Wildlife « Hayden James Photography

October 8, 2009

The true test- My first photo contest

I’ll be entering three of the following images into a photography contest. This will be my first entrance into one. If I win I get $2,000 and a Nikon D90! If I lose…Well that’s not gonna happen. No matter what this is a win, I get recognition and experience in contests. Please let me know what your favorites are and enjoy!

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Let me know which ones you think are winners! and wish me luck- I don’t own my own camera yet, it would be more convenient if I did. Thanks =)

9 comments

October 2, 2009

Test time, so no time

Just a few more pictures of wildlife. I have a new aim though–photographing the wild side of humanity, our urban centers. I’ll still shoot photos of wildlife, can’t get enough of that, but I’m going to work on diversifying my work.

I shot these photos with a Nikon D70s with a 18-70 mm lens. I practically stepped on this bird while I was running to meet a professor so I could make up a quiz. It was just walking along the ground, I think it may have had a hurt wing. I took some photos up close and personal before rushing off again.

2 comments

September 8, 2009

Three States- A weekend of casual photography

Well it certainly has been awhile! I’m sorry to those of you who frequent this page in the hope of new content. The semester has just begun and things are a little hectic , the good news is that I’ll be continuing to drive to New Hampshire every weekend and that always means more photos!

Please Enjoy =) 090904_NH_weekend_4002

Not sure what it but these little guys just seem to pose for me

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The Holy Ghost Church is near a friends house in Rhode Island, I was on my way to New Hampshire when I decided it was time to finally get a shot of this beautiful building.

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It had been a few hours since the previous shot and I was in Worcester, Massachusetts and was passing the city when I saw this shot. I pulled over on the highway and had some fun.

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This shot was about a half-hour after Worcester. I was on RT 140 heading North, I pulled off the road before an exit and took this.

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The next day I was in New Hampshire and I had just finished working, I had been painting a women’s house. I’ve always wanted to get a decent photo of Mount Manadnock, which I’m told means the Mountain that stands alone in Native American. At one point it was the most climbed mountain in the world, I believe it’s still in the top 3-5.

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After taking some pictures of Mt. Monadnock I decided to walk the Wheeler Trail which is a trail that’s kept up by the towns conservation commission. It’s very short but it’s a great place to go for a picnic, although I went more during horror movie time, kinda looks scary.

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Dramatic affect that I did by zooming out very quickly as I took the shot, while pulling my arms back at the same time. ACTION!

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This is the same affect but done shooting upwards into the canopy of the trees.

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I returned to Monadnock for the sunset and it was very dramatic, I think I’m going to have some fun with it this Fall!

Please let me know what you think! You don’t even have to be a member of this site or use a real name! I really do appreciate honest feedback, good or bad, because it helps me to grow as an artist and potential professional! Thanks for visiting my blog =) I hope you enjoyed and and will come back, tell your friends!

Have a good one!!!

August 18, 2009

A theme? Not gonna find one here…

My weekend was one that yielded new and interesting experiences and new and exciting photographs! The flower below is called a starfighter I believe. The editing gives it an exciting plasma/neon look. The flower is naturally beautiful so it really didn’t need any help but I had fun doing it.

I was driving through Peterborough center and I saw the man in the picture below working on the Unitarian church. My dad used to work for them and I lived there in an apartment they gave us. It was practically my home at one point. I used to stand at the exact spot I took this photo everyday when I waited for the schoolbus.

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Our little friend below was scampering along the fence to my dads property. I was walking by to go to my car and it just froze. So I decided that I would try to get as close as I could. If you look closely you can see me taking the photo in it’s eye.

The image of the sheep below is one of two that I’ve posted. The other is posted in my update of “B&W- the Beauty of Contrast”. I was driving back into town when I passed a farm with sheep standing behind a fence near the road. I pulled my car into a driveway and took some pictures. I grew up working with farm animals so it was fun to get out of the car and smell the farm and pet the sheep.

I have quite a few more pictures of the weekend but have to process them all. When I do, I have some wonderful pictures of the annual Jaffrey fireworks, and the night., that I’m sure everyone can enjoy! Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and for enjoying photograpy with me =)

August 16, 2009

B&W-The Beauty of Contrast

–B&W and the Beauty of Contrast–

Stand tall, refuse to be small…

The title “the beauty of contrast” is a duel purposed one. With it I express my own belief that often contrast can be viewed as a positive thing especially in social interactions with our peers. I believe we need people around us who have opinions and expressions different from our own. It challenges us and allows us to question ourselves and our opinions.

Unlike black and white photography the world is full of color and different shades of beauty as well as different definitions or degrees of right and wrong. Black and white photography is beautiful to me and allows me to see details of an image that are usually masked by the colorful distractions of the world around us.

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My view on the world is sometimes obscured by the colorful distractions that society puts before me. It is with photographs like these that I can remember not to take anything for granted and to be objective and fair. It reminds me that there are details that I may not see or acknowledge because of the colorful distractions, present and unavoidable.

