Saturday, July 19, 2008

Unidentified Filmed Object

Can You Guess What This Is?


Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON


Take a close look at this shot and tell me if you can figure out what I’ve photographed. Is it a pitted clay pathway with straw piled beside it? Is it a narrow Outback track being choked by some vivid, noxious weed?


Let me give you a different viewpoint. This is the same object, photographed from a slightly different angle. Here’s another clue. I was using the SMC Pentax-DA macro lens when I shot this series of images.

Okay, now that you’ve identified the object, here’s the definitive view of it (below). I was holding a yellow Slazenger tennis ball in my left hand and holding my camera in my right hand. To get a different perspective and a fresh angle on each shot, I just kept rotating the ball.

57 comments:

Unknown said...

New balls please!

Anyone for tennis?

Gary

Betsy Brock said...

I was so excited to immediately know what this was! ....only because you usually have me stumped! :)

Corey~living and loving said...

yup...I knew what it was right away too. :) I suppose I have seen a ton of these, as my dog loves them. :)

glad you are back from vacation, David. :)

SandraRee said...

At first I didn't know, all I could think was, don't like the looks of this at all. Thought it might be some kind of weird science project! By the second pic I knew! :)

Louise said...

How dextrous you are!

Tess Kincaid said...

Love that neon fuzzy close up shot...the lines look almost like concrete!

Katney said...

I had it right away.

Stop by after you sleep off the jet lag. I think my what is THAT? is a bit different, and of course, it will post at midnight my time so isn't there yet.

Unknown said...

Lucky for me...I thought you had gotten a shot of the part in my hair:>)

becky aka theRAV said...

I knew it was a ball to begin with.

dot said...

You fooled me again! My best bet was a decorated cake with green coconut and chocolate streaks.

Maggie May said...

Yes, straightaway recognized what it was!

Gone Back South said...

I think in the first one it looks like someone from the muppet show had accidentally brushed up against the iron.

Pappy said...

Too easy. Should have stayed down in the fibers with the Macro. That would have been a challenge. Thanks for coming by today. Pappy

Ann Harrison said...

Hello!
I found you through Jen at Cheaper Than Therapy and I'm so glad! (I'm pretty new to this as well.)
So much to see here.
I'll be back!

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

How funny! I didn't get it in the first picture, but the second picture was too much of a hint. :)

Cath said...

Got it immediately. Nice shots.

Do I get a prize? Or maybe I just have played with too many slazenger balls... Can't mistake them.

Anonymous said...

I didn't quite think they were Penn or Wilson color.. Happy Hunting!

Napaboaniya.Elaine Ling said...

At first glance I thought it was a field with a walkway...pretty neat!! :)

Sandi McBride said...

and since I've had my head in Wimbledon for simply ages, I knew immediately what it was! Let!
Sandi

Pam said...

this one was easy! :) thx for your comment on my thyroid blog. i do see coca-cola as maybe good for jet lag, but i'm always jonesing for one LOL i see you have been dropping my my life w/ hashi blog. i have a main one:

http://ciarasramblingsandwhatnot.blogspot.com

ancient one said...

Well, I'll tell the truth. Your words loaded faster than your photos so I had the answer before I saw the first photo. Nevertheless, I would not have thought of a tennis ball. It's been awhile since I was here, so I stuck around and read back some. Your photography is always so interesting.

SASSY MOM said...

Nice take on the theme. Thanks for sharing those angles. happy weekend!

Cheryl said...

It took me 15 seconds, but then I smiled because I figured it out. Very creative and fun!

Susie said...

tennis anyone? I got it on the second picture. That first one was tough! Very cool PSF!

Carver said...

I was surprised that I guessed correctly because I guessed a ball on another one and it was a macro of a dog's head, ha. Good choice David and I actually did guess it which was nice for a change. Hope you have a good weekend.

threesidesofcrazy said...

Good choice for a hard to capture meme.

Juliana said...

i think it is a tennis ball :D

Mine in here Thanks

alicesg said...

Wow very nice. I could not guess in the first photo but the second photo gave it away.

Harajuku PearL said...

this one i get it right from the beginning....hehehehe although i've never seen the ball this close ;)

Neat pic!

Pearl - happy weekend

Anonymous said...

Very cool! I didn't get it in the 1st photo. The 2nd was pretty obvious.

Indrani said...

Interesting! I got it right only after seeing the second shot.

Leslie: said...

A tennis ball. Bet you can't guess mine. ;)

Lana Gramlich said...

I knew it was a tennis ball, but evidently I have a good eye for such. Someone recently tried to stump me in a similar way with a macro shot of a cantaloupe. They tried...and failed.

Mrs Mac said...

Oh that's clever! I had no idea from the first pic!!

YTSL said...

Heheh, guessed right upon seeing the first photo. The fruits of having enjoyed more than one game of tennis in my lifetime... ;b

philos said...

Hehe... Cool shot... I initially thought it was some huge work submerged in a weedy body of water hehe

Anonymous said...

A very artistic "What is it". Your skill proves once again that there is art in everything.

Anonymous said...

I got it - good photo! 'Avagood weekend!

Snap Catch said...

ball? Great choice for photohunt theme... Mine's up too hope you can visit... Happy weekend!

Anonymous said...

I guessed it right looking at the second picture. Nice entry.

mrsnesbitt said...

Oooooooooooooh! Wilma loves these. Average lifesopan? 15 minutes!

Gemma Wiseman said...

Extremely clever and creative! It is wonderful seeing the ordinary become extraordinary.

Hootin Anni said...

I knew this! I knew it right away! Wow, do I feel proud or what?!! Of course watching tennis on tv the last month or so helped.

My photo hunt this week is a sequence of photos and I open a purchase I made at Michael's Crafts shop.

Come by if you can find time!! Have a super weekend.

Anonymous said...

Yes its a tennis ball. At first i think its just a skin of something but i look at the 3rd picture and now i know what is it. Happy weekend.

Anonymous said...

Wow cool shots and you were holding the ball? I wouldn't be able to manage that :D

Shrinky said...

Okay, I fess us, you got me for a moments there, I had to scroll further to suss it out. Smile.

Welcome home David, it sure is good to have you back again!

Sarge Charlie said...

balls, which way do they spin down under.....

Queen of My Domain said...

Looks like a well used ball. Have a great weekend!!

kjpweb said...

Pretty cool - It took pic #2 to get an idea. With Pic #1 only I would have begged you to tell me the solution!
Cheers, Klaus

SabineM said...

Nice Balls! :-)) hee hee

Baker Watson said...

I guessed the ball right away but it was funny because it reminded me of something else I could have used for my own theme post. I liked the idea of the stages of pics revealing the final item.

Baker

Mima said...

I picked up on that one straight away having just had several weeks of watching them going backwards and forwards with Wimbledon! If it was any other time of year you probably would have had me guessing for much longer.

Lorraine said...

I thought the first one was a photo of a clown's hair...but I got it by the second shot

Barbara said...

Got it in one!

holly said...

the first picture - the thing that came to mind was...

'madonna's butt'.

don't tell her i said that, k?

Colin Campbell said...

Fantastic. The first shot looked vaguely agricultural.

San said...

I got it! I got it!

What a beautiful shot of an amazingly symmetrical dust bunny that has been dyed in Easter egg color.