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As viewed from the west southwest at a distance of approximately 32 miles away. At 11,249 ft, it is Oregon's highest mountain peak. This was taken at Milo Mc Iver State Park which is very near the town of Estacada. I posted a photo I took from this same viewpoint about a month ago. That photo had some clouds partially blocking the mountain. However, on this visit, it was visible in all it's glory. :) (DSC_4561)
Who are we, really, when we silence the ego’s shrill commands about who we should be, and simply listen to the song of life as it sings itself through us?
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Snorkling with Sea Lions off Floreana. It was amazing as they were so playful, one thought chewing on my flippers was a great game and another liked swimming really close and blowing bubbles in my face!
Galapagos Sea Lion
The Galápagos Sea Lion (Zalophus wollebaeki) breeds on the Galápagos Islands and – in smaller numbers – on Isla de la Plata (to Ecuador). Being fairly social, and one of the most numerous species in the Galápagos archipelago, they are often spotted sun-bathing on sandy shores or rock groups or gliding gracefully through the surf. Their loud “bark”, playful nature, and graceful agility in water make them the “welcoming party” of the islands. They are lightly smaller than their Californian relatives, Galápagos Sea Lions range from 150 to 250 cm in length and weigh between 50 to 400 kg, with the males much larger than females. Adult males also tend to have a thicker, more robust neck, chest, and shoulders in comparison to their slender abdomen. Females are somewhat opposite males with a longer, more slender neck and thick torso. Once sexually mature, a male’s sagittal crest enlarges, forming a small, characteristic bump-like projection on their forehead. Galápagos Sea Lions, compared to California sea lions, have a slightly smaller sagittal crest and a shorter muzzle. Adult females and juveniles lack this physical characteristic altogether with a nearly flat head and little or no forehead. Both male and female sea lions have a pointy, whiskered nose and somewhat long, narrow muzzle. The young pups are almost dog-like in profile. Another characteristic that defines the sea lion are their external ear-like pinnae flaps which distinguish them from their close relative in which they are often confused with, the seal. The fore-flippers have a short fur extending from the wrist to the middle of the dorsal fin surface, but other than that, the flippers are covered in black, leathery skin. Although somewhat clumsy on land with their flippers, sea lions are amazingly agile in water. With their streamline bodies and flipper-like feet, they easily propel themselves through crashing surf and dangerously sharp coastal rocks. They also have the ability to control their flippers independently and thus change directions with ease and have more control over their body on land. When wet, sea lions are a shade of dark brown, but once dry, their color varies greatly. The females tend to be a lighter shade than the males and the pups a chestnut brown. Born with a longer, brownish-black lanugo, a pup's coat gradually fades to brown within the first five months of life. At this time, they undergo their first molt resulting in their adult coat. Feeding mostly on sardines, Galápagos Sea Lions sometimes travel ten to fifteen kilometers from the coast over the span of days to hunt for their prey. This is when they come into contact with their biggest predators: sharks and killer whales. Injuries and scars from attacks are often visible. Galápagos Sea Lions are especially vulnerable to human activity. Their inquisitive and social nature makes them more likely to approach areas inhabited by humans, and thus come into contact with human waste, fishing nets, and hooks. They occupy many different shoreline types from steep, rocky cliff sides to low-lying sandy beaches. To avoid overheating during the day, sea lions will take refuge from the sun under vegetation, rocks, and cliffs, and wade into tidal pools. Not only are sea lions social, they are also quite vocal. Adult male Galápagos Sea Lions often bark in long, repeated sequences that are loud and distinctive. Females and juveniles do not produce this repetitive bark, but both sexes and the younger pups will growl. From birth, a mother sea lion recognizes her pup’s distinct bark and can pin point it from a crowd of thirty or more barking sea lions. On land, sea lions form colonies at their hauling-out areas. Adult males known as Bulls are the head of the Colony, growing up to 7 ft (2 m) long and weighing up to 800 lb (363 kg). As males grow larger, they fight to win dominance of a harem of between 5 and 25 cows and the surrounding territory. Swimming from border to border of his colony, the dominant bull jealously defends his coastline against all other adult males. While patrolling his area, he frequently rears his head out of the water and barks, as an indication of his territorial ownership. The average dominant bull holds his territory for only a few months, until he is challenged by another male. On land, these fights start by stretching out the neck and barking in attempt to test each other’s bravery. If this isn’t enough to scare the opponent off, they begin pushing each other and biting around the neck area. If males weren’t equipped with a thick, muscular neck, their vital organs would be easily damaged during these fights. Blood, is often drawn, however, and many male sea lions have battle scars due to these territorial competitions. Losers are dramatically chased far from their territory by the new dominant bull with much splashing. Because there is only one male in each harem, there is always a surplus of “bachelor” male sea lions. They usually congregate fairly peaceably on less favorable areas of the coastline in “bachelor colonies.”. Because the dominant male of the harem cannot feed while defending his colony, he eventually becomes too tired and weak, and is overpowered by the well-nourished, fresh bull. Breeding takes place from May all the way through to January. Because of this prolonged breeding season and the extensive care required by the pups from their mother, there are dependent pups in the colonies year round. Each cow in the harem has a single pup born a year after conception. After about a week of continuous attention from birth, the female returns to the ocean and begins to forage, and just a week after that, the pup will follow her and begin to develop its swimming skills. When the pup is two to three weeks old the cow will mate again. The mothers will take the young pups with them into the water while nursing until around the 11th month when the pups are weaned from their mother’s milk and become dependent on their own hunting skills. The pups have a strong bond with their mother. The cow will nurture a pup for up to three years. In that time the cow and the pup will recognize each other's bark from the rest of the colony. Within the colony sea lion pups live together in a rookery. Pups can be seen together napping, playing, and feeding. It is not uncommon to see one cow 'baby-sitting' a group of pups while the other cows go off to feed.
