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December 7, 2008

 

On EXPLORE

#16

December 7, 2008

 

When I find myself in times of trouble

Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

And in my hour of darkness

She is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be.

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the broken hearted people

Living in the world agree,

There will be an answer, let it be.

For though they may be parted there is

Still a chance that they will see

There will be an answer, let it be.

Let it be, let it be. Yeah

There will be an answer, let it be.

 

Let It Be

The Beatles

   

Today is The feast of the Immaculate Conception

   

This is the view right outside of this.

 

Location of the shoot.

... Love is the only air I’ve ever breathed

and laughter the only language in the world that I understand

 

I have just dropped by on this earth, to give you a wink.

To leave something behind

like a fluttering trace.

 

Therefore, don’t be sad.

The only thing I care for is

to remain silly in your eyes and strangely dear to your heart.

At night, when you look up to the sky,

you give me a wink too

let it be a secret.

 

In spite of gray days,

when you see a comet turning the horizon red,

remember: its me

still silly flying and living.

 

Miroslav Antic- An immortal poem

Miroslav Antić - Besmrtna pesma

 

... Ljubav je jedini vazduh

koji sam udisao.

I osmeh jedini jezik

koji na svetu razumem.

Na ovu zemlju sam svratio

da ti namignem malo.

Da za mnom ostane nešto

kao lepršav trag.

Nemoj da budes tužan.

Toliko mi je stalo

da ostanem u tebi

budalast,

čudno drag.

Noću kad gledaš u nebo,

i ti namigni meni.

To neka bude tajna.

Uprkos danima sivim,

kad vidiš neku kometu

da vidik zarumeni,

upamti: to ja još uvek

šašav letim i živim.

Il volo del gabbiano verso il sole.

Bovalino Marina (RC). Estate 2008

 

www.lucaquerzoli.it

www.facebook.com/lucaquerzolifotografo

 

Non-HDR shot taken a few nights ago after work. This is looking towards Tokyo Station on my way to the pool from the office.

 

So much nicer/modern looking now with the high rises dotted around the station. 18 years ago when I first started working here, most/all buildings were restricted to 10 floors or so around the Station.

 

Otemachi, Japan.

Please do not post group / invite banners!

 

The evening of December 5th, 2008 produced perhaps the most spectacular sunset Seattle has ever seen. A heavy onshore flow produced multiple stacks of lenticular clouds over all of the big Cascade Volcanoes from Rainier at least as far south as Mount Hood (maybe over Glacier Peak too, but I couldn't see it). As the sun set, the sky exploded in the most vivid reds and pinks I have ever personally witnessed. The color you see in this image has not been manipulated at all, there has been no boost in the saturation or hues and there has been no adjustment of the white balance of the image. This is really what it looked like that evening.

 

The picture itself is a composite of two frames taken about half an hour apart. One exposure for the incredible color in the sky, and another to capture the buildings with the lights on in a dark enough setting that they would stand out against the background. Processed independently in Lightroom, merged in Photoshop.

Explore #1 on Thursday, December 4, 2008

Explore Front Page

 

In the Sapa region there are about 35,000 Black Hmong residing in the surrounding 17 villages and they account for about 50% of the area population. Most reside at an altitude of 1,600 – 1,700 meters above sea level in this stunningly beautiful region they call “the city above the clouds”. The Hmong started migrating to Vietnam from China in the last 300 years.

 

(2009-02-28: I just checked my 365days set and noticed that I forgot to add this one to the 365days pool)

 

I went to Zürich, met 12 people (most of them for the very first time), convinced them to go with me to a small bathroom to let me take a picture of them. There's nothing more to achieve.

 

You are a great bunch of people. It was fun to be part of this ZFD. I hope it wasn't my last. :-)

 

Please add a note on your face. If you have making of's or other shots from this session then please add them in the comments as well.

 

___________

 

En la cima del MUNDO :)

  

Una vez ascendidos los 1712 mts, nos quedamos maravillados ante la espectacularidad de las vistas.

 

Al fondo, justo detrás de Montserrat, se puede ver la Sierra de Prades, (Tarragona), y justo delante el macizo de Sant Llorenç del Munt, con la Mola a la izquierda y el Montcau a la derecha.

 

Increible.

