Photo Competition 2021-07-26: Surprise! (ONE week only)

Question

Theme: Surprise!

Any photo that will surprise the viewer.

This theme was suggested by Caleb.

Note: This contest will only run for ONE week.

Voting Rules

• View the submissions sorted by active to give every submitter a fair chance
• Vote up as many images as you like
• Please, up votes only! Do NOT vote down your competitors! If you don't like an image, don't vote
• Voting closes on July 26, 2021 at 12:01 AM UTC (00:01 UTC if you prefer a 24-hour time). The winner will be chosen based on votes at that time.

Submission Rules

1. One photo submission per answer. Up to three (3) entries allowed.
2. Post only photos taken by yourself or the person with you.
3. All entries should include:
   • a title for the photo
   • a location and date, if known
   • camera, lens, and exposure settings, if known
   • any other explanatory notes, comments, etc., that you want to include (completely optional)
4. The submitted image must conform to this site's content license, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0) with attribution required.
5. Do not use this as a forum for photo critique. Use chat instead, or ask a new question about your image.

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Next Contest

Suggest a theme by writing a new answer at the Photo of the Week Theme Ideas thread. Please make sure to check the PotW theme ideas Archive first, to make sure you aren't recycling a theme.

The highest-voted theme will be the next theme.

Good luck!

Answer 1

Before The Snap

Nikon D200, f13, ISO 100, 1/100s (with strobes that dump their charge in 1/1200s)

Don't ask me how this got into my head, probably some mixture of insanity, boredom and insomnia. I was playing around with some 70/30 beam splitting glass (which only has one reflective plane), bought a dozen mouse traps and a dozen eggs and did exactly what it looks like, dropped the eggs on the traps.

This was the second best timed shot in the batch. Even though I missed the timing (off by a couple of lousy milliseconds), I've always particularly liked the pent up anticipation in this shot. This is the first time I've ever shared it, so as Bob Ross would say, enjoy this happy little accident.

In case anyone is curious, this was the image I actually selected from the shoot. It's surprisingly one of the best selling images in my gallery, so for obvious reasons I don't want to release it under CC BY-SA 4.0

Answer 2

The Blues

7:07pm, July 13th 2021, Los Gatos, CA

Nikon D500 with Sigma 150-600

1/1000, ISO10000, f/6

A California Scrub Jay attacked a house finch in the air, pecking it to death on the road. It really surprised me, I never thought they killed other birds.

Answer 3

A surprise guest!

I found this little guy living in a bag of compost at the bottom of our garden. I inadvertently awoke him from his autumnal slumber, then rushed to get the camera before he scurried away.

OM-D E10.3, 40-150mm kit lens @ f/5.6, 1/25, ISO 3200 (it was a gloomy day), -0.3 bias

Answer 4

Temple monkey having a watermelon lunch in the back of our ride. I think the bag of watermelon chunks was already in the back of our car (not sure why), when we pulled over the monkey jumped in and started eating.

The picture was taken in Kosamphi Forest Park, Maha Sarakham, Thailand on April 8th, 2021. The photo was taken with my Sony RX10M3 at f/3.2, shutter time 1/320s at 13.7mm and ISO100. I increased the exposure compensation a bit in post so the monkey is properly exposed.

Answer 5

"Raptor", 2021-03-10 at our patio in Germany, DSC-R1, ISO160, 1/160s at 71.5mm/4.8

The cat was not amused.

Answer 6

An expired parrot?

Two parrots seem to be playing with a demised (or stunned) parrot, beautiful plumage though.

The picture was taken in Safari World, Bangkok, Thailand on April 13th, 2021. The photo was taken with my Sony RX10M3 at f/4, shutter time 1/160s at 139.53mm and ISO250.

Answer 7

Shrek's House

2020-05-03 in Montreal, QC

When walking through the local woods, the last thing you expect to find is the home of an ogre. I skidaddled before Shrek could find me trespassing on his "swamp"

Answer 8

Pavement Jewels

Rain drops on pavement lit by street light (taken from 3rd floor window) - Bengaluru, India

Pixel 4a; f/1.7, 1/100,4.38 mm, ISO 409 (compressed to fit 2Mb size constraint)

Answer 9

ATTACK!

Mauritius, April 2017

iPhone 7 Plus

Answer 10

Who photographs the photographer?

My daughter surprised me by springing my PEN-5 on me, whilst I was trying to take a picture of her with my OM-D E10.3

40-150 kit lens at 40mm, f/4, 1/100 ISO 320 with a -0.3 bias

No post.

Answer 11

Pikathor

Camera: Canon EOS 700D

ƒ/2.2 - 1/160 - 50mm - ISO800

Answer 12

Bearded Lady with Dark Hair & White Beard

Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS @ 24mm. ISO 3200, f/4, 1/100.

Carnegie Carnival Parade in Decatur, AL on February 25, 2017.

Answer 13

Up Pops the Clown

A clown jack-in-the-box, LED eyes ablaze, pops up during a stroll through the haunted house at Nightmare on Moulton Street on October 26, 2019 in Decatur, Al.

Canon EOs 5D Mark IV + EF 50mm f/1.4. ISO 6400, f/2.2, 1/40.

For context of the size of the clown, here is another frame taken with a 35mm lens and a bounced flash an hour and one half later with a live clown attending to the mechanical jack-in-the-box (clown-in-a-box?). The sign on the floor had already been moved as part of closing down for the evening.

Answer 14

Wolf Brothers

Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania - November 12, 2019

Sony a7ii - 75mm, f/3.2, 1/400s, ISO200 - Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8

These are two brothers, Lucas and Lincoln they were born in this sanctuary but are very much still wild wolves - no brotherly love here. Lucas, with some weeks left to live due to the large tumor on his hind leg, is seen enjoying some raw meat (roadkill) while his brother looks over his shoulder. He snaps at his [healthy] brother, telling him to back off.

Side note: There is a second picture to this set.. taken moments before this one. In fear of violating the rules, I have not attached it.

Answer 15

TANSTAAFL

When free lunches are handed out, beware of the catch. In this case it's something many humans get annoyed by too: watermelon seeds. In this picture, the monkey tries to remove some of the seeds.

The picture was also taken in Kosamphi Forest Park, Maha Sarakham, Thailand on April 8th, just a few moments after the photo in my previous submission. The photo was taken with my Sony RX10M3 at f/3.5, shutter time 1/80s at 26.42mm and ISO100 (and cropped quite a bit).

Answer 16

Plastic every where

Camera: SONY ILCE-7RM3

ƒ/5 - 1/160 - 70mm - ISO100

Answer 17

Peek-a-boo

Samsung Galaxy A56 f/1.9 3.70 mm ISO125

Answer 18

Lucky Shot

Camera: Samsung J3(phone)

Date: 7/4/2020

Firework burst right behind street lamp.

Answer 19

Halloween Surprise

Band 'Winston Ramble' plays The Brick Deli & Tavern in Decatur, Alabama the Saturday Night before Halloween on 28 October, 2017. The photographer is shooting from the sidewalk outside the large plate glass window and is reflected in the lower right corner.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF 50mm f/1.4. ISO 5000, f/2.2, 1/100.

_{Uncropped before reducing from 5760x3840 to 2400x1600 to meet the Photo SE size requirement}