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For several years already I had tried to capture the splendour of the spread wings of the Woodland Kingfisher but never managed. You can imagine my excitement when we were just relaxing on the deck of Rattray's and 2 of these beautiful birds landed on the tree just outside of the camp and started displaying their beauty while shying away an intruder. A little bit too far away but the converter came in handy.
Dear Friends, as the year is coming to an end (she said with some relief as 2009 to me was one of the toughest of my life) I would like to wish you a fantastic, wonderful, healthy and most of all happy New Year with lots of fantastic 'Kodak moments'. Thank you so much for your friendship, support and encouragement! I appreciated each and every comment, Flickr mail and fave more then I can express in words...
"... Entre um trago e um amargo,
recostado num esteio,
bombeava o piazito feio,
mas taludo - sem embargo,
sentindo no campo largo
cheiro de pasto e incenso
naquele desejo imenso
de que este ano que nasce
faça que o homem se abrace
no amor da paz e o bom-senso... "
Fragmento de "Payada do Ano Novo", de Jayme Caetano Braun
Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
"Here's to the Bright New Year, and fond farewell to the old;here's to the thing that are yet to come,and to the memories that we hold."
Wish you a Happy New year friends.
Mallard Duck with full winter green colours tilting head back after a quick drink.
Few more days left in the year, I really hope 2010 is simply a better year.
There sadly comes a day, when you just won't pay
I'm letting Flickr Pro account lapse
Please Circle Me on Google+ if you are a user.
Access to my different sets
”... Já ramalhei muito laço
nas reculutas que fiz
e, hoje, o tempo me diz
do pouco que aprendi
campereando por aí,
sons de milongas nos dedos
nas estâncias e varzedos
da costa do Piray... “
Fragmento de “Entre as frestas do tempo”, de Eron Vaz Mattos
Pelotas, Rio, Grande do Sul, Brasil
(repositioned in photostream)
This is the most amazing gift I have ever received I think mainly because of the story behind it. It's a Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera.
Last Friday I posted an image on my tumblr of this camera that someone else had taken, not knowing that the Monday before, my Friend Lauren Collins purchased one for me.
bcwarren.tumblr.com
I skipped a few days in the Christmas series. This is My Christmas Eve image.
UPDATE: The film will begin production again January 2010.
© all rights reserved
Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black
The Jordaan is a district of the city of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. The Anne Frank House, where Anne Frank went into hiding during World War II, is located on the edge of the Jordaan, on the Prinsengracht canal. Rembrandt spent the last years of his life in the Jordaan, on the Rozengracht canal. He was buried in the Westerkerk church, at the corner of Rozengracht and Prinsengracht, just beyond the Jordaan. The most common theory on the origin of the name is as a derivation of the French word jardin, meaning garden. Most streets and canals in the Jordaan are named after trees and flowers. Built in the first half of the 17th century to house the working class, the Jordaan is now one of the most expensive, upscale locations in the Netherlands. In the Jordaan it's more easy to have a bike or red Vespa scooter since car parking is the most expensive in the world. Daily unsecured parking in the Amsterdam Jordaan cost 5 €/hour or 7.10 US$/hour.
Believe it or not: many Dutch people don’t mind the winter in Amsterdam. Probably because the city is built for it! Ever heard of the Dutch word gezellig? A real translation doesn’t exist, but the English word cozy comes pretty close. In the Netherlands we put a lot of effort in making a place look and feel gezellig. A lot of cafés in Amsterdam use wood and warm colours for the interior combined with dim light, sometimes comfy couches and nice little corners. Since the houses are very old, it’s exceptional to get a license for a fireplace. Some places have one though. Just because nothing beats a glass of red wine in front of the fire after a whole snowy day of strolling around in Amsterdam !
