Oddities and Random Treasures
View allAll Photos Tagged FASCINATING
Nazca in Peru, no, the Palouse in autumn, viewing the Palouse fields, especially from a vantage point like Steptoe Butte is a fascinating experience and a paradise for photographers,
just sitting up there, taking your time, avoiding the rush, absorbing the beauty and trying to bring back a memoir of it in a photograph.
Was this shadow of a black cat intentionally done by a humourist Palousian or by a mere coincidence while plowing the fields, well I’ll never know.
for a HMBT!
Seeds of a silver thistle / Silberdistel (Carlina acaulis)
some years ago in Botanical Garden, Frankfurt
Switzerland, May 2021
My best photos are here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...
My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (warning, it's a bit shocking): www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2-Xszz7FI
You find a selection of my 80 BEST PHOTOS (mostly not yet on Flickr) here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/western-green-lizard-lacerta-bi... (the website exists in ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS, ITALIANO, ENGLISH, DEUTSCH)
ABOUT THE PHOTO:
So this photo is a bit of a novelty for me - at least here on Flickr, but it's also a journey back in time in a sense. I've always loved b/w and sepia photography; already as a very young teenager I would go out into the woods with an old Pentax Spotmatic (which I had nicked from my father) whenever it was a foggy day to shoot b/w compositions of sunbeams cutting through the ghostlike trees.
I used films with a sensitivity of at least 1600 (for those of you who remember what that means 😉 ), and the resulting photos had an incredibly fine grain which I loved; I blew them up to the size of posters and hung them on the walls of my teenage man-cave next to Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Slash.
But then I abandoned photography altogether for 20 years, and when I finally picked up a camera again, it was one of the digital kind. Now neither film nor grain played any role in my photographic endeavours - let alone b/w compositions: because the reason I fell in love with shooting pictures once more was the rare and incredibly colorful lizard species that had chosen my garden as its habitat.
It's this species - the Lacerta bilineata aka the western green lizard - that my photo website www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ and also my Flickr gallery are dedicated to, but I've since expanded that theme a bit so that it now comprises the whole Lacerta bilineata habitat, which is to say my garden and its immediate surroundings and all the flora and fauna I find in it.
I like that my gallery and the website have this clear theme, because in order to rise to the challenge of portraying all aspects of a very specific little eco system (which also happens to be my home of sorts), it forces me to constantly explore it from fresh angles, and I keep discovering fascinating new motives as my photographic journey continues.
Which brings me to the horse pasture you see in this photo. This playground for happy horsies lies just outside my garden, and it normally only interests me insofar as my green reptile friends claim parts of it as their territory, and I very much prefer it to be horseless (which it thankfully often is).
Not that the horses bother the reptiles - the lizards don't mind them one bit, and I've even seen them jump from the safety of the fly honeysuckle shrub which the pasture borders on right between the deadly looking hooves of the horses to forage for snails, without any sign of fear or even respect.
No, the reason I have a very conflicted relationship with those horses is that they are mighty cute and that there's usually also foals. The sight of those beautiful, happy animals jumping around and frolicking (it's a huge pasture and you can tell the horses really love it) is irresistible: and that inevitably attracts what in the entire universe is known as the most destructive anti-matter and ultimate undoing of any nature photographer: other humans.
Unlike with the horses, the lizards ARE indeed very much bothered by specimens of loud, unpredictable Homo sapiens sapiens - which makes those (and by extension also the horses) the cryptonite of this here reptile photographer. It's not the horses' fault, I know that, but that doesn't change a thing. I'm just telling you how it is (and some of you might have read about the traumatic events I had to endure to get a particular photo - if not, read at your own risk here: www.flickr.com/photos/191055893@N07/51405389883/in/datepo... - which clearly demonstrated that even when it's entirely horseless, that pasture is still a threat for artistic endeavours).
But back to the photo. So one morning during my vacation back in May I got up quite early. It had rained all night, and now the fog was creeping up from the valley below to our village just as the sky cleared up and the morning sun started to shine through the trees.
And just as I did when I was a teenager I grabbed my camera and ran out to photograph this beautiful mood of ghostlike trees and sunbeams cutting through the mist. There had already been such a day a week earlier (which is when I took this photo: www.flickr.com/photos/191055893@N07/51543603732/in/datepo... ), but this time, the horses were also there.
