Never Been There
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I had been shut out for 5 nights in a row on this trip and was willing to shoot anything at this point. As I was running around to the different viewpoints on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon looking for some open sky, I rounded the corner along the drive and hit the brakes for a quickie. :) I set up one light panel quickly and snapped 3 shots then jumped back in and off I went. I used a cooler white balance than usual on this one at around 3200. :)
If you have any questions about this photo or about photography in general, I will do my best to help, just post a comment or send me a Flickr mail and I will respond as quickly as possible.
Thanks for taking the time to take a look at my photos, and as always, your views, comments, faves, and support are greatly appreciated!! Have a great weekend everybody!! :)
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Copyright 2016©Eric Gail
I've been sat here for quite some time
squarking sometimes . . that's my desire
who cares if I'm in a zoo cage or free . . .
matters not to many but it does to me
I'd love to be in the forests it's true
but I'm stuck in here as if with glue
oh to fly free to be a bird on the wing
and then perhaps . . once again I'd sing !
from my dear flickr friend Bev
www.flickr.com/photos/beverleyplaya/
Grünflügelara,, oder auch dunkelroter Ara, aufgenommen im Zoo von San Francisco
Green-winged Macaw, also known as Scarlet Macaw, photographed at the San Francisco Zoo
I've been a bit amiss with my posting and will try to catch up a bit (again) but staying rather busy this Fall and now with the leaves just about at peak color I thought it time to head out and enjoy the scenery. High Point State Park has always been a popular destination in New Jersey and I've been here many, many times but this year may very well be the first time the monument was actually open! I brought my camera and wasn't disappointed with the inner stairway and its 291 steps. I should have run back to the car and got my tripod but I didn't. Then again, if I got the perfect stairway shot that I had in mind I probably wouldn't have come up with this Fall slider of sorts. So it goes and I'm happy on this fine Sunday! Created for the Slider Sunday group - HSS!
Been trying all summer to catch both the hummingbirds and hummingbird moths in the same frame as they fight over position on the flowers. To date lotsa of pics but nothing with them both. I figure I have a few more weeks before it gets cold and they are gone - fingers crossed.
Been together since 1997, making the annual 3,000 mile migratory trip returning to Seney each year. Thanks ABJ & Fe.
Here's a great article on the couple:
www.audubon.org/news/the-worlds-two-oldest-common-loons-a...
Been forever since I posted in this group so pardon the older shot - I haven't picked up a camera (cell only) since March really. Happy Day to all and HWW
Switzerland, May 2021
My best photos are here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...
My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (warning, it's a bit shocking): www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2-Xszz7FI
You find a selection of my 80 BEST PHOTOS (mostly not yet on Flickr) here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/western-green-lizard-lacerta-bi... (the website exists in ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS, ITALIANO, ENGLISH, DEUTSCH)
ABOUT THE PHOTO:
So this photo is a bit of a novelty for me - at least here on Flickr, but it's also a journey back in time in a sense. I've always loved b/w and sepia photography; already as a very young teenager I would go out into the woods with an old Pentax Spotmatic (which I had nicked from my father) whenever it was a foggy day to shoot b/w compositions of sunbeams cutting through the ghostlike trees.
I used films with a sensitivity of at least 1600 (for those of you who remember what that means 😉 ), and the resulting photos had an incredibly fine grain which I loved; I blew them up to the size of posters and hung them on the walls of my teenage man-cave next to Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Slash.
But then I abandoned photography altogether for 20 years, and when I finally picked up a camera again, it was one of the digital kind. Now neither film nor grain played any role in my photographic endeavours - let alone b/w compositions: because the reason I fell in love with shooting pictures once more was the rare and incredibly colorful lizard species that had chosen my garden as its habitat.
It's this species - the Lacerta bilineata aka the western green lizard - that my photo website www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ and also my Flickr gallery are dedicated to, but I've since expanded that theme a bit so that it now comprises the whole Lacerta bilineata habitat, which is to say my garden and its immediate surroundings and all the flora and fauna I find in it.
I like that my gallery and the website have this clear theme, because in order to rise to the challenge of portraying all aspects of a very specific little eco system (which also happens to be my home of sorts), it forces me to constantly explore it from fresh angles, and I keep discovering fascinating new motives as my photographic journey continues.
