to photograph the sunset. At this time we were about 15 miles from snake road. Everyone else agreed that they wanted to photograph the sunset as well...and we all did a U-turn and headed back to snake road.

Lets just say the sun was falling fast and the convoy was moving at a high rate of fuel consumption. In order to get to the bluffs and Snake Road you have to travel about 6 miles or so on a gravel toped levee.

Now for the record let me say this.... I grew up & still live on a gravel road... and I grew up watching the "Dukes of Hazzard"..... this will come into play in a few moments.

So here I am doing about 50+ on this gravel road and dodging pot holes trying to get up to the top of the bluffs before the sun sets... and it is dropping fast.... toooo fast.

At the end of this gravel road you have to make a 90* turn to the left otherwise you will run slap dab into the bluffs..... I slow down a bit.... and slide it into the turn... and gas on it again... the sun is setting lower.... this is gonna be way to close.

At this point... I have left Josh who was the truck right behind me... Now let me say... he is in a Dodge Dakota truck... and Im in my little low slung Chevy Cavalier Sport.

Half mile or so and you have to make a shaper turn to the right to start the climb up to the top of the bluffs..... took this one in the same fashion... Yeeeehaaaa

The only problem with this road.... is.... well..... its not that great of a road. There are woods on both sides.... and ruts all over the place... the type of ruts that would swallow my little car. So we're strollin along around 40ish up this little goat trail of a road and I have lost all sight of Josh... and its gettin kinda dark in the woods.... so now Im really motivated to get to the top and to the lookout before the sun sets.....

Then all of a sudden.......







I hear Josh over the radio....

Josh: How in the hell do you still have your bumper?!
Me: It's easy...you're supposed to straddle the ruts, not drive through them!
Josh: No Shit.... but the one went all the way across the road!
Me: Oooooh.....you mean the one we jumped.....
My passenger: Thats because we have Bo Duke behind the wheel... then laughter
Me: Yeeeeehaaaaaaa

That radio traffic is word for word... and if you had been there... funny as hell.

So now Im up at the top and trying my best to get the camera and tripod out of the trunk and set up before the sun completely sets.

I have prob taken 10 or 12 intermittent shots before Josh and the rest of them even make it to the lookout. Everyone hops out and starts snapping shots.

After the sun set we all had a good time laughing about the radio traffic.... and I was asked to take it a bit slower on the way back down.... it was ruff as hell going down... I guess on the way up we were just clipping the tops of the bumps. :)

This photo was taken with a Nikon D80 & Tamron 70/300mm macro
Focal Length 300mm
Shutter 1/50
Apature f/20
ISO 400

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m49/southernwolf/Snake%20Road%2008/SunSet0804395.jpg

Thanks for looking.... comments & critiques welcomed.

I'd have to say that photo was worth it! Breathtaking......:yessir:

Nice pic Bo... I mean Kevin....

Yeeeeehaaaaaaa

Bo, bo, bo, how many times I tol' ya. Ya keep drivin' like dat you gonna broke da car. Looks like it was worth it though.

Nice pictures Kevin! :D

Yeeeeehaaaaaaa

LOL them Cavaliers got some nut, let me tell you! HAHAHA My car is a Chevy Cavalier LS.... I dont care what anyone says, i love that car!

LOL YEEEHAAAA is about right!

I am not sure which I like more - the story or the pic??

Well both are 100% true.

LOL them Cavaliers got some nut, let me tell you! HAHAHA My car is a Chevy Cavalier LS.... I dont care what anyone says, i love that car!

LOL YEEEHAAAA is about right!

You aint jokin.... I have the LS Sport... and it is worth every penny.

I had a State Trooper comment to me one night... after he pulled me over... that my car would give his a run for the money thur the hills by my house. I was taking 35mph curves at 55 and not sliding or screachin rubber.

He asked me... whats your hurry... I was like...no hurry... Im only doing 55. He let me go.

You aint jokin.... I have the LS Sport... and it is worth every penny.

I had a State Trooper comment to me one night... after he pulled me over... that my car would give his a run for the money thur the hills by my house. I was taking 35mph curves at 55 and not sliding or screachin rubber.

He asked me... whats your hurry... I was like...no hurry... Im only doing 55. He let me go.

Sounds like me around here..... :D Gorgeous corners at 60.... WOO sofun. I try to be careful... :cool::cheers:

In a hurry!? There's a speed lower than 55??? I NEVER KNEW!!!! My car couldnt kick one of them new cruisers though, no matter how hard i tried. But, thats why you get Radar Detectors :devil::yessir:

Oh I got the cruisers in the curves.... but they will catch me on the straits.

Ive got a lowered car... sport tuned suspension... and high performance tires... however my car only goes so fast before it shuts down... and they dont have that problem.

I know the feelin .
t

So this will be a long running "pic a day" thread with stories etc throughout?

Sweet picture :yourock:

That is an awe inspiring pic

Great shot Kevin!

LOL them Cavaliers got some nut, let me tell you! HAHAHA My car is a Chevy Cavalier LS.... I dont care what anyone says, i love that car!

