View allAll Photos Tagged Discretization
Cydno Longwing (Heliconius cydno) is a butterfly species ranging from southern Mexico to western Ecuador, with a number of closely-related entities that have been described as separate species but may be differentiated geographical races or the results of introgressive hybridization.
Like many species of Heliconius, Cydno Longwing exhibits discrete geographical variation in its wing coloration, with relatively narrow zones of hybridization between adjacent geographical races.
The Cydno is found in the tropical rainforests between sea level and 1800 m.
This picture is taken in the butterfly house "Vlindervallei" (Butterfly Valley) in the "Orchideeënhoeve"
(Orchid Farm) in Luttelgeest, the Netherlands.
De blauwe passiebloemvlinder (Heliconius cydno) is een vlindersoort, die voorkomt van het zuiden van Mexico tot in West-Ecuador en Colombia.
Er zijn acht geografische variaties in vleugelkleuren en ook enkele regionale ondersoorten, die soms ook als aparte soorten worden beschreven. De vleugelspanwijdte is circa 9 cm.
De vlinder wordt gevonden in de tropische regenwouden tussen zeeniveau en 1800 m.
Deze vlinder is gefotografeerd in de Vlindervallei van de Orchideeënhoeve in Luttelgeest (Flevoland, Noordoostpolder).
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All rights reserved. Copyright © Martien Uiterweerd. All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission.
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(A helical PDW)
(WARNING: its gonna be a long story post, if you don't want to read it -in which case I hate you- be prepared to scroll down a bit to get to the comments.)
A light cheery synthetic bell chime told Salem that the tram had
reached its next destination. Here though, the tram stopped, while
heavy machinery beneath noisily checked, repaired, and reset the
computer to travel the opposite direction on the track.
End of the line for this car.
Both men stepped briskly out into the terminal, quickly locating the
proper tram to transfer over to for the next leg of the commute to
Salem's place. Anvil would have to crash there until he was set up
enough to get his own place. Mentally, Salem told himself he would
eagerly await that day. Truthfully though, the odd kid was starting to
grow on him, and the prospect of having Anvil as a partner was
increasingly looking to be a good thing. All the cold stiff handshakes,
formal protocols, impersonal meetings... working for corporations was a
bleak mechanical experience that made it hard to remember what it was
like to be a normal human. Smiles, laughter, the lame jokes and the
disgusting farts, all the things that showed up on sitcoms.
They talk about it, in the various locations where bounty hunters,
mercenaries, and acquisition agents pool around discussing their work
over a drink, talk about the "human factor" the need to communicate.
Keeps all the blood, bullets, and money from going to the head and
driving you insane. There are differing opinions as to if this is a bad
thing. The guys up top, the ones that talk to CEOs face to face, get
top of the line tech, get the world on a silver platter. Those mercs
are the crazy ones, the stone cold death-machines.
Salem wasn't too keen on the idea. What was the point of money if he
was a crazed nut who was only satisfied gunning targets down? It seemed
like a foolish end, a no win situation. To chase money just to forget
it once you have it.
No, Salem would take the lower level jobs, ones that paid enough but
let him keep himself. It was this part of his mind that started warming
to the newly instated agent Anvil.
The kid kept things human.
Salem checked his watch: time to kill. Not literally, of course, though
he mentally noted to save that for when a witty pun was needed. Good
way to start a fight.
He glanced around for the vending machine he knew was at this terminal.
Over towards the one door, a massive metal cube that looked more akin
to a vault. An automated gun store.
"Here kid, I hope you don't have any plans for that paycheck already,
because I'm going to show you your first expense."
Anvil looked up, startled from his thoughts.
"Ah, cool. I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with that
anyways."
"The money?"
"Yeah."
"You're crazy. Most people go through life with a list of things they
want to buy as soon as they have the money."
"That seemed like a pretty bleak way to live."
"Heh... Yeah well," he reached the machine, and thumped his hand
against it, "This won't have everything you want, but it is a start.
Here, this first one is on me."
He swiped a card, punched a few buttons, held still for a retinal scan,
and then the machine clunked and spat out a small black case.
"Weymouth Tech C3. Cheap, but reliable. Its the pistol I prefer to use
on the field. Works good, compact, and yet cheap enough you don't have
to feel bad if things get ugly and you lose it."
He handed the case over to Matt Anvil, and gestured to the machine.
"We'll want to figure out what you are good at, and what you prefer.
You'll want to get a little of every flavor. Sure, its a lot of guns,
but you won't regret it. Even if you don't like a type of weapon, never
hurts to practice and get familiar. Sometimes you don't get a choice of
what to defend yourself with. That, and like it or not, some guns have
their place that no amount of preference can replace.
