View allAll Photos Tagged Existence
Tomorrow belongs to those who hear it coming." - David Bowie
[Ushering in 2017 with an open heart and a peaceful resilience. For many of us, 2016 was a strange, powerful, turbulent year. Among so many other incredible beacons, the world lost Bowie. I haven't been up to talking about it publicly very much, because the sudden loss of such an indescribable spirit took the wind and even light out of me for such a time. Here was a man who was undeniably whomever he chose to be, at any given point. I doubt there will be another artist in my lifetime who will inspire me to the degree Bowie did.
From the age of seven on, I followed along with his journey, rapt in his mesmerizing glow. He taught me how to embrace my "weird," and he helped so many of us who felt we never belonged to feel we actually do. I had a dream of someday photographing him. Clearly that didn't pan out—not how I'd hoped. But it reminded me of the precious nature of life and how even when things don't happen as we envision, it doesn't mean we stop going. Bowie sure as hell wouldn't have.
Do what you need to to get yourself riled up for positive change. Dance on a rooftop, sparkler in hand, singing Bowie at the top of your lungs. You are alive! You are breathing and your heart is beating, and there is so much to see and taste and experience!
And there is work to be done. The planet is gasping for us. Marginalized people need our support—our *active* support. This is not a time for despondency or indifference or apathy. This is a time for revolutionary thinking, dreaming, and action. The world needs warriors with drive and passion and fire that pulls at the seams of their existence. Are you a warrior? Of course you are—to LIVE is to be a warrior. Every. Damn. Day. Now let's get to work. No time to dally. Tomorrow belongs to those who hear it coming.
Huge thank you to Redd Walitzki for the beautiful Dark Crystal inspired war paint! And another big thank you to Adric Knight for braving the chill of the forest with me yesterday to help me capture this portrait. Happy new year. Let's make it that, shall we?]
Existence of Bronnitsy is attested since 1453. The village emerged as a stopover station on the highway between Moscow and Ryazan (present-day M5 road), and its population and economy traditionally tended to horses. The House of Romanov stables, established in Bronnitsy by 1634, evolved into stud farms supplying riding horses to the cavalry. In the 1780s the administrative reform of Catherine the Great turned the village into a proper small town with a grid plan and a growing merchant community. In the second half of the 19th century Bronnitsy was gradually industrialized, becoming a town of small textile mills and jewelers.
Bronnitsy had a minor role in the military history of the Time of Troubles and Napoleon's invasion of Russia, when it became the farthest point of French advance after the fall of Moscow, but were spared from military action and destruction. Its key landmarks are the five-domed cathedral of Archangel Michael (completed in 1705), the church of Entry into Jerusalem (1845) and the neoclassical cavalry barracks (Wikipedia).
My Website. Books, not photos.
This grey seal seems to spend his whole life sitting on a rock in the sea, eating fish and waving at passing tour boats. I saw him on a tour of the Farne Islands yesterday with this boat company: www.farne-islands.com/
I am fond of the idea that you can be casually strolling along a sandy beach and unknowingly be a part of an artistic moment of creativity/beauty/whathaveyou. In short, every moment we exist is a moment we are participating in something outside of ourselves, or larger than ourselves, whether we are aware of it or not.
Hasselblad Flexbody
Fomapan 200
Scarlet Jezebel, Delias argenthona (Fabricius, 1793)
www.butterflyencounters.com.au/Scarlet_Jezebel.html
This link mentions they like Mistletoe as their host plant.
I'll be inspecting them all on my doggy walks from now on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After posting my gloomy comments with my sombre foggy sunrise pics yesterday, it was a sunny crisp warm morning here.
Do you ever look for a 'sign' from the universe?
Well, I don't.
But I do think there's something intriguing about the theory regarding 'The Law of Attraction'.
i.e.: What is in your head, you attract.
www.wikihow.com/Use-the-Law-of-Attraction
This link gives 7 steps, but honestly, quite often things start to happen quickly after just making a decision with faith, and I'm not talking about religion here.
Just simple trust within your being.
After my dispirited comments concluded with the half-baked woeful intention (well, it gets boring being tragic after so long, doesn't it…), to become more proactive towards creating/enjoying a more positive existence, a cheerful visitor dropped in to help amaze me out of my stagnation.
Just fluttered past my eyeline, choosing a resting spot in the nearby frangipani tree to strengthen his brand new wings in the sun.
And stayed there for so long, that I had time to run inside for the camera, return with a chair to stand on for a better angle of view, set up at various points/distances, fiddle with settings, take about 120 photos…well, you never know, none of them might be any good..