Which brings me to the horse pasture you see in this photo. This playground for happy horsies lies just outside my garden, and it normally only interests me insofar as my green reptile friends claim parts of it as their territory, and I very much prefer it to be horseless (which it thankfully often is).
Not that the horses bother the reptiles - the lizards don't mind them one bit, and I've even seen them jump from the safety of the fly honeysuckle shrub which the pasture borders on right between the deadly looking hooves of the horses to forage for snails, without any sign of fear or even respect.
No, the reason I have a very conflicted relationship with those horses is that they are mighty cute and that there's usually also foals. The sight of those beautiful, happy animals jumping around and frolicking (it's a huge pasture and you can tell the horses really love it) is irresistible: and that inevitably attracts what in the entire universe is known as the most destructive anti-matter and ultimate undoing of any nature photographer: other humans.
Unlike with the horses, the lizards ARE indeed very much bothered by specimens of loud, unpredictable Homo sapiens sapiens - which makes those (and by extension also the horses) the cryptonite of this here reptile photographer. It's not the horses' fault, I know that, but that doesn't change a thing. I'm just telling you how it is (and some of you might have read about the traumatic events I had to endure to get a particular photo - if not, read at your own risk here: www.flickr.com/photos/191055893@N07/51405389883/in/datepo... - which clearly demonstrated that even when it's entirely horseless, that pasture is still a threat for artistic endeavours).
But back to the photo. So one morning during my vacation back in May I got up quite early. It had rained all night, and now the fog was creeping up from the valley below to our village just as the sky cleared up and the morning sun started to shine through the trees.
And just as I did when I was a teenager I grabbed my camera and ran out to photograph this beautiful mood of ghostlike trees and sunbeams cutting through the mist. There had already been such a day a week earlier (which is when I took this photo: www.flickr.com/photos/191055893@N07/51543603732/in/datepo... ), but this time, the horses were also there.
Because of our slightly strained relationship I only took this one photo of them (I now wish I had taken more: talk about missed opportunities), and otherwise concentrated on the landscape. It was only later when I went through all the photos on my computer that I realized that I actually really liked those horses, even despite the whole composition being such a cliché. And I realized another thing: when I drained the photo of all the color, I liked it even better - because there was almost a bit of grain in it, like in the photos from my youth.
Since then I have experimented quite a bit with b/w and sepia compositions (some of which I will upload here eventually I guess), but this photo here is the first one that helped me rediscover my old passion. I hope you like it even though it builds quite a stark contrast with the rest of my tiny - and very colorful - gallery. But in the spirit of showing you the whole Lacerta bilineata habitat (and also in the spirit of expanding my gallery a bit beyond lizards and insects), I think it's not such a bad fit.
As always, many greetings to all of you, have a wonderful day and don't hesitate to let me know what you think 😊
...for a day when I really wanted--needed?--to share something pastoral and peaceful, for a day when the whole world seems a bit topsy-turvy. A day like today and recent days.
This is Devon, in rural England. I took this photo this past spring on a family holiday. Even whilst taking it, I felt a sense of perspective and peace, and I need that today.
Listening to Liam Bailey's "Stun Me": youtu.be/7AWWtFsM3i4
Been awhile since I headed out for am shoots. Thanks to my jet lag I was up and about today.
No filters.
HDRI from 3 exposures.
Its been about nine months since I've moved to where I am now so I thought it was about time Id go back and see if I could catch up with my old friend Red the fox who appeared at the start of the covid lockdown. Now he seems to be the boss of five other foxes who are all in great condition with no hint of mange. This is one of his friends here as Red decided to go off just as I got my camera out but seems as tame as ever so will have to catch up with him a little later. This gang of six sometimes quarrel, sometimes they fight, sometimes, they get on, and sometimes they are the best of friends.
Been using my D800 sparingly as I wait for my big duffel bag of stuff to arrive back from India - its being shipped back within the household good of some co-workers. Inside that bag is my battery charger for my D800 batteries - hence the rationing. Thought the hoary frost from last night was worth some electrons. I hope I have it back soon.
We had been away for a while, and when we came back to our old country house, I saw this “spot” of about 1 cm² outside on the kitchen window. I thought a young bird had crashed and made this, but later noticed that the spot had changed shape. Taking a better look revealed that the spot was actually many small spider babies. Sometimes close in a bunch, later more spread, then close again. I let them live there until one day the spot was gone, and now I have hundreds of small spiders around my house, I guess :-)
It's has been a year today since I joined Flickr. My photostream contains now (dec 11, 2007) 194 photos and has been viewed 32 000 times.
