View allAll Photos Tagged IMPROVING
Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.
Luther Burbank
Sun shines through the beautiful common cottongrass flowers in Siglufjörður, Fjallabyggð, North Iceland.
90008 & 90044 combine to power 4M80, Freightliner’s 1640 Coatbridge - Basford Hall intermodal, seen at Bottomess Wood, Abington on 12 June 2024.
I moved the farm track a metre or so nearer the railway to improve the image balance.
Maybe this owl does not look amused because it suffers from Irritable Owl Syndrome, ha, ha. So many owl species tend to have an "angry" expression. An up close and personal shot of a little Burrowing Owl, who resides at the Alberta Bird of Prey Centre in Coaldale, southern Alberta, a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, educating the public.
""As a result of its ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, it has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.
burrowingowl.com/visit/index.php
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl
I have only ever once seen a Burrowing Owl - two, possibly three of them - in the wild, and I was so very lucky to get that chance. To say that it was a thrill is an understatement! These endangered owls are tiny and so difficult to see, especially when they are down in the grasses. I may add a previously posted photo of a wild one in a comment box below.
It had been a few years since my last visit to the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre - I had only been maybe three or four times - and I had been longing to go back. Much too far and all new driving territory for me to even think about driving there myself. However, on 9 September 2016, that is exactly what I did. A friend had said she would come along, too, but she emailed me at 1:00 am that morning to say that she assumed our trip had been cancelled, as she hadn't heard back about the time to meet. In fact, I had sent two emails giving the time, so I don't know what happened there. Very unfortunate, as it would have been great to have had company on such a long drive, and I know she would have had fun with her camera.
I knew it would be a long day and further than I would normally drive - and in a brand new car that I had/have yet to learn to drive! It didn't look or feel quite as new after travelling 481 km! Only got lost twice, one minor and the other major. Must have taken a wrong turn somewhere way down south and I ended up in the city of Lethbridge, that I had very carefully planned to avoid. After driving for three and three-quarter hours, I finally arrived at my destination, to my huge relief.
Despite getting there later than I had hoped, I still had more than enough time to wander round the grounds and photograph the various raptors. Some were tethered out in a grassy area and others, including this Burrowing Owl, were in outdoor cages. It looks like this one had an injury to its beak? Wonderful to get such a close look at the various majestic birds.
I took a slightly different way home via #845 (?), making absolutely sure that I didn't accidentally find myself in Lethbridge again and it wasn't too long before I found myself in the area that I had driven weeks ago, when I went SW of Vulcan to look for Common Nighthawks (without any luck).
Just so happy that I finally made myself do this drive. When I Googled the Centre's website, I had discovered that they were closing two days later for the winter. So, it was either a case of going the next day or not at all till next May onward.
The day after this adventure, 10 September 2016, I took my daughter on a long drive in Kananaskis. This was yet another place that I had longed to be able to drive for many years - and finally I did it! I had been lots of times with various friends, but this was the very first time I had ever driven myself. We had planned to do this a few weeks earlier, but then my car had major repairs that needed to be done. Instead, I knew I just couldn't put any more money into my 17-year-old car, and I ended up replacing it. So glad we went on this particular day, as it snowed the following day.
“There is a great beauty in the little things.” Mehmet Murat Ildan.
The long days of lockdown are allowing me to edit photographs that, for lack of time, had been waiting on the hard drive for a long time. Not knowing when we can travel again makes me feel even more fortunate to have visited so many countries and even lived in some of them, like Italy. Although the situation in the transalpine country is improving, our plans to return in November will have to wait until who knows when. I had in mind to return to Italy once a year with my wife, to continue showing her some of the Italian places that I love so much and to continue photographing one of my favorite countries.
More than a year ago we were lucky enough to spend a few days on the Amalfi Coast, and on one of the dawns I walked through the Atrani road to just beyond the northern entrance to this town. With very little space available, I had to use my small mini tripod on one of the guardrails that separated the road from the edge of the cliffs. With almost no room for me, I sat next to the camera to wait for the sunrise. The morning woke up really cloudy, so in the end the blue hour was the best time to capture this less common sight of Atrani. A very small village, but really beautiful.