LOL YEEEHAAAA is about right!

See Kevin it is a chick car....:lol:

That being said I had one (well my ex had one) that was really great on the curves along lake michigan in the upper peninsula of Michigan....had that thing screaming once until I got pulled over...that is a story for another time though. :cheers:

So this will be a long running "pic a day" thread with stories etc throughout?

Yes... it will be a long running thread... and if I have stories to go along with them...I will share them.

Yes... it will be a long running thread... and if I have stories to go along with them...I will share them.

Good to know as was looking for pic 2 yesterday but did find it eventually

This is one of the critters that we found while herping at Snake Road in the spring of '08. Sadly... it was the only 'hot' found.... but we did find a bunch of other herps. I am not the one in our group that found it.... and when I got there... it was up on this rock... which worked great for photography.

Photo taken with a Nikon D80 & Tamron 70/300 macro
Shutter Speed 1/100
Focal Length 200mm
ISO 400
Apature f/5

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Venomous.Snakes/Cottonmouth%2008.04.238.jpg

Thanks for looking... comments and critiques welcomed

I know bout the red x... Im working on it

problem fixed

Incredible looking hot

Nice one.....copperhead?

Moccasin......

Its a Juvie Cottonmouth

Cool pic. Looking forward to checking out Snake Road this Spring. I'm really enjoying this pic a day thread. Thanks Kevin!

Its a Juvie Cottonmouth

could you smell him ? I was blazing trees down on cutoff creek wma for the waterfowl rest area boundary and got a good whiff of cottonmouth stink..looked down and he was right by my foot ....watched my steps a little more closely after that .

Great pics! I'm looking forward to each day's photo and story!

Nice looking pic :yessir:

could you smell him ? I was blazing trees down on cutoff creek wma for the waterfowl rest area boundary and got a good whiff of cottonmouth stink..looked down and he was right by my foot ....watched my steps a little more closely after that .

Nope... he never decided to musk us

Way back in the spring of '07 I had a couple of friends fly into Memphis from Washington state... and 1 came in from Vermont. I picked them up and brought them to my house in preparations for the sping trip to Snake Road. They came in early... and we had a chance to do some herping around my house. One of my flippin sites was rather productive for such a cool April.

We were able to flip this little guy from under a piece of tin. He is definately one of our more colorful varieties... and one of 4 that were found at that location on that day.

This is before I got my D80 and I had to work around the shortcommings of my POS point and shoot.

Photo with Kodak P850 point & shoot
Focal Length 72mm
Shutter 1/500
Apature f/3.6
ISO 50

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Turtles/Three-toed%20Box%20Turtle%2007.04.116.jpg

Thanks for looking.... comments & critiques welcomed

Love turts!! He is bright!!

Man, you live in a virtual reptile haven. I haven't seen nearly as many as I did when I was a kid. I love that shot.

He's purty! Must be nice to be so close to good herping areas.

I live out in the sticks.... I have 5 ponds within a short walk... pastures.... woods

It really is a nice area.... providing you like the country.

Cool turt and love his coloration

Way back in the spring of '07 I had a couple of friends fly into Memphis from Washington state... and 1 came in from Vermont. I picked them up and brought them to my house in preparations for the sping trip to Snake Road. They came in early... and we had a chance to do some herping around my house. One of my flippin sites was rather productive for such a cool April.

We were able to flip this little guy from under a piece of tin. He is definately one of our more colorful varieties... and one of 4 that were found at that location on that day.

This is before I got my D80 and I had to work around the shortcommings of my POS point and shoot.

Photo with Kodak P850 point & shoot
Focal Length 72mm
Shutter 1/500
Apature f/3.6
ISO 50

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Turtles/Three-toed%20Box%20Turtle%2007.04.116.jpg

Thanks for looking.... comments & critiques welcomed

makes me long for spring . when i see these i think bites but good eater .
toni

I live out in the sticks.... I have 5 ponds within a short walk... pastures.... woods

It really is a nice area.... providing you like the country.

Was born and raised in the country. As a matter of fact what you've described is every bit of what I spent the first 18 years of my life in. Then I moved north :oops:

:oops: is right... I will never move north... and never move to the city.

I love country life.

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff315/QuigsPlace/bigtup.gif

Cool turtle. And great pic even with your point and shoot.

great job kevin

another cool pic :yessir:

I live out in the sticks.... I have 5 ponds within a short walk... pastures.... woods

It really is a nice area.... providing you like the country.

I like the country. I grew up in Upper Peninsula of Michigan. You could hunt and fish within 10 minutes of home. My folks have a lake place in Wis. that is wonderful too. Beautiful woods and lots of lakes to fish.

Back in the fall of '07 I was able to make a trip I had wanted to do for a very long time. I spent a week camping and hiking at Devil's Den State Park in western Arkansas.... I also got to explore a few of the caves and get chased by bats.... now that was cool. Let me tell ya... Im glad I took extra lights in there with me.... cause I turned my light off.... and it was beyond dark.... dang sure didnt need or want to be without.

