View allAll Photos Tagged ASPECT
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,093 feet or 1,857 meters).
The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon National Park, the Kaibab National Forest, Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument, the Hualapai Indian Reservation, the Havasupai Indian Reservation and the Navajo Nation. The surrounding area is contained within the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of the preservation of the Grand Canyon area and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.
Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While some aspects about the history of incision of the canyon are debated by geologists, several recent studies support the hypothesis that the Colorado River established its course through the area about 5 to 6 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River has driven the down-cutting of the tributaries and retreat of the cliffs, simultaneously deepening and widening the canyon.
For thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native Americans, who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon a holy site, and made pilgrimages to it. The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon_National_Park
Grand Canyon National Park is a national park of the United States located in northwestern Arizona, the 15th site to have been named as a national park. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often considered one of the Wonders of the World. The park, which covers 1,217,262 acres (1,901.972 sq mi; 4,926.08 km2) of unincorporated area in Coconino and Mohave counties, received more than 4.7 million recreational visitors in 2023. The Grand Canyon was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. The park celebrated its 100th anniversary on February 26, 2019.
Source: www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm
Entirely within the state of Arizona, the park encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Located on the ancestral homelands of 11 present day Tribal Communities, Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world—a mile deep canyon unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors from both north and south rims.
Additional Foreign Language Tags:
(United States) "الولايات المتحدة" "Vereinigte Staaten" "アメリカ" "米国" "美国" "미국" "Estados Unidos" "États-Unis" "ארצות הברית" "संयुक्त राज्य" "США"
(Arizona) "أريزونا" "亚利桑那州" "אריזונה" "एरिजोना" "アリゾナ州" "애리조나" "Аризона"
(Grand Canyon) "جراند كانيون" "大峡谷" "גרנד קניון" "ग्रांड कैन्यन" "グランドキャニオン" "그랜드 캐니언" "Гранд-Каньон" "Gran Cañón"
A fighter taking aspects from all of the Blacktron 2 ships. Third time I have done such a thing, first time utilizing the big panel with the B on it.
American Robin AMRO (Turdus migratorius)
typical look for time of year
(adult)
although winter plumage,there is not a lot of variance between seasons,just aspects of 'fresh' and worn or faded
McBig Reservoir. :: Private Access
E of Garcia’s Nursery
Martindale Flats
Greater Victoria
DSCN3548
HORACIO PATRONE : NIKON D 7000 -NIKON FX 70 300 VR . fotografia Horacio Patrone.. BUENOS AIRES...( ARGENTINA ) . . -The most striking aspect of the northern barrios (Retiro, Recoleta, Palermo), especially in comparison with their less affluent southern counterpart. .buenosaires.for91days.com/2011/03/10/the-carlos-thays-bot...
The Mausoleum of Aga Khan III and the Palace of Begum in the afternoon light. The Mausoleum is the building on the hilltop. In the foreground is the villa, Noor al Salaam.
simerg.com/literary-readings/literary-reading-hazrat-imam...
El aspecto general de un asturcón es el de un poni ágil, armonioso además de fuerte y resistente. Su capa es de color negro, aunque a primera vista el asturcón invernal presenta una apariencia totalmente diferente a la estival. Su adaptación a los rigores de la montaña provoca que durante la época fria el animal se recubra de una masa pilosa de color castaño que le protege
ASTURIAS - ESPAÑA
Todos los derechos reservados - All rights reserved
UPCOMING RELEASE AT GACHA GARDENS!
Coming to Gacha Gardens on February 1st is the BE MINE GACHA!
TAXI: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BellaTECH%20Productions/22...
DB (German Railways) two-car class 628 DMU (formed of cars 628556 and 928556) stands on track 7 at Salzburg Hbf, forming 19.07 Salzburg Hbf - Landshut (Bay) Hbf.
This was taken while waiting for my Railjet to München (Munich), and I had plenty of time for photos of trains in the recently rebuilt station. The rebuilding had incorporated many aspects of the old station, but platforms had been rebuilt, the old overall roof refurbished, and a new overall roof (in keeping with the old one) built over areas which had previously been exposed - including the platforms on the south side. The new overall roof can be seen in the top left of this picture, false ceilings being installed over the tracks.
This was a more difficult image to process, because either the area under the false ceiling was under exposed or the detail was lost in the new overall roof because that area burned out. I was still in the habit of using the auto-bracket function on my camera, so I'd taken three frames of this in very quick succession with different exposures. My first attempt at processing used the frame with the lowest exposure, and meant I needed to lighten the train (and, to a lesser degree, the whole area under the false ceiling), but I found it hard to make the lightening look even. So a second attempt was made, using the same frame as a base but taking the train from the lightest frame (and then lightening it evenly, rather than painting it lighter).
