View allAll Photos Tagged IStandWithUkraine
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2m8RaE-jnw
PosED ~ Light of Hope
This pose is a Ukrainian support gift for female and male. You can find it at the mainstore : PosED Main Store
Marketplace : PosED MP
Flickr : PosED Flickr
Facebook : PosED Facebook
L♥ve From America ☮💙💛💙💛☮
To the amazing people of Ukraine: Your bravery and love of your country are incredible things to be witness to. I hope your actions serve to show everyone around the world what it means to come together in a time of crisis. It is terrifying to watch, but amazing to see. Stay strong! The world is on your side ♥ #standwithukraine
The soloist of the American band The Kiffness David Scott made a musical arrangement of the song, which the frontman of "Boombox" Andriy Khlyvnyuk performed in the center of Kyiv with a machine gun in his hands.
This pose is by Meli Hotshot. You can find her in the "People In Photo" section.
•❤•❀Thᥲᥒk Yoᥙ For Yoᥙr Sᥙρρort. It Rᥱᥲᥣᥣყ Is Aρρrᥱᥴιᥲtᥱd.•❤•❀
An abstract of the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park. The river is in red for the blood of the fallen. As we all know. May God be with you. #Ukraine #IStandWithUkraine #Peace #LetPeacePrevail #NoToWar
Get your free shirt (for various male bodies) from Redangel on the MP: marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/156430
#IStandWithUkraine
Deception is the most powerful weapon used in war to turn people against each other.
- Rafaela Vega
I tend not to mix SL & RL... but my heart is bleeding right now & i cannot & Won't separate the 2 lives... I am horrified for what's happening right now.
This war has to stop... this is a genocide all over again... hasn't the past teached us anything at all?
Peace For Ukraine Mini Dress
SALE! $150L
The mini dress comes with a sunflower to hold and one for your hair! You can find them at my satellite shop or at the Spring Fling Event.
I am wearing Maitreya Lara V5.3 Mesh Body
Let me know if you blog the dress, please! I have a BamPu Legacies Flickr Group for it!
xoxo
My heart goes out to the many children, families and Ukraine as a whole and pray the war will be over soon.
xoxo
Bambi Chicque
Я за Україну.
мир і любов
I was banned from several groups for posting this..
The positive effect for me being that I no longer belong to those groups.
#IStandWithUkraine; #WeAreAllUkraineNow
“The force which makes for war does not derive its strength from the interested motives of evil men; it derives its strength from the disinterested motives of good men.” - Norman Angell, lecturer, author, MP, and Nobel laureate (1872-1967)
Pink Floyd - The Dogs Of War
In a similar fashion to one of the first images I made in the Support for Ukraine series, here we have a dandelion seed as the foundation for water droplets, refracting the image of the Ukrainian flag in the background. This time, sheets of sparkling paper were used. This makes for a lively effect, and the out-of-focus sparkles in the background make for a pleasing “bokeh”.
When things refract, they flip. In order to get the flag to appear in the proper orientation in the droplets, the actual flag has to be placed in the background upside down. An upside-down flag can also be symbolic, as a sign of distress and a request for immediate help. Ukraine has been making such a call for nearly a year now, and the world continues to help. There have been some big developments, some of which you probably haven’t heard of.
An important line has been crossed: other nations are considering or confirming their desire to send main battle tanks to Ukraine. Germany is an odd hold-out, and they have been strangely hesitant to send any aid to Ukraine since the conflict began. Yesterday (January 21, 2023), Germany and it’s allies met at the Ramstein Air Base to discuss the issues, and there was no conclusive answer. Germany can block the transfer of Leopard tanks from other nations, and vaguely said that they would not do this – but with nothing formally stated.
Even without the leopard tanks, the flood of military aid to Ukraine has been massive. More patriot air defense equipment, among many additional defensive armaments. Effectively every country that had previously supported Ukraine is turning up the dial further. And for this, Russia is getting desperate.
Putin has replaced the commander in Ukraine after only three months. Sergei Surovikin will be replaced with Army General Valery Gerasimov. Days after this announcement was made, a horrendous attack in Dnipro followed. On January 14th, a Russian aircraft launched a Kh-22 missile, allegedly aiming to destroy electrical infrastructure. It missed, and destroyed an apartment building. 46 innocent lives were lost, including six children. There’s a tribute to the victims here: kyivindependent.com/national/here-are-the-victims-of-russ...