"Like me, I hate shotguns, but I have to admit the things are perfect
for home defense. So I keep a shotty at home, and bring my pistols to
work, see? So we'll get several guns. The ones you don't like you can
keep for practice and for the few occasions they are best for."
Anvil nodded, and stepped up to the vending machine's screen.
"Sounds good, lets take a look here."
They spent the rest of the day hunting around for guns. The vending
machines didn't have a lot of variety, and were low grade in quality.
They hit bigger manned gunships of all sorts. Picked up a nice reliable
shotgun that kept things simple, but allowed for all kinds of
aftermarket modifications for later on down the road. Anvil seemed to
take a particular liking to this, his past experience being hunting
made him familiar with shotguns and simple rifles. They picked up a DMR
from another shop, to ween his hunting rifle skills into something a
little more military grade. Salem picked one that wasn't too expensive,
later on if he took well to automatic fire they may want to replace it
with a more flexible, if shorter ranged, system. They passed up on
getting any sort of machine gun, Salem figured that if they got into a
place where they needed it, they were doing their job wrong. Anvil
agreed, opting instead to purchase a small single shot grenade launcher
that'd do in a pinch if things got messy. Sure, it was pretty low tech,
but it could compact and store discretely, and was pretty light.
They were on their way to a place Salem knew where they could get a
hold of a nice quality sniper rifle, when they came across a little
shop off a side street that caught Anvil's eye. Salem had walked past it
a hundred times and never noticed.
The place was full of military surplus, discarded and battle scarred
gear. Weapons and armor filched from firefights before the respective
corporations involved could get in to clean up the mess.
They browsed through it. A lot of good stuff for a little more than
they wanted to pay. Salem had corporate level connections that he could
access most of the gear through more legal means. A lot of the stuff
was broken, or very questionable. Brands, companies, and corporations
that Salem had never heard of, and screamed of being fake rip-offs.
Anvil was drawn towards a dark green crate towards the back.
A Shield Weapon Crate.
How the vendor got a hold of one of those, Salem couldn't imagine. It
was pretty well useless like this. Shield was a subsidiary of Green
Corp. managing their external security. This meant running the entrance
checkpoints to Greenwall, handling and exterminating and attempts at
smuggling through the wall, and protecting Green Corp execs when they
left their isolated Greenwall Zone to attend a meeting of any sorts.
They had some pretty fancy tech. Most of their weapons were stored and
transported in special crates, like this one here. Basically a complex
puzzle-box. Entirely physical mechanics, no electronics involved besides
a few side elements that had nothing to do with opening the crate. An
encrypted ID tag, a tracking chip that had been crudely dismantled by
the shop owner, and a small glowing holograph of the Shield icon.
That was it. Nothing to hack, and the crates were highly resilient to
most kinetic energy. They were designed to resist up to a point, but
anything over what they could resist would blast through like butter.
This posed an interesting problem to would be looters. To get enough
power to break it, would be more than enough to incinerate whatever was
inside. The charges, or whatever was being used, would just melt
straight through and decimate the contents as soon as it reached past
the resistance point of the crate.
The shopkeeper noticed Anvil studying the crate and yelled out, "That
piece of junk? I thought it'd bring me a fortune, but the damn thing
can't be opened. I wish I never laid eyes on it." Anvil only smiled at
this, and the shopkeeper grew angry. "You think that is funny? Think it
is that simple? The stupid thing is designed to destroy the contents if
you try to blow it open. Tell ya what, if you can open it, you can have
it!"
Anvil grew serious suddenly. "Really?"
"Yeah, really. Its worthless to me, worthless to everyone. You can have
it! Hell, I don't even care if you can open it anymore. Just take it,
let it be your curse. I need the shelf space."
"Thank you sir, but I couldn't take it without paying."
"Its worthless."
"Only because it is shut, the contents could be priceless."
"Yeah, that’s the problem ain't it? I don't care anymore."
"Then at least let me pay you a little."
"Its your money boy, I ain't gonna complain if you throw it away. But
that thing is worthless."
Anvil only smiled and payed the man.
He left with the crate, and carried with him the rest of the way home.
They bought a sniper rifle, and like the other guns they sent it home
on a PackBot Delivery Unit. But the case Anvil kept with him, insisting
on carrying it personally.
It wasn't until they got home to Salem's apartment that, once sure no
one was watching, he set the crate on the table and let his finger rest
on the top, feeling the plates of its surface.
"You can really open that?" Salem's voice communicated skepticism as he
made his way to a small fridge and pulled out a carton of milk.
"Shh." Was the only response he got.
Slowly then, as if following a pattern painstakingly memorized, Anvil's
fingers pushed and rotated the circular tiles, building speed until his
fingers were moving faster and faster in complicated patterns. Salem's
eyes couldn't keep up, and gave up watching to finish pouring a glass
of milk. When he looked back the crate was open. Anvil stood before it,
holding a helical SMG of sorts emblazoned with the Shield trademarks.