Thank you all very much -- for your comments and encouragements, for your friendships.
Most popular photo: Walking along the beach at sunset www.flickr.com/photos/henribonell/396371810/ (833 comments, viewed 5,707 times and 375 people call this photo a favorite)
Over time, I've been building my castle of love
Just for two, though you never knew you were my reason
I've gone much too far for you now to say
That I've got to throw my castle away
Over dreams, I have picked out a perfect come true
Though you never knew it was of you I've been dreaming
The sandman has come from too far away
For you to say come back some other day
And though you don't believe that they do
They do come true
For did my dreams
Come true when I looked at you
And maybe too, if you would believe
You too might be
Overjoyed, over loved, over me
The 2017 has been a great and rich year for my photography and for my travels. Then, with one of my latest shots, I want to thank you all once more for following me and wish a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to Everyone!!
See you soon, now is time to take a break and celebrate with my family.
some sad news I have been expecting arrived yesterday ...
my dear Aunt Mal passed after battling cancer for many years ..
she had a good life and lived her entire life in Wales .. . she loved horses and farms .
when she discovered she had cancer she immediately arranged to hike the Pennine Way .. . this National Trail chases along the mountain tops along the rugged backbone of England and offers 268 miles of the finest upland walking in England. A once in a lifetime experience.
her energy and laughter and encouragement will be with me forever .. some special light never dies .. I miss her already ..
texture by kerstinfrankart
If this is where Calgon has been transporting people all this time, I need to take more bubble baths.
Four Bridges Project
I've been sorting through a lot of 'old' photos recently and have come across a few that I think are worth posting in and amongst more recent shots. Here's one of a Snowy Egret taken in Florida a few years ago.
As always, thank you so much for stopping by and for leaving any comments or faves, they are very much appreciated.
So, this shot has been sitting on my hard drive since I took it back in January 2017, I loved the fractured reflection and the sort of dark, surreal alternate reality it conveyed with golden glitter and distorted classic architecture. It's as if the building is saying, "Look at me" but it's not real, it's a distortion of reality taken from the surrounding buildings. Take away the reflection and it's dark building that struggles to convey power and strength, a false power and strength but alluring all the same. So it's with this in mind that it never got posted.
I decided to post it today because of some factors that seem to have come together. One is the obvious end of a four year nightmare and one has to do with me just missing a good walk in the city due to COVID. I've been looking through my archive folders at city pics that never were posted and thinking now is the time. Along this line, I was conversing with Leon, a new contact here on Flickr and was a bit surprised to find that he hadn't seen any architectural shots in my photostream. The reason goes back to not being able to get to NYC or any city for that matter since COVID started so not much architectural or travel photography in quite some time.
With this in mind it seems the time is right to post this shot.
Been on the bucket list for a long time, after several failed attempts finally got one.
Groby, Leicestershire.
at long last! I've been waiting for their return!!! Hope to have more in the next couple of weeks, but sadly they are on the decline drastically from last year!
Texture: 2 Lil' Owls
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/conservationists-monarch-b...
It's been pretty cold in southern England for the last few days with hard frosts and morning mists. In weather like this, it doesn't pay to have a leisurely stroll. A brisk walk is the order of the day!
Featuring:
∇ #aesthetic. // Gemma Crop - FATPACK
Available at the Mainstore
∇ SamPoses - Liesbeth
EXCLUSIVE at the POSE FAIR
December 7th to December 28th
Song:
∇ Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone (VIDEO)
Been finding it hard to get motivated for Christmas this year. Almost didn't even bother putting the tree up but after looking at all the gorgeous Holiday Bokeh images on Macro Mondays group I dragged out my ancient tree and ornaments and put it up. It may be over 25 years old but it still decorates up well.
Been outdoors for some shooting and stumbled across this litlle beauty of nature. It almost seemed that she was standing there as an satellite adjusted to sent out her beauty into the universe.
Thank you for visits, comments and favs!
Vielen Dank für Eure Besuche, Kommentare und Sternchen!
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
It's been in the news: "This is the first big partial eclipse to happen in the UK since 1999, and the next one isn't until August 2026, so this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity." - So all gear set up and waiting - hoping for a glimpse of that "once-in-a-generation" event...
BUT the weather didn't play by the rules where I live: Muddy skiess all morning... No sun to be seen, let alone the moon trying to cover it up...
Still, with all the gear in place, when the clouds went I decided to do a shot of the sun (background image - HDR'ed) and "post-processed" my moon in with Photoshop afterwards.
Ha: If you cannot rely on UK clear skies, create your own eclipse! ;-)
Made for mental sanity & Sliders Sunday: HSS!
....I’ve been stitched together by song lyrics, book quotes, adventure, late night conversations, moonlight, and the smell of coffee.
Brooke Hampton <3
#InternationalWomensDay
#March8
Not a ladybird which might have been a slightly more appropriate "supermodel" for International Women's Day because of its name, but an equally pretty Cryptocephalus bipunctatus. The whole supermodel thing is a relic of the past anyway, but unfortunately, we still haven't freed ourselves from questionable beauty "ideals" that often come across as beauty dictates. Social media and "influencers" don't make it any easier, especially not for the younger generation that is exposed (and exposes itself) to what one might call the "daily dose of beauty brainwash", recently taken to the next level with the all-new "beauty filters".
In Berlin (and in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, one of Germany's Northern federal states), March 8 is an official holiday, but not (yet?) in the other 14 of our 16 federal states. So this Wednesday – where all shops, schools, etc. are closed (and the weather is too ghastly to go outside – winter made a snowy-wet, cold reappearance) – feels like a very quiet, lazy Sunday, and I have too much time for writing rants instead of simply letting you enjoy this adorable, brightly orange beetle, a member of the so-called "Fallkäfer" (Cryptocephalinae) subfamily of the leaf beetle family. The name "Fallkäfer" (a beetle that falls or drops) derives from their distinctive habit of dropping abruptly when disturbed. This image also is a true oldie, I've taken it back in June 2017 at the beautiful public park Britzer Garten. The focus is ever so slightly off and more on the plant than on the beetle itself, but I think it's still sharp enough in general.
Wishing all of my female Flickr friends a Happy International Women's Day!
It had been a fairly ordinary day until the breakdown...
Created for the 48th Contest on Man Ray: Market Trolley
With thanks to Paul for the starter image and several of the textures, the men are from the LOC, the other textures are mine.
Caught me off guard, I wish that I'd been sober
Still, here we are, back in Hanover 99
Just like old times all over
Under the exit lights as beautiful as ever
I really wish that I dressed up a little better
No regrets is what we said
We can't go back again
Darling, nobody said that it would last forever
That doesn't mean we didn't try to get there
I never said that we would die together
That doesn't mean it was a lie, remember
Nobody said that it would last forever
Been awhile since I posted a monochrome image. Sometimes b/w works as good or better than technicolor presentations.
My long-exposure capture of Montana's Ousel Falls captured the mist trail nicely as it floated downstream. Truly an enchanting waterfall.
Enjoy a wonderful Tuesday!
I had been to the lake several times this spring and summer. Yet I had no idea there was a family of swans at this end of the lake. I go to check on some grebes and shorebirds but never really looked out further than the first 50 meters.
On my drive into the the area I noticed this family and was happy to spot them and a little sad that I did not pay attention the other dozen times I went there previously. Makes me realize that we get tunnel vision when we expect to find certain species and need to stop and look around and listen to what else might be around.
Young swans and swan babies are called cygnets until they reach their first year of age.
-Cygnus buccinator
So, I've been experimenting with some new heads this past week - some for better, some for worse, all of them still works in progress. Bear with me! 💕
Featuring:
Seul Exposed Shoulders Blouse
Kitja Nalan Jeans - available at Kustom9 through 10-Jul
Zenith Lolita Leather Handbag - from Winter Lolita Gacha 2
Tram C409 hair
Taken at Sobe
Full details at Grumpy Kitten.
Here's a Red-shouldered Hawk on its way to the nest with some additional nesting material. I believe that the Florida Red-shouldered breed earlier than the species in other parts of the country. Once site had them breeding from January to May when general reference books state the species breed from May to July. In any event, I'm hoping that they are not just faking us out and that we have some new chicks to celebrate. In the course of my reading I learned that the females are larger than the males (probably smarter too) and that the pair are monogamous. Having said that, I've never been able to see the size difference but will pay more attention in the future. Happy 2023 everyone. (Buteo lineatus)