I was on my way home after the seven-day PTG Tours "Rail Wonders of Croatia and Bosnia"; this was towards the end of the third day of my five-day journey. I'd stayed the previous night in Salzburg, but today had initially travelled south over the "Tauernbahn" to Villach, in order to do the lengthy branch to Kötschach-Mauthen, which was under threat of closure at the time (two and a half years later, in December 2016, it closed beyond Hermagor, although the remaining section was subsequently electrified). I then returned back north over the "Tauernbahn", before continuing on to München (Munich), where I was staying for two nights.
Visit Brian Carter's Non-Transport Pics to see my photos of landscapes, buildings, bridges, sunsets, rainbows and more.
An important aspect of this is that most of the figures are me in all but two photos, as you will come to find.
In this case all three figures here are played by me.
Each photo in The Build Up Series is a personal interpretation of a set of lyrics from the song "The Build Up" by Feist and The Kings of Convenience.
You can listen to the song here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUlA7BGCMrI
This photo was inspired by these lyrics:
"Our hero withdrew,
when there were two"
*************Kickstarter UPDATE******************
www.kickstarter.com/projects/1405007350/the-365-project?r...
I am so grateful for the amount of pledges I have received in such a short period of time! Thanks again to everyone who has pledged money so far.
My project was featured as one of the Kickstarter "staff picks" which is very humbling.
Thanks again everyone! I look forward to see what lies with the future.
Follow me on facebook:
Certain aspects suggest Dactylorhiza praetermissa. The leaves were not spotted, the lip not deeply lobed and it was located on a long abandoned industrial site. Some hybrids can also be found around Parc Slip Nature Reserve about 1 to 2 Km away but generally the Common Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) is more prevalent there.
Further inspection of the nearby area revealed a small pond about 50 to 60 metres away with a number of marsh orchids growing around its edge. The stem was also checked with minor compression and this indicated it was hollow.
El Museo Lázaro Galdiano, en Madrid (España), es un museo estatal de origen privado, que alberga una amplia y heterogénea colección, formada con interés enciclopédico hacia todas las artes y técnicas. Este excepcional conjunto, constituido por más de 12 600 piezas, fue reunido por el coleccionista y editor José Lázaro Galdiano, quien al morir en 1947 lo legó al Estado español junto con su residencia madrileña, la sede de su editorial La España Moderna y una biblioteca de 20 000 volúmenes.
Tras crearse la Fundación Lázaro Galdiano y adaptarse como museo la antigua residencia del donante (Parque Florido, en el barrio de Salamanca de Madrid), la colección se presentó al público el 27 de enero de 1951. Desde entonces su prestigio entre los entendidos se ha extendido ampliamente, y sus fondos se consideran indispensables para estudiar muchos aspectos de la historia del arte, por lo que participan en exposiciones tanto españolas como internacionales.
Entre sus obras de arte más valiosas destaca el conjunto de pinturas, dibujos y grabados de Goya, con piezas mundialmente conocidas como El aquelarre o Las brujas, encargadas por los duques de Osuna (1797-1798). También hay que citar ejemplos relevantes de El Bosco, Lucas Cranach el Viejo, El Greco, Murillo, Zurbarán, Claudio Coello, Luis Paret o Federico de Madrazo, así como una miniatura en pergamino de Giulio Clovio y dos bronces de Giambologna. Pero posiblemente la obra más singular del museo es la pintura sobre tabla El Salvador joven, realizada en el taller de Leonardo da Vinci a partir de un diseño perdido del maestro.
Posee además un pequeño conjunto de pintura británica, una escuela muy poco frecuente en España; de hecho el Museo Lázaro Galdiano y el Prado eran (hasta la apertura del Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza) los dos únicos museos españoles con una colección significativa. Incluye ejemplos de Lely (el único del siglo XVII, los demás son del XVIII), Constable, Reynolds y Romney, a los que se suma un retrato del estadounidense Gilbert Stuart.
El museo fue reformado íntegramente entre los años 2001 y 2004 para poder conservar adecuadamente sus fondos y hacer la visita más cómoda y centrada en las piezas de máxima calidad. Hay abiertas al público cuatro plantas, enteramente remozadas respetando los techos y carpinterías originales.
Colecciones
Pintura
El Salvador joven, cuadro del círculo de Leonardo da Vinci, atribuido actualmente a Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio o Marco d'Oggiono.
