The 52 Photos Project - all welcome!

I have created a new group called The 52 Photos Project. The focus of this group is to Inspire and to be Inspired! Each week, you'll have a theme to follow. The idea is to think Out of the Box! If the theme is Weather, that could be a "Storm" or a Weathered Barn; so put some thought into it.

I'll try to lay out the whole month, but ONLY shoot the weeks theme the week it’s assigned! When posting your photos, please add in the comment section a short description, and the tech specs... Camera, lens, shutter speed, aperture, focal length, etc.

I encourage you all to get involved, comment on photos that move you, like photos that you like, ask questions were you can.

Each weeks deadline will be Sunday at midnight. I'll create a group album for that weeks theme and you'll post one photo to that album. The photo with the most likes will be the header for the follow week.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/52PhotosProject/

Anyone & Everyone is welcome to participate as they can - we just ask that you stick to the Theme and post your image in the appropriate album. Comments are highly encouraged!

Week 1: Where You Live



I live in Fountain, Colorado - just south of Colorado Springs home of America’s Mountain - Pikes Peak. But for this challenge, I thought I would show you something just a bit different. When most people think of Colorado, they think the Rocky Mountains and for the most part they would be right. What they don’t know is that Colorado is actually a high desert. Pikes Peak tops at 14,114 ft above sea level, Colorado Springs is at 6,035 and Fountain is 5,554. So what does this all mean - well here in Fountain and on the east side of Colorado Springs - there is nothing but rolling hills and grassland prairies!

One of the things I love about Colorado is it’s wildlife. So this week I bring you the Pronghorn or more wrongly called an Antelope (which it is not) also comes with nick names such as: The Prairie Ghost or The Speed Goat! The guys are VERY tough to get close to as their eyesight is 8x that of humans and they are extremely skittish - just think if you had to live with an 8 power binoculars permanently attached to your face - not fun - you’d be on edge 24/7 also! They also have very large eyes with a 320° field of vision.

Both males and females can have horns; not antlers (Antlers shed yearly, horns are forever) but only males have the “prong” a forward-pointing tine. Males are further differentiated from females in having a small patch of black hair at the angle of the mandible (on the face). Pronghorns have a distinct, musky odor. Males mark territory with a preorbital scent gland which is located on the sides of the head.

The Pronghorn is the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere, being built for maximum predator evasion through running. The top speed is very hard to measure accurately and varies between individuals; it can run 35 mph for 4 miles, 42 mph for 1 mile, and 55 mph for 0.5 mile. It is often cited as the second-fastest land animal, second only to the cheetah. It can, however, sustain high speeds longer than cheetahs.

Date: 1/4/17 11:08:22 AM
Location: Big Johnson Reservoir, Fountain, CO
NIKON D500 - 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8
Focal Length: 300mm @ f/5.6 - 1/800 sec

Read more: https://nikonites.com/project-52-s/38567-52-photos-project-all-welcome.html#ixzz4WBB0wflb

Week 2: Fur



Rocky Mountain Mule Deer: The Mule Deer gets its named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. This doe was with a small group - and her buck was not far behind.

Unlike the related white-tailed deer, mule deer are generally more associated with the land west of the Missouri River, and more specifically with the Rocky Mountain Region of North America.

The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail's is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with white-tails.

Each spring, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale. Although capable of running, mule deer are often seen stotting (also called pronking), with all four feet coming down together.

NIKON D500 70-200mm f/2.8G VR IF-ED
292mm @ f/2.8 400sec ISO 200
Location: Base of Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs CO