Last weekend it snows and it was -6 degrees Celsius. The heavy snowfall is too bad for ice skating. So I had walk around the canals of my neighborhood. Photo taken here at the Brouwersgracht in Amsterdam. A image of a classic red Vespa scooter. This smallframe Piaggio PK range was made in the early '80s. The largeframe Vespa scooter known as the PX range were manufactured in the late '70s. The Vespa was the first globally successful scooter. This red one is not mine. My red scooter is in my basement free of snow. In Amsterdam center it's more easy to have a bike or scooter since car parking in Amsterdam is the most expensive in the world. Daily unsecured parking in Amsterdam Jordaan cost 5 €/hour or 7.10 US$/hour. Not a lot of people can effort or want to sponsor our local authorities! So whenever I go abroad I'm always smiling about the cheap parking fees compared with Amsterdam.
De Jordaan is een wijk in Amsterdam. Tijdens de bouw van de Jordaan in de eerste helft van de 17e eeuw heeft men het patroon van de oude poldersloten gevolgd, dit in tegenstelling tot de grachtengordel Herengracht, Keizersgracht en Prinsengracht, met tot gevolg dat de straten in de Jordaan vaak scheef en schuin op de overige straten en grachten staan. De Jordaan was met zijn kleine huisjes van oudsher een typische arme volksbuurt. Er waren ook veel ambachtslieden en kleine bedrijven gevestigd. Maar tegenwoordig is het er hip om er te wonen en zijn de huizenprijzen hier hoog. De naam Jordaan komt van het Franse woord Jardin wat tuin betekend. Er zijn ook veel bloem namen van de straten en grachten in de Jordaan. Er zijn overigens meerdere theorieën over het ontstaan van de naam Jordaan. De afgelopen nacht is er zo'n tien tot vijftien centimeter sneeuw gevallen. Dit zorgde ervoor dat de stad er prachtig bij lag. De sneeuw bezorgt plezier, maar ook overlast en hinder. De hevige sneeuwval heeft het verkeer in Nederland zondag grotendeels platgelegd. De Jordaan is bedolven onder dik pak sneeuw zoals hierboven op de Brouwersgracht. Geen weer om op je rode Vespa te gaan rijden. Een klassieke scooter uit de jaren '80. Piaggio is een Italiaans merk dat vanaf 1946 beroemd werd met de productie van scooters die de naam Vespa wesp kregen. Dit is niet mijn scooter. M'n rode scooter staat lekker droog in de kelder.
© all rights reserved
Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black
In winter, Amsterdammers watch the falling thermometer readings with the same focus as people in Aspen and Chamonix. When the temperature drops low enough for long enough, the lakes and the canals become sparkling highways for the skaters. Little kiosks are set up on the ice to dispense heart-warming liqueurs. I really love this part of our culture. Almost everyone, young or old, likes to skate and is smiling and friendly. Today it's the first day of ice skating on natural ice at Ransdorp nearby Amsterdam. Dutch skaters enjoying the kilometers of natural ice. During the month January and February thousands of geese can be found here in Waterland. The geese are migratory, moving south or west in winter. The greylag geese fly in V- formation to save themselves energy. The next days extreme low temperature of -6 degrees Celcius expected. Too bad it started snowing yesterday which makes it very hard to go skating.
A fast snapshot of a Dutch ice-skate girl taken while I was skating too. A photo of Waterland at the Bloemerdalergouw towards Holysloot - nearby Amsterdam. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. There, many are hoping for further frigid conditions. It was my first time on skates again in this early winter of 2009. It was a cloudy day but at the end of the day the sun came through which gave a beautiful glow. Look at the thousands of geese flying in the background. At this time of year they are easy to find in Waterland. Too bad it started snowing yesterday which makes it very hard to skate. Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise.