Especialmente valiosa es la colección de pintura, que incluye piezas relevantes de grandes maestros españoles y europeos entre los siglos XV y XIX. Un metódico estudio de la colección ha ido cribando las atribuciones más dudosas, lo que supuso descartar varias llamativas, como la de un Salvador joven que en vida de Lázaro Galdiano se asignaba a Leonardo da Vinci. Aunque no sea original suyo, es muy relevante y ahora algunos expertos lo atribuyen a un pintor próximo a él, como Boltraffio (atribución que figura en la cartela explicativa de la obra en el Museo) o Marco d'Oggiono, a quien se adjudicaba en la exposición «Leonardo da Vinci: pintor en la corte de Milán» para la que en otoño de 2011 fue prestada a la National Gallery de Londres. También se han barajado los nombres de Pseudo Boltraffio (pintor activo en Milán a principios del siglo XVI) y Ambrogio de Predis. Es la mejor obra leonardesca conservada en España y su alta calidad hace que sea muy demandada para exposiciones en otras instituciones, como la mencionada en la National Gallery o la que en tres sedes (Mantua, Padua y Verona), se celebró en Italia sobre Andrea Mantegna y su época (Palacio del Té, Mantua, noviembre de 2006 a enero de 2007).
La pintura medieval española cuenta con un nutrido repertorio, con varias obras de referencia. Un Autorretrato de Pedro Berruguete sigue recibiendo opiniones divergentes de los críticos respecto a su autoría. Lo superan varias tablas que Lázaro reunió a bajo precio cuando eran despreciadas como «arte bárbaro». Fue una faceta coleccionista que le acarreó críticas, trocadas en elogios décadas después, cuando el arte medieval español fue cobrando estimación. Algún experto afirmó entonces que en esta parcela del arte, la Colección Lázaro Galdiano aventajaba al Prado. En la actualidad exhibe obras de artistas tan renombrados como Miguel Ximénez, Diego de la Cruz, García del Barco, Juan de Soreda, Bartolomé de Castro, Maestro de Astorga, un tríptico firmado por Juan de Sevilla o la famosa Virgen de Mosén Esperandeu de Santa Fe de Blasco de Grañén, único ejemplo del autor conservado en un museo madrileño.
Pinturas importantes de la escuela española del siglo XVI son un Retrato de doña Ana de Austria de Sánchez Coello, y dos obras de El Greco: una Adoración de los Reyes Magos de su etapa veneciana y un San Francisco en éxtasis de su primera etapa toledana. Puede verse además un Noli me tangere pintado por su hijo Jorge Manuel Theotocópuli. También entraña interés una Sagrada Familia de marcado gusto italianizante, debida a Gregorio Martínez (activo en 1565-1598).
Se atribuye a Velázquez una pequeña Cabeza de muchacha de perfil, y el museo dispone además de una buena copia del famoso Retrato de Luis de Góngora cuyo original se conserva en el museo de Boston.
La pintura española del siglo XVII cuenta con más ejemplos: La condesa de Monterrey de Juan Carreño de Miranda, un magnífico San Diego de Alcalá de Zurbarán, Santa Rosa de Lima de Murillo, y ejemplos de Claudio Coello, Mateo Cerezo, Juan Martín Cabezalero, Alonso del Arco, Francisco de Solís, Antonio de Pereda, José Antolínez, Francisco Rizi...
De los siglos XVIII y XIX, destacan: la famosa Tienda de Geniani de Paret, y autores como Miguel Jacinto Meléndez, Joaquín Inza, Ramón Bayeu (Autorretrato), Mariano Salvador Maella, José del Castillo, Agustín Esteve, Zacarías González Velázquez, Luis Eusebi (dos aguadas de tema alegórico), Alenza, Eugenio Lucas Velázquez, su hijo Eugenio Lucas Villaamil, Vicente López, Antonio María Esquivel (Autorretrato), Juan Antonio Ribera (Retrato del escultor Antonio Solá), Ricardo Balaca, Valeriano Domínguez Bécquer, Francisco Lameyer, Emilio Sala y Francés, y los Madrazo: José (El Papa Pío VII),[4] sus hijos Federico (Retrato de Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, Retrato de señora) y Luis (La marquesita de Roncali), y Ricardo, hijo de Federico (Retrato de Consuelo Gaztambide Aguader).
El grupo de obras de Goya bastaría por sí solo para abrir un pequeño museo monográfico. Entre las siete pinturas reconocidas como autógrafas destacan: Las brujas y El aquelarre de 1798, un Entierro de Cristo pintado para el oratorio privado de los Condes de Sobradiel en Zaragoza y una Magdalena penitente de su etapa juvenil. También posee el pequeño lienzo La trilla, modelo reducido para el famoso cartón de tapiz La era (Museo del Prado), así como grabados de todas las series del autor —con numerosas pruebas de estado—, además de dibujos o cartas autógrafas.