Floreana (Champions Islet)
Located approximately 4 to 5 hours west of Española and equal distance south of Santa Cruz, this island has long been a favorite site of visitors including pirates, whalers and early settlers. One of the oldest islands Floreana illustrates the aging process of a volcanic island. Unlike the younger western islands, Floreana's volcano has been long extinct and is in the advanced stages of erosion. The erosion process gave the island the nutrients and soils need to sustain plant life. The combination of this rich soil and a good water supply have given the highlands of Floreana a diversified landscaping of native and introduced flora. Floreana is best known for its colorful history of buccaneers, whalers, convicts, and colonists. In 1793 British whalers established the Post Office Barrel to send letters to and from England. This tradition has continued over the years, and even today visitors may drop off and pick up letters, without stamps, to be carried to far destinations. Punta Cormorant offers two highly contrasting beaches. The landing beach is of volcanic origin and is composed of olivine crystals, giving it a greenish tinge. At the end of the short trail is a carbonate beach of extremely fine white sand. Formed by the erosion of coral skeletons, it is a nesting site for green sea turtles. In the 1930's Floreana was the setting for intrigue and mystery. A German dentist and his mistress, a young family (the Wittmer family who still live on the island) and a self-styled baroness with three men came to settle in the island. Shortly after the baroness and her lovers arrived chaos began. The baroness and her entourage terrorized the other inhabitants while planning to build a luxury hotel. Eventually the baroness, two of her lovers and the dentist all turned up missing or dead. There has been much investigation searching for what really happened on Floreana, but there have never been any hard answers. John Treherne wrote of these people in "The Galapagos Affair". Located just off Punta Cormorant, Champions Islet is the best snorkeling in the Galapagos! To see the Devil’s Crown you need to go underwater, an almost completely submerged volcano, which erosion has transformed the cone into a series of jagged peaks creating the "Devil's Crown". The remains of the volcano create a haven for seabirds such as boobies, pelicans and frigates. Red-billed tropical birds can be seen nesting in the crevices. The highlight of the visit is snorkeling in the center of the crater. You will play with sea lions, while swimming with schools of colorful king angel fish, balloon fish, hawkfish, scrawled filefish, yellowtail grunts, tiger snake eels, white-tipped sharks, eagle rays, amberjacks, wrasses, hammerhead sharks, and sea turtles. The water is a bit rough and the current is strong. The east to west current provides a fun ride as it pushes you through the crown. There is a tube on the western side that you can swim through if you are a strong swimmer (approximately 10-15 feet down) and come out on the other side.
Galapagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands (official name: Archipiélago de Colón; other Spanish names: Islas de Colón or Islas Galápagos) are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, some 900 km west of Ecuador. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site: wildlife is its most notable feature. Because of the only very recent arrival of man the majority of the wildlife has no fear of humans and will allow visitors to walk right up them, often having to step over Iguanas or Sea Lions.The Galápagos islands and its surrounding waters are part of a province, a national park, and a biological marine reserve. The principal language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of around 40,000, which is a 40-fold expansion in 50 years. The islands are geologically young and famed for their vast number of endemic species, which were studied by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle. His observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.