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"Hay una gran belleza en las pequeñas cosas." Mehmet Murat Ildan.
Los largos días de confinamiento me están permitiendo editar fotografías que, por falta de tiempo, se habían quedado esperando en el disco duro desde hace mucho. No saber cuando podremos volver a viajar de nuevo, me hace sentirme aún más afortunado por haber visitado tantos países e incluso haber vivido en algunos de ellos, como Italia. Aunque la situación en el país transalpino está mejorando, nuestros planes de volver en noviembre tendrán que esperar quien sabe hasta cuando. Me había propuesto volver a Italia una vez al año con mi mujer, para seguir mostrándole algunos de los lugares que tanto me enamoran y seguir fotografiando uno de mis países favoritos.
Hace más de un año tuvimos la suerte de pasar unos días en la Costa Amalfitana, y en uno de los amaneceres me dirigí caminando por la carretera de Atrani hasta un poco más allá de la entrada norte de esta localidad. Con poquísimo espacio disponible tuve que usar mi pequeño minitrípode sobre uno de los quitamiedos que separaban la carretera del borde de los acantilados. Sin casi espacio para mí me senté junto a la cámara para esperar la salida del sol. Las mañana se despertó realmente nublada, por lo que al final la hora azul fue el momento más idóneo para capturar esta vista menos común de Atrani. Un pueblo muy pequeño, pero realmente bello.
Formerly known as strip-headed tanager, this is not an easy bird to see in North American, Your best chance to see this fellow is around Holguin of Cuba.
After an hour of hiding from the rain and strong winds the clouds started to clear. I was hoping for a rainbow or two looking towards Chrome Hill; there's always another time for me and my shadow to visit
Upper Antelope Canyon is called Tsé bighánílíní, 'the place where water runs through rocks' by the Navajo. Despite improved warning and safety systems, the risks of injury from flash floods still exists. On July 30, 2010, several tourists were stranded on a ledge when two flash floods occurred. Some of them were rescued and some had to wait for the flood waters to recede.
I've been playing in Photoshop with my favorite photo. I tried adding the Orton effect to see how it would look. I thought it would just make it look blurry and crappy. Surprisingly, I loved it. This photo has such a magical, painterly quality, I think the Orton effect really enhances that. People have always thought this photo looks like a painting. They probably think that because, this photo does look like a painting. And... Once again... As I said in my description of the original version. This picture was not majorly Photoshopped. I did some darkening of the sky. Increased contrast in the rocks, and got rid of some people walking around the lighthouse... And... Now I added the Orton effect. If you printed the negative in a darkroom, it would look pretty much like this.
Here's the original.
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© Dan McCabe
How can I improve this photo? All CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is welcome. Note: I place a watermark in my photos to protect my intellectual property. This is intentional.
Minor White was a contemporary of Ansel Adams. In addition to being a photographer in his own right, he also taught photography lessons. Some of these lessons would take place at what is now known as "Minor White's Wall", located in the Shore Acres State Park, where he encouraged his students to concentrate on their abilities to visualize and create abstract photos.
This alien wasn't able to return to its home world. But this fossil cast in stone is a gift to us.
VT 601014-4 / 601019-3 DB on special service on the Vennbahn shortly before arriving at Raeren on Saturday 30th November 1991
This is an improved slide scan
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When finally the visibility improved on this morning, this special schemed Airbus arrived at runway 25R.
Flight EY7 from Abu Dhabi/AUH was operated on that day by 'Blue Moon Rising', promoting the livery "Manchester City Football Club" which was applied to the frame in July 2011.
The conditions were perfect, and I was really glad to have captured it just then.
Taken with my dad's camera. Waiting on Brickarms webbing, Enfields and MMCB jackets. What do you think so far?
