Animals Interrupting Wildlife Photographers
January 17, 2021 10:59 AM Subscribe
Have you seen that "behind the scenes at National Geographic" photo where those guys are running from a bear? It's pretty amusing. But it's a fake. Super duper, 100 percent fake. So where did it come from?
posted by octothorpe at 11:06 AM on January 17, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 11:06 AM on January 17, 2021 [9 favorites]
Well, 27 can happen like this (which I took a million years ago when things were a little, well, looser than they are today at the Wolf Conservation Center. Not all wild animals are entirely wild.
posted by The Bellman at 11:25 AM on January 17, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by The Bellman at 11:25 AM on January 17, 2021 [4 favorites]
octothorpe: "Have you seen that "behind the scenes at National Geographic" photo where those guys are running from a bear? It's pretty amusing. But it's a fake. Super duper, 100 percent fake. So where did it come from?"
I came to say I sure hope this one worked out ok. I guess it did!
posted by chavenet at 11:38 AM on January 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
I came to say I sure hope this one worked out ok. I guess it did!
posted by chavenet at 11:38 AM on January 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
Major “doing yoga with my dogs” vibe on this thread for me.
posted by q*ben at 12:11 PM on January 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by q*ben at 12:11 PM on January 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
More previously. I could look at these all day.
posted by gwint at 12:17 PM on January 17, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by gwint at 12:17 PM on January 17, 2021 [3 favorites]
wanna pet danger puppies
posted by dismas at 12:23 PM on January 17, 2021 [16 favorites]
posted by dismas at 12:23 PM on January 17, 2021 [16 favorites]
I think a few of these are really just “wildlife photography” rather than “animals interrupting wildlife photographers,” but I love them all nevertheless. Based on these brief snapshots, it seems like these photographers are pretty much all swell people, and that makes me happy.
posted by obfuscation at 12:27 PM on January 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by obfuscation at 12:27 PM on January 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
I'd seen a lot of these before (not a complaint, it's always a treat!), which made the moment when I scrolled down to this one, which I had *not* seen, even more hilarious and delightful.
posted by merriment at 12:41 PM on January 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by merriment at 12:41 PM on January 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
I love the wolves/leopard that are just totally snuggling up to the photographer.
Who the heck is taking these photos of the photos?!
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:22 PM on January 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
Who the heck is taking these photos of the photos?!
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:22 PM on January 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
The position of "wildlife photographer photographer" considered more a hobby than a profession.
posted by hippybear at 1:27 PM on January 17, 2021 [18 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 1:27 PM on January 17, 2021 [18 favorites]
Adding a video of a wildlife photographer getting assaulted by a parrot.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:41 PM on January 17, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:41 PM on January 17, 2021 [4 favorites]
#5 received the seal of approval.
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:43 PM on January 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:43 PM on January 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
The foxes get me every time! And I would give a lot to be snuggled by a cheetah...
posted by lemonade at 1:48 PM on January 17, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by lemonade at 1:48 PM on January 17, 2021 [4 favorites]
There’s a real whiplash between the cute ones an the ones where, say, a bear is charging.
posted by Going To Maine at 2:08 PM on January 17, 2021
posted by Going To Maine at 2:08 PM on January 17, 2021
Have you seen that “behind the scenes at National Geographic” photo where those guys are running from a bear? It's pretty amusing. But it's a fake. Super duper, 100 percent fake. So where did it come from?
Ah, relief.
posted by Going To Maine at 2:09 PM on January 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
Ah, relief.
posted by Going To Maine at 2:09 PM on January 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
There's a german (yes, hobby) photographer, Matto Barfuss, who made a career out of this.
He wanted to take shots of a certain lion family, but couldn't find them and took cheetah pix instead.
It turns our, shadow at noon is a real commodity there. So some cubs decided to chill under the expedition jeep, and after a while, to the horror of his guides, he got out to get better angles. That lead to a few very few up close and personal, but peaceful mutual inspections.
After a while their mom decided the scary human was not doing anything to her cubs. And after all, scary human is a good enough deterrent to lions, so she went hunting instead.
There's about two photo books and a film of this, Maleika.
The film is done with plenty of distance (also lots of death on either side of the hunt), but the photo books have a lot of shots of him pretending to be a cheetah with the family. Also lots of blood, he's sharing meals with them. Sadly, they're nly in german.
posted by flamewise at 2:10 PM on January 17, 2021 [4 favorites]
He wanted to take shots of a certain lion family, but couldn't find them and took cheetah pix instead.
It turns our, shadow at noon is a real commodity there. So some cubs decided to chill under the expedition jeep, and after a while, to the horror of his guides, he got out to get better angles. That lead to a few very few up close and personal, but peaceful mutual inspections.
After a while their mom decided the scary human was not doing anything to her cubs. And after all, scary human is a good enough deterrent to lions, so she went hunting instead.
There's about two photo books and a film of this, Maleika.
The film is done with plenty of distance (also lots of death on either side of the hunt), but the photo books have a lot of shots of him pretending to be a cheetah with the family. Also lots of blood, he's sharing meals with them. Sadly, they're nly in german.
posted by flamewise at 2:10 PM on January 17, 2021 [4 favorites]
These are amazing.