تطوعك خدمة لبلدك

 

Voluntar To Army Now

 

View On Black

 

Copyright © 2008-2009 Meshari Meshaal. All rights reserved

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved

  

TWITTER | WWW.DAVIDGUTIERREZ.CO.UK | SAATCHI ONLINE | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK | REDBUBBLE

    

London | Architecture | Night Photography

  

London Architecture - A golden winter night...

 

EXPLORE # 60

 

This photo dedicated to Marina aka cronouille for her kind words in the testimonial. You can check her travel photos here:

www.flickr.com/photos/25677708@N04/

 

London (pronunciation (help·info); IPA: /ˈlʌndən/) is the capital and largest urban area of both England and the United Kingdom. An important settlement for two millennia, London's history goes back to its founding by the Romans. Since its foundation, London has been part of many movements and phenomena throughout history, including the English Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gothic Revival. The city's core, the ancient City of London, still retains its limited medieval boundaries; but since at least the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the whole metropolis that has developed around it. Today the bulk of this conurbation forms the London region of England and the Greater London administrative area, with its own elected mayor and assembly.

 

London is one of the world's leading business, financial and cultural centres and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion and the arts contribute to its status as a major global city.Central London is the headquarters of more than half of the UK's top 100 listed companies (the FTSE 100) and over 100 of Europe's 500 largest companies. The city is a major tourist destination both for domestic and overseas visitors, with annual expenditure by tourists of around £15 billion.

 

Greater London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; the historic settlement of Greenwich; the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church.

 

London's population draws from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and over 300 languages are spoken within the city.As of 2006, it had an official population of 7,512,400 within the boundaries of Greater London and is the most populous municipality in the European Union. As of 2001, the Greater London Urban Area had a population of 8,278,251 and the metropolitan area is estimated to have a total population of between 12 and 14 million. The public transport network, administered by Transport for London, is one of the most extensive in the world, and Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the world for international traffic.

 

The surrounding East London area saw much of London's early industrial development; now, brownfield sites throughout the area are being redeveloped as part of the Thames Gateway including the London Riverside and Lower Lea Valley, which is being developed into the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics.

 

London has hosted the Summer Olympics twice, in 1908 and 1948. In July 2005 London was chosen to host the Games in 2012, which will make it the first city in the world to host the Summer Olympics three times.

 

A series of coordinated bomb attacks were carried out by Islamic extremist suicide bombers on the public transport network on 7 July 2005—just 24 hours after London was awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London

 

London Night - Marble reflection in perspective...

 

oh ehh another sunset ^_^ ..Happy Sunday everyone~!

View on black

  

To my wonderful friend Sharaff..i hang it already in my room..will show you later ^_^ ~!

  

Don't plan to catch up on your reading. There's too much to take in, too much to talk about on your Pan Am Jet Clipper flight.

 

Explore #80, Saturday November 29, 2008

 

Peace on earth

 

You are invited to add the word peace in your language

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace

 

Los Angeles just after a big rain

Viewed in Explore # 53 on Nov 26....thank you all ...

 

Big sur coast of California. while driving through US Hwy -1, you will get astonishing view of the Pacific coast and Bigsur coast is one the famous coastal beauties of southern california. Minimum editing required here as the nature takes the responsibility of painting the canvas :-)

 

Best viewed in LARGE with foreground details

 

Tech Note: Foreground HDR tone mapping, exposure f/13 @ ISO 100 with Adobe color setting in Nikon Body and 300 dpi (HD resolution).

 

Thanks a lot for visiting my photostream

Question: Which retail space commands the highest selling price in the world?

 

If you answer Ginza or 5th Ave, think again. The answer is Ben Thanh Market, in downtown Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City. As of August 2006, a stall in this traditional market commands a staggering price of 177,000USD per square meter according to The Guardian (UK).

 

Lower those raised eyebrows and allow me to qualify in Haggling at Ben Thanh in colloidfarl.blogspot.com/

 

typical busy traffic at Le Loi St along Ben Thanh Market, Saigon, Vietnam

My favorite sound in the entire world (as of this point in my experiences) is the sound of snow crunching underfoot as you walk through it. This is because of two reasons:

 

1) It is snowing, and I love snow.

2) In order to hear this crunching, it has to be quiet and whenever it snows, things get really quiet. It does not matter if it is out in the Gorge or in the middle of downtown. Snowy mornings are almost always quiet mornings.