De las escuelas extranjeras destaca la Flamenca y de los Países Bajos, con cuatro tablas de Adriaen Isenbrandt, una interesante Virgen con el niño de Gérard David, antaño creída del denominado Maestro del Follaje Dorado, así como una de las pocas pinturas atribuidas a Michel Sittow (La Virgen con el Niño y san Bernardo) y diversas obras de Hans Memling y Quentin Massys. Hay también retratos de Antonio Moro (El rey Juan III de Portugal), así como los creídos de Joos Van Cleve y Bernard Van Orley. Dentro de la época barroca se pueden destacar El archiduque Leopoldo Guillermo en su gabinete de pinturas de David Teniers el Joven, una tabla sobre El jardín del Edén de Jan Brueghel el Joven, una gran Virgen con el Niño de Erasmus Quellinus II y un bodegón de Pieter Boel. En 2018 se ha presentado la nueva atribución a Michaelina Wautier de un San Juan Bautista antes creído de Juan Martín Cabezalero; de ser cierta tal autoría, ha de ser el único ejemplo conocido de Wautier en España. Un Retrato de Saskia atribuido antaño a Rembrandt se descartó como copia, aunque el museo guarda un valioso conjunto de cincuenta grabados del artista (expuestos temporalmente en 2018),[5] un San Jerónimo caravaggiesco de Hendrick van Somer y tres efigies femeninas de la Holanda barroca pintadas por Nicolaes Maes, Justus van Egmont y Ludolf de Jongh.
Mención aparte merece El Bosco, con tres ejemplos: un San Juan Bautista en meditación reconocido unánimemente como original del maestro, que figuró como tal en la exposición antológica que el Prado le dedicó en 2016; una gran Coronación de espinas (h. 1516), considerada obra de un seguidor, previa a las versiones más conocidas de El Escorial y del Museo San Pío V de Valencia; y La visión de Tondal, considerada obra de taller.
La pintura italiana incluye una Sagrada Familia de Giulio Clovio (miniatura realizada con destino al rey Carlos I de España), Cabeza de san Juan Bautista de Marco Palmezzano, un monumental Bautismo de Cristo atribuido a Orazio Samacchini, una Estigmatización de San Francisco de Asís de Jacopo da Empoli, dos lienzos de Giuseppe Marullo y Pacecco de Rosa, y el espléndido San Lorenzo de Bernardo Cavallino, obra maestra del autor napolitano (para la colección de pintura barroca italiana, puede consultarse Anexo:Pintura italiana del Barroco en las colecciones públicas madrileñas). Hay también maestros del siglo XVIII como Alessandro Magnasco, Gregorio de Ferrari, y Lorenzo Tiepolo, del cual hay una gran representación de retratos masculinos y femeninos.
Relativamente numerosa es la representación de la pintura británica, muy escasa en España, con obras de Lely, Reynolds, Constable, Romney, etc. Su presencia en la colección se debe al gusto personal de la esposa de Lázaro Galdiano, la argentina Paula Florido y Toledo (1856-1932). La mayoría de estas obras se adquirieron en la primera década del siglo XX en la Galerie Sedelmeyer de París. Hay que citar también la tabla El niño Jesús y san Juanito de Lucas Cranach el Viejo y un Calvario atribuido a su hijo, Lucas Cranach el Joven, así como un Retrato de hombre de Ulrich Apt antiguamente atribuido a Hans von Kulmbach, una efigie de Carlos III pintada por Mengs y una escena alegórica atribuida al francés Charles-François de la Traverse.
Destaca también la rica colección de iluminaciones o miniaturas pintadas, que rivaliza con la del Prado; entre ellas se incluye la ya citada de Clovio y de Giovanni Castello y Juan de Salazar. También hay que mencionar un retrato de George Washington, basado en un famoso retrato de Gilbert Stuart, y otra efigie del I duque de Fernán-Núñez pintada por Jean-Baptiste Isabey.
Escultura y artes decorativas El fondo de esculturas es más reducido, si bien cuenta con piezas singulares como un Cristo atado a la columna del italiano Michelangelo Naccherino, estatua de cuerpo entero esculpida en mármol a tamaño natural. Se cree que pudo formar pareja con una Virgen con el Niño que actualmente preside la fachada de la iglesia de Jesús Nazareno en Cudillero. Hay que citar un busto romano de Lucio Vero del siglo II, dos Santos evangelistas fundidos por Giambologna, la llamada Madonna Cernazai, de Niccolò di Giovanni Fiorentino, que perteneció al magnate William Randolph Hearst, y esculturas en terracota de Juan de Juni (Cristo flagelado), Venancio Vallmitjana (una estatuilla de Velázquez de cuerpo entero) o del francés Carpeaux.