He was quite content to enjoy that sunny spot for ages and although as always, the breeze was waving the garden around, he stayed almost completely still.
What a gift..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taken hand held, in the wind, standing/balancing on a chair wobbling on uneven ground..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection." Thomas Paine.
Through the lands of Castile there are many medieval fortresses that can still be visited today. These castles can evoke today times of romanticism, knights and princesses, but the reason for the existence of most of them was fundamentally their defensive purpose.
In Medina del Campo, a town in the province of Valladolid, there is one of the most interesting castles made of brick from that medieval era, the Castle of La Mota. From its structure started the walls that protected the entire city, and of which only small remains are preserved. However, the main structure with its magnificent Tower of Homage, is preserved in a fantastic way and is able to blow our imagination to those convulsive times, in which kings, infants and other important characters, disputed its control and that of the villa. Here it was imprisoned among others, the feared César Borgia, who managed to escape by sliding with sheets from the tower in a truly cinematographic way.
As I usually do, I chose the blue hour to photograph it, including the storm clouds that rained over me moments before the castle's lights turned on. The lines of the ground of the roads that lead from the parking lot to the castle, are ideal to guide our view through the composition and in the direction of the imposing castle.
-----------------------------------
"El verdadero hombre sonríe a los problemas, reúne fuerza de la angustia y crece valiente a través de la reflexión." Thomas Paine.
Por tierras de Castilla son numerosas las fortalezas medievales que aún hoy se pueden visitar. Estos castillos pueden evocar hoy en día tiempos de romanticismo, de caballeros y princesas, pero la razón de la existencia de la mayoría de ellos era fundamentalmente su función defensiva.
En la localidad vallisoletana de Medina del Campo, se encuentra uno de los castillos de ladrillo más interesantes de aquella época medieval, el Castillo de La Mota. Desde su estructura se extendía el recinto amurallado que protegía a toda la ciudad, y del que se conservan solo pequeños restos. No obstante, la estructura principal con su magnífica Torre del Homenaje, se conserva de forma fantástica y es capaz de hacer volar nuestra imaginación a aquellos tiempos convulsos, en los que reyes, infantes y demás personajes importantes, se disputaban su control y el de la villa. Aquí estuvo preso entre otros, el temido César Borgia, que logró escapar deslizándose con sábanas por la torre de una forma realmente cinematográfica.
Como suelo acostumbrar, elegí la hora azul para fotografiarlo, incluyendo las nubes de tormenta que descargaron sobre mí instantes antes de que las luces del castillo se encendieran. Las líneas del suelo de los caminos que llevan del aparcamiento al castillo, son ideales para guiar nuestra vista a través de la composición y en dirección al imponente castillo.
Exploring some new photo locations. This was snapped at Sol Existence; and I'm going to be a frequent visitor :-) Fly birdies!
CATEGORIES OF SHRINES
1. Shrines to things which exist are usually popular shrines. People like to visit these shrines and be reminded that they are worshipping things which actually exist.
2. Shrines to things which do not exist are perhaps underrated. Dreams often fall into this category. It can be very comforting to visit a shrine to things which do not exist and see all the other people sharing your emotions for a particular nothingness given a name. It is interesting to note that these shrines may be set up in adoration of things which once existed but no longer exist...or things which never properly existed except in the human imagination and the human heart which longs for so many inhuman things, being nine-tenths inhuman itself.
3. Shrines to things which may or may not exist are strange shrines. These are fewer in number. People will often adopt a "wait and see" attitude and hestiate before building shrines to entities with such nebulous prospects of attaining a provable existence. This is why there is no Church of Bigfoot or Church of 100% Absence of Self-Interest. And yet one is tempted to research whether more people on the planet see God or see Bigfoot in any given year.
my first step of this year is that go straight my goal, consequentially keep the reflection of life stably.
maybe it's too abstract to understand, but there are several things request - I'm 100% sure what I'm doing, what I'm talking, and make mistakes less and less.
wish you a gorgeous year and have full of inspirations of photography.
happy new year. *grin*
Japanese name: メキシカン・ブッシュ・セージ (MEXICAN BUSH SAGE)
Pixel Shift Resolution shot from the Pentax K-3 II.
