View allAll Photos Tagged December2017
. . . Where did you get those Peepers?" This Snowy Owl was quite wide awake after being scared off a spot by an oblivious couple walking down the gravel road at the Muskegon Wastewater Plant. They never saw the owl and walked right towards it! Several other photographers and I were trying to wave them off, but the couple must have thought we were just being friendly!
What I like best about this pose is not only the eyes, but take a look at those talons and fresh blood stains all down it's right chest feathers!
Have a great week Facebook, Flickr, and 500px friends!
When I have no time and want to eat fish, I go there. You can catch here everything, even salmon. It is a narrow sea-street between the islands of Vigra and Giske.
Taken at two trips in December and January in Norway. Now scanned in April. Little bit late because of my break on flickr.
Hasselblad 500C, Distagon 40mm
Kodak Portra 160, C41
Location: Bridge from Vigra to Giske / Norway
Please view on flickriver and choose a white background:
www.flickriver.com/photos/105795038@N03/
It looks better :-)
Hasselblad 500 C/M, Carl Zeiss Planar 1:2.8
Kodak Portra, C41
Location: Vigra / Alesund / Norway
Please view on flickriver and choose a white background:
www.flickriver.com/photos/105795038@N03/
It looks better :-)
Taken on Tuesday in St James`s Park London. It`s very sheltered & there were quite a few flowers still in bloom.
During my family's last five weeks initial self isolation and more recently 'Lockdown', I've very much enjoyed and learned much from seeing images posted after experiments with monochrome and framing etc - so I thought I'd try too.
Much of today it was dull and wet - so instead of another planned walk - I decided to further experiment with processing by trying out previously untried techniques.
Although I took this as a coloured landscape image, Mid Afternoon on 10.12.2017, of a nearby lane to my home in Betws yn Rhos N.Wales - apart from the diffused blue sky it came out as predominantly black and white. I thought, therefore, I would fully convert it to monochrome and add a complementary coloured border that would blend in too. This was the result.
I'd very much welcome your views and feedback please. Thanks.
I spent part of the afternoon enjoying the sun and birds along Barnegat Inlet. A moderate off shore breeze kept the birds moving out to sea. In return, the birds would eventually take to the air and fly back into the safety of the inlet. Only the harlequins seemed to avoid flying, staking their claim to some low-lying rocks. Long-tailed ducks floated in small rafts, intermittently diving together, and popping up nearby. These ducks (like the male in this photo) are capable of diving upwards of 200 feet, making them the deepest diving ducks in the world. They will soon return the Arctic to breed. #LongTailedDucks
I sit here contemplating the need for a haircut. It’s actually long overdue. Somehow, life and all its complexities seem to get in the way of the seemingly simple things. There are just too many things I want and need to accomplish today, as there are every other day. And so, I sit here ogling the plumage of this tricolored heron with a bit of admiration, tainted with a pinch of jealousy. No need for the expertise of the talented coiffeur, here.
Woke up this morning to a garden covered with a thin layer of snow and this little fella giving me the 'I'm hungry' look. The patchy white background is just the 'lawn' covered in snow.
Taken 1 December, 2017.
Camera: Nikon D300
80-400 mm lens @ 390 mm
ƒ/6.7; 1/180; ISO 280
File ref: 20171201-DSC_5565
All rights reserved.
SEE YOU SOON. LEAVING TO THE SOUTH FOR SOME ITALIAN SHOOTING :-))
Hasselblad 500C, Planar 80mm f1:2.8
Kodak Portra 160, C41
Location: Small path at Blimsanden / Vigra / Norway
Please view on flickriver and choose a white background:
www.flickriver.com/photos/105795038@N03/
It looks better :-)
Alstroemeria amazingly still blooming last week in St James`s Park. I doubt they are now following the weekend`s weather!
I wasn't 100% positive that I could manage another 365, but I did! A self-portrait every day for one year and did not miss a single day! Sure, I had (several) shots that I was less than pleased with, but it were those quick snaps that kept me in the game! I appreciate all of the views and comments, your support is greatly appreciated!
This shot is a representation of a couple of the things that I want to do in 2018. I want to continue riding my bike and I hope to complete a century ride during the year. When I was very young, I loved indoor gardening and that former love has been reignited recently. In the new year, I hope to not only keep my plants alive (still a real goal) but get them to grow and thrive, and also to gain some knowledge.
I picked this up online recently but I can't remember from where. I plan to keep this in the forefront of my mind in 2018 and I thought I would share.
1. Give thanks that my life is exactly as it is.
2. Decide that 2018 will be the happiest year of my life yet.
3. Every day, follow my heart and instincts down new paths.
Today's shot is for The Hereios' theme, Let's Be Resolute/New Year's Resolutions.
And for the Our Daily Challenge theme, beginnings and endings.
365/365
A lot can be said about wading birds that frequent our shores. They are strangely beautiful. The frequently appear prehistoric. Why shouldn’t they? Most of them have been around for millions of years. Their nesting sites are loud, raucous, and frequently a bit smelly. A few things these birds are not is agile and graceful. At least when it comes to landing. Landings and take-offs commonly seem uncoordinated and a bit like a controlled crash. Large wingspans and tight nesting spots don’t help. But watching them at nesting sites is always entertaining. I enjoyed photographing the glossy ibis and other waders at the Ocean City Rookery on the weekend of the 4th. So many of the young birds have already started to fledge the nest. It’s a great spot for interested people to get a good look at a phenomenon that is, all too frequently, out of reach to most people. #GlossyIbis
Walking back up the main road, I noticed this Blackbird in a front garden grubbing for worms. He was finding loads too.