Eindelijk weer een weekend waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. Nog geen ideale condities, maar geen wakken. Op de Ransdorper Die is het ijs nog niet dik genoeg, maar hier op de bloemendalergouw tussen Ransdorp en Holysloot kan er al aardig geschaatst worden. De Grauwe gans, grijsbruine gans met forse oranje snavel en roze poten is hier heel veel te zien in Waterland. Duizenden ganzen vliegen altijd in V-formatie waardoor de krachtsinspanningen over de groep worden verdeeld. De bomen en weilanden zijn wit, de sloten bevroren en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de besneeuwde weilanden. Het is min zes, het is bewolkt maar aan de horizon komt uiteindelijk de zon nog door die een prachtige gloed geeft aan de horizon. Het is ijs is door de sneeuw helaas te dof om het licht te weerkaatsen. In de verte kan je de flats van Amsterdam IJburg zien en steekt de wonderlijk stompe toren van Ransdorp uit het landschap. Die stamt uit dezelfde vervlogen eeuw als waarin de Amsterdammer Hendrick Avercamp begon met het schilderen van zijn vermaarde winterse schaatstaferelen. Wie even wegdenkt kan zich vandaag in Avercamps wereld wanen.
Desejo um lindo e Feiz Natal a todos meus amigos do Flickr !!
I wish a a beautiful and Happy Christmas to all my friends from Flickr !!
"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." (Charles Dickens)
Visit my Blog
“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.” - Elizabeth Lawrence.
I recently finished reading this Amazing book by Khaled Hosseini. When I was scourging for what to upload , i saw this and was immediately reminded of "Laila" & "Tariq", the two childhood friends from it. There is another equally important third protagonist, and the story is about , how the never ending Wars in Afghanistan Affect their Lives . . .
here's a conversation between these two . . .
"You changed the subject."
"From what?"
"The empty-headed girls who think you're sexy."
"You know."
"Know what?"
"That I only have eyes for you."
— Khaled Hosseini (A Thousand Splendid Suns)
"Behind every trial and sorrow that He makes us shoulder, God has a reason."
— Khaled Hosseini (A Thousand Splendid Suns)
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Do not use this image on websites, blogs or
other media without my permission.
If you want to use this image, contact me at
ishan.photography@gmail.com
© All rights reserved
Another one from down by the Li river in Guanxi Provence, China.
I was messing around with the Nik filter 'Bleach Bypass' on this one.
I don't do many self portraits but I had fun with this one. I did not really do much to this shot other than stack every filter I had in my bag on the lens so I could shoot directly into the sun. I can definitely see why having a remote would be good for people who do a lot self portraits. It would have been helpful to have more than 10 seconds to push the button and run up this mountain and try to look relaxed. The view was amazing and I really like the way the water was reflecting behind the buildings in the distance. Also the natural clouds seem to be in a perfect place drawing my eyes right to the sun.
I am leaving the country tonight on a very special trip with my oldest daughter. I'll share with you when I return in a week!
There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
Pink Floyd
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©2009 Jason Swain, All Rights Reserved
This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.
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Some wild Norwegian scenery once more... This old bridge looks like such a peaceful place to be, but the waterfall carrying (cascading?) glacier water from Jostedalsbreen brings the sound of thunder.
Walking around, I met this old door,
had the window between open, looked and tried;
imagine a better world for all,
in the mailbox let some applications,
I hope that everyone gets good news,
these are the wishes of a Dreamer.
Caminhando por aí, encontrei-me com esta porta antiga,
tinha a janela entre aberta, olhei e tentei;
imaginar um Mundo melhor para todos,
na caixa de correio deixei alguns pedidos,
espero que todos recebam boas novas,
são estes os desejos de um Sonhador.
peregrino27
21 Aralık / En Uzun Gece... 21 December /The longest night...
Gecelerinizin de bu kadar aydınlık olması dileğiyle...
Yelda is the name of the "seb-i yelda" festival which refers the end of the summer and is celebrated on December 21, the longest night of the year.
EXPLORED Dec 13, 2009 #74
© Copyright SVETAN Photography™ - All rights reserved.
Taking a leave from Flickr till 2010.
Wishing you great Holidays, my friends.
See you in 2010.
Russian-American relationships are improving...
I will stay extremely busy till ~ April of 2010.
It's a business-driven decision.