Los esmaltes constituyen uno de los grandes atractivos del museo. La colección cuenta con ejemplares muy valiosos y raros, desde piezas de Limoges de los siglos XIII y XVI a obras neobizantinas sobre oro del siglo XIX. Destacada es también la colección de marfiles, en la que descuellan varios cofres árabes y bizantinos, una caja para café dinastía timúrida del siglo XIV, otra gótica francesa del XIV, además de dípticos de la escuela de París y de altares medievales italianos.
Las joyas cuentan con una representación múltiple de obras helenísticas y romanas, árabes, góticas, renacentistas, barrocas y románticas. Muy importante por la diversidad de tipos es el conjunto de bronces de la Antigüedad, de la Edad Media y, en gran abundancia, italianos del Renacimiento. Igualmente son numerosas y selectas las muestras de orfebrería religiosa de todos los estilos. El fondo de medallas incluye ejemplos de Pisanello, Pompeo Leoni, Jacome da Trezzo y otros maestros del género. Se exhibe en la planta alta del museo, habilitada como almacén visitable.
Existen también valiosas piezas de cerámica, italianas y españolas de distintas épocas, así como ánforas griegas y porcelana oriental. Destacan también los tejidos antiguos, italianos y árabes, y la colección de armas con un riquísimo muestrario de espadas, presidido por el estoque que el papa Inocencio VIII regaló a Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones, segundo conde de Tendilla. También se exhiben abanicos y joyas que lució la esposa de Lázaro Galdiano. Todo ello forma uno de los más importantes despliegues de artes suntuarias que se pueden contemplar en España.
En la antigua sede de la editorial La España Moderna, anexa al museo, se custodian la biblioteca y el archivo de José Lázaro Galdiano, con incunables y manuscritos de incalculable valor. Destaca el manuscrito original de Los verdaderos retratos... con efigies dibujadas por Francisco Pacheco.
El solar está dotado de exuberantes jardines, con árboles centenarios, que conforman un rincón inusual por su tranquilidad en un área tan transitada como el barrio de Salamanca.
Being a transvestite is not always an easy thing to live with but does have pleasing aspects such as joy, exhilaration and adventure to counter the more fearful and troublesome concerns that inevitably accompany the desire to dress up and appear as one’s opposite gender.
For many of us who engage in transvestism we place ourselves in a difficult position which usually results in having a secret life or as many people have accused me of ‘living a lie’. Many partners, family members and friends can react negatively to the discovery of one’s transvestism and the phrases such as ‘liar’ and ‘breaking trust’ are expressed. It can be devastating for all concerned not just transvestites.
There is a popular perception that transvestites are involved in a sordid activity or we are seen as freaks and perverts and are rarely respected for who we are. We are more likely to be ridiculed or labelled as mentally ill. The most common response is we are homosexual and just want sex with men.
Ii think so called normal life has more sordid activities and real perversions occurring which should be far more unpalatable by wider society than a transvestite enjoying a gentle pastime such as cross-dressing. We are vilified for our liking to appear as the opposite gender, it is almost more acceptable to be a wife beater or a violent alcoholic but to dress up as the opposite gender…’Outrageous! Disgusting! Perverts!’ One can almost here the sniggers and sly looks ‘He likes to wear a dress and put on make-up, likes to think he’s a woman…snigger…’
I feel transvestism has a long way to go before any kind of widespread acceptance becomes the norm. I also feel maybe we don’t help such perceptions by our own actions and responses as we are in the majority very secretive about our desire to cross-dress. I hold myself guilty of such unhelpful attitudes to wider acceptance. I admit I am fearful, indeed terrified that people will find out I am a transvestite and that it will bring upset and disturbance upon my family and friends. I maybe active as Helene on-line but I try my best to make sure nobody in my real life knows I am a transvestite. I actually feel queasy at the prospect they may find out. I’m not good at all for trying to bring acceptance, I’m frightened in a selfish way. So much for my commitment to the cause.
I can still recall how as a teenager I would shake with nerves at the prospect of anyone finding out I wanted to dress as a girl and to act like one. This became worse as I grew older. I did endeavour to suppress and ignore my transvestite nature and for over twenty years I had no involvement with it at all physically. I say physically because in my head it never diminished, I would be consumed at times with the desire to dress as a woman, I badly wanted to do it. I would force myself to squash such thoughts and try and get on with being a man.
I now realise I wasted a lot of my life by these actions and I have huge regret at the fact I squandered so many experiences and self fulfilment. Having said that , I did end up with a life I really enjoyed as a man. Not because I was a man per se, but because I was sharing my life with a person I adored and we had a family I love dearly. I also ended up in a career I really enjoy. All was perfect apart from transvestite side which was locked away inside a personal jail desperate to break free. I began to fear I may destroy my entire life if I gave into the desire to cross-dress so suppressed them as fast as they surfaced.
