No Pain No Gain
Things in life are often difficult to achieve....but by working hard and persevering, it is likely that success will be the outcome and life will "bee"...
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Things in life are often difficult to achieve....but by working hard and persevering, it is likely that success will be the outcome and life will "bee" even better than before and much easier to "bear".
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Apr, 2016Views
2133
Likes
Awards
People's Choice in Bear Stories Photo Challenge
Winner in The Color Brown Photo Challenge
Winner in Beauty in Brown Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
All Star
Genius
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Categories
leslie57
April 16, 2016
just got to love the message here,will be thinking all day about it too,keep posting Nina,you are a true genius
Platinum
Platinum
Platinum
mcampi
April 17, 2016
Both capture and edit are stellar. I really love this shot and the title says it all. I know the words are true and the older I get the more I understand what you wrote. Your picked the correct shot to call it to our attention. thank you Mark
PRO+
PRO+
JoyceDickens
April 19, 2016
I love your play on words my friend; this image is incredibly well done and brings the warmest of smiles!!!
Platinum
Platinum
susanplss-bryant
April 20, 2016
Great picture, edit... ! and there is a story here, nice text added too
Platinum
Bruz
April 25, 2016
WOW!! The clarity of this is amazing my friend. Awesome capture. I love the story you did on this also.
DorisSeybold
April 26, 2016
love your words and your photo This is excellent, magical, beautiful and funny!!!!
alanasisk
April 29, 2016
This is brilliant and beautiful! Makes me think of Winnie the Pooh, who I LOVE! :)
PRO
Pamelabole
April 29, 2016
Great words to live by!! .....amazing photo.....brings a smile to my face!!! : )
Platinum
Platinum
Platinum
Platinum
michellehansenburgess
December 18, 2016
Nina, I LOVE THIS! Perfection all the way! You've been one of my favorite photographers on here for a long time now! You turn your photos into a work of art!
PRO+
Platinum
michellehansenburgess
April 07, 2017
Congratulations on winning my "Beauty in Brown" Photo Challenge! It was an extremely difficult choice but I just kept coming back to this one because it just grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go...I absolutely Love this! How could I not choose this!!!
Platinum
PRO+
Bazz
April 07, 2017
Congratulations Nina in Grand Winner in Beauty in Brown Photo Challenge for April, 2017! Well deserved!
Platinum
KayBrewer
April 08, 2017
Congratulations, Ms Nina! Grand Winner in the Beauty in Brown Photo Challenge! Way to go with this fabulous art!
Platinum
GayleLucci
April 10, 2017
Congratulations on winning this photo challenge...well deserved! Love the story you created!
PRO+
PRO+
mihrt
August 17, 2017
CONGRATS ON BEING FEATURED IN THE AWAKE MAGAZINE JULY EDITION NINA !!! WOW what an Honour !
Cass_Howton
May 26, 2018
What a beautiful moment.. can really feel his happy content moment. Thank you for sharing
Platinum
Platinum
Platinum
Platinum
PRO+
Bazz
October 16, 2018
Fantastic! Love it! Great title! Thank you for joining my "Bees" challenge! Good Luck!
PRO+
PRO+
Platinum
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
The photo of the bear was taken during the summer at the San Francisco Zoo in California. The bees were photographed in my back yard.Time
Even though it was a hot August day, the bears were out lumbering through the tall grass in their enclosure. This was taken later in the day when the sun was a bit lower in the sky, so the lighting on his face was just about perfect.Lighting
Early morning or late afternoon is definitely the best time to photograph animals in the zoo. Not only are they a bit more active during those times, but the natural light is much softer.Equipment
This photo was taken with a Nikon D7100 with a 500mm lens mounted on a tripod and shot through a plexiglass enclosure. No other equipment or filters were used.Inspiration
This photo was taken during a photo class at the zoo. Contrary to popular belief, it is very difficult to get good shots of animals in zoos because their enclosures, either chain link fencing or dirty and scratched plexiglass, are all obstacles that must be overcome with certain camera settings in order to get decent shots. This class taught us just that. I love bears and was so happy to see that the grizzlies were out and about creating nice photo opportunites.Editing
My post processing of the bear itself was minimal, but Lightroom was used to bring out color and clarity since it was taken through a worn and scratched plexiglass wall. The bear was then layered onto multiple textured backgrounds. The bees, also my photos, were layered onto the composition in Photoshop to create this final inspirational "portrait".In my camera bag
Since this photo was taken, I have upgraded my camera to a Nikon D750 full frame DSLR. My favorite lens of choice is a very versatile Nikkor 28-300 zoom lens, which is also great for traveling. I also have a Nikkor 24-120mm lens, a macro lens, and a Sigma 150-600mm zoom, the latter having proven itself nicely in recent photos of birds and wildlife. I always have 2 64gb memory cards in my camera and a spare 32gb card in my bag. Additionally, I always carry a spare fully charged battery and battery charger, UV and polarizing filters for all lenses, a Tiffen variable ND filter, the Cokin filter system, a lightweight carbon fiber tripod, a remote release and cleaning supplies.Feedback
Zoos are wonderful classrooms and provide photo opportunities for many photographers who are not able to travel to foreign lands to few many of the exotic animals one sees in captivity. Photographing them early in the day or late afternoon are more ideal as the animals are more active during those times. At other times they tend to sleep the day away in the shade, making a good photograph nearly impossible to capture. Patience is key, and a long zoom lens is a must.