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
Photographing flying birds at 1/100th of a second is not really recommended unless you are looking to create motion blur. I’m a big fan of creating motion blur with birds like snow geese and sandhill cranes but the opportunity to try it on snowy owls doesn’t come along all that often. On this occasion, a very early morning encounter, before the sun had broken the horizon, was just that occasion. Although I knew the chances of a clear shot were negligible, it didn’t stop me from shooting this magnificent bird. At 1200 mm handheld and only a small break of light highlighting the owl, I love the moody ambiance. #SnowyOwl
4th December 2017:
While I was taking my buttons and bows photo for the Macro Mondays group theme for this week. I was also having a play around with dark and light backgrounds with the Panasonic and Fuji to get the best result I could.
The light was horrible, but then it's been like that for ages, so I should be used to it! I took everything out onto the garden table, where I wasn't fighting the inside light and took loads of different photos with both cameras.
The Fuji won out on my Macro Mondays contribution, but also won out when it came to my photo for today.
NB This is NOT my Macro Mondays photo. It's my photo for today for "one photo each day." Here's the link to my MM photo:
www.flickr.com/photos/44506883@N04/38795871862/in/datepos...
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
When photographing aquatic birds in their habitats, one most often wishes to try to capture them at their level. This means getting down into the water or on one’s belly, shooting as close to the water’s surface as possible. At times, however, there are benefits to shooting at slightly higher angles. When lighting and background allow, shooting higher allows for capture of intriguing reflections and a photograph that teases the mind’s eye. This was certainly the case this week when I decided to try to capture two tricolored herons rather than one. #TricoloredHerons
5th December 2017:
Someone give me some sunshine and a decent day to get out for a lovely photo walk. The weather is just so miserable with horrible flat light. Plus it's cold, although not as cold as it has been. I wouldn't mind snow, that would make a welcome change!
I had no idea what I was going to take for today until around teatime when I picked up the kitchen scissors and found the little pair we have too.
I then made a sort of face with them and put them on the white card I have. Didn't bother going outside for some better light, there isn't any light outside. But did take photos on both cameras to cover myself. The Panasonic won today. Unusual as it was an inside photo.
Maybe better viewed large, but thank you for your favourites. :O)
Yes, I have used the Peruvian lily leaves before and quite recently, but they do look great in some sunshine, especially when they're wet.
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
So, there I sat, quietly and patiently, making certain not to disturb this most majestic of birds. Shooting from several hundred feet away, I dared not move closer for fear of flushing the bird from its site. Suddenly, another group of photographers arrived. They were not so patient. They approached with vigor and intent, and a good deal of clamor, clearly not worried about potentially disturbing the owl.
Suddenly, a voice rang out in a sharp and raspy tone. “Hey! Wadda ya think yer doin’? Can ya see I’m restin’ here? I was here first! I claim this spot! I’m not backin’ down! Keep it up and I’ll fly over and eat yer ears for a snack!
And then there was peace! #SnowyOwls
Sunshine. We had some sunshine, although it didn't last all day and was still freezing cold.
Before lunch I nipped out and was going to go for a walk until the wind hit me, I just crossed over the road into my nature car park to see what there was there and then went straight home.
Lovely red berries in the sunlight.
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
When people choose to ignore the guidelines and regulations all of us pay. When a visitor to the park decided to fly his drone in a national wildlife refuge, despite adequate signs prohibiting the practice, all the snowy owls took to the air and left the area. Most never returned. The visitor disturbed the owls and sent them flying off in fear, but he also disturbed those of us who had come to the refuge to see the snowy owls. Likewise, today a number of refuge visitors walked through restricted areas as if they didn't exist. As a result, the few snowy owls remaining were chased into remote areas, far from visitor's eyes. They remained there well after dark. The owl in this photo flies off over the inlet, looking back at a drone that it can see and hear. #SnowyOwl
Dramatic color attracts the eye, and the painted bunting is certainly a bird of flamboyant color. Areas of brightness, in an image, can do the same thing. It is interesting, however, that despite intense color and dappled areas of brightness in this photo, the eye is still drawn predominantly to clarity. Notwithstanding the numerous patches of bright yellow and green and the wild color of the bird’s feathers, I think that most will agree that one’s eyes repeatedly return to focus on the crisp clarity of the bird’s eye. Like a black hole in the great void of space, the attraction is unavoidable. It leaves me with a sense of wonder, and questions unanswered. #PaintedBunting
Actually taken earlier this month when we had some sun. Although I think I'm forgetting what that was.
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
The Taj Mahal (/ˌtɑːdʒ məˈhɑːl/, more often /ˈtɑːʒ/; meaning Crown of the Palace) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (reigned from 1628 to 1658), to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal
Date of visit: 9th December 2017
The American Kestrel is North America’s littlest falcon but “little” doesn’t mean trivial. This raptor is also one of the most colorful birds of prey. They are only about the size of a pigeon. In fact, on this particular morning I found this female kestrel perched on a platform, in a sports park, along with half a dozen pigeons. I might have easily overlooked her had she not suddenly dropped to the ground to pluck a cricket from obscurity. Even at a distance, her direct flight was so unpigeon-like as to alert me to her presence. It is rare to find a kestrel so tolerant to human presence, and I spent the better part of that day and the next watching and photographing her #AmericanKestrel
18th December 2017:
Having walked along the top road above the beach I turned inland and walked back home the long way.
Noticed a camper van parked by one of the hotels and took a photo of the logo on the back. I have since turned it to black and white and given it a boarder.
Something a bit different.
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
. . . Notice this Snowy Owl is looking almost straight at me, but yet his tail feathers indicate he is facing away from me! Because of an adaptation in owl's neck bones, they can rotate their heads almost 270 degrees. As far as I know, they do not do projectile vomiting, although an owl pellet might be considered a close second!
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