Album: EXISTENCE
As I explained before, for three weeks now I have been, if not bedridden, at least mostly housebound as a result of a crippling knee problem. I can still drive around and run errands when mandatory, but it is hurtful and I am definitely not up to lugging photo equipment and go shooting. Furthermore, when this struck, I didn’t have many photos waiting for upload, what with the Winter season coming to an end, the pandemic still with us that doesn’t really encourage outings (the one day I went out, on March 9, on a photo shoot for the Fondation pour la Sauvegarde de l’Art Français, I became a COVID contact case of someone I had brushed against during the day, luckily without any consequence as I never was infected)... not to mention ridiculous wartime gas prices!
The bottom line is, I simply ran out of stuff to upload...
So, I had the idea to turn to some older photographs of mine to which I had, in 2021, given a “new life” by creating black-and-white versions of them for the purpose of a photographic essay that had been requested from me by the Department of Mediæval Studies of a US university. The essay’s theme was the emulation, with the tools of today, of the gorgeous black-and-white photography found in the books of the Zodiaque collection La Nuit des temps, devoted to religious art and architecture of the Romanesque age in Europe, and in particular in France. I’m sure many of you have heard about those books and/or own some of them.
Anyway, since those black-and-white versions are available, I figured I might as well upload them to offer you, who are kind enough to follow my stream, something to look at while I recover and until I can resume more normal photo activities...
Thank you in advance for your patience, and I hope you will enjoy this “renewed” content à la Zodiaque! I will put in a short description of each photo below.
As I have titled this series in reference to the Zodiaque books, I construe my “Romanesque” as the good monks did, i.e., I include in it some fine and inspiring examples of older architecture, what would indeed be classified as pre-Romanesque.
Among such places is the so-called “Lémenc Rotunda”, in the crypt (not open to the public) under the Saint-Pierre-de-Lémenc church in the town of Chambéry, at the foot of the French Alps. This enigmatic structure has been diversely interpreted by cohorts of self-styled specialists and self-appointed experts, and no definitive conclusion has been reached as to its purpose —which may have varied as centuries rolled by.
It is almost undoubtedly from the Carolingian period at least, therefore around 800–900 CE, possibly even Merovingian, i.e. a couple of centuries older. The structure is harmonious and delicate, and the existence of a drain at the bottom of the small basin reveals that a liquid was regularly poured into it, that subsequently needed to be drained. The idea of a baptismal font springs to mind, and most likely this was one of the place’s uses... but why did it need to be underground, hidden away in a crypt? Maybe because it wasn’t a baptismal font to begin with, and that’s when you step into the realm of conjecture, speculation and worse...
Pedro Álvares Cabral is renowned for the "discovery" of the South American Continent, more specifically of Brazil. He commanded the second naval expedition to India, that took place soon after Vasco da Gama's voyage, when -- according to history records -- a storm set the fleet off course, which thus reached the eastern coast of the South American Continent where Brazil is now to be found.
Yet, some historians claim that John II, then king of Portugal, had had previous knowledge of the existence of this continent, keeping this knowledge secret in order to negotiate the Treaty of Tordesilhas with Spain to Portugal's advantage. Pedro Álvares Cabral real mission should have hence been making the previous discovery official. Among other things, the lack of surprise at the discovery in the logbook records is regarded as evidence for their claims.
Belmont has thus very strong ties to Brazil, and this statue was offered to the city by the Brazilian authorities.
=====================
Leica M Monochrom (246), Distagon 1.4/35 ZM, Affinity Photo, EI 320 ISO, 1/750s, f/8
R2074. The town of Châteaulin on the River Aulne in Brittany, France once had two railway stations, Châteaulin-Ville (Châteaulin Town) and Châteaulin-Embranchement (Châteaulin Junction); they were situated on the much lamented metre gauge Réseau Breton system which closed down in 1967.
They were situated on opposite sides of the town and separated by the river so a low, curved viaduct was built across the river and the line climbed up through the town on the other side to reach the other station. Châteaulin-Ville Station was closed along with the railway although the station building still exists - but now in private hands.
Châteaulin-Embranchement Station is also still in existence, and still sees a regular train service. It was an interchange between standard and narrow gauge trains but now of course, the only trains that it sees are the standard gauge ones. The viaduct across the river is also still there, but the trackbed has been tarmaced over and it now carries road vehicles instead of rail vehicles.
This is a view of metre gauge trains at Châteaulin-Embranchement in happier days before the line was closed. Châteaulin was on the metre gauge line from Carhaix in central Brittany to the fishing port and seaside resort of Camaret-sur-Mer in the far west.
Trains from Carhaix terminated and started from this platform on one side of the station and trains for Camaret-sur-Mer started and finished from another platform on the other side of the station so through passengers had to change trains and walk across to the other platform.