Because of our slightly strained relationship I only took this one photo of them (I now wish I had taken more: talk about missed opportunities), and otherwise concentrated on the landscape. It was only later when I went through all the photos on my computer that I realized that I actually really liked those horses, even despite the whole composition being such a cliché. And I realized another thing: when I drained the photo of all the color, I liked it even better - because there was almost a bit of grain in it, like in the photos from my youth.
Since then I have experimented quite a bit with b/w and sepia compositions (some of which I will upload here eventually I guess), but this photo here is the first one that helped me rediscover my old passion. I hope you like it even though it builds quite a stark contrast with the rest of my tiny - and very colorful - gallery. But in the spirit of showing you the whole Lacerta bilineata habitat (and also in the spirit of expanding my gallery a bit beyond lizards and insects), I think it's not such a bad fit.
As always, many greetings to all of you, have a wonderful day and don't hesitate to let me know what you think 😊
for a happy Sunday!
Elephant's tongue / Elefantenohr (Haemanthus albiflos)
in a flowerpot in our garden - Frankfurt-Nordend
Located near the BMW headquarters in Munich, this futuristic building offers fascinating insights into the present and future of mobility - of course with a strong emphasis on BMW technology.
I spent the better part of the morning with the chimps. Watching mom and child interact was both fascinating and adorable. Just look at the smile on the babies face.
Obi was born on March 18th of this year.
Faszinierende Dolomiten
Das Pordoijoch ist mit einer Scheitelhöhe von 2239 m s.l.m. der zweithöchste mit einer durchgehend asphaltierten Straße versehene Gebirgspass in den Dolomiten Italiens
Fascinating watching this youngster trying to swallow this very large Rainbow trout it must have tried for about 10 minutes before giving up and abandoning the fish in the shallow water!
I really like this sim created by Ary Lukesl
It is tranquil and beautiful.
It truly makes me calm.
Worth a visit! Highly recommend!
✰ info ✰
Una delle cose più affascinanti nei fiori è il loro meraviglioso riserbo.
(Henry David Thoreau). ....One of the most fascinating things about flowers is their wonderful privacy.
(Henry David Thoreau)
Je ne suis ici qu'une ombre transparente, une sorte de copie fragile, un reflet provisoire...
une partie de citation d'André Frossard
Out of the darkness - into the light (R.I.P. Falco). Forest and fog, always a fascinating combination. The path leads into the bright unknown. Lets hope it will be a brighter 2023. Happy new year!
I stayed up until 1:00 a.m.to watch the special August moon but sadly did not get to see the meteors I had hoped to see, instead I saw a jigsaw puzzle cloud sky as shown here in my collage. Never-the-less it was fascinating.
Thank you for your kind visit. Have a wonderful and beautiful day! ❤️❤️❤️
Photographies de la Côte d’Azur
Île de Porquerolles - Var - Côte d'Azur France
A la découverte des coins secrets de Porquerolles et de
La plus belle plage d'Europe est à Porquerolles - Var - Côte d'Azur France Il s’agit de la plage de Notre-Dame. Cachée derrière un bois, à l’abri du vent, cette magnifique plage de sable blanc située au nord de @iledeporquerolles est d’une beauté fascinante.
Moins fréquentée que les autres plages de l’île, la plage Notre-Dame s’étend sur près de 800 mètres. Alors vous serez tranquille pour vous reposer, contempler le paysage et vous baigner dans la mer bleue turquoise.
Cette île stupéfiante est la plus grande et la plus occidentale des trois îles d'Hyères. Selon European Best Destinations, une organisation qui promeut la culture et le tourisme dans le Vieux Continent, c’est ici que se trouve la plus belle plage d’Europe.
Discovering the secret corners of Porquerolles and
The most beautiful beach in Europe is at Porquerolles - Var - Côte d'Azur France This is Notre-Dame beach. Hidden behind a wood, sheltered from the wind, this magnificent white sand beach located north of @iledeporquerolles is of fascinating beauty.
Less crowded than the other beaches on the island, Notre-Dame Beach stretches for almost 800 meters. Then you will be quiet to rest, contemplate the landscape and swim in the turquoise blue sea.
This amazing island is the largest and most western of the three islands of Hyères. According to European Best Destinations, an organization that promotes culture and tourism in the Old Continent, this is where the most beautiful beach in Europe is located.
