Readers Photo Challenge showcases our furry, feathered and scaly friends

Clifford Oto, The Record
·3 min read

The August challenge assignment was to photograph animals. Many readers sent in images of creatures found in the wild, while others stayed closer to home by photographing their beloved pets.

Sixteen readers sent in 62 photos. Here are the best examples:

Moris Senegor of Stockton used a Nikon D6 to photograph a Sainson's hawk flying over the San Joaquin General Hospital campus in French Camp.
Moris Senegor of Stockton used a Nikon D6 to photograph a Sainson's hawk flying over the San Joaquin General Hospital campus in French Camp.

Stocktonian Moris Senegor’s vigilance paid off for his shot of an osprey at Pardee Lake near Ione. Quite often, photography can be like hunting or fishing: Sometimes, you have to wait for your subject to appear, then carefully get your shot. He woke up early and got to the lake by about 6 a.m. Senegor then camped out at a certain spot and patiently waited. After awhile, the osprey flew towards him with a fresh catch. Armed with a Nikon D6 DSLR camera equipped with a Sigma 60-600mm telephoto zoom lens set at 240mm, he was able to capture the bird in flight.

Carolyn Silva of Jackson used a Nikon D7500 DSLR to photograph a a lizard climbing the screen door at her house.
Carolyn Silva of Jackson used a Nikon D7500 DSLR to photograph a a lizard climbing the screen door at her house.

Living in a relatively rural area can have its advantage when it comes to animal photos. Carolyn Silva of Jackson spotted a lizard climbing on the screen door from inside her house. With a Nikon D7500 DSLR camera, she captured the reptile as it was silhouetted against the light coming in from outside. The pattern of the screen makes for an interesting graphic element.

Fred Norman of Stockton used a Canon 6D to photograph an egret hunting at the Cosumnes River Preserve near Thornton.
Fred Norman of Stockton used a Canon 6D to photograph an egret hunting at the Cosumnes River Preserve near Thornton.
Cynthia Barker of Stockton used a Canon EOS Rebel T3 DSLR camera to photograph a red-headed house finch in her backyard.
Cynthia Barker of Stockton used a Canon EOS Rebel T3 DSLR camera to photograph a red-headed house finch in her backyard.

Egrets are most often found near the water and their diet consists of small fish, crustaceans and frogs. But sometimes they also forage on dry land, eating insects, small rodents and even snakes. With a Canon Canon 6D DSLR camera, Fred Norman spied an egret as it stealthily stalked dry-land prey at the Cosumnes River Preserve near Thornton. Normally egrets are pretty skittish, but Norman was able to keep is distance and capture the bird with his camera equipped with a 100-400mm telephoto zoom lens.

Cynthia Barker of Stockton photographed a house finch in her backyard. With her Canon EOS Rebel T3 DSLR camera, she captured the bird as it feasted on a sunflower in her backyard. She was able use a 300mm telephoto lens to stay far enough away to keep from scaring the bird off. A shallow aperture helps to throw the background out of focus, turning the surround foliage into a blended green backdrop, which nicely contrasts with the red crown and breast of the bird.

Janet Baniewich of Billings, Montana used a Nikon D3300 DSLR to photograph a a herd of wild horses near the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument near Crow Agency, Montana.
Janet Baniewich of Billings, Montana used a Nikon D3300 DSLR to photograph a a herd of wild horses near the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument near Crow Agency, Montana.

Janet Baniewich of Billings, Montana, was on a road trip to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument near Crow Agency in southeast Montana when she spotted a small herd of wild horses among the landscape’s rolling hills. She stopped, and with her Nikon D3300 DSLR camera, she was able the photograph the horses as they calmly grazed along the roadside. The strong diagonal of the hill and the deep blue of the sky helps to make the image eye-catching.

Dave Skinner of Stockton used a Nikon D7000 DSLR camera to photograph a cowboy competing in the penning competition at the Amador County Fair in Plymouth.
Dave Skinner of Stockton used a Nikon D7000 DSLR camera to photograph a cowboy competing in the penning competition at the Amador County Fair in Plymouth.

Some animals are our pets, others are wild and still others are our co-workers. Dave Skinner of Stockton captured that working relationship in the image he sent in. He photographed as a horse-riding cowboy as they competed in a penning event at the Amador County Fair in Plymouth. Penning is a sport that springs from ranch work of separating cattle into pens. With a Nikon D7000 DSLR camera, Skinner captured the action and teamwork between rider and horse as they herd the cattle.

All of the photos submitted can be seen in an online gallery at recordnet.com. The top picks can be seen at the Record’s Facebook page and Instagram. A new challenge assignment will be issued on August 24.

Record photographer Clifford Oto has photographed Stockton and San Joaquin County for more than 37 years. He can be reached at coto@recordnet.com or on Instagram @Recordnet. Follow his blog at recordnet.com/otoblog. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton readers send in pets, wildlife for August photo challenge