The Kh-22 missile, though. This weapon was originally designed in 1962 and has a 1000kg warhead. It was intended to be fired at aircraft carriers, and as such, is wildly inaccurate for urban use. Someone in Russia’s command thought this was an acceptable action to take. Such actions continue to disregard human lives and add to the seemingly endless list of war crimes.
This week brought about some interesting positive news, however. It involves actions taken semi-secretly by Bulgaria. Die Welt conducted an investigative journal of the actions taken by Bulgaria since the beginning of the conflict, and Politico created a summarized English version: www.politico.eu/article/bulgaria-volodymyr-zelenskyy-kiri...
I’ll summarize it for you in point form:
- Bulgaria is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of 152mm Soviet-era artillery ammunition.
- At the start of the war, entire cargo planes were filled with munitions and delivered to third-party countries including Poland, for eventual transport to Ukraine.
- Bulgaria’s only oil refinery is just south of us on the Black Sea near Burgas. It receives oil from Russian tankers, and is owned my Russian company Lukoil.
- That facility has supplied Ukraine with 40% of its diesel fuel, transported by truck and train.
- Much of this was done in secrecy to maintain the coalition government where some parties were pro-Russian.
- With a current caretaker government in place before new elections, the government has now officially agreed to supply Ukraine with further weapons.
40% of Ukraine’s fuel, more than 32,000 barrels a day ( www.novinite.com/articles/218499/32%2C000+Barrels+of+Fuel... ) comes from a Russian-affiliated refinery in Bulgaria. To ensure this arrangement continues, laws have very recently been passed that could allow the Bulgarian government to take control of the facility for up to a year if needed ( ca.news.yahoo.com/bulgaria-clears-way-control-lukoil-1209... ).
Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov was also the person who suggested in an emergency meeting on February 25, 2022, to cut Russia off the SWIFT banking system. That suggestion was adopted, and Russia is furious with Bulgaria for it ( www.novinite.com/articles/218512/Russia+on+Petkov%3A+The+... ).
Many nations are helping Ukraine defend itself and defeat Russia. Many of the ways which other nations help are not seen. Much of this can never become public, or is only fully realized years later. While I can say this is true for Bulgaria, I hope that there is a lot more going on behind the scenes across the globe to help Ukraine.
And to that end, this image is in the Public Domain. Do with it what you’d like! Слава Україні.
This is a digital creation supporting Ukraine and anyone who could use some bright yellow sunflowers of strength and hope against a colorful abstract background.
Sometimes an idea works out differently than you expect. This was intended to be a photo of just a passionflower tendril with a droplet at its center, but the droplet would not form an acceptable “lens” based on the imperfect edges to the spiral. Many attempts were made before deciding that another element would be required.
I have a box of wildflower seeds that I collect opportunistically and use when the mood strikes. This one is a favourite: Salsify (also called Yellow Goat’s Beard). The large web-like sail on the seed holds water droplets nicely, and I nudged this seed firmly into the center of the spiral. It didn’t stay there for long, with the weight of the accruing water making it front-heavy and nearly falling out of the tendril. In its descent, friction against the thicker barbs at the end of the seed stopped it. The camera was ready for its previous positioning, but all settings were dialed in. A quick adjustment to framing and focus, and here we are.
Moments after the photo was taken, the seed continued to fall and ended up on the table. For a behind-the-scenes image I placed it back in the approximate location, and you can see that here: donkom.ca/bts/IMG_2283.jpg - a sunflower used as the background, connecting both blue and yellow is support of Ukraine.
And there has been some developments on that front, for those who do not receive regular news updates. There are five main points I’d like to mention:
- Russians have placed a human head impaled on a stick somewhere in Popasna. The thought process to commit such a crime is seemingly pervasive across their armed forces: instill fear for control with zero regard of human life. Russia is showing the world they are ready to head back to the Dark Ages, which began with the fall of Rome. The parallels to Moscow are uncanny.
- Russian forces tortured and murdered at least 50 Ukrainian Prisoners of War in Olenivka prison camp. They claim that Ukrainian forces struck the facility after learning that the prisoners were providing testimony about Ukrainian war crimes. In reality, all evidence indicates that a Russian thermobaric warhead was detonated inside the facility and not indicative of a missile attack. The war crime is a way to fuel the Russian propaganda machine in Moscow, where the Russian version of events will remain unchallenged.
- Amnesty International filed a report stating that Ukrainian forces were using civilian infrastructure and endangering civilian lives in the process. The report was not offered to Amnesty International Ukraine for input and was written by someone using testimony from people in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. As a result, many people have cut ties with the organization with at least one founder leaving. Why is this important? Such a report basically gives Russia full permission in their delusions to fire on all civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, as if they weren’t doing that already. However, for the purposes of propaganda, this can paint such attacks in a heroic light for the Russian population.
