Pretzel's Snack-A-Day (365 for 2014)

Pretzel

Senior Member
Day 67 - Thirsty?

Got a call from my daughter asking if we'd like to meet her for dinner at POPS, on Rt. 66. As she's out on her own and rather independent, we jumped at the chance! POPS is a Rt. 66 landmark, with a giant soda bottle (with straw) sculpture that stands 66 feet high and weighs over 4 tons total. Combine that with the fact that they stock over 600 different varieties of beverages... well, you can understand why it's a very popular tourist attraction! (the burgers, shakes, chicken fry etc. aren't bad either!)

The canopy of the building canopies over 100 feet out front without support (other than the cantilever technology in the building).

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It's hard not to shoot photos with so much color around. They line shelves in all the windows with different varieties of soda in just about every color imaginable.

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Pretzel

Senior Member
Day 67 (part 2) - Like I said, it's hard not to shoot when there are so many colorful displays!

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Here's a few of the soda bottle structure, which is lit up at night. It changes colors/patterns at random.

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Left a passing car in this one to show the scale.

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Pretzel

Senior Member
Day 68 - It all started when...

I was on my way to church and spotted this:

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Of course, I didn't have time to stop, so these were actually the first two snaps after we attended church and had lunch with the friends that joined us, after which I drove home, picked up the camera, and headed back out!

More edits to come!
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
How close is the nest to normal human activity? I know that due to the protected nature of Bald Eagles that known nests are supposed to have something like a 100-300 yard perimeter secured around them if possible. Obviously that's not always possible, but they do as much as possible.
 

Pretzel

Senior Member
How close is the nest to normal human activity? I know that due to the protected nature of Bald Eagles that known nests are supposed to have something like a 100-300 yard perimeter secured around them if possible. Obviously that's not always possible, but they do as much as possible.

This one is fairly close to a couple of highways here, and only about 1/2 mile from a suburban housing addition, but is normally surrounded by a very marshy area. I was able to get within about 150 yards because of the very dry winter we had... (maybe just a tad closer, but not much)

I plan on reporting the nest to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation tonight, too, as this is the first year I've noticed the nest or the eagles. I'm betting it's locked down a bit more securely VERY soon!
 

Pretzel

Senior Member
Day 68 - Part 2. LR edits from my short jaunt into the "wilderness" after spotting the two previous pics. All have been heavily cropped from 300mm shots.

As is usual with me, I probably took WAY too many pics because of the sheer beauty (and rarity) of the subject. :)

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Pretzel

Senior Member
Day 68 - part 3. Little cousin?

On the way back home, I spotted another bird of prey on the edge of one of our large parks. Much smaller, and much easier to get a nice close-up! A red shouldered hawk...

Hello there...

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You trying to sneak up on ME!?

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Alright buddy, that's TOO close!

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I'm outta here!

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BackdoorArts

Senior Member
That's a Sharp-shinned Hawk. If you see a hawk on a power line or pole there's a better than 90% chance it's one of them - don't ask me why, but it's a stat I heard at a birding talk and I've found no evidence in my travels to dispute it. They look very similar to Cooper's Hawks, but they are slightly smaller and when they fly their tail feathers form a straight line where the Cooper's and most others fan out.
 

Pretzel

Senior Member
Day 70 - Breaking all the rules...

Ok, so I've fallen in love with this idea of "abstract" for a while, so I was thinking... what about abstract selfies? Hrrrmmm - there are some odd possibilities. I figured a close-up majorly out of focus shot of the eyes would be cool, perhaps adding a vacant or glazed look to the stare. What I got was both rather cool/artsy and creepy all at once. Then I played with different edits, each one adding it's own feel.

This 1st one is the result of a very slight crop only, SOOC - the rest are just different touches/effects that, to me, change the feel a bit...

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Examining room...

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Radiation... (You wouldn't like me when I'm angry?)

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Ghostly...

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Old photograph from that odd trunk in the attic...

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Forgotten doll...

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Reptilian...

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Just flat out creepy!

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Ok, I may have even given myself nightmares now, but I'll admit that this little test/project was FUN at the same time!
 

wthorson

Senior Member
Day 70 - Breaking all the rules...

Ok, so I've fallen in love with this idea of "abstract" for a while, so I was thinking... what about abstract selfies? Hrrrmmm - there are some odd possibilities. I figured a close-up majorly out of focus shot of the eyes would be cool, perhaps adding a vacant or glazed look to the stare. What I got was both rather cool/artsy and creepy all at once. Then I played with different edits, each one adding it's own feel.

This 1st one is the result of a very slight crop only, SOOC - the rest are just different touches/effects that, to me, change the feel a bit...

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Examining room...

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Radiation... (You wouldn't like me when I'm angry?)

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Ghostly...

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Old photograph from that odd trunk in the attic...

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Forgotten doll...

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Reptilian...

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Just flat out creepy!

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Ok, I may have even given myself nightmares now, but I'll admit that this little test/project was FUN at the same time!

Yep, Now you have given me nightmares. Very creepy and creative.
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Cool stuff. I'm digging the abstract challenge, but haven't posted anything yet, if only because with each photo I produce, I come back to it the next day with a better idea - either for it, or for something else. It's an addicting format.
 

Pretzel

Senior Member
Cool stuff. I'm digging the abstract challenge, but haven't posted anything yet, if only because with each photo I produce, I come back to it the next day with a better idea - either for it, or for something else. It's an addicting format.

I do the same, which is why I posted so many different looks for this last abstract. There's always the "what if I..." that follows the original pic, and abstract just allows for so much more of that!
 
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