The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsMacaque borrows photographer's camera to take hilarious self-portraits
Visiting a national park in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, award-winning photographer Mr Slater left his camera unattended for a while.
It soon attracted the attention of an inquisitive female from a local group of crested black macaque monkeys, known for their intelligence and dexterity.
Fascinated by her reflection in the lens, she then somehow managed to start the camera. The upshot: A splendid self-portrait.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2011051/Black-macaque-takes-self-portrait-Monkey-borrows-photographers-camera.html
The macaque also took some pictures of her fellow primates and a picture of a confused photographer who was trying to bribe a macaque with bananas in order to get his camera back.
They were quite mischievous jumping all over my equipment, and it looked like they were already posing for the camera when one hit the button. The sound got his attention and he kept pressing it. At first it scared the rest of them away but they soon came back it was amazing to watch.
He must have taken hundreds of pictures by the time I got my camera back, but not very many were in focus. He obviously hadnt worked that out yet. I wish I could have stayed longer as he probably would have taken a full family album.
...
The authenticity of the images was questioned on Twitter but Slater says they are genuine. They do look strange anyway because of their punk hairdo and their reddish eyes.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/04/shutter-happy-monkey-photographer#
CurtEastPoint
(18,664 posts)that's 'macaca'
progressoid
(49,999 posts)These creatures are much smarter than Allen.
And cuter too.
Derek in Iowa
(15 posts)Thank God we were wrong.
Baitball Blogger
(46,758 posts)progressoid
(49,999 posts)I think I'm putting that first shot on my cell phone!
Arkansas Granny
(31,532 posts)AnneD
(15,774 posts)if they could only know to focus.
robinlynne
(15,481 posts)On autofocus, the camera would have focused on her mouth, in the center of the frame. The other 2 shots are focused in the center.
I dun know about that first shot....
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)That means that most of the shot, from say, 5 feet from lens to the far distance, will be in focus.
So there is a lot of focused area front and back of the point of auto-focus....
With a lower light condition, like this with lots of ambient light but not as bright as full sun, you have a shorter depth of field. So you still have an area before and behind the focal piont that is sharp, but past that area blurs, like we are seeing here.
robinlynne
(15,481 posts)BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)You can see in the other pics that the DoF looks like it's about 4 or so feet deep..couple of feet ahead and couple of feet past the focal point.
robinlynne
(15,481 posts)There is little depth of field, and somehow the eyes are in focus.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)Been web surfing with my phone. Pic looked focused...so I zoomed in and you're right, the nose, teeth, chin slightly out of focus.
Looking forward to gettin DSL set up tomorrow!
siligut
(12,272 posts)Curmudgeoness
(18,219 posts)The second shot is so studious!
I love these.....and she is obviously having fun with her reflection in the lens. This brightens my day!
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)Is the Calers News Agency claiming that it cut some kind of deal with the macaque to acquire the copyright?
CrispyQ
(36,527 posts)Love this!!
Thanks for sharing!
OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)h2ebits
(646 posts)Thanks for giving me a hearty laugh.
tomm2thumbs
(13,297 posts)but it does give me pause hahahahahah
progressoid
(49,999 posts)Sometimes that is true.
(I'm a photographer by trade)
tomm2thumbs
(13,297 posts)Probably every 1 out of 100 monkey shots is good whereas an amateur human ratio would be more like 1 out of 30 and a professional photographer would be 1 out of 4 <g>
(am I still digging deeper?) bwahhahahaha