Rework of a 2011 Wiggleworm image I posted here on Flickr. Its always fun when someone comments on an old picture I had forgotten about, and thats what happened here. Basic picture is the same, but now with a few subtle enhancements.
One I have already posted, some years back, and since then the programmes available to tidy up images have improved. So too, I think, has my inclination to re-visit some photos and try to improve them.
D1016 Western Gladiator is, in the revamped version, looking a lot better for the tweaking. You can actually see the detail on the lower part of the front!
At least part of the trailing load is china clay by the looks of it.
The old fashioned tarpaulin covers on the wagons were designed to keep the load dry - as can be imagined, damp is not really an ideal addition to the clay. It wasn't long before the tarpaulins were replaced by clay hoods which were a much more robust design.
Sadly, this is all long gone from the railway scene. The joy of seeing a freight such as this clattering along is but a memory - there isn't the capacity for slow speed traffic like this n between the much faster passenger trains. It was bad enough back then on a Summer Saturday with the sheer volume of traffic and services similar to this getting looped to let the passenger trains go past.
Now the freights, such as they are, travel much quicker. Enthusiasts can sit at the track side now and read a book for quite a while without any distraction from the passing traffic - such as it is. Have passenger numbers really increased down here or is it in other parts of the country?
Manchester Victoria has many shorter passenger services than I remember while the freight services can be be monsters. One particular freight is so long it presents a challenge pathing it through the area. The loco is through Man Vic while the tail is still on Miles Platting bank. There isn't capacity to route it on the line through Bolton so it takes a different route.
If anything, a passenger service would have to be looped to let this monster go past because what loops are left are unlikely to accommodate it.
Besides, the driver would have a potential nightmare restarting it. The prospect of "stalling" it and causing chaos is a distinct possibility. Better to keep it rolling as any restart would be somewhat slow.
Now if they had the super Western design that never was, maybe things would be different?
Some things improve with age. Like wine (I’m told)
Stonework certainly does. New, it looks like a little boy in his first suit….. a little uncomfortable. But leave it a few years, or even a few hundred years, let it get weatherbeaten, chipped and scarred and it mellows. It develops colour and character.
Like some people.
So yea I decided to give some cool shots of this fig and here he is in a more battle looking stance( ik the black stripes on the shield look rlly bad and that will be improved upon)
This LEAST BITTERN is one of the most difficult North American marsh birds to spot. Despite its inconspicuousness, however, the species can be rather common within appropriate habitat in its breeding range....All About Birds
He is the smallest member of the North American Heron family.
View Large Size.
Ile Bizard, Quebec.
Lewis Falls, of the Lewis River (Scenic Segment), that pours out of Lewis Lake, is named for Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis & Clark Fame. Very recentlly the Park Service wisely invested in major improvements to the viewing areas and added a short, safe trail to overlooks such as this one. As a result my estimation of this small beauty spot has also improved. Lovely fall colors certainly add to the appeal as well. As always, I recommend viewing full screen if you can.
M81 and M82 are a pair of interacting galaxies found in the constellation of Ursa Major.
M81 was discovered by Johann Alert Bode in 1774. The galaxy is approximately 11.5 million light years from earth and is one of the brightest galaxies in the night sky.
M82 also discovered by Johann Alert Bode, is known for its elongated cigar shape seen from Earth and contains high levels of star formation giving its alternative name the Starburst Galaxy. M82 is approximately 12 million light years from Earth.
This wide field image also includes NGC 3077, NGC 2961, NGC 2959 and NGC 2976.
One of the objectives for this wide field image was to capture the IFN (Integrated Flux Nebula) that surrounds the region. This is why over 50 hours of imaging was taken to pick up the weak background signal.
Primarily the RGB was taken using a UV/UR cut filter during the moonless nights, and then the Ha data was added from a narrowband session using the Optolong L-Extreme 3nm filter during brighter moonlit nights. This narrowband data improves the definition of the red Ha jets being ejected from the galaxy core go M82.
Imaged from my home in Gergal, Spain over 8 nights in February and March 2023.
