My first name is Doug.

Bjorn Fjord Bjork is just a screen name.

 

All photos taken with my phone have not been retouched or digitally altered.

Everything is as I saw it when I took the photo, with the exception

that some things interface differently with the phone's camera.

For example, bright sunlight behind an object will bleach out that portion

of the photo, such as a pathway at the top of a hill toward the bright sun,

as seen in this example here -

 

 

When the sun shines on a surface, it can have the effect of photo enhancement.

 

I'm gradually learning how to use the phone's camera to my advantage,

looking for those brightly lit, or darkly contrasted scenes, trying to anticipate

how the photo might finally turn out.

 

Another thing to work on is the timing of the shutter.

As with some of the shots of putting a firecracker inside a Coke can,

or slice of birthday cake, and snapping the shot at the exact moment

to maximize the imagery. Timing is critical down to the split second, as with this example -

 

 

I'm still learning this.

 

My happiest moment so far is the photo below, where I was able to

snap a shot of a lightening strike in the exact millisecond it occurred.

I wasn't even aware it was on my phone until I looked

through my cache of photos.

( I snapped the shutter rapidly during that storm )

 

This was achieved without any special camera equipment, or photo editing software.

It was just me and my phone.

 

  

I'm sharing images here from my Flickr Favorites.

I've found that when I pick a favorite photo, then write a description about it,

the process of writing a commentary forces me to think carefully about them.

I now look at images carefully.

 

I don't choose favorites based upon how many other people have chosen the same photo.

It's important for me that I like the image personally, whether or not it's popular with others.

 

Before I got a Flickr account I never realized how much talent it takes to create a good image.

A good photographer can take a photo of a rusty lock on a barn door and make it interesting.

 

I was inspired to write a poem about it.

If you like it, you're welcome to share it,

but please tell people where you got the poem from.

 

Exquisite places,

Exquisite faces,

Exquisite thoughts and rusty pots.

 

Exquisite spaces,

Exquisite cases,

Exquisite shots of tangled knots.

 

An image snatched from physical space,

held in limbo for our embrace.

 

Waves of light they give the chase

in fast pursuit begins the race

to grab the image in the lens ...

 

... and then to share it with some friends.

 

Every turning of the earth

magnifies their worth.

 

Every day a chance is lost;

it won't return at any cost.

 

How many more exquisite shots?

 

Please give me lots, and lots.

 

• ＳＨＯＷＣＡＳＩＮＧ • ＭＹ • ＦＡＶＯＲＩＴＥＳ •

 

One of the most difficult things to do in a photo is capture an expressive face.

Any face can be photographed at any time, but to snap the shutter at the perfect moment

when someone is in a particular mood requires precise timing. ( almost as precise as a lightning strike ! )

In my humble opinion, most of the time this is done with sheer luck.

To do this on purpose requires skill. Our emotions are worn on our face, and they

rise and fall like waves in the ocean. Only the happenstance of luck, or the purposeful

exercise of skill explains how these photos are created. It's a funny thing about luck.

Luck is generous to the novice, but when someone starts to develop skill,

luck begins to withhold its generosity, and requires the person to produce results using their skill.

If the person does not use their skills properly, then the verdict in the court of public opinion

is 1st degree embarrassment.

 

Just because luck played a role, does not invalidate the value of the photo.

The photo below caught my attention because the emotion on her face is in interesting.

Is she worried about something? Is she deeply happy about this event?

The photo causes me to be curious about how she feels. I wish I could ask her

to describe her thoughts about it. I think this is a great photo.

 

  

тнιѕ pнoтo тaĸen вy -

 

pdoyle007

   

Previously showcased Favorites -

 

Sascha Becher

www.flickr.com/photos/stereotron/6172607469/in/faves-6370...

 

Liz Percival

www.flickr.com/photos/33396541@N00/4035412413/in/faves-63...

 

0bender0

www.flickr.com/photos/comeintofocus/7625418516/

  

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Here are some quotations about life generally

that I found to be interesting food for thought ...

________________________________________________

  

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.

The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do.

You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure ,

the process, is its own reward.

- Amelia Earhart

 

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In Football, the worst blindness is only seeing the ball.

- Nelson Rodrigues (Brazillian sports columnist)

 

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A good science fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile,

but the traffic jam.

- from the book 'Close Encounters? Science and Science Fiction', by Robert Lambourne, quoted in OMNI magazine.

 

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Nine tenths of education is encouragement

- Francois Anatole Thibault

 

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Retreat? Hell, we just got here !

- Captain Lloyd WIlliams, American Commander, 5th Marines, World War 1,

after being advised by a French officer to withdraw at the defensive line

just north of Lucy-le-Bocage, June 1, 1918.

 

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Some of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen

have been artificial: made of silk, plastic or wax.

But they never attract the bugs.

Only the real flowers attract those.

- Billy Graham

 

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If your baby tastes extremely salty when you kiss him or her,

speak to your doctor about testing for Cystic Fibrosis.

- Dr. Tom Ferguson

editor of Medical Self-Care

 

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Use ammonia to sooth a bee sting,

and vinegar for a wasp sting.

- Dr. Bill Grierson

University of Florida

 

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When buying oceanside property north of the Equator, never buy property on

the south side of a jetty. Ocean drift is from south to north,

and will erode a southern protrusion.

- Carol Terrizzi

artist and graphic designer

 

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When you first meet someone, it takes 30 hours of conversation to know whether you really like someone. Be wary of anyone who invites you only to places where you can't chat, such as movies, plays, or concerts.

- B. Bell

as quoted in the book, Rules of Thumb

by Tom Parker

 

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If your lawyer tells you that the prospective lawsuit is a "slam dunk",

retain a new attorney as soon as possible.

- Stephen Verbit

attorney

 

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On a Greyhound bus, the side with the toilet

has more legroom than the side with the driver.

- Neil Hess

ski instructor

 

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If your fiancé does something that bothers you before you're married,

it will bother you ten times more after you're married.

- Bruno Colapietro

matrimonial lawyer

 

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At schools with younger children, if playground monitors are close enough to have a normal conversation,

they are too close together to adequately supervise the children and need to spread out.

- Paul Beard

 

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There is cause for concern if the ridge of a house sags more than half an inch per year.

Call an expert.

- Albert Snyder

 

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To maximise your ability to get the most value out of a vehicle, buy it outright, keep it maintained, and drive it until the wheels fall off. Don't sign a Lease. Those, plus other gimmicky things, are what dealers use to maximise their ability to get the most money out of a customer.

- as heard a few years ago on the radio

 

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The first thing to check about a disruptive elementary school student,

is his or her eyesight.

- Steven M. Keisman

high school resource coordinator

 

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When spending money, never go cheap on your bed or your shoes.

You will be in one or the other your entire life.

- David Schaner

 

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You can tell if your water is hard or soft by looking at your ice cubes.

Hard-water cubes have a white spot in the center where minerals congregate;

soft-water cubes are uniformly cloudy.

- Lou J. Smith

executive director,

Canadian Water Quality Association

 

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When arguing a case, if you have the facts, pound the facts;

if you have the law, pound the law;

if you have neither, pound the table.

- Jeff Eckard

lawyer and entrepreneur

 

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Always call a Roman Catholic priest "Father" unless he is wearing some purple.

Then address him as "Bishop" or "Your Excellency".

- Rev. Halsy Howe

Saint Mark's Church