Salem barely caught the carton of milk before it hit the floor.
"How... I don't... Never mind, I'm too tired for this."
*NOTICE: The above text is a work in progress trial run for a planned
literary work. Though subject to change and alteration, it represents
the majority of planned content for the final product. As such, the
ideas, characters, setting, and story written above is reserved as
intellectual property of C. J. King.*
Feedback and comments on the story are more than welcome, wanted in
fact.
Credit to Xan for inspiration on the sight.
Our next stop was to go into BCE Place, where I did a little window shopping...OK, ok...I was just pretending to window shop, and ST was trying to be discrete and take my picture!
{large on black} & F11
Please listen ♪ ♫
***
Please NO large, noisy or flashy graphics/logos.
I prefer personal comments. If you must, please use comment codes WITHOUT ICONS or use discrete ones.
Thank you.
***
The most original patina you will find. I love the discrete indicators under the bumper. Shot with a plastic Holga 120N camera. Yes, I also own a Hasselblad.
de/from. Wikipedia
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EN ESTE TEMPLO
COMO EN LOS CORAZONES DE LA GENTE
POR QUIEN SALVÓ LA UNIÓN
LA MEMORIA DE ABRAHAM LINCOLN
SE CONSAGRA PARA SIEMPRE
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IN THIS TEMPLE,
AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION,
THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IS ENSRINED FOREVER.
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es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monumento_a_Lincoln
El Monumento a Lincoln (Lincoln Memorial en inglés), situado en uno de los extremos horizontales del National Mall de Washington D. C., Estados Unidos, es un monumento conmemorativo creado para honrar la memoria del presidente Abraham Lincoln. El edificio tiene forma de templo griego dórico, y tiene una gran escultura de Abraham Lincoln sentado e inscripciones de dos conocidos discursos de Lincoln. En este monumento han tenido lugar muchos discursos importantes, incluyendo el de Martin Luther King "Yo tengo un sueño", que fue pronunciado el 28 de agosto de 1963 durante la manifestación al final de la Marcha en Washington por el Trabajo y la Libertad.
Al igual que otros monumentos del National Mall, incluyendo el cercano Monumento a los Veteranos del Vietnam, el Monumento a los Veteranos de la Guerra de Corea y el Monumento Nacional a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el monumento a Lincoln está administrado por el Servicio Nacional de Parques de Estados Unidos bajo el grupo Parques del National Mall y Monumentos. El Monumento a Lincoln se unió a la lista del Registro Nacional de Sitios Históricos el 15 de octubre de 1966. Está abierto al público desde las 8 de la mañana hasta medianoche todo el año, salvo el día 25 de diciembre.
Estatua
La parte principal del monumento es la escultura de Lincoln sentado hecha por Daniel Chester French. French estudió muchas de las fotos que Mathew Brady hizo a Lincoln, y mostró al presidente de forma pensativa, mirando al este hacia la Piscina Reflectante y al Monumento a Washington. Una de sus manos está cerrada, mientras que la otra está abierta. Debajo de ellas, las fasces romanas, símbolos de la autoridad de la República, están esculpidas en el relieve del asiento. La estatua se levanta a 6 metros de altura y tiene 6 metros de anchura. Fue moldeada por los hermanos Piccirilli de Nueva York en su estudio del Bronx a partir de 28 bloques de mármol. La sala principal está flanqueada por otras dos salas. En una, el Discurso de Gettysburg está grabado en la pared sur, y en la otra, el segundo discurso innaugural de Lincoln está inscrito en la pared norte. Por encima de estos discursos hay una serie de murales pintados por Jules Guérin y muestran un ángel, que representa la verdad, liberando a un esclavo (en la pared sur, encima del Discurso de Gettysburg), y la unidad del Norte y el Sur (encima del segundo discurso inaugural). En la pared detrás de la estatua, tras la cabeza, se encuentra esta dedicatoria:
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American national monument built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument. The architect was Henry Bacon; the designer of the primary statue – Abraham Lincoln, 1920 – was Daniel Chester French; the Lincoln statue was carved by the Piccirilli Brothers;[2] and the painter of the interior murals was Jules Guerin. Dedicated in 1922, it is one of several monuments built to honor an American president. It has always been a major tourist attraction and since the 1930s has been a symbolic center focused on race relations.
The building is in the form of a Greek Doric temple and contains a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and inscriptions of two well-known speeches by Lincoln, "The Gettysburg Address" and his Second Inaugural Address. The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered on August 28, 1963, during the rally at the end of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Like other monuments on the National Mall – including the nearby Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and National World War II Memorial – the memorial is administered by the National Park Service under its National Mall and Memorial Parks group. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since October 15, 1966. It is open to the public 24 hours a day. In 2007, it was ranked seventh on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects. Since 2010, approximately 6 million people visit the memorial annually.