 

This was the case this morning a few years back. Though there were ample signs of life continuing on in the foot prints and tire treads cutting through the snow, I saw nary another soul in this hour or so I wandered downtown. Eventually I found myself on top of a parking garage, which seems to happen with alarming regularity since I got into photography. I liked the pattern in the tire marks as they cut through the intersection and got this shot with my Nikon FM2. Actually I really really like the flow of travel amongst all the trails left by both pedestrians and motorists. It is interesting to see where people turned, where they swerved, etc. Maybe that is just me.

 

I have few qualms about living in Portland. It rains a lot. The city is green. It is close to the mountains, the gorge and the beach. The people are ... interesting. What is not to love? Well the fact that we get one good snowfall every other year in town. If we had more practice at driving in the snow, maybe we would not all panic the moment we got half an inch of the stuff. ;-)

 

If you are interested in pricing for my images, or just plain curious, more info can be found at my website: www.zebandrews.com

To visit the Diamond and Gold Mine Cave we had to continue by feet. The cave guide took us on a one km stream bed walk, rough and at times shady. But the forestry scenery was so beautiful. Crossing the beautiful green paddy fields and continue our way through the steer limestone rocks. Here was the entrance of the cave. We all got a flashlights with battery pack. . .

 

This photo was taken inside the Diamond and the Gold Mine water cave nearby Vang Vieng - Laos. This friendly man was our private cave guide. Previous tourists did donate his glasses. He couldn't see clearly anymore and proudly showed us the letter of the tourist who send him his new glasses. He was happy to see clearly now.

 

. . .It was very slippery inside the cave and our private guide suggested us to enter the cave by bare feets. So we did. Once again the naturalness of life here in the tropics crept up and I found myself knee deep in water in a pitch black cave slowly creeping along, avoiding jagged rocks covered by water, escalating vertical mud walls, crawling for what seemed like miles through tunnels that barely fit me… slowly. My kids and wife were much faster. One hand in the mud, pulling my stomach and feet along. Trying to avoid the numerous spiders, with their jewel eyes, gleaming against the walls. These spiders are the size of my hands. I felt like I was smuggling myself through an underground tunnel into China. But our friendly guide showed us all the wonderful natural stalagmines and stalactites of this cave. it was quite an adventure to walk and sometimes the guide carried our daughter Samantha having to go across ponds, slippery rocks and sticky mud! We got out covered all in mud. We even went back to an underground river inside the cave. Just swimming and cleaning ourselves. The kids jumping in and out the water. Being there in the water in the dark was a good thrill. It was an exciting adventure but for me no more caves!!!! There wasn't any gold or diamonds either ;-)

 

finally have a bokeh one...

 

it's the north BOKEH from the hilltop... :)

 

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## Explored NOVEMBER 23, 2008 ##

Yes, here it is, a view from above the Czech town of Český Krumlov that took my breath away for hours. I could have spent days shooting from this viewpoint which is in a tower on Castle Hill, part of the Krumlov Castle which you'll see views of soon.

 

I have shots wider than this in which I'll be posting soon enough, I just wanted you to see this end of the city first. So make sure you see it large, please!!!

 

Thanks for the view, comments and faves are always greatly appreciated. :D

 

Czech this out!

 

________________________________________

See where this picture was taken. [?]

Salão de audição do Teatro Municipal de São Paulo.

 

As the 1/4 moon rose 1 hour after sunset about 1 year ago, this scene presented itself in the darkness on Rodeo beach just north of San Francisco in Marin County, California.

 

Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!

 

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Settings etc.:

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30-minute exposure @F5 (ISO 50) with no filters

(I had to guard the camera every second because the waves were big!)

Canon 5D

Canon 17-40L @ 19

RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One

TIFF file processed with Photoshop

 

The dark and clear conditions allowed the moon to light the seascape much as the sun does during the daytime, but over a long period of time. The waves have been reduced to a haze and the star trails indicate how much each star had moved during the exposure.

 

It was a warm night and after a while, my eyes became used to the darkness and I could see the faint blue in the sky. This is how it felt to be out here, alone at night in an alien place.