I will miss you guys, my Flickr friends.
Svetlana will work hardly as my backup too.
First things - first...
Счастливых праздников!
Увидимся в Новом 2010 году!
Nikon D700 + Nikon 85mm f/1.4D AF
Nikon MC-36 Multi-function Remote Cord
Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 3-Section Pro Carbon Fiber Tripod
Manfrotto 322RC2 Horizontal Grip Action Ball Head
© Copyright SVETAN Photography™ - All rights reserved.
EXPLORE FrontPage Dec 13, 2009
EXPLORED Dec 13, 2009
Season's Greetings!
Happy New Year!
Marry Christmas!
See you next year, my dear friends!
Увидимся в следующем году, мои дорогие друзья!
Поздравляю всех с Новым 2010 годом!
Frohe Weihnachten und einen guten rustch ins neue Jahr!
Спасибо за поддержку, мои дорогие друзья!
Thanks for all your support, my dear friends!
Merci pour tout votre soutien, mes chers amis!
Gracias por todo su apoyo, mis queridos amigos!
Grazie per tutto il vostro sostegno, miei cari amici!
My favorite Nutcracker from our Steinbach collection of German handmade nutckrackers.
© Copyright Faisal!™ - All rights reserved.
Geiranger from another angle....Check out the Geotag to see the exact location
Have a great Sat dears!
Faisal!
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The Globe Restaurant (Al Faisaliah Tower).
Food is not just what you eat: It's where, how and with whom you eat it. A bottle of Chardonnay, a well-prepared meal and a view to die for is the perfect combination. For food enthusiasts, like myself, you have to try dining at the top of Riyadh city (The Globe). It's an extremely valuable experience that you should not miss.
Oh, and make sure you have your camera with you. You'll know why once you get there.
PS: I don't drink alcohol, and the Chardonnay glass in this photo is alcohol-free. After all, we're still in Saudi Arabia ;-)
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الرياض - المملكة العربية السعودية
مطعم الجلوب ، الفيصلية
السر -أعزائي- في الغذاء لا يكمن في نوعيته وحسب ، بل أين وكيف ومع من تتناول طعامك ، على الأقل إن كنت ترغب بـ ذكرى وتجربة لا تنسى
زجاجة شاردونيه ، وجبة ممتازة التحضير ، وبالطبع مزيج من المناظر الخلابة هي المعادلة التي يصعب إيجادها هذه الأيام ، وإن كنتم من عشــّـاق الطعام ، مثلي ، فـ حتماً ستجدون ما تبحثون عنه في هذا المطعم
ملاحظة : أنا لا أشرب المشروبات الكحولية إطلاقاً ، والشاردونيه في هذه الصورة خالي من الكحول تماماً ، إلا أنه يــُـحَــضــّـر بنفس الطريقة مع مراعاة عدم إضافة الكحول
For a better view of the faraway monastery and the surrounding landscapes, and to see how tremendously huge these mountains really are, view it large
Sitting on the 4000m high Fotula Pass, we look back at where we came from...far far away, so far its almost invisible, we see the Lamayuru Monastery.
Located in the most fantastic geological folds and schist's rock surroundings, popularly called 'moonscape' thanks to the feel it gives you of being on an alien planet., it is known as one of the oldest and largest monasteries in Ladakh, and was built in the 10th Century by two practitioners of Tantric Buddhism.
The site where the monastery stands was once said to be a huge lake. A buddhist saint "Naropa" meditated here for years to cause a crack in the mountain which drained out the lake and gave him the place to lay the founding stones.
When the lake dried out, he found a dead lion lying inside it. On the same spot, he constructed the first temple of the area, known as the Singhe Ghang (Lion Mound).
Lamayuru also marks the meeting place of the Great Himalayan Wall and the East Karakorum Himalaya Ranges.
Image processed as a pseudo-HDR from a single RAW file.
See this image and the entire collection on a black background, visit the new CoSurvivor website.
View the Fan page on Facebook.