Anyhow... while hiking one of the trails I ran across this site. This was actually a first for me... as I didn't shoot man made.... and still dont do much of it. But there was something about the view that made me take the photo.

Photo taken with a Nikon D80 & Tamron 70/300 macro
Focal Length 70mm
Shutter Speed 1/400
Apature f/5.6
ISO 250

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Water%20Views/Old%20Barn%20-%20%20Lake%20View%2007.09.786.jpg

Thanks for looking... comments & critiques welcomed

thats a nice picture kevin

Its the dead tree.. Its what makes that picture work. if it wasnt there you would hardly notice the cabin. .. Nice photo, I once hiked 18 days in the mountains of New Mexico and it was awesome. Cameras back then were yet to be digital and mine was worse. I would love to do it again.

WOW love the reflection as what first caught my eye

That is a great pic man, love that view!

Awesome pic Kev! Looks like a place I could retire....

gorgeous wolfster...
your clicks rock hard, always !
ck

very nice Kev! I'm still waiting for certain canine shots to pop up >.>
and, as you know....i hate you (this time for the cottonmouth)

I love the reflections on the water with just the random placement of a water circle from a minnow or fly.....

That is a beautiful view. Very tranquil. I could live there.

Reminds me of my secret pond . Gateway is what this is . think they have a vacancy ?
Toni

amazin' shot Kev.

onionboy

Its the dead tree.. Its what makes that picture work. if it wasnt there you would hardly notice the cabin. .. Nice photo, I once hiked 18 days in the mountains of New Mexico and it was awesome. Cameras back then were yet to be digital and mine was worse. I would love to do it again.

That sounds like something I would have loved to do BEFORE all the critters... now Im pretty much tied down. But such is life.

Thanks guys and gals.... I dont really know what drew me to take that shot... even after I took it... I didnt really give it much of a second glance..... until I needed some shots to show off on my photography booth. I had that one printed out as an 8x10... and have kinda loved it since. I also took a similar shot in landscape format... and for some reason it just doesnt have the same impact. Maybe because of no sky...not sure.

Sometimes you just happen to be in the right spot at the right time to get the shot.

Photo was taken with a Nikon D80 and Tamron 70/300 macro
Focal Length 180mm
Shutter 1/60
Apature f/4.8
ISO 400

Colorado River Toad
http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Frogs/Colorado%20River%20Toad%2008.03.03.jpg

Man ol' wolf thats one clean shot of a very fine and powerful animal..

Cool pic :yessir:

it looks evil lol *more hatred* :D

Kevin...a toad? Albeit an excellent shot of a toad. LOL But I thought you were posting an albino BP for me.:nono:

very nice kevin

The giant frog that ate Chicago!!!!! Nice close up Kevin.

What a sweet face! I think toads have more brains than they are given credit for.

He has a sleepy lazy look to him but dont let that fool ya

As always Kevin kickbutt pic

I think its a bullfrog . They are very hard to get close to and very fast . They are gigged by some and the hind legs fried like chicken .
Toni

I was out working in the yard back in March of '07 and something caught my eye... so I went to investagate. Then I had to make a mad dash into the house to get my camera. This was a shot that I had been wanting to get for a very long time. I actually had to spend a little over an hour to get the shot I was envisioning... but I did get my shot.

There are times that you just have to stop and smell the flowers :)

Photo taken with a POS Kodak P850
Focal Length 72mm
Shutter speed 1/320
Apature f/3.6
ISO 50

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Inverts/07.06.ath.00358%20(8).jpg

Thanks for looking.... comments & critiques welcomed

I was out working in the yard back in March of '07 and something caught my eye... so I went to investagate. Then I had to make a mad dash into the house to get my camera. This was a shot that I had been wanting to get for a very long time. I actually had to spend a little over an hour to get the shot I was envisioning... but I did get my shot.

There are times that you just have to stop and smell the flowers :)

Photo taken with a POS Kodak P850
Focal Length 72mm
Shutter speed 1/320
Apature f/3.6
ISO 50

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Inverts/07.06.ath.00358%20(8).jpg

Thanks for looking.... comments & critiques welcomed


I really like this one! Redbud ? wont be long....
Toni

Smell the roses is right...........what patience to get that perfect shot

Another killer pic...Great shot!!!

wow kevin great shot
very nice

Thanks all..... It took alot of patience to get that shot... and Im pretty sure thats not the original bee that I started with :D

Yep... its a Redbud.. and its in my front yard.

Thanks all..... It took alot of patience to get that shot... and Im pretty sure thats not the original bee that I started with :D

Yep... its a Redbud.. and its in my front yard.
I am looking forward to spinng flowers and green grass

Thanks all..... It took alot of patience to get that shot... and Im pretty sure thats not the original bee that I started with :D

Yep... its a Redbud.. and its in my front yard.

I planted about 15 in my yard and lining my road. My favorite color .
Thanks !
t

That's a beautiful shot Kevin. Made the snowy day here a little warmer.