 

In order to get a properly exposed photograph at night, a lot of experimentation is required. In previous outings at night with strong moonlight, I tried exposures from 5 minutes to an hour. 30 minutes is just about right with this amount of moonlight and the aperture nearly wide open at F5 with ISO 50. Under a quarter moon, perhaps an hour is necessary. Changing the ISO to 200 reduces the exposure time and also

produces less heat sensor noise, which is different than regular ISO noise. I use ISO 200 now as long as I can get an exposure of at least 10 minutes, to show movement in the stars.

 

Now I use ISO 200 on exposures over 10 minutes and turn on auto-noise reduction, which takes a second picture of equal duration (60 minutes total in this case) with the shutter closed so only noise is recorded. Then the noise is subtracted, leaving the original image with just a hint of noise.

 

See my profile for a link to my website where I have limited edition prints and less expensive open edition prints.

.

 

Mi galería en 500px

 

Las yeguas comen la poca hierba que les dejan las ovejas en Saibigain. Por esa zona parece que acaban de pasar las ovejas y han dejado sus restos...

Strobist

 

i used 1 bare Canon Speedlite 580EX @ 1/2 power down n front models Transmitted by Canon STE2 Speedlite Transmitter

 

Technical Specs :

Camera: Canon EOS 30D

Lens: Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM

Focal Length: 400 mm

Aperture: f/5.6

Shutter: 1/4000s

ISO: 200

Exposure: manual

Other: handheld

Lighting : 1 bare Canon Speedlite 580EX @ 1/2 power Transmitted by Canon STE2 Speedlite Transmitter

   

I cannot tell you how scary having a powerful, 23in collie running at you full pelt when you're sitting on a steep hill holding a camera is! Mostly when Barney runs to me, he either stops or turns off at the last second, but sometimes well, he just keeps running! My reactions have got pretty quick, I usually manage to put a hand out, to stop him but in this case I realized too late so he crashed straight into me... much to my dad's amusement (blurry person in the background is my dad)

 

The hardiness of my little camera is remarkable, it has been bitten (by the dog - not me!), dropped, bounced off the pavement, run into on many occassions, taken out in the rain and slung in my bag or coat pocket everyday for weeks on end... it may be a little point and shoot but it still does a fantastic job even after nearly 4 years of serious abuse :) yep its a good little camera!

 

Reached Explore #429

Explore Frontpage

 

To get rid of poverty, the farmers have started cultivating fish on their paddy fields to maintain their livelihood. Fish breeding in paddy fields encouraged. Considerably raising the per-hectare yield of rice and fish production In the rainy season throughout this region many small fish can be caught in the paddy fields and small ditches: an environment highly familiar to the Lao people. The small fish are used to make a dish called Pa dek. It is a kind of fermented salted fish, and to the people of Laos, this food is second only to rice in importance. The dish is made by mixing together rice bran, fish, and the salt harvested from the earth. The mixture is allowed to stand for over three months and is then ready to eat. A specialty of this region and an extremely important element of the culture.

 

I think the best way to explore Laos is by bicycle or feet. Meeting friendly Lao people in the small villages along the way and enjoying its countryside. I had to stop many times to make a photo. A beautiful scenery of rice fields next to the limestone hills. This woman was working in the paddy fields nearby Vang Vieng.

 

Om armoede van de hand te doen, zijn sommige boeren begonnen met het kweken van vissen op hun rijstvelden. Zo hebben de boeren aanzienlijk meer opbrengst per hectare van rijst en vis productie. In het regenseizoen worden in dit gebied vele kleine vissen in de rijstvelden en de kleine beekjes gevangen: De kleine vissen worden gebruikt om een schotel te maken genoemd Pa dek. Het is een soort vergiste gezouten vis. Naast rijst is deze schotel van groot belang voor de inwoners van Laos. De schotel wordt gemaakt door rijst, vis en het zout samen te mengen. Het mengsel moet drie maanden gisten en is dan is het klaar om te eten. Een specialiteit van dit gebied en een uiterst belangrijk element van hun cultuur.

Beauty is in the eyes of the bokeholder.

Tech geeks: Canon 50mm, f/1.4, 1/1250s exposure, ISO 1600

Porto canale di Rimini...........................mare e cielo uniti

 

Compiendo poi quel rito inevitabile e abusato,

corremmo coraggiosi e scalzi lungo la battigia:

di un verde di bottiglia era quel mare affaticato, l' aria una stanza grigia...