Full imaging details and a high resolution image are available at astrob.in/uozcx0/0/
Imaging summary:
Location: Gergal, Spain
Scope: William Optics GT 81
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filters: ZWO UV/IR Cut, Optolong L-Ultimate Dual Narrowband
Integration: 248x 300s L-Ultimate, 1089x 60s UV/IR
Total Integration: 50h 49m
© Dan McCabe
How can I improve this photo? All CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is welcome. Note: I place a watermark in my photos to protect my intellectual property. This is intentional.
Minor White was a contemporary of Ansel Adams. In addition to being a photographer in his own right, he also taught photography lessons. Some of these lessons would take place at what is now known as "Minor White's Wall", located in the Shore Acres State Park, where he encouraged his students to concentrate on their abilities to visualize and create abstract photos.
OK, it's not a horse. But it reminds me of one. I see the mouth, the nose, and one eye before the shape fades into the background of the surrounding rock.
...found in my backyard one morning in November ....what a pleasant surprise.VIEW LARGE SIZE.
(I have processed this image and blurred the background using photoshop.)
Consumption Improves Performance
"I photograph beer, then drink it"
Beer in Australia:
There are more than 600 independent breweries in Australia
Two thirds of Australia's independent breweries are in regional and rural areas
Independent breweries make six per cent of beer sold in Australia, up from one per cent five years ago
Australians are drinking 33 per cent less beer than they were in the mid 1970s
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New-build "Improved" Peppercorn A1 Pacific "Tornado" coasts along the embankment towards Horsted Keynes, as a pair of Painted Lady butterflies make their way across the line... shown here with its 8-coach train, seen here as a full BR Blood and Custard Mk 1 rake. In reality, it was a mixed rake with just one B&C Mk1s, and several green Mk1s and Bulleids, but as with my photo of 60103, I though a typical 1960s BR rake would be worth the work it took in PScc to produce. Tornado's last day (I think) on the Bluebell in 2014, looking resplendent in BR Express Blue.
The outlook of Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge and the Tamar Road Bridge from the viewing area car park on the Devon side of the River Tamar has been improved by the lopping of the trees behind the contractors compound, which previously obscured the view. Also, it looks like at long last, the contractors compound is being wound down, and hopefully it, too, will disappear in time. A visit by the chain saw to the bushes on the left would not come amiss, either, but at least, the view of Brunel's masterpiece is again there to be enjoyed. On 13th December 2021, GWR Class 158 No. 158959 approaches while forming service 2P16 1354 Truro - Plymouth. Copyright Photograph John Whitehouse - all rights reserved
The drab environment is improved by Gavin's umbrella.
1Q68 02.47 Doncaster West Yard to Derby R.T.C. test train.
Thank you all so much for the kind comments. I never thought I'd be publishing such manipulated photos – this is my first attempt, learning how to work with graphics programs ;)
Very dissapointed with this shoot. I expected a heck of alot more out of this doll and all her pictures came out terrible. I took her out for two shoots. She did improve the secound shoot ,but still wasn't perfect. In the end I only have myself to blame. Snow White is next week, and I'm going to try my hardest to do much better.
I have a feeling the terramycin I put on the seed ports of this feeder has helped this bird's conjunctivitis. Her eyes look way better and she just looks perkier. We were away for six days and the seed feeder got emptied. The water heater for bird water had to be turned off and yet she survived. Tough little bird. Lens: Panasonic 100-400
Weather was improving quite a bit after lunch, so decided to go out with my large format camera. Loaded 4 sheets of TMax 100 with the intent of recording all the pertinent details about the shot in my new "black book" in order to get data to improve my b&w workflow. This is the first shot using a Carl Zeiss Jena 4.5 150 mm lens. Shot at 1/2 s, f/22.
With her Improved Reach Kitten Managed to Decorate our Light tree all by herself! WOW Those really do come in Handy lol
A improved version of this: www.flickr.com/photos/icering/5821729882/in/photostream
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