That picture actually made me think that winter won't last forever. (I hope!) Poor little bee - working so hard...

awesome pic kev.
...as usual.
ck

-_-
thats all i have to say to you

I had a request... and it will be tomarrows 'photo a day'.... I just hope it lives up to what they are hoping for.

no pic???

no pic???

Yeah... scroll up... it was posted at 12.03am

Tomarrows will be up shortly

yes i saw the redbud and liked it

Nice work Kevin!

So todays photo is gonna be a bit different. I had a request to post a photo... and it just so happend that I had one that fit the request. Oh yeah.... did I mention that I will take requests :)

I had to dig back in the archives for this one... and up until now.. it has not been seen on the web.

So Tama.... here ya go.

When I first got this guy in... you know I had to do a photo shoot with him... and this pose actually took place within the first couple of minutes. The only thing that I can come up with is....




If I act like a cobra... maybe he will leave me alone




Photo taken with Nikon D80 & Tamron 70/300 macro
Focal Length 180mm
Shutter speed 1/50
Apatue f/4.8
ISO 250

Albino Ball Python
http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Non-Venomous.Snakes/Pythons/Albino.Ball.Python.0084.jpg

So todays photo is gonna be a bit different. I had a request to post a photo... and it just so happend that I had one that fit the request. Oh yeah.... did I mention that I will take requests :)

I had to dig back in the archives for this one... and up until now.. it has not been seen on the web.

So Tama.... here ya go.

When I first got this guy in... you know I had to do a photo shoot with him... and this pose actually took place within the first couple of minutes. The only thing that I can come up with is....




If I act like a cobra... maybe he will leave me alone

Photo taken with Nikon D80 & Tamron 70/300 macro
Focal Length 180mm
Shutter speed 1/50
Apatue f/4.8
ISO 250

Albino Ball Python
http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Non-Venomous.Snakes/Pythons/Albino.Ball.Python.0084.jpg

LOVE IT :rockon:

How long did it take for that pic

Not bad.... :yessir:

Accordin to the time stamps on the meta data for the photo shoot... the first photo was snapped at 8:28pm... and the photo I posted was taken at 8:30pm..... .so it only took him 2 min to do his cobra impersonation.

Not bad.... :yessir:


I know..... its not the closeups your use to

I'll try to do better.

:lol:

Accordin to the time stamps on the meta data for the photo shoot... the first photo was snapped at 8:28pm... and the photo I posted was taken at 8:30pm..... .so it only took him 2 min to do his cobra impersonation. Wow thought would be longer

That's a pretty sweet shot Kev:yourock:

he is curious like my BEL . betcha can rub him under his chin .
cute

i want to see a pileated woodpecker....have any ?

I like it..very nice pose :yessir:

I know..... its not the closeups your use to

I'll try to do better.

:lol:

I enjoyed the previous pics better, just a constructive critique from point of seeing it.... just not Kevin as the rest!

Not bagging you, just my critique!

i want to see a pileated woodpecker....have any ?

Nope... you wanna be my guide... I will sure photograph some though... I will even bring my big lens.

I enjoyed the previous pics better, just a constructive critique from point of seeing it.... just not Kevin as the rest!

Not bagging you, just my critique!



Thats fine... Im just giving you a hard time.

Lets see if this is any better... Ok folks.... today and today only.... we have a 2 fer 1 special.... you get to see another one.

This cute lil fella used to be my pride and joy... untill he decided to commit sucide on me one day while I was at work. For some reason he thought it was a good idea to try and eat cypress mulch... when I got home... it was too late.

Photo taken with a Nikon D80 & Tamron 70/300 Macro
Focal Length 300mm
Shutter Speed 1/60
Apature f/5.6
ISO 250

Copperhead

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Venomous.Snakes/Coperhead.0021.jpg

Thanks for looking.... Comments & Critiques welcomed

Nope... you wanna be my guide... I will sure photograph some though... I will even bring my big lens.

yes when it warms up . i will try to get down to the lake and seee if they will give me some info on the eagles also . when we went out this last wkend i noticed that the turd who bought the land/house and pond with the gators ..across from the entance ..had been cutting the hardwood...looked like some clearcutting....
sux but i didnt have the funds to save it....they were all over those woods and i frequently saw them cross the road and saw the babies down at the smaller pier .
we gonna have to have some warm water if i am going to get in a canoe....especially with your driving habits .
so..while its gettin closer to spring..i will gather as much info as i can . ogt some snake boots?
t

oh yeah... I have some nice snake boots.... Snakeproof and waterproof... what more could you ask for. I bought them when I went to the western side of the state looking for Western Diamondbacks.... didnt find any.... but we tried.

Dont take this the wrong way... but my canoe skills are just fine... its yours I'm worried about. If Im gonna have several grand worth of equipment in the boat... I gotta know we aint going swimmin.

oh yeah... I have some nice snake boots.... Snakeproof and waterproof... what more could you ask for. I bought them when I went to the western side of the state looking for Western Diamondbacks.... didnt find any.... but we tried.