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The next few pictures are additions to this post. I took these while in New Hampshire. I was on my way to work and I accidentally took the wrong road, as if I was on my way to a different place I work at. It was out of habit that I too the turn and my own stubbornness that put me nine miles from my destination.

I thought to myself, “I think this comes out on the main road up ahead to if I keep following it I’ll be right on track”. Of course I was wrong but I didn’t realize it until I was in Hancock town center, nine miles from Peterborough. I wasn’t disappointed but rather amused at getting lost in my own hometown. On the way back I passed a farm and I had to stop because I really like animals, and they were standing by the fence. I took some pictures and then went to work.

The shot of the tiger lilly below is one that I took in my dad’s yard while I was visiting. I really like it because the black spots are interesting and grab my attention.

Post a comment to let me know what you think =)

1 comment

August 14, 2009

Redtail, Fast-Food and a Sluggish Gettaway

I was walking across the college campus while on my way to take pictures of the President’s house. passed three men who were on other side of the street near a dorm. I didn’t think much of them though at my first walk passed. About five minutes later I was walking back, now on their side of the road and they were still there. I thought they were just contractors doing work for the summer because they were all talking and looking at something. As I passed them I thought I heard one of them mention me, because I was still holding the camera. One of them said “wait he can take a picture” while he pointed. I followed his finger which was pointed directly at a Red-Tailed Hawk with a Gray Squirrel.

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I reacted immediately while I was thinking “why is it still on the ground?” when they catch a prey they usually take it into the air and fly away to be safe. It didn’t make much sense.

The man was still talking as I brought the camera up to my eye and started snapping shots. I moved in a little closer, but not close enough to scare it. When I was satisfied that I had taken some decent photos from a little ways back I moved in a little close and it started to take off with the squirrel clutched in it’s talons.

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The hawk flew to a nearby tree where it perched. I wasn’t particularly worried that it would fly away but I wanted to get over to where it was to get a shot of the squirrel too. The squirrel must have been to heavy for it which made it slow.

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Anyway I was lucky it didn’t want to fly away. It just wanted to stare at me while I took it’s picture. It did eventually fly away with the squirrel but I was happy that I had taken some nice pictures.

Anyway let me know what you think. And thank you for visiting my blog! =) Have a good one! <3

4 comments

August 11, 2009

Sometimes you just get lucky…

Sometimes you just see the perfect shot and you have to go for it. Sometimes, especially if the subject is moving, you miss the chance because you aren’t quick enough. But there are times that the shot that you originally saw becomes even better. These pictures are examples of what happens on the rare occasions when luck decides to take my side.

These photos were all shot recently during a weekend trip to New Hampshire for work. I took a different route then usual, one that I didn’t know which led me to the first of those lucky shots.

Patriotic Shimmer- A Glooming Sky By Hayden James

My car ride on my alternate route doubled the time it usually takes me, but if I hadn’t taken it I wouldn’t have gotten this shot and I would have arrived in New Hampshre earlier in the day. If I had arrived earlier I would visited my parents earlier and driven to my friends house earlier. Ultimately resulting in me missing the sunset. It was on the car ride to my friends house, that I found myself chasing the sun and the perfect shot!

A Zephyr at Sunset by Hayden James

I was driving along the road and I saw through the trees the sun setting over this lake. It was something very difficult to capture using a Nikon D70. I Parked my car on the side of the road and walked a ways through the woods until I was on the waters edge. I began at first to simply take pictures of the lake and sky but then I saw a lone flower jutted out over the water. It became my shot.

The proceeding picture is part of the same sunset, only 16 miles away. It was also as I was on the drive to my friends house that evening. I was going through a green-light and I looked left off the intersection and could see a bit of the view for an instant. I wasn’t sure if it would be worth it but I had been lucky so far. I turned my car around and got the shot.

It was in the time that I got out of my car, took out my camera, and took some pictures that the sun had completely set. It was the end of the evening for taking pictures, but it was only Friday…I had until Monday. The proceeding shots are from the following days. DSC_8821_1

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These are all from my mothers flower garden. I think they are nice. I hope you do too!
Please let me know what you think! I truly do appreciate the feedback and would love to take pictures of things that people want to see. If you like it simply say ” I like that!” and I’ll continue taking similar shots. If you don’t you could say ” wow that sucks!” and I’ll think about it and try something different. I really hope that you’ve enjoyed this post and will tell your friends!

6 comments

July 29, 2009

Just a little more about me…

I’m a student.

Like most, I tend to burn the candle at both ends and develop a weird schedule. I work in Rhode Island during the week and on weekends travel to New Hampshire for more work. It beats the heck out of my car, and takes a toll on my energy levels but it’s necessary for the time being. I really count myself lucky to have work at all.

I was in NH one afternoon, on break from my landscaping job there. My hand was resting on the steering wheel of the car and the composition interested me. So I took a picture. It started the weekend which turned into me taking pictures of the most interesting and random aspects of my life. There was no method to the order, or reason for the shots; I just saw something that was interesting and went with it. Here are the results with more to come!

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