#porquerolles #porquerollesisland #var #provence #provencealpescotedazur #provencefrance #cotedazur #cotedazurfrance #regionsud #vacances #vacancesenfamille #tourisme #tourismefrance #picoftheday #magnifiquefrance #jeudiphoto #francemagique #photography #photooftheday #jmlpyt #fenetresurlafrance #fierdusud #fenetresurlevar #visitlafrance #visitvar #explore_regionsud #gettyimagescontributor #shootuploadrepeat #canonfrance
#worldscoolestwinter
@hotel_les_medes @visit_var @tlv.tvm
Scegliete voiiiiiiiiiiiiii
This is our common Australian house Gecko. We have had a family take up residence on the back verandah, behind the lounge, for the last year now. This youngster was kind enough to let me get close enough to use my macro + Raynox 250 for this macro without hissing at me, which is their normal threatened reaction. I find his eyes and skin fascinating! The skin looks like some rugged rocky landscape. Or possibly my complexion ;) I find them incredibly cool!
The fascinating eyes of a lynx..
Aren't these cats beautiful?
Please respect my copyright. No use of the photo without my expressly permission.
And: I don't like Comment-Codes, "awards", or such groups. They will be deleted. Explanation at my profile.
Always fascinating to see these falcons "hover" in the air in search of prey.
Cheers!
Location: Friesland, the Netherlands
Please don't use my images on websites or any other media without my permission.
© All rights reserved
Tiger and Turtle, Duisburg
So fascinating, couldn't stop taking pictures from all possible points.
de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_and_Turtle_%E2%80%93_Magic_...
This is a spider wasp with a Wolf spider. I have not been able to identify what type of spider wasp it is, apparently there are many different types. Here in southern Arizona we have one by the name of Tarantula Wasp, which preys on Tarantulas. They are much larger and have orange wings. The wasp in the photo has stung this spider. When I came across them the wasp was dragging the spider across the ground, heading for her nest. The horrifying part of this story is, the venom of the wasp does not kill the spider, it paralyzes it. After stinging and paralyzing the spider, the wasp drags it to its nest where it lays eggs inside the spider. When the wasp larva hatch inside the spider, they eat it alive. I took this photo at Gilbert Water Ranch in Gilbert Arizona.
Had 3 beautiful windless days in Lodi where so many people go to view these amazing Sandhill Cranes. I found a deeply plowed divot in this cornfield where these beautiful birds allow me to sit and watch them as they leisurely grazed and at times would go into their 'fascinating mating dances'.
This beautiful rhododendron flower wasn’t formed to a fascinating sculpture by the rain. These are dewdrops collected on the petals during the night. Together with this soft and diffuse morning light its producing a impressive look, in my opinion.
Diese wunderschöne Rhododendron Blüte wurde nicht etwa vom Regen zu einer faszinierenden Skulpur umgewandelt. Dies sind Taudropfen, der sich über Nacht auf den Blättern gesammelt haben. Zusammen mit dem weichen und diffusen Morgenlicht ergibt das eine beeindruckenden Anblick, finde ich.
more of this on my website at: www.shoot-to-catch.de
The Ruhr, also referred to as Ruhr area, Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
With a population density of 2,800/km2 and a population of over 5 million (2017), it is the largest urban area in Germany. It consists of several large cities bordered by the rivers Ruhr to the south, Rhine to the west, and Lippe to the north. In the southwest it borders the Bergisches Land. It is considered part of the larger Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region of more than 10 million people, which is among the largest in Europe.
The Ruhr area has no administrative centre; each city in the area has its own administration, although there exists the supracommunal "Regionalverband Ruhr" institution in Essen.
For 2010, the Ruhr region was one of the European Capitals of Culture.
ƒ/9.0 28.0 mm 1/200 100
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Fascinating Iceland - Ice blocks in the glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón
new raw processing with LR 12 and pure raw
Faszinierendes Island - Eisblöcke in der Gletscherlagune Jökulsárlón
neue raw-Entwicklung mit LR 12 und pure raw
A baby Caiman.
Laying in the water absolutely motionless and wating for his prey - the same behaviour like its big relatives. What a fascinating dangerous baby
Pink Waxcaps or Hygrcybe Calyptriformis are a beautiful and unusual sight. They will appear in undisturbed grasslands either singular or with just two or three together. Taken on Dartmoor by the side of a stream.
This MM theme went round and round (no pun intended) in my head all day. After an exhausting day and an accidental after-dinner nap on the sofa 😱, I decided on the simplest thing I could get my hands on. A thimble, which lights nicely and creates its own bokeh. I'm still not sure it's the best thing I could've come up with in the (rather limited) time I've had over the past week, but here it is anyway.