- Unexpectedly and with devastating force, significant damage to an air base in Crimea has occurred, destroying more Russian aircraft than at any other point in the war and killing an estimated 60 pilots. The source of the attack is currently unclear, as the distance from Ukrainian-controlled territory is greater than the longest-range weapons that Ukraine has. Some people suggest it was an improvised drone strike that set of a cascade reaction of explosions, others suggest that Ukraine has been given weapons of which the public has no knowledge (fog of war reasoning). Either way, the Kerch bridge leading from Crimea to Russia has been jam packed with cars leaving the region. The Russians no longer feel safe there.
- There are reports that Russia has mined and planted explosives strategically inside and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (the largest such facility in Europe). The head of the Russian forces in the region made “scorched earth” comments; basically, if Russia can’t have it, they’ll destroy it. This would be the largest nuclear disaster in history, resulting in radioactive clouds that would spread across the planet.
What does this all break down to? The complete disregard for human life by the Russian forces continue, and are partially enhanced by their ability to spin their own web of lies and justifications for further diabolical actions. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are grinding the Russian forces down, destroying certain bridges around Kherson and creating intense fear among the Russians in Crimea. For all the terror that Russia inflicts, they gain nothing but fear and uncertainty.
It's only a matter of time before the forces in the Kherson region are so diminished that the area can be liberated with a minimum of casualties to the brave men and women of Ukraine and all fighting alongside them. The demoralized forces from Russia will likely have an escalation of desertion, possibly with increased desperation in tactics.
Ukraine’s biggest challenge will be to bring the fight to the east side of the Dnipro River in the south. If powerful nations around the globe continue to supply Ukraine with more advanced, long-range weaponry, the next stage of the Ukraine War will begin. They all need our support, and we must be prepared for the unspeakable horrors discovered when towns and cities are liberated. Support charities working in the region, write to your government officials, create your own messages of support, rally and make it known that Russia cannot win and cannot be allowed to follow this path of tyrannical madness ever again. We continue our support over here, as best we can.
I discovered sunflowers for sale at a flower bazaar yesterday. I had been waiting for them to come back in stock for a variety of photo experiments – just like this. It’s not the most original concept, but it deserved revisiting.
Sunflowers have a black center, but just like the subtle green sheen on a raven’s feathers, the center of a sunflower is deeply and faintly blue. When you shine a flashlight directly at this black center, allowing only a small amount of light to spill off to the much-brighter petals, you can re-balance the colour profile in the resulting image to be blue and yellow.
I had used a dandelion seed as an ingredient in one of the first symbolic images I created in support of Ukraine, but with a single drop placed in the center. That was intentional – multiple droplets could convey a fractured country. In this case, multiple sunflowers refracting in these droplets is a different message entirely – multitudes of bright flowers splashing around the image. Most of the droplets are created with a spray bottle, but the center droplet is placed with a hypodermic needle. This image is dedicated to the Public Domain.
It's easy to feel like this war in Ukraine rages on in the distance, like white noise that you grow accustomed to and it can be ignored after a certain period of time. The next sensational news story takes over, and public attention shifts to other debates. Reality is quite different for people who have fled their country with lives in ruin. More than 12 million Ukrainians are believed to have fled their homes, and over a million have been forcibly deported to impoverished regions of Eastern Russia. Many children have been separated from their parents at “filtration camps” and may never be reunited.
I see verified accounts of war crimes emerging, but justice for such crimes will never be enough. This series of work will continue, and I have lost followers as a result of it. I have a backlog of other images to share when the time is right, but for now I would like to remind everyone that the worst crimes against humanity are happening at a scale that is barely within living memory.
Many people feel helpless. This is a reminder: you can help. Donate to charities, create artwork or music, write to politicians, buy things made in Ukraine, attend rallies, and voice your opinions. Where I grew up in Canada, there was a significant Ukrainian immigrant population, and Ukrainian community centres. If there is such a place around you, ask how you can help them – since they would certainly be involved in humanitarian aid in some way. We are doing the same with a Ukrainian cultural center here in Varna, though our funds are limited. We hope to do more car-loads of supplies soon, thanks to the incoming donations.