Scoprimmo che oggi il mare lascia un povero relitto,

naufragi di catrame e di lattine arrugginite:

parlare era soltanto un altro inutile delitto contro le nostre vite..

 

F. Guccini

 

Rimini 13 . 11 . 2008

 

it.youtube.com/watch?v=PMkewm1Hbmo

it.youtube.com/watch?v=JAXqDV-mqek

  

We had this plan to go out and shoot today in Guelph, Ontario. But it's been raining all day, we drove to Guelph and couldn't find a single place to shoot. So we had breakfast, and drove back to Kitchener and shopped instead. Obviously the shopping trip is more like a photoshoot, it was a fun day. But now I gotta go make up some sleep, getting up at 6AM is challenging. But here's my FoB sister, Mandee! And her new hat ;)

 

Explored!

Highest position: 142 on Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Baum in Herbstfarben / Tree in autumn colors

Il Castello di Donnafugata

 

Il Castello è situato nell’omonima contrada del comune di Ragusa a 308 metri s.l.m.

Donnafugata deriva dall’arabo “ayn as-jafaiat” che vuol dire “fonte della salute” giustificato dalla presenza di una sorgente di acqua purissima.

Le sue origini documentate partono dal 1628 con un atto di vendita, con cui la famiglia Cabrera vendeva il feudo comprensivo di una tenuta di caccia, con antica torre di avvistamento Arabo-Normanna, alla famiglia Arezzo, che ne terrà la proprietà per tre secoli, fino al 1982 quando verrà acquistato dal comune di Ragusa.

La famiglia Arezzo avviò una lunga opera di trasformazione del nucleo originario, che culminò alla fine dell’800, quando il Barone Corrado Arezzo de Spucches (1824.1895), diede alla struttura l’attuale immagine di Castello con la sua varietà di stili dal gotico-veneziano al tardo.rinascimentale. La struttura occupa una superficie di 2500 mq, circondato da otto ettari di parco. Conta in tutto 102 stanze, anche se quelle visitabili sono quelle del piano nobile (circa 28). L’eclettismo degli stili che caratterizza la facciata del Castello, si riflette anche negli ambienti interni e nei mobili che per la maggior parte datano metà ‘800 e ‘900.

Nel giugno 2002 è stato aperto riaperto al pubblico dopo cinque anni di lavoro di restauro.

 

HDR image processed with photomatix

 

Altri scatti del Castello sono qui sul mio sito

The Avengers was a British television series featuring secret agents in 1960s Britain. It was an early example of the spy-fi genre, combining secret agent storylines with science fiction elements. Running from 1961 to 1969, it is the longest running espionage series produced for English-language television.

(Source: Wikipedia)

 

I always suspected that my friend flickr.com/photos/fernandoalamillo/ was a secret agent as well.

“...Del golpe de una lunanca

nunca me podré olvidar...

La viera usté disparar

desparramando el recao

con el marlo enarbolao

relinchando a reventar...”

 

Fragmento de “Entre viejos”, de “El Viejo Pancho”

Jinete Juan Eduardo Colomba, de Santa Fé

Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay

 

Featured on:

- photo tuts+

- photofacts

 

Flickr Explored - Highest position: 312 on Thursday, November 13, 2008

Explored #207

 

I'm back on HBW... this one straight from Goa!

I wanna do bad things with you, bad urban pink things, but still bad things nonetheless.

 

I have had this song in my head since Scarlet Sunday. I have it in my head every week after Sunday, but typically not this long. This is my attempt at an exorcism. I figure if I can infect enough of you I might be healed. Either that or we'll all be humming, whistling, and singing out of tune, together!

 

This is pink for Pretty Pink Themed Tuesdays; Urban Pink. This is the bridge over the Kemptville Creek in downtown Kemptville. The pink building in the background is one of the local restaurants. The bokeh'ed guy at the other side of the bridge is wearing his poppy, this is also a Rememberance Day Urban Pink shot, a HBWE shot, and last but not least, a Happy Birthday wish for my sister, whose birthday I will never forget :) Happy Birthday Lori.

Mi primer HDR, y con Pinky de vacaciones. Qué bonito es ver un atardecer con buenos amigos. Sus nombres Pinto y Bicho.

 

Ver en grande y negro

November 11, 2008 - 28,026 visits...

 

Explored - Highest position: 88 on Saturday, November 15, 2008

 

Definitely a lot better large.

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