In the mid 1990s I was covering the war in the Balkans and ended up, through stupidity, in a situation that looked like the end would not be too long in coming. I was stuck on a hillside in the freezing winter cold as an intense firefight between the opposing forces had broken out. My colleagues and myself became introspective as we contemplated our last hours. This was it, I was going to depart the world age 35. I found myself, somewhat surprisingly as I became aware of it, smiling wryly. I was actually thinking I would die and would never know what it was like as an adult male to have dressed up as a woman and set free my inner dream of spending time as a (part time) female. I had only my few teenage efforts at cross-dressing to cling to.
At some point someone in the group started to admit to their big life secret and this was followed by another colleague admitting to his. The admissions began to pour out and some were quite heavy indeed, things people had feared to admit previously. Inevitably all eyes turned to me to confess my secret. I admitted openly amongst the noise of the ongoing battle that I was desperate to spend time dressing up and acting as a woman, I really wanted to be a female now and again that I was a transvestite and in my head adored the idea of casting off my masculine self and taking on a female persona for a few hours.
I can recall there was no reaction to my confession, in fact one colleague said in a disappointed tone ’Is that it?’ That’s you big secret?’, they were totally underwhelmed and thought it was not even worth the grief I had given myself over the years. There was no judgement shown at all by my admission was a transvestite. We were rescued in the end by a UN patrol to whom I will be forever grateful as they took a big risk to save us. Before they arrived I resolved if I survived I would become a practicing transvestite and actually cross-dress for real rather in my head.
My problem, which has two sides to it, is I am a person who loves debate, analysing things and discussing things as I am curious by nature. I am frequently accused of over analysing my transvestism but those who say that fail to understand me and interpret my narratives in the wrong way. I thrive on all of this discussion and questioning, I enjoy it and I am aware now that it has on occasion generated some quite hostile attitudes towards me. Mainly because I like to talk about sexuality and how one should act like a woman towards men to sell the illusion they are female. It’s a long way from sexual intimacy, just performing in the persona is how I see it. I have stated many times I am a frustrated actor and enjoy it and I do like female impersonation when it is done well. I am attracted to the acting side of creating a female illusion. I love the whole prospect that no-one thinks I am a man when they see Helene. If they think I am a woman then that is such a reward. I am thrilled if a man desires me as a woman, I find it exciting. It’s not a sexual excitement, it’s a vanity and ego response. I love the thrill my illusion may have worked.
For example if I was kissed by a man when I am portraying myself as a woman then that is not me being homosexual, that is me acting the part of a woman, it’s about making my female alter-ego seem real as a woman by playing her as a woman not a a man, it’s not about wanting a kiss from a man as I am not attracted to men. I think many transvestites wrestle with this but if you are keen to enjoy being a woman and have people believe you are female you need to act the part convincingly rather than highlight you may not be how you appear to be.
So…back on track, I returned to the UK, and vowed I would not cross-dress before I told my wife and family I was a transvestite. This was a bit of an issue for me because I knew if I was going to cross-dress as a woman I wanted to do it properly and go the whole way. This meant would need to shave my legs, chest and arms, reshape and thin out my eyebrows into more feminine shape. I wanted to wear make-up properly, I wanted a good wig and I wanted to paint my nails, wear nice dresses and skirts and high heel shoes, I wanted the whole one hundred percent male to female transformation. I could not possibly hide such physical changes from my wife. She would see it as I am very hairy all over my body (very dismaying to me) and my family would notice my new eyebrow shape as I had thick bushy shapeless eyebrows.
I’ve said it before I am not a brave person. I am weak and lack confidence so it was easier said than done telling my wife I was a closeted transvestite. It me over five years to finally summon up the nerve to tell her and when I did I wish I had not. The upset I caused her by my admission nearly broke my heart, her world collapsed and I was accused of not being who I said I was and I was living a lie. There was a lot of dismay and hurt followed by anger. What kept me going was by now it was too late, I had confessed my transvestite side existed but I deeply believed we had a strong enough relationship to survive my admission.
Fortunately we did. Having caused such upset to those I cherish dearly and realising they did not like the idea of me dressing as a woman at all I decided I would try to minimise it’s effects upon them. Selfishly though, I was now more determined to go through with my cross-dressing. I have however severely restricted the number of times I cross-dress so it never causes them further upset and I feel truly fortunate they tolerate my need.
Five months after my confession I bought a dress, a pair of high heel court shoes, a pair of knickers, a bra, silicone breast forms and a blonde wig and bottle of nail varnish. I took a long bath and completely shaved off all my body hair. I then plucked my eyebrows, covered myself in moisturiser and immediately got the shakes and my head started to spin. I knew I was at a point in my life where for me it was all about to change, I felt emotional in away I don’t usually feel. For me I had reached a point of no return.