Dont take this the wrong way... but my canoe skills are just fine... its yours I'm worried about. If Im gonna have several grand worth of equipment in the boat... I gotta know we aint going swimmin.

maybe you can do the water with a map.lol
be afraid be very afraid

I deal with convicted murderers... dont nothing scare me




except spiders

I think the second pics is better, better clarity for me.... and yes, we know about the spiders :lol:

I deal with convicted murderers... dont nothing scare me




except spiders

thats what i'm talkin about....your self professed driving record not your skills . i was impressed with the skills...its the irrational diving from a moving vehicle that worries me a bit .

are you saying you are in law enforcement or you associate with convicted murderers

are you saying you are in law enforcement or you associate with convicted murderers

He's both! :yessir:

He's both! :yessir:

as long as he's not a cowboy and a former marine

Im in law enforcement.... and I havent been run out of a canoe yet

Marine... no
Cowboy... no
Redneck... oh yeah

Im in law enforcement.... and I havent been run out of a canoe yet

will you wear your uniform with your snake boots for me ? lol.

on that note..i gotta get some rest . 6am rollout and lots of driving

Sexy as that may be..... Uhhhhh no

will you wear your uniform with your snake boots for me ? lol.

That sounds like a request Kevin? :lol:

thank God you said no

They actually offer kayak tours day and night around some of the dens and nests . You wouldnt really need me but I would be around .
I will still be doing some scouting around regardless ...and share what I know .
There are some big rattlers down around monticello on the Cut Off Creek WMA and I can see if I can get some more info for you about that area . There is a place called 7 devils .....never ben in there . Most all the people I knew when I went to school and live down there are gone .

That sounds like a request Kevin? :lol:

It was a test . He passed.

I hope they offer Canoe tours as well... cause I aint gettin in no kayak.... I'll roll one of those bad boys for sure. Then you will see me cry like a little baby.

It would be cool to get some closeups of some big rattlers... I'll even bring my little lens for that shoot. :D

It was a test . He passed.


And here I thought I was out of school.

Nice pics Kevin, my request.....the redneck tractor :lol:

That bee shot is National Geographic worthy!!!

Thank you the requested pic Kevin. I love that cobra pose. And I also really like the copperhead pic.

Now lets not get carried away Jeff....

That bee shot is National Geographic worthy!!!


Thank you.... I spent ALOT of time trying to get that shot.

That copperhead shot is fantastic. Too bad the little beast had that uncontrollable craving.

That copperhead shot is fantastic. Too bad the little beast had that uncontrollable craving.

Yeah...now Im down to 1


gotta get some pics of that guy/gal.... its alot more pinkish in color

I hope they offer Canoe tours as well... cause I aint gettin in no kayak.... I'll roll one of those bad boys for sure. Then you will see me cry like a little baby.

It would be cool to get some closeups of some big rattlers... I'll even bring my little lens for that shoot. :D

I will get info . Need to crawl out from under this dark place . My daughter is majoring in Biology and probably chemistry and I have asked her to get what info she can about some good spots around Monticello .
Thinking about calling my old wildlife professor and the etired GFC biologist. Not sure who the biologist for this area is now.
Toni

And here I thought I was out of school.

Not quite .
t

So todays photo is gonna be a bit different. I had a request to post a photo... and it just so happend that I had one that fit the request. Oh yeah.... did I mention that I will take requests :)

I had to dig back in the archives for this one... and up until now.. it has not been seen on the web.

So Tama.... here ya go.

When I first got this guy in... you know I had to do a photo shoot with him... and this pose actually took place within the first couple of minutes. The only thing that I can come up with is...
If I act like a cobra... maybe he will leave me alone




Photo taken with Nikon D80 & Tamron 70/300 macro
Focal Length 180mm
Shutter speed 1/50
Apatue f/4.8
ISO 250

Albino Ball Python
http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Non-Venomous.Snakes/Pythons/Albino.Ball.Python.0084.jpg

cool picture kevin

So one night me and a buddy of mine decide to go out and do some night herping around my place. We cut thru the woods behind my house to get back to another pond... where we found and caught quite a few water snakes.

On the way back thru the woods I see some eye shine in my head lamp so I go to investigate.

Wouldnt ya know it....



Yep... thats what I found. Now let me also say... that I am somewhat facinated by them... but not enough to over come the fears.

I have no idea of the type... so maybe one of our bug gurus can ID it.

Photo taken with a Nikon D80 & Tamron 70/300 macro
Focal Length 180 --- see Im not zoomed all the way out
Shutter speed 1/60
Apature f/4.8
ISO 400

Spider Unknown

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Inverts/Spider.043.jpg

Cool spider picture.....:yessir:

very cool kevin

That's just freaky!

And you didn't run away screaming? LOL Cool looking spider. I bet Jeremy could ID it.

I am proud of you for not running thru the woods screaming like a girl!!! :D

Neat spider. Got that evil green eye thing goin' on :lol:

I am proud of you for not running thru the woods screaming like a girl!!! :D

Hey that is commendable!

Great shot Kev!