I've personally experienced #33-- that's a Florida Scrub Jay, and they are so heavily studied at Archbold Biological Station in Central Florida that they have no qualms about landing on your head. Even less so if you have a peanut.
posted by mcstayinskool at 2:11 PM on January 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
I've personally experienced #33-- that's a Florida Scrub Jay, and they are so heavily studied at Archbold Biological Station in Central Florida that they have no qualms about landing on your head. Even less so if you have a peanut.
posted by mcstayinskool at 2:11 PM on January 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
Adding a video of a wildlife photographer getting assaulted by a parrot.
That's a Kakapo, an endemic, flightless parrot from New Zealand. They are critically endangered, with an estimated 200 individuals left in the wild.
posted by mcstayinskool at 2:18 PM on January 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
That's a Kakapo, an endemic, flightless parrot from New Zealand. They are critically endangered, with an estimated 200 individuals left in the wild.
posted by mcstayinskool at 2:18 PM on January 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
foxes seem to win the interruptus award
posted by supermedusa at 3:13 PM on January 17, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by supermedusa at 3:13 PM on January 17, 2021 [4 favorites]
(also pooping and sticking tongue out at camera???????????????????) LOL
posted by supermedusa at 3:14 PM on January 17, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by supermedusa at 3:14 PM on January 17, 2021 [7 favorites]
I like how meerkats are basically always looking for a better vantage point, even if that point happens to be on the top of a human’s head.
posted by rockindata at 6:03 PM on January 17, 2021 [13 favorites]
posted by rockindata at 6:03 PM on January 17, 2021 [13 favorites]
I can't thank you enough for this post, hippybear. I really mean that.
posted by alwayson_slightlyoff at 9:39 PM on January 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by alwayson_slightlyoff at 9:39 PM on January 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
So lovely!
as mentioned above, one tends to picture the solo wildlife photographer spending long hours alone watching, studying their subjects - thus the animals feel comfortable approaching- but so many of these, with the photographer in the picture, makes me wonder - do they have assistants? an entourage? who takes these pics?
posted by cabin fever at 11:06 PM on January 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
as mentioned above, one tends to picture the solo wildlife photographer spending long hours alone watching, studying their subjects - thus the animals feel comfortable approaching- but so many of these, with the photographer in the picture, makes me wonder - do they have assistants? an entourage? who takes these pics?
posted by cabin fever at 11:06 PM on January 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
Number 2b with Liba Radov and that curious pup is one of my favorite internet things ever.
The Noosphere's reaction to it is probably what made the Earth spin faster this year.
posted by jamjam at 1:46 AM on January 18, 2021
The Noosphere's reaction to it is probably what made the Earth spin faster this year.
posted by jamjam at 1:46 AM on January 18, 2021
I love the way the photographer in No. 5 is so delighted to be serving as a pillow for a plump seal. Good thing he wasn't photographing walruses.
PS I can't favorite this post enough. Thanks hippybear.
posted by Transl3y at 7:27 AM on January 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
PS I can't favorite this post enough. Thanks hippybear.
posted by Transl3y at 7:27 AM on January 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
I love these - I hope someday I can lie down someplace for long enough and in enough stillness that something soft and cuddly and nonlethal will sit on my back.
Do many wildlife photographers travel in pairs / teams? I would think it would need to be a solitary profession, because wild animals can be so skittish around humans. But it looked like most of these shots required a second photographer to capture them.
posted by Mchelly at 7:34 AM on January 18, 2021
Do many wildlife photographers travel in pairs / teams? I would think it would need to be a solitary profession, because wild animals can be so skittish around humans. But it looked like most of these shots required a second photographer to capture them.
posted by Mchelly at 7:34 AM on January 18, 2021
> supermedusa:
"(also pooping and sticking tongue out at camera???????????????????) LOL"
pretty sure that's a photoshop. it doesn't look right at all.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 8:58 AM on January 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
"(also pooping and sticking tongue out at camera???????????????????) LOL"
pretty sure that's a photoshop. it doesn't look right at all.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 8:58 AM on January 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
Drop bears are real. Most people don't even notice.
Right on the edge of downtown I spot this adolescent. No tracks in the snow. Been up there for hours. People out walking dogs. Bear don't care.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 5:05 PM on January 18, 2021
Right on the edge of downtown I spot this adolescent. No tracks in the snow. Been up there for hours. People out walking dogs. Bear don't care.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 5:05 PM on January 18, 2021
Love these! (But I am not so sure about those cuddly wolves.)
posted by rpfields at 7:33 PM on January 18, 2021
posted by rpfields at 7:33 PM on January 18, 2021
Is this thread of adorable animal photos truly meant just to delight us?
Or was it posted by an undercover adorable animal, in order to lure us into complacency while its comrades construct an all-powerful weapon out of stolen camera parts, which they will use to conquer the world and implement some kind of adorable animal commune?
I guess we'll never know... unless the OP was careless enough to leave some sort of clue...
posted by yankeefog at 6:09 AM on January 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
Or was it posted by an undercover adorable animal, in order to lure us into complacency while its comrades construct an all-powerful weapon out of stolen camera parts, which they will use to conquer the world and implement some kind of adorable animal commune?
I guess we'll never know... unless the OP was careless enough to leave some sort of clue...
posted by yankeefog at 6:09 AM on January 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by dismas at 11:05 AM on January 17, 2021 [1 favorite]