© 2010 Cosurvivor ~ / Rohit
Went through a few of my South America shots and found this one of Iguazu Falls on the order of Argentina and Brazil. This was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The only complaint I have is not being there long enough to get any up close & personal sunrise or sunset shots :( Technically not the most brilliant shot however this gives a good feel as to what the views are like. There are 275 waterfalls that make up Iguazu Falls. Truly a natural wonder indeed. Wikipedia can give you more specs if interested: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguazu_Falls I will be browsing through your streams soon. Darn all those Christmas parties that have kept me away from my precious, precious Flickr friends. Thanks for stopping by!
Auronzo di Cadore is locate in the Province of Belluno in the Italian region Veneto, located about 120 km north of Venice and about 50 km northeast of Belluno. This shot was taken from the bridge. In the background are the mountains Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Cima d'Auronzo and Croda dei Toni.
~Confucius
Ok, so maybe oneeeeeeeee more shot of the neighborhood! Took this last week after the first snow we got of the year. We didn't get very much, but I still liked how it looked!
Thanks for the visits my friends, enjoy your weekend!
I don't mind invitations, but please no big, shiny, flashing, glitter graphics, they will be deleted. Thanks!
Follow me on Twitter
No hay ningún fracaso, ni la enfermedad ni la ruina profesional y económica que afecte tan cruelmente al subconsciente como un divorcio. Penetra hasta el núcelo de la angustia, resucitándola. La herida provocada es más profunda que toda una vida. Botho STRAUS.
Explore #128
© Copyright SVETAN Photography™ - All rights reserved.
EXPLORE FrontPage Dec 10, 2009
EXPLORED Dec 10, 2009 #10
Houston, Texas USA.
Festive holiday music gig in our office buildidg
.
Спасибо за поддержку, мои дорогие друзья!
Thanks for all your support, my dear friends!
Merci pour tout votre soutien, mes chers amis!
Gracias por todo su apoyo, mis queridos amigos!
Grazie per tutto il vostro sostegno, miei cari amici!
Lake Tamblingan is the smallest lake in Bali, it is situated in the plateau area with cool atmosphere, rain forest hills and fogs are daily covering the whole area. During rainy season a quality light in this area can drastically change within minutes (i took this shot 38minutes later after Down to Tamblingan).
The authenticity of nature in Lake Tamblingan is still strongly felt in the absence of the use of motorized boats in the lake and no modern tourism facility. Local communities use traditional wooden boats called JUKUNG for fishing. Don't expect to catch big fish, there is no big fish, just catch the happy feeling being in a wonderful place ^_^
Canon EOS 50D
EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
30 sec • f/14 • 17mm • ISO100
Exposure Mode + White Balance: Manual
HITECH Filter ND Grads 3-stops HE
HOYA NDX400
RAW proccessed with Digital Photo Pro
TIFF proccessed with Adobe Photoshop CS3
View Large for more detail.
Honest comment/critique are welcome, thanks guys :)
This week I decided to bring my camera to work with me in the hopes there would be a sunrise. I swung by a local lake on the way to work and found this great blue heron perched on a log. I have been wanting to get a shot like this for awhile. Consider this my first attempt for such a shot. I would like to do a bird silhouette series at some point. Hope you enjoy this quick fall snap I took :) Thanks for looking!
This is probably THE most popular location for people to take photos of the Seattle skyline. I used to live on Queen Anne Hill and would see this view daily... and never once get sick of it. I remember this day like it was yesterday, in that moment, knowing that the scene that was unfolding in front of me, was truly a once in a lifetime event. Though I've taken probably 1,000s of shots of this location over the years, I had never seen anything quite like it. Though the color in the sunset this day was absolutely breathtaking, the real draw for me were the multiple sets of lenticular clouds that formed over Mt. Rainier. It’s rare enough to catch the mountain on a clear day and be able to view one UFO shaped Lenticular cloud forming over the mountain, let alone mutliple sets stacked on top of one another. Throughout this day, up to 5 different sets of Lenticular stacks had formed and slowly moved off to the side of Mt. Rainier as the wind patterns shifted. Rumors state that lenticular clouds are a sign that the weather pattern is changing and rain is on its way within 24 hours. With how often it does rain here in Seattle, you’d think that these things would be more common! As colorful as this shot is, it really doesn’t do justice to the brilliant, near fluorescent orange sunset that was due West (this shot is facing South).
