My interest in photography as a hobby has dwindled over the years, especially since the start of the pandemic. For today's post I plundered my archives for shots with a uniting theme: animals as models. The image above was made with Photofunia.
You looking at me? A chance encounter with a goat on a small hill in the city of Naarden. A stunning silhouette, which was picked as one of the illustrations in an online article on that subject.
Longing for the other side. During the first 1-2 years of my photography, I often took shots of herons, ducks, geese and swans. Most of these are eminently forgettable, but I always liked this one, where the low viewpoint makes the goose look big compared to the wall.
Time for a nap. Love this one after all these years. I encountered this dog in a shop in Utrecht.
Mandarin duck. One of a number of shots taken in the Shanghai Zoo. I am not a fan of the traditional zoo concept, but it did give some nice photo opportunities. Good reactions on this one.
Lucky turtle. I spotted this critter in a pond at Xintiandi, Shanghai's latest hot spot for tourists and locals. It made no impression whatsoever on Flickr, but I include it, because the turtle is our lucky animal.
Nuts. My pick from a series of squirrel shots I took on a business trip in Houston, where this critter visited the hotel's parking lot.
Swan family in June. This family snapshot is one of a series I took from the shores of the park near our Almere home. My favourite of the bunch.
Quench. Another zoo shot, one of my favourites. I like the composition, but it got little response at Flickr.
Crocodile rock. Another zoo shot that tanked on Flickr. I like the diagonal composition though, and the tight crop to give an extra impression of strength.
Alternative title: Close encounters of the equine kind. On a walk through a forest in nearby Hattem we came across this friendly horse grazing in the meadows. When he saw us stopping and looking he came running to the fence. Unfortunately, no carrots in our pockets.
Swans silhouettes. Of the many swans shots I've taken over the years this one stands out in its uniqueness. Plenty of faves as well.
Jazz in Paris. A personal favourite for obvious reasons. After we had to let him go in 2017, aged 15, I had this one printed on aluminium and it has been at my desk ever since.
Copyright statement: all images copyright Hennie Schaper unless marked otherwise. Contact me if you like to use them.