And so it was. On a cold November afternoon in the year 2000 I stood in front of the mirror in a warm bathroom and began to apply foundation make-up to my face. I had no idea how this was going to work out, the woman within me was about to break free.
One of the keys to shooting Epic Landscape Photography is exalting the photograph's soul via golden ratio compositions, thusly wedding the photographic art to the divine proportion by which life itself was designed and exalted.
Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies!
instagram.com/goldennumberratio
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
Greetings flickr friends! I am working on several books on "epic photography," and I recently finished a related one titled: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean . Message me on facebook for a free review copy!
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
The Golden Ratio also informs the design of the golden revolver on all the swimsuits and lingerie, as well as the 45surf logo!
The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after. Robust, ordered growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in nature’s elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which all their vital sustenance and they themselves had been created—the golden ratio.
Ansel Adams is not only my favorite photographer, but he is one of the greatest photographers and artists of all time. And just like great artists including Michelangelo, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Botticelli, and Picasso, Ansel used the golden ratio and divine proportions in his epic art.
Not so long ago I discovered golden regions in many of his famous public domain his 8x10 aspect ratio photographs. I call these golden harmony regions "regions of golden action" or "ROGA"S, as seen here:
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1812448512351066.107374...
And too, I created some videos highlighting Ansel's use of the golden harmonies. Enjoy!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGnxOAhK3os
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFlzAaBgsDI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3eJ86Ej1TY
More golden ratio and epic photography composition books soon! Best wishes for the Holiday Season! Dr. Elliot McGucken :)
This is literally looking straight up one face of Khafre to the top of the pyramid, from its base. The 53° angle of the slope of the face means that the shape and the vastness of the structure completely disappear right before your eyes, and you see only this flat plane.
The effect with the original white limestone casing in place would have been magnificent. All smoothness, brilliance and absolute perfection.
The slopes of the pyramids:
Zanysson - A crabronid wasp. Most of the stinging wasps are fairly badass in aspect, to use a technical term. This one certainly is worthy of a tattoo on someone's chest and was collected by Merle Shepherd from Spring Island along the coast of South Carolina. It is unclear which species this is, but perhaps someone will reveal that to us. The group as a whole are cleptoparasites of other Crabronid wasps.
~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~
All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.
Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200
Beauty is truth, truth beauty - that is all
Ye know on earth and all ye need to know
" Ode on a Grecian Urn"
John Keats
You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:
Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World
www.qbookshop.com/products/216627/9780760347386/Bees.html...
Basic USGSBIML set up:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY
USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4
PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:
ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf
Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:
plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo
or
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU
Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:
Contact information:
Sam Droege
sdroege@usgs.gov
301 497 5840
"The North Point Light Station has a long history of guiding mariners to Milwaukee. Its location was chosen to mark the north point of Milwaukee Bay. Erected in 1887 and first lit in 1888, the 39-foot octagonal cast-iron tower replaced an 1855 cream-city brick lighthouse built too close to the eroding bluff. The Queen Anne - style keeper's dwelling was built at the same time. In 1912 the tower was almost doubled to its present height of 74 feet by lifting the existing tower atop a new structure. This resulted in a light source 154 feet feet above the level of Lake Michigan visible up to 20 miles away."
[The lighthouse was deactivated in 1994.] "In 2003 the two-acre property was transferred to Milwaukee County. The North Point Lighthouse Friends and Milwaukee County completed restoration of the light station on 2007."
- Quoted text from plaque erected in 2010 by the Wisconsin Historical Society.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Locale: Lake Park - Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Year & Season: 2017 ; Mid spring
Time of Day: Late afternoon
Global Ambient: Dark overcast
Scene Illumination: Front-lighting sun through clouds
Illumination Aids: (none)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Camera: Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless
Sensor: Full-frame
IBIS: On ; OIS: (n/a)
Support: Hand-held
Lens: Zeiss "Classic" 15mm f/2.8 Distagon T* ZE
Lens: Adapter: Metabones ("Canon EF Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Mark V)")
Filter: (none)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exposure Program: Aperture priority
Metering Mode: Spot
Drive/Focus Mode: Single-shot/Manual focus
Focus Region: Focus magnifier
Exposure Quality: Raw (Lightroom DNG)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Processing: Lightroom 6.10.1 (CR 9.10.1)
Lightroom Presets: (none) ; Processing Plug-Ins: (none)
Original File Aspect & Size: 3:2 ; 42.2MP (7952 x 5304)
Cropped Aspect & **Size: 2:1 ; 22.2MP (6661 x 3330)
**Size is prior to downsizing and JPG conversion using Lightroom.
JPG Size: 4.72MP (3072 x 1536)
File ID: NorthPtLighthouse1 Nom(Clr)V01R00 Milw.Prk.Lake.20170518-01-01 StdShrp.jpg
Autumn truly is a special time of the year, especially among us photographers. The rules [always] seem to be traditional [perhaps by the dominant ideological and sociological perspectives of the roles of acknowledging [only] the positives to a particular matter] with photographing autumn and fall colors -- capture ONLY the best. While it is imperative of capturing such captivating scenes, we oftentimes forget what such beauty has gone through; what is its exact opposite?? Can we ever acknowledge such beauty's opposite?? Why should I or we?? Well, after all, isn't fall itself the embodiment of death?? Trees shed their leaves. Leaves decompose and change their colors. The season that comes after fall is even colder in its demeanor [no pun intended]. Haha. Winter brings nature to its knees; so, it...