Well today I had a request for a category... and it just so happens that I have something that will fit that request.

Back in July of '07 I had an opportunity to go herping in some swampy area about an hour away from me.... Mostly what was found was skeeters and frogs... but we did see (but couldnt catch) a couple cottonmouths :(

Anyhow... this was one of the images from the trip

Photo taken with a POS Kodak P850
Focal Length 72mm
Shutter Speed 1/200
Apature f/3.7
ISO 100

Leopard Frog
http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Frogs/Southern%20Leopard%20Frog%2007.07.01.jpg

Thanks for looking... comments & critiques welcomed

Nice frog.... good shot! :yourock:

Cool looking frog :yessir:

Mmmmmm mmmmmm, frog legs :lol: Nice shot Kevin.

Cool shot. Love seeing frogs.

Cool little frogie.

How close were you to the frog......looks like he caught some of the flash...




Nice leopard frog shot.

My memory is a bit rusty on such things.... but prob around 10-15 foot or so....I photographed so many that trip.

Sweet looking froggie

Spider Unknown

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Inverts/Spider.043.jpg[


That is one sweet looking spider

What a great thread! Awesome photos, Kevin!

My memory is a bit rusty on such things.... but prob around 10-15 foot or so....I photographed so many that trip.

you have very good timing

Lots of practice

Where's the next pic, I been waiting since 6am for it.... :lol:

Where's the next pic, I been waiting since 6am for it.... :lol:

5 min after midnight....he is a bit obcessive i think

Where's the next pic, I been waiting since 6am for it.... :lol:

5 min after midnight....he is a bit obcessive i think

Yeah... what she said.

Okay but where is todays pic?:devil:

Okay but where is todays pic?:devil:

What she said:devil:

Hey Kevin, I think you've got a few addicts in here now :lol:

Keeeeeeeeeeevvvvvvvvviiiiiiiiinnnnnnnn........

























WHERE IS THE PIC!!!

Sorry guys and gals.... my computer crashed last night... and I couldnt even get it to boot up. I spent 2.5 hours last night before I got too tired to mess with it... then another 2 hours today trying to get back up and running.

I am now back where I need to be and good to go.

So now the "Photo a Day" will resume... sorry for the delays.




August of '07 I had a bug guy (because I cant spell the other word) come down from Harvard... his goal was to find several species of the Cow Killer family of insects. We did succeed and he found one of the subspecies he didnt expect too... which made his trip that much better. We didnt find any of the larger Cow Killers.... but he was more than happy with what we did find.

While we were out Buggin / Herpin I walked right past this guy.... .and he spotted it immedately... and Im glad he did. I had been wanting to get some decent shots of these guys...and up till that day... all mine looked like crap.

We brought this guy back home with us and used one of the small trees in my back yard as a photo studio.

Photo taken with POS Kodak P850
Focal Length 72mm
Shutter speed 1/250
Apature f/3.6
ISO 50

Praying Mantis

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Inverts/Praying%20Mantis.068.jpg

Thanks for looking.... comments and critiques welcomed

DX its so amazing!

They are so cool and he looks like he's just chillin on that leaf

love the insects shot man that mantis with the green on green is an awesome capture

it almost looks like it's not moving...
great shots bro, i even enjoy the bugs !
ck

Very very nice mantis! One bug I think is cool as anything!!

I love mantis'( how do you write that word in plural ?) Great shot :master:

No clue Quig.

I figured since the early risers had to wait.... Id better put up a decent shot... or I'd end up facing a firing squad.

I think they look somewhat humanoid . I always feel lucky when I come across one . Thanks for working so hard to live up to our expectations ,lol. Sounds like that computer is going down . Better get your backup discs . I hate loosin all my pix when that happens .
Toni

Im not to worried bout loosing the photos

I built this computer... and it has 3 hard drives in it.

1 for the OS
1 for the photography
1 as a backup to the OS & Photography

Im not to worried bout loosing the photos

I built this computer... and it has 3 hard drives in it.

1 for the OS
1 for the photography
1 as a backup to the OS & Photography


sounds like you have everything under control
t

Great shot Kev! I bet if these guys could talk they would have an English accent.... They just have that look.... :lol:

Wow! That mantis picture is gorgeous!!

Thanks Nancy

Nice mantis....


I bet if it could talk it would in a sinister voice.... :cheers:

Back in Sept '07 we were on our way back from a week long camping/hiking trip to Devil's Den State Park. I happend to look in my rear view mirror and had to put my truck in the ditch. Its a dang good thing I have a 4x4... cause I sho nuff put it there. There was a beautiful sunset going on... and I ended up using my truck hood as my tripod.

This is one of the photos from that shoot

Photo taken with a Nikon D80 & Tamron 70/300 macro
Focal Length 300mm
Shutter Speed 1/320
Apature f/5.6
ISO 250

"Fire in the Sky"

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Sunsets/Sunset.07.09.1712.jpg

Thanks for looking.... comments and critiques welcomed.

