Sangreaal's Showa Growout

[CarolinaGirl]

Gosh Marie.....seems like you would be a little more excited about such a cute fish!!!

She is REALLY pretty!!

[Sangreaal]

Quote: Originally Posted by CarolinaGirl Gosh Marie.....seems like you would be a little more excited about such a cute fish!!! She is REALLY pretty!!

Jeeze, shows you how often I check my threads.... *L*

Thanks Cindy. I really wasn't expecting such a nice fish, and can't keep the camera out of her pretty face. Her sumi butterfly is just about history, though. I expected that, so I'm glad I got enough captures of it before it went. It'll be back, and bigger, once she's outside.

[Meg]

that snout is going to look like it was dipped in an ink well!

[Sangreaal]

Quote: Originally Posted by Meg that snout is going to look like it was dipped in an ink well!

Yep, it sure is. Of course, right now she's sucking it up. Her butterfly is gone, but I'm planning on launching her out of the QT tomorrow to take advantage of the rest of summer out in the main pond. She's gonna love it. Real brave girl, and really attached to her foodstuffs....Gentle (who has bested the best pellet-mongers out there) is gonna have a run for her money with Drummer in the pond. Here she is for the last time in QT, doing what she does best:













It's been said that koi have to stand on their tails to eat...poppycock. This gal can eat in any position. She has those "Hoover" lips. *LOL*

[Sangreaal]

Today was the launch of the SS Drummer, and boy what a battleship she is! Took to the pond like she owned it all along, and in the first 5 minutes of her introduction actually blew Jumanji right out of the water scaring him away from pellets with her "war mask." I mean literally--she scared him so bad with her charge that he flew straight up out of the water and cleared air, not so easy a thing to do to a fish that's twice her size and such a mellow temperament. Unbelievable....

Here's a photo shoot of those first 5 minutes....


Off she goes to get used to her new digs...


Swims a lap with Gentle


And another lap with Origami and Nimue

Add pellets for a proper pondwarming, and....

...here she comes, with an evil glint in her eyes


Zen competes with her first


then Puppy-Dragon and Blurt try to double-team her



Determined to not be outdone...


The "War Mask", as only she can make it, stopping Nepenthe dead in her tracks (it's about at this point that Jumanji shot out of the water like he was launched from a cannon *LOL* Bummer I didn't get that on camera!)


Goal!


A jump over Nimue, scaring Drummer's Ogata counterpart the other direction


In for another pass at pellets


*belch*


I want more, I tell you! More!


Blechhh...I think I'm getting full....


No wait...there's another one!


Everybody else is full, but....


How about dessert, mom?


Waddling to the bottom to browse...


Really full now and starting to slow down, Drummer gets acquainted with Shiia, my Ogata Ginrin Showa that I want to compare qualities and development with.


Hey guys! That was fun!

[oldslugger]

Love the photos!!!

You have a fine collection there, nothing like a good fish with personality to boot.

[Sangreaal]

Quote: Originally Posted by oldslugger Love the photos!!! You have a fine collection there, nothing like a good fish with personality to boot.

Why thank you! I've been enjoying your introductions of your new charges as well. My my, you have a great eye! I am quite taken by the Takigawa Kohaku you just picked up--what a stunner--and I hope you share some candid shots of her when she hits the pond. Bowl shots are nice to critique, but so formal. I much prefer to see candid 'at liberty' shots. They show the grace of the koi, which is very dear. I'm sure she took your breath away when you first laid eyes on her....

Drummer just keeps impressing me as I get to know her. She is just sooo sure of herself...as sure as I am of her innate qualities. Now if that sumi just comes up in all the right places at just the right time.... *LOL*

[Meg]

how do you do that Marie? take that many good pictures!? I take that many and end up with two... if I am lucky!

have you got a good pix of that showa that Drummer is runnng over to get at desert? looks like one I'd have pick out. I believe all you koi are ones I would love!

[RookieKoiGuy]

Some very nice pictures

[Sangreaal]

Quote: Originally Posted by Meg how do you do that Marie? take that many good pictures!? I take that many and end up with two... if I am lucky! have you got a good pix of that showa that Drummer is runnng over to get at desert? looks like one I'd have pick out. I believe all you koi are ones I would love!

Gawd, you'd think I'd be subscribed to my own threads so I can get email notification for when other people post....DOH!

Let me see if I can find some good pics of my Twisted Sister (the Kindai Showa from Sakai Isawa).....I was trying to capture her with the digital just the other day...

How do I take so many good pictures? I take thousands of pics to get that handful. Literally. I have a point and shoot Kodak Z650 that is great for snapshots but horribly inadequate to take action shots with any sort of clarity. What I have to do is anticipate what the fish might do and have the camera already focused on that area. No mean feat, I assure you. But playing with the fish has it's perks when it comes to taking pics of them. I play "follow the pellets" with them--tossing in a few in one location away from them, and then just as they hit them toss a few more just beyond that, and keep them going all around the pond, either in circles or figure eights. It makes them settle down from the frenzy for a bit to think about where they could fall in next....and I get the camera focused on where I'll toss the next pellets and shoot from there. One whole shot each time I do this. It has this awful autofocus and shutter lag, so I really have to stalk the fish....

Okay, here's the Twisted Sister in all her glory:


In QT, shortly after I got her.


In the pond, shortly after coming out of QT.


Spring2008


Just the other day, Fall 2008


Yesterday


Yesterday too.

You can see that I haven't got any great shots of her yet, but I'm working on it.

Can you see why I named her Twisted Sister?