Back to photography for a moment: this image was taken with a new macro lens that has yet to be announced. It’s pretty solid. I’ll mentioned more about it when I can. There are a lot of projects happening behind the scenes over here that I can’t walk about just yet, some may be a long ways off. Stay tuned for future updates, and more blue & yellow imagery.
P.S. As I conclude this post, I hear the unmistakable sound of fighter jets overhead; they were likely Bulgarian MIG-29s. Bulgaria has been cut off from Russian natural gas, which amounted to 95% of the national supply. Additional supply from the United States as well as a new pipeline to Greece alleviate the problem, but Russian aggression is not simply limited to Ukraine. Finland and Sweden are likely to join NATO in the immediate future, and tensions between NATO and Russia are rising. We are safe, happy, and healthy – but we also realize that so much is at stake. While the Ukrainian people are fighting for their sovereignty right now, they are also fighting for all of us. They have my unending respect.
It has been a busy few weeks for us, since my last post. Many supply runs have been delivered to Ukrainian refugees, some via a cultural heritage centre that distributes it, some directly to hotel rooms with individual lists. One of the recent rounds of donations changed direction a little, as we learned of a supply truck heading directly into Ukraine and making at least three stops along the way. We provided medical / surgical supplies, a 3000w generator and many high-capacity USB power banks. It’s now in Ukrainian territory helping those who need it the most.
Unfortunately, as expected, this conflict has become a war of attrition. I am very grateful for my Canadian government’s ongoing and unwavering support of the Ukrainian people, and with support from the US, UK and many other nations – Ukraine will win this. Peace will be restored; but at what cost? The unthinkable horrors of war are shattering the innocence of a generation of Ukrainian children, and some will never see their parents again. Homes destroyed. An economy in freefall. The path to prosperity is so far out of reach, but many dare to dream about picking up the pieces while the conflict still rages on.
I often wonder what conversations Ukrainians are having. “What will you do after the war?” – a conversation between two soldiers, two refugees, two children… all different perspectives, but in all cases a way to express hope. Some people will strive to go back to the lives they once had, while others will have a dramatically different outlook on life. I’m sure everyone just wants to hug their loved ones again, a simple act that we frequently take for granted. For many children, the last time they hugged their father will forever be February 24th.
This image is meant to represent the birth of a new season, and hope that will forever bloom. The way it was created was simple, but required a bit of understanding of physics. The ethereal background is actually just the cover of a notebook I bought for my daughter; it has countless shiny plastic circles sewn into it, that can flip to a different direction and display a different colour. One side is blue, the other is yellow/gold. When light hits these circles, and they are presented out of focus, the resulting specular highlights become beautiful “bokeh”. The lens used here is a simple triplet design, capable of very beautiful “soap bubble bokeh” when shooting wide open. The flower, a white osteospermum flower, picks up a golden colour from the reflected light. The center was already bluish, but the top of this area is also crested with blue reflecting from the notebook.
You can see a "behind the scenes" image here: donkom.ca/bts/IMG_1739.jpeg
We continue our efforts to help those impacted by this unjust war. I believe at this point we’ve moved more humanitarian aid than our car is worth, 4 times over. I even spent a whole day baking “tryzub” bread, in the shape of the Ukrainian Coat of Arms, and I will do so again. If anyone wants to contribute to our efforts, any contribution is most welcome. I can’t give a charitable tax receipt or anything, but I can promise that we will keep doing good over here in Bulgaria as long as can – and I greatly appreciate everyone who has enabled us to keep doing good.
If you’re in Canada, you can send an eTransfer to don.komarechka@gmail.com with the note “Donation for Ukrainian Aid”. If you’re anywhere else in the world, you can always just PayPal me a donation to (different e-mail address) don@komarechka.com with the same note. While most of our efforts are for the refugees here – and Bulgaria has taken in a considerable number – we will also embrace any opportunity we have to send the most-needed supplies across borders into Ukraine itself.
I’ll say it as I have said in previous posts: write to your politicians. Create art that expresses your opinions. Show support and affect the actions you would like to see take place. We can all make an impact, however small, in a war that has never been more clearly “good vs. evil” in over 80 years.
Also, this image is intentionally placed into the Public Domain. Anyone can use it for any purpose without my permission.
There’s a lot of symbolism in this image. I find it difficult to start this monologue, but I suppose I can begin with a recent experience of my own: attending the birthday party of a friend’s five-year-old girl. It was a fun and upbeat event and the kids were laughing and screaming with glee. An entertainer created a multitude of balloon animals and hats, swords and the like; occasionally there would be a loud bang when a balloon popped. And then it dawned on me the parallels of an alternate reality a few hundred kilometers away, since we were in the basement of a restaurant. With loud banging noises and children screaming.