Awesome stuff Kevin! :yourock:

What a breathtaking site

That sunset is a goodnight kiss from God .
Thanks !
Toni

Beautiful picture Kevin

awesome picture kevin

Very nice shot!!! Fire in the sky... Perfect title for it..

Alan

That is a great shot Kevin!

UPDATE

For the next week my schedule is all screwed up... so the Photo a Day wont be posted until around 6-7pm each day.

UPDATE

For the next week my schedule is all screwed up... so the Photo a Day wont be posted until around 6-7pm each day.

That is cool Kevin

I couldnt sleep... so here ya'll go


This past spring I took mom to the Botanical Gardens for mothers day... and you know I had to take my camera.

This is one of the photos from that trip


Photo taken with a Nikon D80 & Sigma 105mm macro
Focal length 105mm
Shutter Speed 1/400
Apature f/5.6
ISO 400

Pink Water Lilly

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Flowers/Pink%20Water%20Lilly%2008.05.366.jpg

Thanks for looking... comments and critiques welcomed.

nice picture kevin wow

Nice shot, looks like that flower has teeth! :cheers:

Gorgeous water lily and I really loved the botanicals in Denver

Looking forward to the pics! :cheers:

Nice shot, looks like that flower has teeth! :cheers:

LOL, looks like a Sea Anemone. Nice shot Kev.

Not tryin' to hijack this thread and I didn't take the pic, but this has GOT to be my favorite mantis pic

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff315/QuigsPlace/kungfufighting.jpg

Beautiful pics Kevin. Keep them coming. :yourock:

That flower looks stunning.......almost fake, it is so perfect.

[QUOTE=Southern Wolf;77157]I couldnt sleep... so here ya'll go


This past spring I took mom to the Botanical Gardens for mothers day... and you know I had to take my camera.

This is one of the photos from that trip


Love flower pix . Cant wait for spring . Sweet of you to treat your Mom .
You be careful in this ice .
Toni

That thing eats bugs I bet...:lol:

Great shot man.

[QUOTE=Quig;77253]Not tryin' to hijack this thread and I didn't take the pic, but this has GOT to be my favorite mantis pic

I am afraid for the mantis . Little ankle biter probably swatted him . He wouldnt last long in my house.(the mantis)

Nice picture :yessir:

Not tryin' to hijack this thread and I didn't take the pic, but this has GOT to be my favorite mantis pic

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff315/QuigsPlace/kungfufighting.jpg

(In a sinister voice).... Do you dare dance with the mantis? :devil:

Not tryin' to hijack this thread and I didn't take the pic, but this has GOT to be my favorite mantis pic

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff315/QuigsPlace/kungfufighting.jpg

That is a cute puppy with a ninja mantis

Not tryin' to hijack this thread and I didn't take the pic, but this has GOT to be my favorite mantis pic

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff315/QuigsPlace/kungfufighting.jpg

thats a cool picture

Look Kevin it is the next day already, I have been waiting for one whole hour for this picture....:lol:

Look Kevin it is the next day already, I have been waiting for one whole hour for this picture....:lol:

Don't be pushy. He might not even be outta bed yet. :lol:

Look Kevin it is the next day already, I have been waiting for one whole hour for this picture....:lol:

There are 17,000 people with no electricity in Arkansas and its going to get worse they say .
toni

There are 17,000 people with no electricity in Arkansas and its going to get worse they say .
toni

Why? Snow?

There are 17,000 people with no electricity in Arkansas and its going to get worse they say .
toni

Hope everyone is ok and will keep all in my prayers

I believe ice Tama.

I've heard there's a huge ice storm making its way northeast from Ark. Looks nasty.

Yup, very bad. Hope Kevin is OK

Why? Snow?

They say 55,000 now and growing....ice..good ole freezing rain 2-3 in northern and parts of central and southwestern Arkansas and more coming all night long ..probably be a layer of snow over the ice before it clears out .
The freezing rain turns to ice on contact and weighs down the lines as well as trees til they break and ....no electricity til the lines are repaired and the stuff stops coming down . Black Ice on the roads .

looks like kevin is in a dry spot . so are we . have to see what falls overnight .

We are not in a dry spot... we are getting hammered. I live about 3miles from town and thus on a different electric company.... and town is WITHOUT power as we speak... they are saying it will be back up sometime Thursday. I will prob be without before this is over with.

As for the Photo a Day... I am on a different schedule this week... so it will prob be between 5-6pm before it is posted.

No story... but the king of lizards

Photo taken with Nikon D80 & Tamron 70/300 macro
Focal length 300mm
Shutter speed 1/13
Apature f/5.6
ISO 800

Komodo Dragon

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Lizard/Komodo%20Dragon%2008.03.01.jpg

Thanks for looking.... comments & critiques welcomed.

[QUOTE=Southern Wolf;78838]We are not in a dry spot... we are getting hammered. I live about 3miles from town and thus on a different electric company.... and town is WITHOUT power as we speak... they are saying it will be back up sometime Thursday. I will prob be without before this is over with.