Photo captured via Minolta Maxxum AF Macro 50mm F/2.8 Lens. Along the streets of Seattle. King County, Washington. Late November 2022.
Exposure Time: 1/500 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-800 * Aperture: F/8 * Bracketing: None * Color Temperature: 4400 K * Color Grading: Autumn Forest LUT 03
By the spring of 1984 the pressure of a young family considerably curtailed my railway photography. Another aspect that also suffered was my record keeping of what I had actually taken and here is a case in point. Sporting a rather faded blue livery and looking decidedly well worn, departmental Class 122 single car DMU DB975042 takes a break from its route learning duties in the murky depths of Leeds station.
Whilst looking for something else today (28th January 2025) I came across an old notebook detailing work related things I had been looking at on various trackside visits around 1982 – 1984. On flipping through the notebook full of signalling notes, circuit details, location profiles etc I suddenly came across a page recording the details of a roll of Kodachrome 64 film taken in the autumn of 1984 and therefore can now date this photograph as being taken on the 3rd October 1984.
Unit History
The Class 122s were effectively a Class 116 Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) (high density vehicles in production at Derby for Western Region suburban duties) with a cab at both ends. Although designed by Derby they were built by Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. Ltd in 1958 for Western Region branch line duties DB975042 was originally W55019 and was allocated to Reading. In 1968 it moved to Tyesley and in November 1969 transferred to the Departmental fleet as a route learning vehicle, In 1993 it wa converted into a Sandite Unit. By 2007 975042 was stored and spent until 2011 as a spares vehicle at Aylesbury where the last of the departmental fleet of first generation DMUs was being maintained. In 2012 it was sold to the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway for preservation where it can currently (September 2024) be found.
Canon AT!, Kodachrome 64
This is tiny fungi growing on the bark of a fallen log of wood. There were so many of them it looked like a mini forest so i couldn't resist taking a few shots. There was ample natural light and by turning the log in different directions, each aspect yielded interesting results. Lens used Nikkor105mm macro.
Abubilla
Upupa epops
Familia: Upúpidos – Upupidae
Aspecto: Aspecto único. Aproximadamente del tamaño de un tordo grande. Las alas amplias y la cola tienen manchas de color negro y blanco, cabeza y pecho de color rosáceo. Tiene pico largo y una cresta distintiva.
Tamaño: Largo 25-29 cm, envergadura alar 44-48 cm, peso 70-85 g.
Nido: En un árbol hueco, caja nido, o agujero en un edificio. Hecho de pasto, hojas, plumas y estiércol seco de ganado.
Reproducción: Pone entre 5 y 7 huevos de mayo a junio. Solamente incuban las hembras, durante 16 a 18 días. Las aves jóvenes pueden volar a los 26 a 32 días.
Distribución: Se encuentra en tierras de cultivo y parques forestales. Visita Finlandia regularmente, pero solo se tiene conocimiento de que se haya reproducido en el país una vez,
cerca de Pori, en 1940.
Migración: Diurna. Se puede observar en cualquier momento entre abril y principios de diciembre. Pasa el invierno en el norte y centro de áfrica.
Alimentación: Invertebrados, especialmente moscas y larvas presentes en el estiércol del ganado.
Sonidos: La llamada territorial es un “pu-pu-pu” repetitivo, de tres sílabas, que llega muy lejos. Se parece a la llamada del mochuelo boreal.
La abubilla es un ave peculiar, del tamaño del tordo, con un plumaje llamativo de color negro, blanco y rosáceo. Sus alas con puntas redondeadas y su cola son de color blanco y negro. Su cabeza, cuello, parte superior del dorso, y partes inferiores son de color rosáceo. Tiene una cresta grande, en forma de abanico, de color rosáceo, con manchas negras, que pueden abrir y cerrar voluntariamente. La abubilla tiene patas grises, pico negruzco e iris marrón.
A pesar de su apariencia llamativa, puede esconderse fácilmente si se siente amenazada, y puede ser difícil de observar. La abubilla es el único miembro de su familia que se encuentra en Europa