Though I have many personal favorites, this is really the photo that started it all for me. The one where all my previous years worth of HDR explorations finally "clicked" and everything came into balance. Some of you have seen this shot before and for those folks, I appologize :-) On the photo's one year anniversary, I decided to clean up my original image and run it through a slightly different post process. Also, when I joined Flickr almost 1 year ago, I didn't really know what I was doing and posted 30 images at once. This was buried deep within that set and sadly, never got any attention.
I must say, one year later, the creative "inspirado" that this one capture gave me is still going strong and I think I've taken more shots this year, than almost my previous 20 years of photography. Ah, the beauty of digitial :-)
Work took a bit of turn for me but has finally starting to calm down so I'm looking forward to getting back into my Flickr groove and checking out all he great work I've missed in the bit of time I've been away! Hope you all have a great week!
Entre otras cosas se puede ver:
Cerros: lopez, capilla, y millaqueo.
Lagos: Moreno (este y oeste), Nahuel Huapi.
Laguna el Trébol.
Hotel Llao Lao.
EXPLORE FrontPage 5 Dec 2009
EXPLORED Dec 5, 2009 #20
© Copyright SVETAN Photography™ - All rights reserved.
I will revisit your photostreams today.
This is photo from my Tunnels series.
Looks much better with B l a c k M a g i c
The Houston tunnel system is a system of tunnels 6 m (about 20 ft) below Houston's downtown street system. The system is 10 km long (6-7 mi depending on the source), and forms a network of subterranean, climate-controlled, pedestrian walkways that link 95 full city blocks.
Today's Tunnel is a series of underground passageways that, with above-ground skywalks, link office towers to hotels, banks, corporate and government offices, restaurants, retail stores, and the Theater District. Only one building, Wells Fargo Plaza, offers direct access from the street to the Tunnel; otherwise, other entry points are from street-level stairs, escalators, and elevators located inside buildings that are connected to the tunnel. Most of the tunnel system is located in the western half of downtown Houston.
ISO Speed: 720
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 14 mm
Processing:
LR2: RAW processing, sharpenning.
CS: Curves.
Camera: Nikon D3
Lens: Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S
Focal Length: 24mm
Aperture: f/22
Shutter Speed : Bulb 80sec
ISO: 100
Exposure: Manual
© all rights reserved
Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) describes the Asian elephant as "being seriously threatened with extinction". There are 560 working animals left in Laos and a further 700 wild ones rapidly running out of habitat. The Elephant Festival has been organised to raise awareness of the need for action to protect the Asian elephant as part of the vital cultural and natural heritage of Laos and the countries of the region. Nowadays conservation of an important elephant population is undertaken by Wildlife Conservation Society in Protected Areas. They are trying to reduce human-elephant conflict. The working elephant is a main source of income of the people of this region especially for mahouts. Laos Elephant also attract tourist because of the facility of elephant riding and trekking. Tourism appears to be one answer with its good and bad consequences.
In the late afternoon we arrived at the Tadlo Resort. This elephant was standing next to our bungalow all alone. I promised my kids a ride for the next day. I took a photo closely of this giant elephant but I did NOT noticed he was unchained. Nobody there just me and the unchained Elephant! I guess she must be a very friendly and timit Elephant. We had a beautiful bungalow overlooking the Tad Lo waterfall; as is typical in Laos there is nothing in between. The best thing to do here is explore the falls, a relaxing meal, visit the people in village, go for a swim and an elephant ride. There are two elephants, which can carry two people each. There were only a couple of tourists here, and we were the only ones going for a ride that next day. The elephant carried us across rivers, past the Taat Lo waterfalls, and through a village. The women were out working in the fields and tending to children. Their dress code is much more relaxed at home than in town. One woman hurried into her hut to cover her bare breasts as we rode into the village. The children, like all Lao children, shouted Sawadee. The young children find white- skinned people fascinating and frightening. They warm to your smile, tentatively touch your skin, and then hide their faces or run away. An elephant doesn't get very far in two hours. He just lumbers along. We had a friendly chat with the elephant handler and enjoyed the ride.