I suppose it’s only natural to feel guilty for my good fortune when my family and I can make such positive memories when others are enduring a tragedy worse than anyone could have ever imagined. Every minute, every hour, every day, the people of Ukraine are besieged by a hostile force that shows no respect for human life or international law designed to protect innocent lives.
This image is a cross-polarized glass plate containing critic acid. The acid was dissolved in ethanol and placed on a microscope slide, and then left to evaporate. As the ethanol evaporated, the solution became super-saturated and the acid began to crystalize out of the solution. Water works here too just the same, it would like take longer to evaporate. Here is a “behind the scenes” view of the setup: donkom.ca/bts/IMG_1507.jpg
In addition to cross-polarizing the light, which would introduce a variety of colours, I needed to explore a way to integrate a prominent divide between blue and yellow. The colours are pseudo-random based on the molecular structure of the crystals and the angles of the polarized light, and I wasn’t having much luck… so I needed to make a blue/yellow coloured filter to add into the mix. How? A cardboard frame and two disposable coloured shower caps. Some colours from the birefringence effect (cross-polarization) still came through, but I achieved the transition from blue to yellow.
And it’s no accident that there is a central point at the bottom of the frame, the nucleus of the crystal, which appears like a city and a civilization spreading outward. Also non-accidental are the red and blue colours rushing toward it. (white would have been too difficult to add in just this spot by natural means, but I hope the message still stands).
Things are stronger when they crystalize, yet many can still be shattered. For those that arrive from Ukraine to other nations as refugees, life will never be the same again. We continue our efforts here bringing groceries and supplies to the refugee center here on the Black Sea coast in Varna Bulgaria. I thank everyone who has pitched in a bit to allow those runs to continue. There are more ways to support Ukraine that we’re working on, and I encourage everyone to do their part. Create artwork. Write to your politicians. Help those less fortunate in any way you can. I am also releasing this image into the Public Domain, and you can download the full 8000px square version of it here to do whatever you’d like with: donkom.ca/public-domain/crystal-of-ukraine.jpg
As this war transitions to one of attrition, we must do everything we can to support Ukraine. The quote "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." is often falsely attributed to Edmund Burke. He never said or wrote those words. The true origin of such sentiment likely originated from John Stuart Mill in 1867:
"Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject."
The longer version, although slightly more difficult to read with modern linguistical changes, is more potent.
Cat's Cradle: A statue of children playing Cat's Cradle in the Salt Lake International Peace Gardens, Salt Lake County, Utah. One of a pair of matching sculptures created by Dennis Smith. The other is installed in Salt Lake's sister-city Cherniwitz, Ukraine .
I Still Stand With Ukraine!
Previously I had photographed rough natural diamonds that fluoresce blue and yellow as a light source for a micrometeorite. The diamonds themselves, however, are an amazing subject. Resting on a first-surface mirror, it took roughly a half hour to get the two crystals to rest properly together. This is a 406-image focus stack taken with a Mitutoyo Plan APO 10x objective.
Stacking this many images is a challenge. To capture the focus slices, an automated rail is vastly preferred to any manual approach. I have used and love the Cognisys StackShot for years, but my current go-to focusing rail is the Novoflex CASTEL-MICRO: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1675563-REG/novoflex_caste... . It is, in a word, expensive. You’ll need to get the appropriate cable release for it as well. For larger subjects, such accuracy is not required, but when you get into 10x and beyond magnifications, stability is important.
Processing is also important as well – these images were combined with Helicon Focus, made by HeliconSoft – a Ukrainian company based in Kharkiv. If you have any use for focus stacking software at all, please check them out: www.heliconsoft.com/ . I typically use “Mode B” for subjects like this, which is a depth map algorithm. In this case, multiple renders with the radius slider set to various points from 3 to 20 were used, which is helpful to get maximum surface details on non-opaque subjects.
My last update on Ukraine was recent, but many things are always happening. In a somewhat surprise move, Germany has agreed to provide Ukraine with one of their Patriot Air Defense systems, after the United States had promised to do so. These are some of the best surface-to-air missile defense systems in the world. Russia just lost a further 5 MLRS (multiple launch rocket system) units in the past 24 hours, systems which have been a key component in their war strategy. Ukraine is gaining strength as Russia becomes weaker and more desperate.