“As ovelhinhas são nuvens
que não precisam de pontes,
descem do céu para a terra
pelas portas do horizonte
Vão balindo as ovelhinhas,
vão balindo entre as flores,
quem entende estas conversas
são os anjos e os pastores”
“As ovelhas são nuvens”, de Luiz Coronel
Guarda Velha, Pinheiro Machado, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
As mentioned yesterday I decided I needed to revisit this location on a sunny day. Day 4 of social distancing saw a 6z89 Peak Forest to Toton pass a Wellingborough to Peak Forest around Hathersage - well within 20 minutes of each other. 66167 powers up the grade into Hathersage - I've gone for a later shot in this instance. The big concern here was the imminent passage of the Sheffield to Manchester stopper which had just entered Hathersage station over my shoulder, the horn could be heard as it entered the station as the loco roof appeared over the horizon.
As a lot of the UK is either hit with snow or flooding - so far the south west has been relatively unaffected - but today's forecast is for light snow.
Quite where the snow will fall is difficult to predict so we might still miss the disruption it always causes in the UK.
Wellington, Somerset, UK. January 2025.
As darkness begins to fall over Duluth and its iconic Aerial Lift Bridge, a Proctor Yard bound limestone train climbs the grade led by DMIR 400 and two other standard cabs.
an ak i made fer funs. looks spiffy:]
credit to simeon for his colored gp 30:]
ALL SIZES. LOTS OF DETAIL.
As the wildfire smoke slowly crept into the valley at Moraine Lake a couple of weeks into the summer of Armageddon, it diffused the light from the setting sun, creating very soft, atmospheric light.
This spot on the lake is about the only quiet place you'll find.
The rock pile is now the arena for wedding photographers and ‘Rinsedagrammers’ all jostling for position.
The one benefit of such busy crowds is the perfectly placed canoe that you can see paddling off into the reflection.
As always, I had to exposure bracket in order to capture all of the highlights and shadow detail in this high contrast scene.
I also had to focus stack the rock in the foreground as I was so close to the lens that it began to blur.
As I was making this image, I noticed one very brave paddle boarder out on the lake that day. While invitingly beautiful, I wouldn't want to fall in to that ice cold water.
Thanks for reading
Gavin
23/10/2017 (Mon) 1823 York Bridge, Morecambe 142035 2C70 1821 Morecambe - Lancaster
(Contax Zeiss Planar 50mm f1.4 with Fotodiox lens adaptor)
If you like railway pictures that are a bit different to the norm, try the Phoenix Railway Photographic circle website;
1994 Eurocopter AS-355N Ecureuil Helicopter G-OLCP
Photo taken at the Imperial War Museum Duxford Cambridgeshire 29th July 2021
BAG_1020
As you can tell from those seascape shots i posted lately, I seriously enjoy lots of ACTIOooN in the foreground :P the more dramatic the better it gets for me! Also, with rays of light like this, i definitely can't let go of hdr technique in this case but then again.. what's new eh? ;) i would say this image is 29.9999% hdr-ed since the sky has been additionally processed for more details. Anyway its been a while.. trust all are well & have a fabulous Thursday!!! so sorry i'm still pretty slack in flickr :S
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About
Sunset at Maslin Beach, Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia
The Shot
Standard 3 exposure shots (-2..0..+2 EV) in RAW for the sky with tripod
Standard 1 exposure shots (0 EV) in RAW for the foreground with tripod
Camera :: Canon 5D Mark II
Lens :: Canon EF 17-40mm F/4L USM
Tripod :: Manfrotto 055XPROB with 322RC2 Head
Filter :: 0.9H GND + 0.6 ND Pro Glass Lee Filters
Photomatix
- Tonemapped generated HDR using detail enhancer option
Photoshop
- Blending of the HDRed sky shot for enhancement
- Added 2 layer mask effect of 'curves' for contrast
- Added 1 layer mask effect of 'saturation' (blues) to desaturate & darken the sky
Music
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As GBRF 66796 was held on the up/down slow with the 4H33 14.51 Banbury Reservoir Tarmac to Wellingborough freight 222011 and 222009 pass with the 1F60 1702 St Pancras International to Sheffield
As the shadows begin to grow long for the day, NS ES44DC 7619 is seen leading 127 down the Pulaski District at Marion, VA.
The River Avon, also known as the River Aune, is a river in the county of Devon in the south of England. It rises in the southern half of Dartmoor National Park in an area of bog to the west of Ryder's Hill. Close to where the river leaves Dartmoor a dam was built in 1957 to form the Avon reservoir (see Dartmoor reservoirs). After leaving the moor it passes through South Brent and then Avonwick and Aveton Gifford and flows into the sea at Bigbury-on-Sea. Near Loddiswell the valley flows through Fosse Copse a 1.88 hectares (4.65 acres) woodland owned and managed by the Woodland Trust.
As my pal Chris would say this is a scene that depicts one of two old men descending from the summit of Coniston Old Man.