Statue
Lying between the north and south chambers is the central hall containing the solitary figure of Lincoln sitting in contemplation. The statue was carved by the Piccirilli Brothers under the supervision of the sculptor, Daniel Chester French, and took four years to complete. The statue, originally intended to be only 10 feet (3.0 m) tall, was, on further consideration, enlarged so that it finally stood 19 feet (5.8 m) tall from head to foot, the scale being such that if Lincoln were standing, he would be 28 feet (8.5 m) tall. The extreme width of the statue is the same as its height. The Georgia white marble sculpture weighs 175 short tons (159 t) and had to be shipped in 28 separate pieces.[17]
The statue rests upon an oblong pedestal of Tennessee marble 10 feet (3.0 m) high, 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, and 17 feet (5.2 m) deep. Directly beneath this lies a platform of Tennessee marble about 34.5 feet (10.5 m) long, 28 feet (8.5 m) wide, and 6.5 inches (0.17 m) high. Lincoln's arms rest on representations of Roman fasces, a subtle touch that associates the statue with the Augustan (and imperial) theme (obelisk and funerary monuments) of the Washington Mall.[18] The statue is discretely bordered by two pilasters, one on each side. Between these pilasters and above Lincoln's head stands the engraved epitaph,[17] composed by Royal Cortissoz, shown in the adjacent box.[19]
Victorians didn't have cell phones and couldn't text, so how did they discretely communicate their romantic intentions? This Window Signaling card, printed in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, provides the answer.
A woman could stand at a window, as the card suggests, and place her left forefinger on her chin to secretly signal, "I desire an acquaintance."
A man passing by the window--hopefully he has a copy of the card, too--might reply, "favorable," by gesturing with his left forefinger.
And presumably a relationship could develop from there--"I greet you," "To-morrow night," "Yes," "I love you," etc.
Of course, there were obvious problems with this mode of communication. You might accidentally move two instead of three fingers on your right hand up and down, which would signal "no" when you actually meant "yes."
For some other alleged communication schemes, see:
-- Handkerchief Flirtation Card
-- Stamp Flirtation Postcard, 1909
Window Signaling
Open right hand held to side of face — I greet you.
Forefinger of left hand on chin — I desire an acquaintance.
Forefinger of left hand — Favorable.
Three fingers of right hand moved up and down — Yes.
Two fingers of right hand (the same) — No.
Open hand on forehead — I am a stranger.
Kissing the fingers of left hand — I love you.
Both hands clasped — I am engaged.
Two little fingers locked — I am at leisure.
Arms folded across breast — I would I were you.
Forefinger of right hand over mouth — Warning to cease signaling.
Left hand clenched as fist — To-night.
Both hands clenched — To-morrow.
Both hands clenched and taking one away — To-morrow night.
Taking both hands away — This even'g.
Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola). The Essex Skipper forms discrete colonies that vary from a small number of individuals to several thousand. Where it occurs it can therefore be very common. This species is very similar in appearance to the Small Skipper and, because of this similarity, was not recognised as a separate species until 1889. The male is distinguished from the female by the sex brand on its forewings, which is a short line of specialised scent scales. Despite its name, the Essex Skipper is now found over much of the southern half of England and it was first recorded in Wales in 2000 and in Wexford in south-east Ireland in 2006. On the British mainland it is to generally be found south of a line between Dorset and North Lincolnshire. It is believed that the increase in distribution is being assisted by the steep and grass-covered embankments that are often found on motorways and major trunk roads which acted as corridors - allowing this species to reach new locations more easily. Photo by Nick Dobbs, Stour Valley Nature Reserve 02-07-20
I decided to try some street photography today using my Samyang 85mm f/1.4 lens. Its not the most obvious choice and is certainly not discrete! Also, being manual focus, it is a bit more hit and miss than I would like. However, the tighter field of view, coupled with the shallow depth of field when shooting wide open means that less is in focus than would be if I were using a wide angle lens. This helps to separate the subject from what is going on around them; in this case people walking past a shop that was illuminating them as they passed. Shot at f/1.4 with a shutter speed of 1/640th at ISO 400. Originally posted in colour, but there was a red coat at the top of the street that was just way too distracting ;)
I have recently up-loaded a new version of this image that uses a slightly different workflow. Primarily, the difference is the black and white conversion. I had been using some tinting on many of my monochrome photos to add some warmth, but I subsequently think it detracts form the look of the images. I val also used Affinity Photo on this replacement to remove some unwanted distractions form the scene.
The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia. The exception to this is the Eurasian oystercatcher and the South Island oystercatcher, both of which breed inland, far inland in some cases.