Yes . I just saw the new revised map and you are in the ice storm warning now....
they raised the # of outages to 165000.

Good luck and be careful .

t

Welp.... I am now officially one of the thousands..... I am without power.... and Im not expecting any power anytime soon. We're gettin slammed with sleet and freezing rain.

I fed the colubrids yesterday.... and the boids today before we lost power... I really didnt need this. I am currently on my laptop and Im fixin to go to Lowes.com and see how much generators are.

As to the herps.... I went down to the shop and got a propane heater and it is in the herp room.... I figure that is where me, the cat, and the frogs will be sleeping tonight.

Good luck Kevin.

Welp.... I am now officially one of the thousands..... I am without power.... and Im not expecting any power anytime soon. We're gettin slammed with sleet and freezing rain.

I fed the colubrids yesterday.... and the boids today before we lost power... I really didnt need this. I am currently on my laptop and Im fixin to go to Lowes.com and see how much generators are.

As to the herps.... I went down to the shop and got a propane heater and it is in the herp room.... I figure that is where me, the cat, and the frogs will be sleeping tonight.

sorry . i guess i should go out to the garage and dig out the propane before ours goes out . no firewood for the fireplace .
good luck finding a generater . they go fast when this happens .
t

Welp.... I am now officially one of the thousands..... I am without power.... and Im not expecting any power anytime soon. We're gettin slammed with sleet and freezing rain.

I fed the colubrids yesterday.... and the boids today before we lost power... I really didnt need this. I am currently on my laptop and Im fixin to go to Lowes.com and see how much generators are.

As to the herps.... I went down to the shop and got a propane heater and it is in the herp room.... I figure that is where me, the cat, and the frogs will be sleeping tonight.

Damn Bro... good luck getting all the critters through the night. I know the cat will keep you warm! :lol:

Ahhh.....sorry to hear that Kevin, but glad to hear from you. We got worried when you were AWOL. Hope you have a good night.

Best of luck to you both. Heard at work from our distributor out of Arkansas that it's really bad there. My thoughts are with you.

King of the lizaeds and as always superb pic

Stay warm Kevin and hope things back on soon for you

Hope things get better for you soon and everything makes it through for ya.

Hope all goes well Kevin.... but that is a nice lizard, looks like it needs to be patted!

I wish you could come take pics of my kids with that awesome camera and skill of yours!!!

Best of luck to you both. Heard at work from our distributor out of Arkansas that it's really bad there. My thoughts are with you.

Thanks , Tama . Looks like its over as far as anything falling from the sky. We got off lucky in southern Ark. From the road condition map I think Kevin got a layer of snow over the ice . They said right at 300,000 without power in Ar now.
It is susposed to be below freezing today and warm up tomorrow and start melting .
Poor Kevin .

Well, at least it is over and things are on the upswing

Well, at least it is over and things are on the upswing

yes but they say it may be weeks for power to be restored in some areas

Sounds as bad as a hurricane.

it is pretty sad situation . we were declared in a state of emergenc already so help can get here faster . crews from less effected areas are going in to help retore power but there is so much damage to equipment still to be acessed . dangerous with the trees still falling and lines and poles down everywhere .
last bad one we had down south ark..it took 3 wks to get power back on .
maybe kevin wont have so long to wait or he will be able to get a generater .

That's it, I'm getting a generator this weekend!

I wish you could come take pics of my kids with that awesome camera and skill of yours!!!

That might could be arranged one of these days.

Thanks guys and gals for the kind words

We finally got power back around 3.30pm... but while writing my first response to this thread.... we lost power again.

So now Im back again.... Me, the cat, and the frogs camped out in the herp room last night..... the rest of the house was pretty cold. I had a propane heater in there last night.

I was more worried about the African Cichlids... their tank got way to cold... so I will be keeping an eye on them for the next few days.

We got hammered last night..... I have quite a few large branches on the ground now... and mom & dad ended up with about half a tree on their roof...not sure of the extent of the damage yet.

Did I mention.... I hate this shiznit.... anyhow Im back... so I will try and get another photo up for today.

We are not in a dry spot... we are getting hammered. I live about 3miles from town and thus on a different electric company.... and town is WITHOUT power as we speak... they are saying it will be back up sometime Thursday. I will prob be without before this is over with.

As for the Photo a Day... I am on a different schedule this week... so it will prob be between 5-6pm before it is posted.

No story... but the king of lizards

Photo taken with Nikon D80 & Tamron 70/300 macro
Focal length 300mm
Shutter speed 1/13
Apature f/5.6
ISO 800

Komodo Dragon

http://www.ridgetopreptiles.com/webfiles/Lizard/Komodo%20Dragon%2008.03.01.jpg

Thanks for looking.... comments & critiques welcomed.

nice picture

go pick up some of those wraps that heat up when you open the pack..they come in a size large enough to warm a man's back and last 8-12 hrs. I think they would be safe for belly heat . dollar store,wally world, usa drug fred's etc carries them .
good luck ,
toni

Thanks for the tip

Not even concerned over the pic just glad all is well on the home front