Best Shots Taken By Amateur Photographers. Can You Believe This?
With the advancement of technology these days, everyone can be an amateur photographer equipped with nothing more than a smartphone. Although it won’t be able to compete with professional DSLR cameras, the result might be surprising as some of the shots below which are taken at the exact right moment that makes it truly amazing.
These are some of the photographs posted at the Quora thread together with the explanation of the shot.
1. Micah Goulart
This is my best and luckiest picture. Held the camera with the other hand during a rain shower in Brazil.
2. Guy Nesher
My best photo to date, taken during a trip to the Bolivian salt desert.
3. Kent Miller
Most people react to this photo with doubt at first. Is Kent an expert at manipulating images using Photoshop? The answer is no, but the sad part is that in this day and age of digital photography, the common reaction is to ask if it’s real… The reality is that this is not Kokomo (yes, I’m showing my age with a Beach Boys reference).
It’s St. Maarten, the home of the famous Princess Juliana International Airport. At only 7,980 feet, the runway is barely long enough for large jets to land. Incoming airliners approaching the island, must touchdown at the very beginning of the runway, which is just past the beach. This means they have to fly extremely low, passing only 30-60 feet over tourists and plane spotters.
4. Megan Whiteley
I took this photo at Opotiki beach, New Zealand. This dog was obsessed with chasing seagulls, and I was zoomed right in as it run up to a sitting bird, and managed to get a perfectly timed photo just as the bird took off, making it look like a flying dog!
5. Alexis Birkill
This is one of my favourite photographs, mainly because of the perseverance required to take it, and the thrill of finally getting the right conditions. Vancouver doesn’t get temperature inversions that often, but in January we had a few days where they occurred early in the morning, with the resultant fog typically dispersing by midday.
I’d been wanting to get a photograph like this for a long time, so when I saw the conditions forming, I knew that this was my chance. However, the best time to get such a shot is when the lights from the city balance the light in the sky, which typically occurs 30-40 minutes before sunrise (or after sunset).The other variable, of course, is that the fog has to be at just the right level — too high and you don’t see the buildings peeping through.
I went up to viewpoints on 5 separate mornings before sunrise, and in every case, the fog layer was just too high — I would very occasionally see the top of the tallest building, but nothing else. It looked like I wouldn’t get the photo I wanted this year, as the forecast showed the conditions coming to an end. This was the last morning where there was any low fog, and the forecast wasn’t promising, but I knew that if I didn’t once again drag myself out of bed well before sunrise, I’d be kicking myself if someone else got a great photo!
On arriving at the viewpoint, I could see there was a very high cloud layer that was just starting to reflect the sun, still well below the horizon from my viewpoint, but again the city was entirely hidden by fog. However, after about 10 minutes the fog descended slightly and I was able to take this photo. Five minutes after I took it, the fog had obscured the city again, and the opportunity had gone.
6. Rajat Bhargava
It was a nice breezy shiny Sunday afternoon. We were playing in our community garden. Someone flicked the ball towards the community gardener who was watering plants and the ball got wet. After that it became a monster. The faster the ball was thrown, the more it flew like a rocket leaving trails of water behind; but the magic began when my elder brother started bowling. His bowling made the ball spin and create a whirlpool of water sprayed in mid air.
The moment he delivered the first ball, the closing fielder got a lovely shower because of the spinning wet ball. I looked at the spinning ball and thought to myself that it was a moment worth capturing. I grabbed my camera and asked my brother to spin the ball as fast he could when he bowled. After a few missed shots, I finally snapped that magical moment, where the ball was in sharp focus.
7. Michael Woloszynowicz
This would have to be mine. Certainly the most popular. Shot it on Botany Bay Road, Edisto Island, SC.
8. Maciek Gudrymowicz
One of my favorites, and probably the luckiest image I ever took. This was taken at a Beach Soccer tournament in San Francisco. The sand kicked up by the 3 players fighting for the ball created what looks like a profile of a face. I still find it hard to believe how lucky I got. If this was taken a split second earlier or later this image would have ended up in the thrash bin.
9. Odin Hole Standal
This is by far the best picture I’ve taken. I wish I could say it was due to skill and careful planning, but this one is pure luck. Photography is my favourite hobby, but I doubt I’ll ever get another picture that comes close to match this one.
It’s taken in my favourite place in Norway, our cabin deep in one of the fjords on the west coast. We went outside early in the morning to blow giant soap bubbles to amuse our kids. At the same time the sun came up over the mountain behind the cabin, creating the reflection in the bubble. The hardest part was to get the focus on the bubble just right, the contrast with the grey background did not help.
10. David Urquhart
My eldest son Dan took this when he was about 14. We were at a crocodile farm just North of Cairns. That’s about six feet of snapping predator above the water. He or she has another six feet of length below the surface.
11. Jeff Weston
Whenever I’m flying home into LaGuardia Airport, I request a window seat and willfully disobey the flight crew by keeping my point-and-shoot turned on.
On this particular September afternoon, there was high cloud cover with one rogue cloud hovering ominously above Midtown Manhattan. I timed this exposure so that you can see straight down 42nd Street, all the way to the Hudson River. Greenpoint, Brooklyn and Long Island City, Queens are visible in the foreground, separated by Newtown Creek. Other than adjusting some levels and adding a bit of a vignette, I didn’t manipulate or ‘shop the original capture.
12. Alessio Andreani
This is one of my favorite photo, taken from an hot air balloon in Cappadocia (Turkey). Well, I’ve printed big at home and every time reminds me of the amazing experience of flying with a balloon. It’s my favorite also for the publications on a couple of magazines.