In the past there has been a great deal of confusion as to the species limits, with discrete populations of all black oystercatchers being afforded specific status but pied oystercatchers being considered one single species.
The name oystercatcher was coined by Mark Catesby in 1731 as a common name for the North American species H. palliatus, described as eating oysters. Yarrell in 1843 established this as the preferred term, replacing the older name sea pie.
The genus name Haematopus comes from the Greek haima αἳμα blood, pous πούς foot.
The different species of oystercatcher show little variation in shape or appearance. They range from 39–50 cm (15–20 in) in length and 72–91 cm (28–36 in) in wingspan. The Eurasian oystercatcher is the lightest on average, at 526 g (1.160 lb), while the sooty oystercatcher is the heaviest, at 819 g (1.806 lb).
The plumage of all species is either all-black, or black (or dark brown) on top and white underneath. The variable oystercatcher is slightly exceptional in being either all-black or pied. They are large, obvious, and noisy plover-like birds, with massive long orange or red bills used for smashing or prying open molluscs. The bill shape varies between species, according to the diet. Those birds with blade-like bill tips pry open or smash mollusc shells, and those with pointed bill tips tend to probe for annelid worms. They show sexual dimorphism, with females being longer-billed and heavier than males.
Feeding
The diet of oystercatchers varies with location. Species occurring inland feed upon earthworms and insect larvae. The diet of coastal oystercatchers is more varied, although dependent upon coast type; on estuaries bivalves, gastropods and polychaete worms are the most important part of the diet, whereas rocky shore oystercatchers prey upon limpets, mussels, gastropods, and chitons. Other prey items include echinoderms, fish, and crabs.
Breeding
Nearly all species of oystercatcher are monogamous, although there are reports of polygamy in the Eurasian oystercatcher. They are territorial during the breeding season (with a few species defending territories year round). There is strong mate and site fidelity in the species that have been studied, with one record of a pair defending the same site for 20 years. A single nesting attempt is made per breeding season, which is timed over the summer months.
The nests of oystercatchers are simple affairs, scrapes in the ground which may be lined, and placed in a spot with good visibility. The eggs of oystercatchers are spotted and cryptic. Between one and four eggs are laid, with three being typical in the Northern Hemisphere and two in the south. Incubation is shared but not proportionally, females tend to take more incubation and males engage in more territory defence. Incubation varies by species, lasting between 24–39 days. Oystercatchers are also known to practice "egg dumping." Like the cuckoo, they sometimes lay their eggs in the nests of other species such as seagulls, abandoning them to be raised by those birds.
Conservation
One species of oystercatcher became extinct during the 20th century, the Canary Islands oystercatcher. Another species, the Chatham oystercatcher, which is endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, is listed as endangered by the IUCN, and the African oystercatcher is considered near threatened. In the past there has been conflict with commercial shellfish farmers, but studies have found that the impact of oystercatchers is much smaller than that of shore crabs.
Same shot, but in a different, more discrete edit, hmmmmmm having a hard time to decide, which one I like best ... well it's good exercise learning time waste.
ENG: An old tractor found abandoned in a field today - here in a little bit overdone HDR Rendering
Try this link for Original size to see all the details: www.flickr.com/photos/ivansgallery/6944160671/sizes/o/in/...
FRA: Un vieux tracteur trouvé abandonné dans un champ aujourd'hui - ici dans un peu exagéré de rendu HDR
ESP: Un viejo tractor encontrado abandonado en un campo de hoy - aquí en un poco exagerada renderizado HDR
ITA: Un vecchio trattore trovato abbandonato in un campo oggi - qui in un po 'esagerato rendering HDR
GER: Ein alter Traktor gefunden verlassen auf einem Feld heute - hier in einem kleinen bisschen übertrieben HDR-Rendering
POR: Um trator velho encontrado abandonado em um campo hoje - aqui em um pouco exagerado Renderização HDR
Chinese (simple): 一个旧拖拉机在现场发现被遗弃的今天 - 在这里有点过头了HDR渲染
Japan: 古いトラクターは、今日のフィールドに捨てられました - ここでHDRレンダリングの行き過ぎを少しで
Corean: 오래된 트랙터는 오늘 필드에 버려져있는 걸 발견 - 여기 HDR 렌더링 너무 삶은 조금에서
Pentax Espio AF Zoom or when things are not exactly what they seem. Under this extremely discrete and elegant plastic body lies one of the most sophisticated zoom compacts that I have ever encountered. The styling itself should be taken as a warning; this is not a run of the mill plastic zoom wonder. The camera features a 8 element 35/70 zoom lens (that´s the double of Nikon 35/70 zoom lens). Exposure is all programmed, but you do have a lot o manual control. You get all the possible flash modes, plus flash with B setting, oh yes B setting is also possible without flash. You get back-light exposure compensation, 3 types of self-timer, one being quite interesting, it takes one shot in tele position and then the camera zooms back to wide and takes another picture, impossible to miss the subject! Then you have continuous shooting and…multiple exposures! True, it is limited to 2 frames, but at least it is there. Most entry level SLR’s did not feature this. Last, but not least, you get an intervalmeter or interval mode, the camera takes a picture every 3 minutes or every 60 minutes, as long there is film. This is one fantastic little camera, let down by small viewfinder and an all plastic body.
,,The Large Copper (Lycaena dispar) is widespread through much of central Europe though usually exists in small and discrete colonies of short lived adults. It is also a rather rare and endangered species as its habitat of damp meadows is prone to drainage. As a result it is protected under European law. The males have fantastic, bright orange uppersides rather like the Scarce Copper male, where as the females have markings reminiscent of many other members of the copper family with the black spots and browner hindwings. The adults seem particularly attracted to yellow flowers such as Ranunculus in spring and Pulicaria and Buphthalmum in summer.''
felixthecatalog.tim.pagesperso-orange.fr/large_copper.htm
Photographed in the area Piatra Craiului, Brasov, Transilvania, Ro. Piatra Craiului is river located along the Barsa where one of my favorite walking places near Brasov.
The Large Copper (Lycaena dispar)
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This image is not to be used, copied or edited without my written permission.
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Chatons de noisetiers.
Ensemble de fleurs mâles du noisetier. Ces chatons, avec le vent, libèrent du pollen qui est disséminé pour atteindre discrètement les fleurs femelles.
Hazel catkins
Set of male hazel flowers. These catkins, with the wind, release pollen which is disseminated to discreetly reach the female flowers.
Deux douzaines de goélands marins survolant discrètement le ciel de Cap Tourmente. Sans doute un premier groupe d'oiseaux en migration. Enfin... Marine Gull.
The Orange-tip is a true sign of spring, being one of the first species to emerge that has not overwintered as an adult. The more-conspicuous male has orange tips to the forewings, that give this butterfly its name. This butterfly is found throughout England, Wales and Ireland, In most regions this butterfly does not form discrete colonies and wanders in every direction as it flies along hedgerows and woodland margins looking for a mate, nectar sources or foodplants.
6 sec, f/2.8, ISO 8000 | Nikon D4 + 14-24mm f/2.8G
Yellowknife, CA, 3 Apr 2014
© 2014 José Francisco Salgado, PhD. Do not use without permission. josefrancisco.org | Facebook
The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia. The exception to this is the Eurasian oystercatcher and the South Island oystercatcher, both of which breed inland, far inland in some cases.
In the past there has been a great deal of confusion as to the species limits, with discrete populations of all black oystercatchers being afforded specific status but pied oystercatchers being considered one single species.
The name oystercatcher was coined by Mark Catesby in 1731 as a common name for the North American species H. palliatus, described as eating oysters. Yarrell in 1843 established this as the preferred term, replacing the older name sea pie.
The genus name Haematopus comes from the Greek haima αἳμα blood, pous πούς foot.
The different species of oystercatcher show little variation in shape or appearance. They range from 39–50 cm (15–20 in) in length and 72–91 cm (28–36 in) in wingspan. The Eurasian oystercatcher is the lightest on average, at 526 g (1.160 lb), while the sooty oystercatcher is the heaviest, at 819 g (1.806 lb).
The plumage of all species is either all-black, or black (or dark brown) on top and white underneath. The variable oystercatcher is slightly exceptional in being either all-black or pied. They are large, obvious, and noisy plover-like birds, with massive long orange or red bills used for smashing or prying open molluscs. The bill shape varies between species, according to the diet. Those birds with blade-like bill tips pry open or smash mollusc shells, and those with pointed bill tips tend to probe for annelid worms. They show sexual dimorphism, with females being longer-billed and heavier than males.
Feeding
The diet of oystercatchers varies with location. Species occurring inland feed upon earthworms and insect larvae. The diet of coastal oystercatchers is more varied, although dependent upon coast type; on estuaries bivalves, gastropods and polychaete worms are the most important part of the diet, whereas rocky shore oystercatchers prey upon limpets, mussels, gastropods, and chitons. Other prey items include echinoderms, fish, and crabs.
Breeding
Nearly all species of oystercatcher are monogamous, although there are reports of polygamy in the Eurasian oystercatcher. They are territorial during the breeding season (with a few species defending territories year round). There is strong mate and site fidelity in the species that have been studied, with one record of a pair defending the same site for 20 years. A single nesting attempt is made per breeding season, which is timed over the summer months.
The nests of oystercatchers are simple affairs, scrapes in the ground which may be lined, and placed in a spot with good visibility. The eggs of oystercatchers are spotted and cryptic. Between one and four eggs are laid, with three being typical in the Northern Hemisphere and two in the south. Incubation is shared but not proportionally, females tend to take more incubation and males engage in more territory defence. Incubation varies by species, lasting between 24–39 days. Oystercatchers are also known to practice "egg dumping." Like the cuckoo, they sometimes lay their eggs in the nests of other species such as seagulls, abandoning them to be raised by those birds.
Conservation
One species of oystercatcher became extinct during the 20th century, the Canary Islands oystercatcher. Another species, the Chatham oystercatcher, which is endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, is listed as endangered by the IUCN, and the African oystercatcher is considered near threatened. In the past there has been conflict with commercial shellfish farmers, but studies have found that the impact of oystercatchers is much smaller than that of shore crabs.
After eight months of quiescence, Etna is back on the scene. For a week now, since 20 January 2017, new hot, molten, incandescent rock is coming to the surface in what we call Strombolian activity - small, discrete explosions that eject fragments of incandescent lava into the air, sometimes to several hundred meters high. The site of the activity is a vent that lies exactly halfway between the "old Southeast Crater", which was active from 1971 until 2007, and whose summit is visible immediately to the left of the incandescent jet, and the "New Southeast Crater", that initially formed in 2007 but which became a permanent feature in January 2011, and has erupted more than 50 times since, most recently in December 2015. The vent that is now active occupies what was once a conspicuous saddle between the old and new cones of the Southeast Crater. It has so far erupted only once, between 31 January and 2 February 2015, and after that appeared completely dead. In one of its typical twists of volcanic humor, Etna has now decided to make it come alive again: the first small ash emissions occurred on 15 December 2016, and new, incandescent, magmatic material was first observed on 20 January 2017. Since then, the activity has shown a gradual increase, both in the frequency and in the size of the explosions. This morning at dawn, the clouds, which had covered the southern face of the mountain since the previous evening, finally lifted, and the volcano spectacularly displayed its new activity with fine Strombolian explosions accompanied by small ash clouds every few minutes.
This is a photo that I took with my new camera (info below at right) at 06:36 h UTC (=local time -1) on 27 January 2017, from my home in the village of Tremestieri Etneo, 20 km south of the Southeast Crater.
I may have dallied for a discrete stop in the trees, so I then spied this shot as I was catching up...
Taken at Swank Escapes, Romantic Dream experience at maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Prestigious%20Peace/176/24...
Swank Escapes currently have 6 different themed experiences for you to explore and enjoy with that special someone, be it a date, special occasion or a romantic honeymoon experience.
Each experience is stylishly and elegantly decorated, using only the finest in animations and set within beautifully created landscaping.
Each themed experience includes but not limited to:
* a romantic space for dinner for two
* a personal dance ball loaded with the most gorgeous dance animations (discretely located next to the music turntable)
* many music stream choices, controlled by Turntable/record player, perfect for setting a mood
* automatic security orb for privacy and security.
* a wide range of both adult and cuddle animated items, hand picked to enhance each experience
Listed below are the themes currently available with highlighted features.
♦ Romantic Dreams / Honeymoon - Rose petals and candles adorn this very European residence - old mixed with new, making this a truly romantic beauty. This is a complete home getaway including a living room with fireplace and sitting area, full kitchen, couples bath/shower in a beautiful romantic atrium, formal dinner for two in the old conservatory, elegant patio and swimming pool area. All beautifully landscaped into the cottage gardens surrounding.
♦ Fall into Autumn - Leaves are changing, the colors of Fall surround a beautiful loft style cottage, making this a cozy & warm retreat. A full home getaway complete with full kitchen, living room, open air bathroom, romantic bedroom loft with fireplace. Outdoor area includes a beautiful rustic gazebo area with hot tub, dance area and fireside seating. Relax with your loved one and 7seas fish from the river dock. All beautifully landscaped into a Fall themed country cottage experience.
♦ Tropical Island Paradise - Beautiful colorful little fish swimming in coral blue waters. An island of palm trees, waterfalls, white sand, flying Macaws and roaming flamingos. All making this the perfect tropical, fun get away, where the sun always shines. The island boast's all you will need for a summer escape with hanging swings, hammocks, towels, sandcastles and umbrella with blanket. Shower surrounded by frangipani's and hibiscus and enjoy a tropical dinner and dancing under the sweet ocean breeze with someone special.
♦ The Boho Retreat - Beautiful space to escape to and look up in the sky to watch the shooting stars surrounded by a colorful aurora and magical little glowing lights. Making this truly a magical retreat under the stars. This Glamping /Camping area has a beautiful large tent, rose petal and candle lit floor and a small fire for those warm but breezy nights. A cozy little garden space for hot drinks and cuddling up with someone special. Small Pond perfect to kick back relax and go fishing, Dinner for two under the stars. Lanterns with warm romantic glows surround a central dancing deck. This is that perfect little magical space in the woods for two.
♦ Under The Sea Romance - Beautiful Crystal Gazebo surrounded by corals and glowing foliage. Full of ocean life swimming around you. Making this the perfect hideaway under the sea. Bordered by large tall rocks that create this perfect ocean space just for you and that special person. Crystal Gazebo with not just dances but a separate Mermaid Dance ball with swimming animations. You'll need those swimming animations to swim up high to reach the ledges for dinner for two, Romantic Towel ledge and love in a floating bubble all over looking the sea life in all its graceful and colorful splendor. This is the magic of love under the sea.
♦ The Red Room Elite - Elegant lounge to wine and dine with double doors leading into a red silk padded red room. Large Lounge area with full bar, piano, seating area with fireplace and a formal place setting for dinner for two with dancing. Everything in the lounge including the piano and fireplace is full of fetish adult animations. The double door red room is elegant with red silk padded walls with sleek gold lines, The most elegant Red Room you have ever seen. This room is full of BDSM /Bondage Kink. Perfectly arranged for all your fetish desires with class and style.
Also Swank Escapes is a subsidiary of SWANK EVENTS- One of SL's Largest Monthly Sales events. Including His and Hers Fashion , Beauty, Home & Garden and over 200 Gacha to try your luck on. With almost 300 designers your sure to find something to like or enjoy. 5,000L Raffle Board.
Swank Events & HOS KittyCats Market
Stagecoach Enviro 200s 36992 and 36993 carry discrete branding for Peak District service 65 which returned to the company on contract in July 2018 after over a decade of absence from its network. On Sundays the two-hourly frequency drops to three journeys in each direction, and the stretch of the route between Sheffield city centre and Meadowhall does not operate, meaning that a single vehicle is required. Having spent yesterday on Chesterfield local service 90, 36993 was back on its usual haunt today, and was captured in Eyam with the 11:00 from Buxton to Sheffield.
Capucine, la plus discrète et douce de mes 3 moutons. Au moins avec elle on ne se fait pas renverser (Cracotte) ou sauter dessus (Praline) au moment de la distribution de friandises.
Capucine the sweetest and most discrete of my 3 sheep. With her no risk of being run over (Cracotte) or to have a sheep jumping on you (Praline) during the treats distribution.
Wetenschappelijke naam: Anthocharis cardamines
Scientific name: Anthocharis cardamines
The Orange-tip is a true sign of spring, being one of the first species to emerge that has not overwintered as an adult. The male and female of this species are very different in appearance. The more-conspicuous male has orange tips to the forewings, that give this butterfly its name. These orange tips are absent in the female and the female is often mistaken for one of the other whites, especially the Green-veined White or Small White. This butterfly is found throughout England, Wales and Ireland, but is somewhat-local further north and especially in Scotland. In most regions this butterfly does not form discrete colonies and wanders in every direction as it flies along hedgerows and woodland margins looking for a mate, nectar sources or foodplants. More northerly colonies are more compact and also more restricted in their movements.
Anthocharis cardamines ssp. cardamines
The species was first defined in Linnaeus (1758) as shown here (type locality: Sweden).
Aptly named: Lasioglossum coeruleum. Most of the many confusing members of these small sweat bees glimmer discretely in metallic integument, but our friend here takes it up a notch to and Osmia level. This makes them identifiable...except for the problem that some of them are not so bright...irritating if you have to identify them...but once you get the pattern you feel a small sense of superiority to those in power in the world who clearly would fail if you asked them to identify an "off" specimen So there. Specimen collected by Michael Veit in transmission lines in CT...
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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 nature's fact.
- Emily Dickinson
You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML
Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:
Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:
Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:
bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf
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
Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus
www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/collections
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
Anecdotes urbaines: Ce n'est pas la statue qui attirait l'attention de M.W mais la discrete visiteuse qui parlait aux statues dans une langue oubliée de tous. #bnw #bnwmood #photography #photooftheday #montreal #museum #pointeacalliere #picoftheday
Rutilia sp.
Family: Tachinidae
Order: Diptera
This fly is probably in a complex of insects known as Rutilia splendida-decora-chersipho-corona-cryptica. It is a complex comprising 5 discrete species in this genus.
DSC05717
A hidden gem: discretely situated off the A661 Harrogate to Wetherby Road. Plumpton Rocks is a 30 acre parkland created in the 1760s by forming a man made lake against the backdrop of Millstone Grit rock formations and outcrops.
The artist JMW Turner visited Plumbton Rocks on his first tour of Yorkshire in 1797. The Earl of Harewood, who owned the rocks. commissioned Turner to paint the landscape. This was Turner’s first commission for a landscape in oils and gamble for the Earl. It was then known as Plompton Rocks and Harewood House holds two of Turner’s original paintings.