The locomotive is an 0-6-6-0 Mallet tank engine and the diesel railcar is a Dion-Bouton type OC2 built in 1946, but to a pre-war design.
October, 1964. Copyright © Ron Fisher.
Notice the many golf-ball sized divots in the body of this elephant seal. These were caused by the terrifying cookie-cutter shark, the existence of which I would have preferred to remain ignorant. Elephant seal mother and nursing pup, Piedras Blancas, California.
"A perfect beauty of a sunflower! a perfect excellent lovely
sunflower existence! a sweet natural eye to the new hip moon, woke up alive and excited grasping in the sunset shadow sunrise golden monthly breeze!"
- Allen Ginsberg
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks a lot for visits and comments, everyone... !
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_Valley
Monument Valley (Navajo: Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, pronounced [tsʰépìːʔ ǹtsɪ̀skɑ̀ìː], meaning "valley of the rocks") is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone buttes, with the largest reaching 1,000 ft (300 m) above the valley floor. The most famous butte formations are located in northeastern Arizona along the Utah–Arizona state line. The valley is considered sacred by the Navajo Nation, the Native American people within whose reservation it lies.
Monument Valley has been featured in many forms of media since the 1930s. Famed director John Ford used the location for a number of his Westerns. Film critic Keith Phipps wrote that "its five square miles [13 km2] have defined what decades of moviegoers think of when they imagine the American West".
Sourc: navajonationparks.org/navajo-tribal-parks/monument-valley/
History
Before human existence, the Park was once a lowland basin. For hundreds of millions of years, materials that eroded from the early Rock Mountains deposited layer upon layer of sediment which cemented a slow and gentle uplift, generated by ceaseless pressure from below the surface, elevating these horizontal strata quite uniformly one to three miles above sea level. What was once a basin became a plateau.
Natural forces of wind and water that eroded the land spent the last 50 million years cutting into and peeling away at the surface of the plateau. The simple wearing down of altering layers of soft and hard rock slowly revealed the natural wonders of Monument Valley today.
From the visitor center, you see the world-famous panorama of the Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte. You can also purchase guided tours from Navajo tour operators, who take you down into the valley in Jeeps for a narrated cruise through these mythical formations. Places such as Ear of the Wind and other landmarks can only be accessed via guided tours. During the summer months, the visitor center also features Haskenneini Restaurant, which specializes in both native Navajo and American cuisines, and a film/snack/souvenir shop. There are year-round restroom facilities. One mile before the center, numerous Navajo vendors sell arts, crafts, native food, and souvenirs at roadside stands.
Additional Foreign Language Tags:
(United States) "الولايات المتحدة" "Vereinigte Staaten" "アメリカ" "米国" "美国" "미국" "Estados Unidos" "États-Unis" "ארצות הברית" "संयुक्त राज्य" "США"
(Arizona) "أريزونا" "亚利桑那州" "אריזונה" "एरिजोना" "アリゾナ州" "애리조나" "Аризона"
(Utah) "يوتا" "犹他州" "יוטה" "यूटा" "ユタ州" "유타" "Юта"
(Monument Valley) "وادي النصب التذكاري" "纪念碑谷" "Vallée des monuments" "מוניומנט ואלי" "स्मारक घाटी" "モニュメントバレー" "모뉴먼트 밸리" "Долина Монументов" "Valle de los Monumentos"
As a thanks to all of my followers, and to try and help promote brickly, I'm doing a giveaway with this model. If you haven't heard of it before, brickly is a new app for sharing your original LEGO creations and seeing others' models. It is currently only available for iOS devices, but they have plans to expand to Android and a web platform as well. It is still just getting started, but I think it could become a very useful asset for the online LEGO community.
To be entered, either:
Make a new account on brickly and send me your username via FM, or in a comment below.
Or, if you already have a brickly account, just leave a comment on any of my builds on brickly.
The giveaway is open through October 10th at midnight, and then I'll randomly select a winner and ship them this creation.
You can see more pictures of the build here.
#@bricklyhq
whatever... we can smile and be pleased for our existence here and now
.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS_NQlMMWxY
Wishing everyone a beautiful day filled with happiness!
A wintry scene in northern China as the C2 loco heads back to Huanan with a loaded coal train from the mine in the distant hills. It was as cold as it looks. Be thankful you're not a cow.
Huanan Coal Railway, Heilongjiang Province, Northern China.
November 2006. © David Hill.