At long last yesterday I felt that the time was right to try out my troubled right foot and take a hike. My Plantar Fasciitis has given me far too much grief this year and as a result I have held off hiking. There is only so much restraint in me and I finally gave in and headed out yesterday. Chris is my long term pal who I have played golf with amongst other things, although he has shied away from mountain hiking. Somehow I was able to persuade him that I would take it easy on him and we chose to hike a small circuit that included Dow Crag and the Old Man of Coniston. This view shows Chris above Low Water during the descent of the tourist track.
This photo is a combination of four photos that have been stitched together.
As seen on the West Lancashire Light Railway at Hesketh Bank, Lancashire. 2 carriages and a guards van sit at Delph Halt as a bright shaft of light illuminates the platform of this lovely short narrow gauge railway
As so often I found another flower I don't recognise!
Thank you to Bárbol for the correction.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silene_coronaria
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
As a child I felt myself to be alone, and I am still, because I know things and must hint at things which others apparently know nothing of, and for the most part do not want to know.
C.G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections
As best I can tell this is a 1946 Ford truck.
Looks like it was used as a farm truck.
Happy Truck Thursday!
As some of you may know, I've been on a mission this summer to get a great sunrise reflection shot from Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. And while I'm not proud of how many failed attempts are behind this morning's wonderful sunrise (and I intentionally didn't keep count), I am pretty sure I ran up to Bear Lake in an attempt for this shot 17 times in the past 6 months. Keep in mind I live 1 hour and 50 minutes away. All this makes the final shot and the fact that mother nature FINALLY cooperated - that much more rewarding. I don't think I would have even taken on this challenge if I'd known how long it would take, but looking back on it, I'm also glad I didn't give up.
In all my failed attempts, I had a chance to think about all the reasons I wasn't happy and insisted on going back again and again and again. So in fun, here are the top 10 reasons I claimed I had to go back:
10. No clouds
9. Too many clouds
8. No clouds over Longs Peak
7. Raining
6. Amazing clouds, but they never lit up
5. Wicked windy
4. Snowing
3. Clouds to the east blocked the early morning sun
2. A couple of people beat me to my spot and blocked both spots I'd scouted
1. The darn lake was still frozen!
In the end, I caved on one of the things I was hoping for in my dream shot. I'd originally hoped for a super calm morning where I could get a detailed reflection of Longs Peak and the glowing clouds. And while I suppose that may be possible someday, I found few calm mornings and besides cool clouds don't tend to hang around on the calm mornings. So with a Neutral Density filter in-hand, I decided I'd smooth out the ripples and go for the glowing color instead of reflected details. This approach seemed to help open the door to finding the more interesting weather.
Tale as old as time
True as it can be
Barely even friends
Then somebody bends
Unexpectedly
Just a little change
Small to say the least
Both a little scared
Neither one prepared
Beauty and the beast
Ever just the same
Ever a surprise
Ever as before and ever just as sure as the sun will rise
Ever just the same
Ever a surprise
Ever as before
Ever just as sure
As the sun will rise
Tale as old as time
Tune as old as song
Bittersweet and strange
Finding you can change
Learning you were wrong
Certain as the sun
Certain as the sun
Rising in the east
Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the beast
Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the beast
As the fishermen throw away the ice from the boat into the muddy area, some small children look through the stack of ice to see if they get lucky with some small fishes. These might probably be their only chance of eating some fish.
Fisheryghat,Chittagong,Bangladesh.
press L
As we pass the midpoint of spring, the woodland bluebells are almost over — new wildflowers such as the Speedwell are emerging in the sheltered spots at the woodland's edge. It's easy to overlook such tiny and ephemeral wildflowers — Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies book features them beautifully.
As soon as Mario and I managed to find each other in the crowded center of Milan, we walked around looking for a good spot: I think Mario did see the beautiful Lera and Anastasia and I did go and approach them: at first they both were ok with posing, but a bit surprised and uncomfortable, but a few shots later they both enjoyed the experience and helped us with strong expressions. If I recall correctly, Mario suggested to take advantage of the cigarette and use it for the frame and, at some point I think Mario also helped with the reflector.
It took me a while to get proper control of the situation: thankfully Lera is an experienced model and was really great and helpful!
I got quite a few good shots, but I think the gaze in this one is pretty strong.
I had the chance to have a talk both with Lera and Anastasia and we spoke about their experience in Italy and about the beautiful Russia: Anastasia suggested I should go and see Moscow.
This definitely was a good start for a great day with Mario!
Thank you so much Lera: it was really fun taking pictures of you and wish you all the best!!!
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This picture is #76 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page