<< Previous Next >>

Watch out! incoming ...


Watch out! incoming ...
Photo Information
Copyright: Urban Olsson (urban) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 71 W: 4 N: 79] (413)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-08-24
Categories: Molluscs
Camera: Olympus C-5060WZ, 28-115mm f/2.8-4.8
Exposure: f/3.5, 1/60 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2004-08-24 14:59
Viewed: 1262
Points: 40
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I guess that snails are very comfortable to photograph. They certainly aren´t fast :-).

I think this one is a common garden snail. I noticed this one and lots of others in a hedge on my way from work and realized how great targets for my camera they could be. On this picture I aimed for its soft parts and so missed some of the shell but I like the sharpnes and texture of its skin.

Common garden snails have pale grey moist skin. At the front end are four tentacles, the shorter two are for feeling and the longer pair are eye stalks. The shell colouration varies in its intensity from pale yellow to almost black.

They are herbivores and feed on decaying vegetation, algae, fungi, lichens and plant leaves. As a part of their herbivorous diet they often feed on garden plants and are considered by some to be pests. Common snails have a symbiotic bacteria in their crop that enables them to digest cellulose - they have been known to feed on damp paper and cardboard.

Common snails, like all land snails, are hermaphrodites. This means that they possess both male and female reproductive organs. Despite this they still need to find another snail to mate with. When two snails meet during the breeding season (late spring or early summer), mating is initiated by one snail piercing the skin of the other snail with a calcified 'love dart'. The exact purpose of the 'love dart' is not fully understood but it seems to stimulate the other snail into exchanging small packets of sperm. After mating is complete the snails will produce eggs internally, which are fertilised by the sperm that has been exchanged.

Up to about a month after mating the snail lays about a hundred small white eggs in a nest underground in damp soil. If the conditions remain suitable for the eggs, snails will begin to hatch after about 14 days. Newly hatched snails have a small fragile shell and it takes two years for them to reach maturity.
gerhardt, natbug, RAP, japie, ellis49, Pedda, pompey, PDP, nwoehnl, carper, Callie, JeanMichel, deud, rafelito has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes.
Add Critique [Critiquing Guidelines] 
Only registered TrekNature members may write critiques.
Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To PDP: focusurban 2 08-25 11:10
To japie: waterurban 1 08-24 15:38
You must be logged in to start a discussion.

Critiques [Translate]

A very unique compo of a snail. I think if you brought the whole shell into the compo it would have been just another snail photo. The details of the head and neck are very sharp and you have succeeded in your goal. Great shot, very nice note.

  • Great 
  • natbug (30)
  • [2004-08-24 15:16]

Very nicely composed. Aside from the loss of defintion on the closer antennae, details of the snail are very sharp. The water droplet on the snail's shell also emphasizes the slow movement of the creature! Good job!

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2004-08-24 15:26]

Hermosa composicion Urban.
Excelente perspectiva y encuadre, aunque el caracol no aparece en su totalidad, se aprecia correctamente.
Nitidez y colorido muy natural completan una muy buena entrega.

Beautiful composition Urban.
Excellent perspective and frame, although the snail does not appear in its totality, is appraised correctly.
Clearness and very natural colorful completes a very good post.

Mycket bra Urban
Mycket fin komposition med fina färger.
Bra gjort

Very good Urban
Bery good composition with nice colours.
Good note
Well done

Great composition.
Had you included all the shell, it would have been, as gerhardt expressed, just another snail photo. If you had taken the shell out, the snail would have been too centered in the composition. As is, there is a natural flow to the viewing of this photo.

  • Great 
  • pompey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 205 W: 4 N: 780] (2762)
  • [2004-08-24 17:06]

Just a snail but a well photographed one.
A colourful, crisp image cropped to perfection.
Good note also, well done Urban!

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2951 W: 366 N: 3779] (11763)
  • [2004-08-24 17:28]
  • [+]

I really like this one. It's hard to get the eye stalks in focus as they are always on the move. Beautiful composition and good colour. Well done.

You made a well-composed photo of the snail, Urban. Good textural detail on its body, nice pattern of the shell, and fine use of DOF. The water droplets on the grass and shell are a neat and interesting detail. Well captured!

Super photo of a hmble snail, and an excellent write up. I love the body texture, well captured.

Very good one Urban,
I like the shot a lot, very good capture, good colours sharp and a good composition, and a good cropping, very good job you did here.

  • Great 
  • japie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
  • [2004-08-25 4:23]
  • [+]

Is that water or sweat from running to fast on his shell. This is an excellent capture wit excellent DOF. I learnt a lot from your note. I did know that snails were slow, but the rest is news to me. Thanks for posting - Points tomorow

Urban
Nice note ams info too. I like this one sticking out his neck, ready for the chop. The bit of yellow in the shell add interest to the overall mute colour of the scene

Urban, You found a beautiful angle to take this shot. Focus on the body/horns iso the shell is a good point in this shot.
After the dragonfly epidemic it's maybe an idea to start a snail epidemic ;-) At least it gives us more time to take our shots ;-)
Greetings, Jan

  •      
  • Pedda Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 47 W: 1 N: 253] (1265)
  • [2004-08-25 13:40]

I knew that I did something BAD when I let you borrow my battery charger to your camera ;-)

Kidding... A really good picture even though I would have liked to have both antennas in focus.

magnifique prise de capture de cet escargot qui se cache souvent...heureusement qu'apres la pluie , ils sortent un peu...les couleurs sont belles et bien rendues...le détail de sa peau est très reussi...merci...amicalement BI

As a whole image, this is particularly well balanced, with a super framing and same color shades on both sides. BTW, the colors are wonderful, the DOF is great, taking in account the low f/ exposure. Vey good details and an instructive note. All together, a very good post.

Great shot very good details nice composition good note

  • Great 
  • optic Gold Star Critiquer [C: 322 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2004-12-30 21:36]

Incredible image ! very nice color, fantastic dof, perfect frame... a real beautifull one,
Well done Urban!

Happy new year!

Great shot!
Try a head-on next time!!

Excellent Comosition with great colors and sharpness.

  • Great 
  • deud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 498 W: 2 N: 464] (2157)
  • [2005-05-12 4:56]

nice composition. the water drops increase the vault of this peaceful and full of silence image.

Wonderfull !!!

Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF