It is Kam aka Tomatoskin in the water, Hock How was also in the water, but was not as close to me.

Just to clarify, I didn't get wet, stayed dry :-)

The kind words from my wife when I showed her this photo of a Kingfisher. To clarify, I didn't :)

Played around with a fair amount of curve adjustments tonight. The ruins I did first followed by the rays. Colour balancing to set the mood then the Knight and his eagle to set the stage. Just to clarify it is a composite of free stock i've used from deviant art.

just to clarify again, there is no photoshop on this photo (or any of my photos except for cleaning dust off from the scanner)... this is all done inside the camera... :)

I don't often tell people when I get lost, but this night I got very lost. This picture was taken just before I made a couple of bad choices that got me nearly stuck in the mud in a place with no roads. Thankfully I didn't get stuck in the mud, and I found my way back to civilization.

While I don't know how old this 'house' is, I have always been intrigued by old things. I often wonder what their stories are. I'm sure this old shack has seen it's fair share of storms, and so this is nothing new (at least for it - I had never seen this sight). But it has to be getting weaker by the year. And if it's going to get knocked over, it's very likely that it's by a South Dakota storm (whether a summer thunderstorm or a winter blizzard). And so I wonder, if buildings could feel, if each storm successive makes it a little more nervous that this might be it's last. One could hope if that is how it meets it's end, that at least there could be a beautiful moment of glory before the storm takes this old shack.

**Please let me know if something doesn't seem right with this image. I tried something new with image, so critiques are more than welcome (as always - but sometimes it takes a little encouragement). I appreciate positive comments (always) as well, but I find that I learn more through criticism.

[>--*Edit*--<]

Now it's time to let 'the cat out of the bag' and let you all know why I wanted you to treat this image a little differently than my usual.

In this maytag97 can help as he clarified a key difference. Those 'rays' weren't there originally and are drawn in using Photoshop. I normally wouldn't do anything of the sort, but I felt it was necessary (to help pull the image together) as the image itself isn't 'real' either. The sun/sky were taken from one image (and flipped horizontally), and the landscape was taken from another image. The images were taken on different days and from different locations. However, if I had been at the location where I took the landscape/shack pic on the same night as the storm was moving through I very possibly could have gotten an image very much like this (I feel).

I felt the final image was compelling and wanted to see what others thought, hence the emphasis on 'criticisms.'

Again, thank you all.

When I planned my Arizona trip, the Grand Canyon Railway was not a factor at all in my decision making process. While I would be in the area of Williams for two nights, I decided to treat their southbound return trip as a bonus, if I happened to be otherwise untangled from shooting the Transcon and Peavine.

As it turned out, the trickle down effects of maintenance of way windows near Flagstaff and Yampai resulted in relatively few trains on Saturday afternoon. With the first clear sunset of my trip shaping up to the west, I knew I could knock off some shots of the returning GCRY trip without missing much or anything on the normally busy mainline, in the golden hour.

Upon arriving at the closest grade crossing to Williams, I discovered a local fan already staking out the scene. He confirmed that the train hadn't passed yet, and we commenced chatting. In the following minutes several other carloads of photographers and tourists pulled up and spread out around the crossing. My surprise must have been visible, so my new friend iterated "It's the first Saturday of the month." as if this was to mean something to me. Still not getting what he meant, he clarified that on the first Saturday of each month, the Grand Canyon Railway powered their excursion train with one of their steam locomotives. No sooner had this registered, then the stack talk of the approaching Mikado became audible.

I did my best to crouch down out of the line of sight of the ragged photo line, and shot the above image. Unfortunately the train is coasting downhill at this point, so the only steam emitted from the locomotive was that from the whistle.

The point of this reminder isn’t to be morbid or promote fear, but to inspire, motivate and clarify.

Today's image was taken near to Kenilworth. It is a view looking up the lane toward an empty barn that is part of the Cryfield Grange Farmhouse.

The photo was taken using the App ExposerGL on my iPhone 6.

First I used the app Snapseed to edit the picture. I cropped and Straightened the image. I then applied the Tonal Contrast and HDR Scape filter. After this I added the number 5 glamour glow filter to the image. Next I used the app Waterlogue to apply the Vibrant watercolour setting to the picture. Finally I used the app PhotoToaster to add the Clarify preset a small dark vignette, the Canvas texture and the Parchment frame.

Recreating one of those rare moments we talk to ourselves to clarify a situation and calm down...

On Instagram : www.instagram.com/p/C3TTKLyIXrr/

The image today was taken early this morning just before I went to work, not far from where I live. It is a view looking towards the rising sun over Prior Deram park.

The photo was taken using the App VividHDR on my iPhone 6.

First I used the app Lightroom to straighten the image. I then changed the White balance to warm the image up a little. I then applied the Old Polar and Warm presets. Next I used the app Enlight to apply a lightly customised version of the Artistic Dahlia painting preset along with a little of the clarity setting. Finally I used PhotoToaster apply a little of the Clarify setting and add the Leather frame.

digital art using "Silk" application on iPad with Apple Pencil, then clarifying and embellishing with ProCreate on iPad with Apple Pencil.

Last year’s holiday star was for my friend Harry Urban, and showed my enjoyment of embroidery.

This year’s star shows six sharp “pointy” points. This picture goes with my blog entry about dementia symptom of not connecting cause with effect, and the various strategies now that i have returned from Emergency Room, Life Flight, and emergency removal of very "pointy" thing from my throat.

-- Tru finished 07Dec2021 and blog entry at >> truthfulkindness.com/2021/12/10/pointy-pkg/ .

#Macro Mondays

#Hobby

Chess is believed to have originated in India sometime before the 7th century. The game was derived from the Indian game chaturanga. Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a chessboard, a checkered game board with 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. The game is played by millions of people worldwide.

Chess is one of the most mind bending and intellectually stimulating games available. It has been proven to develop you analytical skills and help to clarify your thinking. Although it is very complex game to play well, it is very easy to begin. Once you learn the basic moves each piece can do and a few other rules you can begin to play. Practicing is where you really learn to become a better player. You can never be to young to learn and many people keep learning past their old age.

UPDATE: Since I have been wrongfully accused in the comments below of doctoring this image, I want to clarify a few things. The rays you see in the sky are anti-crepuscular rays which occur in the opposite direction of the rising sun. Those rays in combination with the Belt of Venus are responsible for the color and texture in the sky. This is an optical phenomenon that is more often seen in high altitude environments such as this. There were no "Luminar" sunrays added and I would have no problem showing the raw file.

Several of the western states are currently engulfed in wildfires and smoke, with California, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington being the worst affected. Many people and wildlife have been displaced from their communities. Firefighters are working bravely and tirelessly to contain the spread and minimize the devastating impact. Today, we are dedicating this image to all that have been affected by the recent fires. This was the last evening of a smoke-free sky in the PNW.

Please note the proceeds of any prints purchased in September will be donated to the National Fallen FireFighter Foundation and National Forest Services.

I shot this scene as a stitched pano in vertical mode which allowed me to use a longer focal length. If I had used a wide angle lens, the background mountains would look flat and the full moon would be very small. By shooting a pano I now have a 170 MP image to make very large prints.

Image may contain: sky, mountain, tree, outdoor, nature and water

Finally, my Christmas present arrived! My first true macro shot. :)

To clarify: this is my first 1:1 macro, but I have several close-up pictures using diopters.

I have observed the Australasian Darters for many years but only recently I've came to the conclusion that males feed the young birds much longer than the females.

Just to clarify - the father is on the lower branch...

(Anhinga novaehollandiae)

The Cathedral of Seville is built on the old aljama mosque of the city, this shows the power that one culture exercises over another when it is conquered. This fact makes its plan different, facing Mecca and not Jerusalem, that is, facing south instead of east. It should be clarified that Mecca is oriented at 10o from Seville and not at 86o as the old mosque is oriented, this is due to the fact that in Al-Andalus the mosques had to be oriented towards the south quadrant and not towards the east, as the Christian churches did. When the Cathedral Chapter commissioned the design of the Gothic Cathedral, it stated verbatim that it wanted a Cathedral that everyone who saw it would take for crazy. For this, 5 naves were created that covered the 116 by 76 meter rectangle occupied by the Almohad mosque, this results, unlike what was usual in the great European Gothic Cathedrals, a hall plan with a Latin cross marked in height and in width by the central naves and the transept. This hall plan also results in the absence of an ambulatory at the head, which ends in a straight line like the wall of the old mosque. Later the Royal Chapel would be added, which is a Renaissance apse, but it does not really correspond to the Gothic company. In the naves of the Gospel and the Epistle, which are the lateral naves, there are many chapels. The 60 pillars support 68 ogive vaults, highlighting those of the transept and central nave with their star shapes. Instead of placing a clerestory, a continuous balcony was chosen along the main nave in order to be able to wander around the temple without being seen. Located in the central nave, in order from the feet, are the Retrochoir, the Choir, with two organs, the Transept, the Main Altar, the Back of Altar and the Royal Chapel.

alcazarsevilletour.com/visit-the-cathedral/inside/

Portland Head light is probably the most famous US lighthouse. Informally is known as Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse as it sits at the tip of Cape Elizabeth right at the entry of Casco bay. It is 25 meters tall and its light can be seen from roughly 24 nautical miles away. George Washington himself gave the order to build the lighthouse in 1787 and it's interesting that the directions he gave to the constructors specifically clarified that due to shortage of money they should build it as cheap as possible. The Lighthouse is now part of the Fort Williams Park and it's arguably Portland's most visited landmark.

Thievery Corporation (ft.Gunjan) - Doors Of Perception

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIODLQ2jxpE

Το Portland Headlight ειναι πιθανοτατα ο πιο διασημος φαρος των ΗΠΑ. Ανεπισημα ειναι γνωστος και ως Φαρος του Ακρωτηριου Elizabeth καθως βρισκεται στην κορυφη αυτου ακριβως στην εισοδο του Κολπου Casco. Εχει υψος 25 μετρα και το φως του ειναι ορατο απο αποσταση 24 ναυτικων μιλιων. Ο ιδιος ο George Washington εδωσε την εντολη για την κατασκευη του φαρου το 1787 και το ενδιαφερον στοιχειο ειναι πως ζητησε απο τους κατασκευαστες να χρησιμοποιησουν οσο φτηνοτερα υλικα μπορουσαν να βρουν λογω ελλειψης χρηματων. Ο φαρος πλεον ανηκει στο πάρκο του Fort Williams και λογικα ειναι το πιο τουριστικο αξιοθεατο του Portland.

Bovey Tracey, Devon, UK. In camera movement image. No post processing, other than cropped and clarified.

#6222 - 2025 Day 12/365: "Many facets" would be a phrase I'd use for much of life actually. When we can see life from multiple perspectives it does not necessarily clarify but it does expand our consciousness.

Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)

I just love this species so much. They're so fun to watch and so full of spunk and personality. Right now spring is in the air and they are pairing up. Bring on the babies!! (let me clarify: bird babies!)

Check out nature.org (Nature Conservancy) to invest in the private conservation of critical habitats for our wildlife.

Nikon D500 - 300 f/4 prime - 1/1000 - f/6.3 - ISO 400

First, Merton clarified the stages of contemplation: its starting point is finding the true self, its goal is union with God or an awakening to Reality, and its fruit is openness and sharing of compassionate love with others. Merton began his search for God not from outside the self but inside the self. He stated, “Our real journey in life is interior: it is a matter of growth, deepening and of an ever greater surrender to the creative action of love and grace in our hearts.” 158 He claimed that if contemplative life was conceived merely in classical categories such as “a life of withdrawal, tranquility, retirement, silence,” and rigid ascetical disciplines for the monk only, it would be “finished” for his contemporaries. 159 However, if contemplative life developed out of a process of “new self-discovery,” proceeded with real discipline, and was at the same time theologically sound, the contemplative life could be renewed for all people.

-Thomas Merton’s encounter with Buddhism and beyond: his interreligious dialogue, inter-monastic exchanges, and their legacy / Jaechan Anselmo Park, OSB.

The image for today was taken this evening at home in my kitchen. The view is my entry for Macro Mondays. The theme for this entry is Stitch. I thought that I would try a variation on the theme today by capturing the label being Un-Stitched on an old pair of jeans. As always today's image was taken and edited on my iPhone 6.

The photo was taken using a Macro Lens attachment and the app 645 Pro on my iPhone 6.

First I used the app Snapseed to edit the photo. I Cropped the image and applied the Tonal Contrast filter. I then boosted the Contrast, Saturation, Ambiance and Shadows. I also added a vignette and decreased the Highlights. Next I used the app ShockMyPic to apply an abstract painterly effect to the image. Finally I used PhotoToaster to add the Clarify preset and a Deep Dark Vignette. I then applied the Stucco texture and the Stacked frame.

The relationships between the species need to be further clarified

Hidden almost out of sight, just off the Huron Street bridge in downtown Stratford, Ontario lies the Shakespearean Gardens. This well manicured English garden offers a formal setting with boxwood hedges,stone walkways, benches and gazebo yet comes alive with the brilliant colour of an amazing array of flowers, herbs, shrubs and trees.

The views from the garden are just as impressive with the historic Perth County Courthouse to one side and the gently flowing Avon River on the other side. Stone steps and a pathway along the Avon River lead you underneath the old Huron Street bridge and towards the Shakespeare Festival.

Glastonbury Tor dominates the Somerset countryside for many miles around, with the roofless St Michael's Tower crowning the summit. The Tor is mentioned in Celtic mythology, particularly in myths linked to King Arthur, and has a number of other enduring mythological and spiritual associations.

The conical hill of clay and Blue Lias rises from the Somerset Levels. It was formed when surrounding softer deposits were eroded, leaving the hard cap of sandstone exposed. The slopes of the hill are terraced, but the method by which they were formed remains unexplained. Artifacts have been found, dating from the Iron Age to Roman eras.

Several buildings were constructed on the summit during the Saxon and early medieval periods; they have been interpreted as an early church and monks' hermitage. The head of a wheel cross dating from the 10th or 11th century has been recovered. The original wooden church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275, and the stone Church of St Michael built on the site in the 14th century. Its tower remains, although it has been restored and partially rebuilt several times. Archaeological excavations during the 20th century sought to clarify the background of the monument and church, but some aspects of their history remain unexplained. The whole site is managed by the National Trust, and has been designated a scheduled monument.

DF, Brazil.

This butterfly is currently identified as Pharneuptychia innocentia, but it's part of a species complex - a group of very similar species that are hard to distinguish based on appearance alone. Taxonomic revisions are underway, and new research may clarify its true identity in the near future.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Lepidoptera

Superfamily: Papilionoidea

Family: Nymphalidae

Subfamily: Satyrinae

Tribe: Satyrini

Subtribe: Euptychiina

Genus: Pharneuptychia Forster, 1964

Species: P. innocentia (C. & R. Felder, 1867)

Binomial name: Pharneuptychia innocentia

Snow, warm water and sun.

Hand mixture of three exposure and little more.

Edit: Just to clarify. This is not a sunset. It's taken just before noon at 12:18 (24h format).

UP SD60M 2281 and UP SD60 2236 come by West Armour as they head down the BNSF St Joseph Sub for KC. This UP MSJKC 07 is passing through the small town of Rushville, MO (in the background) in which the UP used to run west across the Missouri River and into Atkinson, KS to join their own line (UP Falls City Sub). While on the BNSF the F is added to symbol clarifying it is a "foreign" train.

The floods of June 2011 destroyed the Atkinson river bridge and now the UP runs everything on the BNSF to and from St Joseph. These searchlights are no about to be history as another once different line will become like every other piece of track in most cases.

Leica M6, Summicron 2/50 DR (1962), ADOX CMS 20 II Pro @ ISO 12, Epson V600, Affinity Photo

======================

I find it curious how one can find traces of dignity in forgotten things.

The door level is actually a mystery that I hurry to clarify. The picture was taken from the inner side of the house. There are some small size pillars that must have been used to support a flooring at the door level. This can be seen on the following picture:

www.flickr.com/photos/jaime_lebre/51034586083/in/datepost...

OK admit it. How many of you found yourself saying the second line of the verse? A little reprieve from pre surgery preparations this afternoon.

Secret Garden Tsawwassen.

Guess I should clarify that I am fine but Kevin is having knee surgery

Part 2 - Time-lapse shooting

To clarify this first. I know what you're thinking. Where tf does the light come from? It is coming from one of many cars that are driving through the Dolomites in the holiday season, even late at night. Of course I took advantage of it and used this frame.

In part 1 I showed you a nice sunset which I took on top of the ridge which you can see far to the left in this picture. 250m elevation gain below, I arrived at Hotel Car just before darkness, had a typical outdoor dinner and a problem. I only brought one T-shirt and a sweater. Both where soaking wet from the humidity and my poor fitness. I thought I can not spend the night outside with just a jacket, so I had the idea, in best manner of MacGyver to open the hood of my car and to dry them on the engine which was still fairly warm.

Of course it didn't work well because I was running out of time. The spot that I scouted beforehand was 1 kilometer away and the Milky way won't wait for me.

Ok, no choice. A jacket and a sleeping bag should do it. I walked to another beautiful ridge that impressed me with spectacular views from east to west. It was clear, the Milky way was up, battling with the unavoidable light pollution and I tried to set up my gear as fast as possible. That means, putting a lens heating on (impossible without when humid), connecting Camranger to remote control the camera. Guys, this is a very good thing if you have to spend many hours in darkness, not knowing if everything is ok with the camera. It also helps to kill time when you can see the results on the fly. Sometimes there is a beautiful meteor right in the frame like it was the case here. (I added some of the nicest of the sequence to this shot.)

Three hours later I couldn't take it anymore. My sleeping back my backpack and most importantly my camera where so wet as if they had taken a shower (Great job Nikon!). Fatigue was overwhelming and I decided that I have enough frames and should get 3hrs of sleep. My journey wasn't over. Ten kilometers away from here, in the heart of the Dolomites I wanted to capture the sunrise. But that's another story...

Ah the White river, I'm so glad I got to paddle this lovely section that runs through the Bibon swamp preserve.

Cocktails-to-Go Day / Social Distancing Day 175, 09/04/2020, Sunnyside, NY

Clarified Piña Colada by Undercote

INGREDIENTS:

Rum, Clairin, Aquavit, Ananas, Lime Agave, Kokosvann, Cocoa Powder, Angostura

Subterranean spot beneath a fine-dining restaurant with craft cocktails, champagne & jungle decor.

Address: 16 W 22nd St, New York, NY 10010 ~ www.cotenyc.com/#undercote

Canon EOS-1DS

135.0 mm

ƒ/2.0 135.0 mm 1/100 400

FaceBook | Blogger | Instagram | Lens Wide-Open

(Explore: Sept 06, 2020, #344)

The little bug is coming home with me today! He's been sleeping in my room at the breeder's house for the past 3 nights, and while there have been some growing pains (yaaawn), last night was fantastic; Lux was quiet for a full 5 hours, and I don't want to kill anyone today!

Last part was a joke. This is the internet, important to clarify.

when i got into work today, this is what i found.

wow.

365(2nd) - 1

New year resolution: to clarify my vision and upgrade my PS skills

Yes, I changed the BG of the shot above.

My son. He kinda looks like me, sometimes ;-P

I should start uploading differently, original is much sharper...

I like the outtake below in comments too, but it does not completely express the resolution i.e. it gained a 2nd place. Anyhow, I adore those colours.

Since I couldn't resist, I then combined both to get the result in the 2nd comment and I have a feeling the last one will end up on his FB as the new profile pic ;-)

Day 001

1/1/11

Previous 365 on Day 1 I was admiring a mother

Long sight in age

They say eyes clear with age,

As dew clarifies air

To sharpen evenings,

As if time put an edge

Round the last shape of things

To show them there;

The many-levelled trees,

The long soft tides of grass

Wrinkling away the gold

Wind-ridden waves- all these,

They say, come back to focus

As we grow old.

Philip Larkin

In a pitch-black hall of mirrors (ISO 25600), artist Julian Charrière presents the

Panchronic Garden -

specially developed for the museum, a seemingly endless greenhouse full of plants, living ferns that glow jet black when bathed in infrared light. This installation evokes the history of coal mining in North Rhine-Westphalia and the huge primeval forests of the Carboniferous that grew there 300 million years ago.

Charrière clarifies also with this

which unimaginably long periods of time the earth's history is in comparison with human scales.

Why the artist is concerned ...

The title of his exhibition is "Controlled Burn"

The basic material of coal is mainly of plant origin.

Typical coal formation takes its beginning in extensive swamp forests of lowlands. The trees and ferns bind carbon dioxide, CO2 from the air by means of photosynthesis and convert it into the carbohydrate cellulose and other organic compounds.

After individual trees die, they sink into the swamp and are thus removed from the normal aerobic decomposition process - peat is initially formed.

Coal is formed from the peat when subsidence occurs over geological periods of time, i.e. many tens of millions of years, and overburden.

In this process, with increasing depth of subsidence, both the ambient pressure and the ambient temperature rise to well above 1000°. This causes the so-called incarburization of the peaty sediments.

Initially, lignite is formed. As the depth of injection increases, the coalification process intensifies. Lignite becomes hard coal and finally anthracite. For this reason, the quality of coal is often better the deeper it lies in the earth and the older it is.

Similar processes occur in the formation of oil and gas. The artist wants to make clear to us the time span of our waste and the corresponding climate and earth damage in proportion to the formation time of the fossil energy sources ...

Betreten auf eigen Gefahr ...

In einem stockfinsteren Spiegelsaal (ISO 25600) stellt der Künstler Julian Charrière den eigens für das Museum entwickelte

Panchronischen Garten

vor – ein scheinbar endloses Gewächshaus voller Pflanzen, lebendige Farne, die in Infrarotlicht getaucht, tiefschwarz leuchten. Diese Installation erinnert an die Geschichte des Kohleabbaus in Nordrhein-Westfalen und an die

riesigen Urwälder des Karbons, die dort vor 300 Millionen Jahren wuchsen.

Charrière verdeutlicht auch mit diesem

Werk, welche unvorstellbar langen Zeiträume die Erdge-

schichte im Vergleich zu menschlichen Massstäben

kennzeichnen.

Sein Ausstellungstitel - Controlled Burn ...

Das Ausgangsmaterial von Kohle ist hauptsächlich pflanzlichen Ursprungs.

Typische Kohlebildung nimmt ihren Anfang in ausgedehnten Sumpfwäldern von Tiefebenen. Die Bäume und Farne binden mittels Photosynthese Kohlendioxid, CO2 aus der Luft und wandeln es in das Kohlenhydrat Zellulose und andere organische Verbindungen um.

Nach dem Absterben einzelner Bäume versinken diese im Sumpf und werden so dem normalen aeroben Zersetzungsprozess entzogen – es entsteht zunächst Torf.

Aus dem Torf entsteht Kohle, wenn es zu Absenkung über geologische Zeiträume hinweg, also viele dutzend Millionen Jahre kommt und zu Überdeckungen.

Dabei steigen mit zunehmender Versenkungstiefe sowohl der Umgebungsdruck als auch die Umgebungstemperatur bis weit über 1000°. Dies verursacht die sogenannte Inkohlung der torfigen Sedimente.

Dabei entsteht zunächst Braunkohle. Mit zunehmender Versenkung intensiviert sich die Inkohlung. Aus Braunkohle wird Steinkohle und schließlich Anthrazit. Deshalb ist die Qualität von Kohle oft umso besser, je tiefer sie in der Erde liegt und je älter sie ist.

Ähnliche Prozesse laufen bei der Entstehung von Öl und Gas ab. Der Künstler möchte uns die Zeitspanne unserer Verschwendung und der entsprechenden Klima- und Erdschädigung in der Proportion zur Entstehungszeit der fossilen Energieträger verdeutlichen ...

_V0A6251_pt2

645Pro

Camera+ (Clarify)

10 Year Project

Each month I take a favourite photo from ten years back, and re-edit it, using current tools and knowledge.

This one is a bit different. I just wanted to clarify things a little, so that the details were more apparent. The current tools made that much easier, and I quite like the result.

Unlike my usual drive-by shooting, I'm quite familiar with this place. It was my grandfather's farmhouse, and we used to visit frequently as kids, before we moved too far away. RIP, Grandad.

do you ever feel like a day is magical? i do. and today was one of those days.

okay, i just wanted to add this description that clarifies who i am.

this picture is me.

some people seem to get confused..heh.

One from the past Aug 2017

My 7 year old grandson is starting to take an interest in wildlife watching.

Bird identification has taken on a few strange twists however. So to clarify these are now blue birds and dunnocks obviously are Duncan's.

Blue Tit - Cyanistes Caeruleus

Golden Acre Park

Many thanks to all those who take the time to comment on my photos. It is truly appreciated.

DSC_2395

The ducklings spend their time doing five things: eating, napping, preening, swimming and sleeping. This photo was taken August 19 and I think a couple of the broods hatched quite late in the season. There are about a dozen chicks at this young stage, while most others around the pond are almost the size of their mothers.

Of all the chicks, this one youngster seemed quite curious. While her siblings were huddled close together, she would walk a few steps away on her own and do some exploring.

Linda made a comment yesterday about the wet appearance of the ducklings. I don't know much about ducks but I know they have a gland that secretes oil, which waterproofs their down. I think the wet look of this duck is caused by preening, as she spreads the oil onto her outer feathers. I'm sure there are some birders out there that can clarify that.

Rework of an older picture of mine. I improved the clouds, clarified the mountain some more, and added the windmill. If you look close enough I'm standing next to it.

Today's photo was taken late this afternoon at the Canal Basin in Coventry. The view is showing the scene at the start of the Coventry Canal along with some of the shops and converted warehouses that for the Canal Basin area. There are also the reflections of a couple of Narrow Boats in the foreground.

The photo was taken using the app KitCam on my iPhone 6.

First I used the app Snapseed to edit the picture. I cropped the image and applied the Tonal Contrast preset and decreased the Highlights. I then increased the Shadow areas and boosted the Saturation, Contrast, Warmth and Ambiance. I finally applied a vignette to the image. After this I used the app PicsArt to apply the Artistic Oil Paint preset to the image but decreased the intensity a little. Finally I used PhotoToaster to add the Clarify preset, the Vibrant FX and a Small Dark Vignette. I then applied the Stucco texture and the Charcoal frame.