Laos, ooit bekend als het ”Land van een Miljoen Olifanten”, riskeert zijn olifantenkuddes binnen de 50 jaar kwijt te raken indien er niets wordt ondernomen om de dieren beter te beschermen. Een van de redders van de Aziatische olifant in Laos kan het toerisme zijn. Stroperij en verlies van leefgebieden door houtkap, landbouwactiviteiten en hydro-elektrische projecten heeft voor een sterke terugval gezorgd, zowel van werk- als wilde olifanten. Bezorgdheid over het lot van de Aziatische olifant in het conflict tussen mensen en olifanten, heeft de afgelopen jaren geleid tot oprichting van beschermde gebieden. Toerisme is ook nodig, want tot heel kort geleden werd in Laos geen enkele poging gedaan om olifanten beter te beschermen. Maar nu de toeristen komen lijkt er meer initiatieven tot bescherming van de olifanten mogelijk, want toeristen brengen natuurlijk geld in het laatje. En dat geld kan het verarmde land best gebruiken.
© all rights reserved
Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black
Waking up in hospital in 2003, Mr. Vimon found himself unable to see and tied down with restraints. Apparently doctors were afraid he might commit suicide. Little did they know, their patient had more than just the will to live. Seven years after developing the Champassak Pa Suam waterfall as a tourist area, and just three days after the opening of his restaurant there, Mr Vimon Kidbamloung was hit by malaria and his world turned completely dark. His restaurant was full of customers, but shortly after opening he was taken to the hospital where he remained in a coma for 8 days. When I woke up, every thing was totally dark. I heard the voice of a young nurse who was looking after me, so I asked her to take off the restraints as I was conscious of my condition. I told the doctors to do whatever it took to assist me in my recovery. My cousin and two sons were waiting to help, he recalls. After his recovering Mr. Vimon decided to write a book how to fight and overcome set backs entitled: They Say I’m Crazy in order to tell his story in his own words.
I want to tell the facts about my life and my work in developing the waterfall. Because I am blind, people exaggerate too much about my life. Some people even say that I am a forest guarding soldier. After its introduction to the public, the entrepreneur’s book has been selling very well. Readers seems to be interested in this man’s life and how he manages to be so successful despite impairment. Vimon has also become a lecturer, invited to speak to youth in Laos and Thailand as teachers believe his life can inspire younger people to fight and overcome set backs in their own lives.
I think Mr. Vimon did a great job together with the locals. The Pa Suam waterfall is located on the Bolaven Plateau and is a great spot to spend a lazy afternoon or a quiet overnight stay. The Uttayan Bachieng Lodge overlooks the waterfall and offers a wide range of accommodation options, from unique tree-house type bungalows to homestay in an ethnic Lave village.
From Pakse we went for a long drive passing Lak then making a turn at the major road, Route 20, heading to Salavan province, we visited Pa Suam falls. At the entrance there is a long inner drive towards the falls where the unnamed restaurant of Mr. Vimon can be found. This one is pretty popular since it’s closer to Pakse and Salavan. Pa Suam Waterfalls is a low height falls. It’s beauty lies on its majestic wide torrent along rectangular stones. A very picturesque waterfall. There is another un-altered falls nearby Pa Suam and it doesn’t have a name yet. I thought the falls looks nice as it flows freely down river. After our visit we headed to an ethnic village nearby. There are a lot more falls in Bolaven Plateau. The best time to visit is in the afternoon for the best light but I might as well do with what I have.
Source: Vientiane Times August 29, 2009
Canon 50D | ISO 100 | f22 | 15 | 10mm | nd400 | Lee 0.6 and 0.9 Soft Grads
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Slipping fast
Down with his ship
Fading in the shadows
- Metallica, Unforgiven III
After a recent visit to Point Cartwright, we thought we might as well stop by and check the SS Dicky for some more nd400 and Lee fun. The tide was fantastic - beautifully lapping around the wreck. I was thinking I needed another element to this shot and so Kane decided to jump in and stand still for a lot of time. He did cop a good number of waves and was a very still model. Natutal light rays in the sky provided by the sun passing through some clouds. The dark patch is a little annoying in the top right, but alas the interest in the image is enough I hope :)
Processing
Clarity, black and white, cool WB tones, more gradient in the sky, sharpening.
Kuwait | WaterScape | SunRise
Technical Specs :
Camera: Canon EOS 5D mark ||
Lens: Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II
Focal Length: 16mm
Aperture: f/20
Shutter: 5 sec
ISO: 50
Exposure: Manual
Other : on tripod + Cable Release
Filters : HOYA ND8 filter
The heart of NYC night must be the spontaneous people party happening each night around Times Square! The happiest place on earth!
Spectacular animated advertisements are beholding!
A gigantic LED screen flashes on the spot group pictures with its "15 Second Of Fame".
Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling"
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Manual
Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 17 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
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Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black
Through the palm trees and down the riverbank, we could see the muddy river over branches and stones. Buddhist monks crossing the river to Luang temple in Pakse, fisherman wading with nets and boats streaming along the swirling river. Here the Xe Don river flows into the mighty Mekong river. One of the world’s major rivers is estimated 4,909 km length. The brown color doens't mean the water is dirty but indicates the destructive land use systems on its watersheds. Women washed clothes along the banks. Boys swim and splash. The biodiversity of the Mekong is one of the richest in the world. More than 1200 species of fish have been identified and there could be possibly as many as 1700. Fishing is a very important part of the economic activities in this area and a vital source of protein in the local diet. Even the rare species of freshwater dolphin, the Irrawaddy dolphin can be seen at the Lower Mekong. You will develop a sense of serenity being absorbed by the physical pull of the river and its surrounding lush green landscape.
Photo taken in Pakse - Loas. It's quiet town located between the two lazy rivers, the Mekong and Xe Don river. Life flows slowly here, just like this muddy river. The people are gentle and unassuming. The buddhist monks crossing the river on their way the monastery Wat Luang. Viewing the river you will be soaked up by the slow paced atmosphere. A few miles further this Xe Don river flows into the mighty Mekong.
Een kijkje door het weelderige groen op de modderige rivier in het zuiden van Laos.
Boeddhistische monniken steken de rivier over naar de tempel Luang in Pakse, vissers met netten en boten die langs varen. Hier stroomt de Xe Don rivier de machtige Mekong rivier in. De Mekong is 4909 kilometer lang en wordt beschouwd als één van de belangrijke rivieren in Azië. De bruine kleur betekent niet dat het water is vuil maar wijst de grote kracht van o.a. meesleuren van land. Vrouwen wassen hun kleren langs de rivieroever en jongens springen in de rivier. De biodiversiteit van de Mekong bergen is één van rijkst aan de wereld. In de rivier leeft de grootste soort meerval ter wereld. Meer dan 1200 soorten vis zijn geïdentificeerde en misschien nog wel meer. De visserij is economisch zeer belangrijk en een essentiële bron van proteïne in het lokale dieet. In het lage gedeelte bij de Mekong-delta komen zelfs nog de bezondere irrawaddydolfijnen voor. Het leven gaat hier zeer gemoedelijk, zo rustig als de stroming van de modderige Mekong rivier. Je gemoedstoestand wordt al gauw één met deze prachtige en rustgevende omgeving.