The aid from allies doesn’t stop. The US is also sending Sea Sparrow missiles as part of a ground-based anti-aircraft system. Russia uses attack helicopters along with fighter jets and bombers to destroy civilian targets daily, but these are anything but stealthy aircraft. The RIM-7 Sea Sparrow has active radar homing with a range of 19km, which will help keep the front lines safer. Normally they’d be mounted to ships, but Ukraine has no navy. At the start of the war, they sunk their only battleship (the Hetman Sahaidachny) to prevent it from being used by the enemy.
Russian troops have gained a small amount of ground around Soledar ( goo.gl/maps/jhMPZnWpesWMHUbK9 ) which is Northeast of Bakhmut, one of the areas that has seen the most intense fighting of the war. The front lines in this area have nudged back and forth constant in recent months, and the region is responsible for the majority of the Russian casualties. It’s a battle that Russia will not win – their soldiers will all die trying. It makes me think that this might even be Putin’s intention: why cater to criminals in prison when you can just send them all to their deaths in Ukraine? Economically, it makes sense – if you’re an inhuman monster.
From a distance, a protracted combat zone like can be seen in satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies ( twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1611242193120813058 ). All that’s left are blown-apart concrete shells of buildings. If this looks like some of the devastation you’ve seen in Syria and elsewhere, understand that Russia was responsible for that as well. When you get closer, the impact is so much more powerful. How many lives lost or destroyed? Shelling on January 4th killed two civilians in Bakhmut – imagine, through all this, that you still had to live there. Or that you didn’t want to leave your home to looters. You had nowhere else to go, but to stay in hell on earth. Today, Russian shelling in Kherson has killed six people, including a twelve year old.
So much of the news these days is filled with the asinine antics of US politicians and celebrities. The only mention of most Western media is the possibility of a Christmas ceasefire (Orthodox Christmas is January 7th). Even if Putin claims to want a ceasefire, every single negotiation he has done was in bad faith and full of lies. Tomorrow is Christmas for many, though in a move to distance themselves from Russia, many Ukrainians have begun celebrating on December 25th.
The Ukrainian people are as tough as diamonds, so this image is for you. Keep fighting the good fight. Germany is sending 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, the US is sending 50 Bradley armored fighting vehicles, and France is sending some quantity of AMX-10 RC “light tanks”. Norway has just supplied Ukraine with 10,000 additional artillery shells. I wish even more was being done, but the world will not let Ukraine lose this war.
Daisies, family Asteraceae, often have fluorescent pollen. Sunflowers are a part of that family and are no exception. Glowing yellow under an ultraviolet light, the pollen coats the flower petals with illuminated points of light like a field of stars. UV fluorescence photography is really easy to explore, you only need darkness and a UV flashlight!
UVIVF. Let’s break that down: Ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence. This happens when UV light strikes a subject and is able to excite the electrons in certain atoms. Those electrons rise to a higher orbit, but instantaneously decay back to their original location. This spends a small amount of energy, so the light that is re-emitted from the subject now has less energy. UV light then transforms into visible light, and you can use your ordinary camera and lenses, so special equipment or filters required. The UV flashlight / torch I most commonly recommend is the Convoy S2. It’s all you need to start exploring this wonderful unseen world.
Sunflowers hold a special place in my heart because they tend to fluoresce blue and yellow, while simultaneously being the national flower of Ukraine. Today marks 150 days since the Russian Federation decided to destroy the sovereignty of the largest nation in Europe. They have not succeeded. I am continuously amazed at the resolve of the Ukrainian people, and I am thrilled to continue to support them in any way we can. Most recently we have contributed funds to purchase a surveillance drone for citizen soldiers, and we have two solar generators on order for use near the front lines. The people of Ukraine are the strongest that I have ever seen in my lifetime, and I’m glad that the world is coming to their aid.
It's also a great example of leadership, good and bad. Corruption runs deep in many Eastern European countries (probably all countries?) and this war has allowed for the discovery and dismantling of significant Russian influence. While Russia regroups for their next move, Ukraine uses the most precise and damaging weapons to erase countless enemy ammunition depots. The war is in one of the most peaceful moments, where weapons of intense destructive and terrorizing force are being systemically ruined.
Putin’s methodology for forward progress is sinister. He is forcibly conscripting Ukrainian men in occupied regions to fight for Russia – holding their families for ransom in the process. “Referendums” loom in various regions where the population will vote to be annexed by Russia. The Russian forces interview the population and if you say you’d vote for Ukraine, you are deported by force. This isn’t just a fight for some big country in Eastern Europe you’ve never visited, it’s a fight against the tyrannical actions of one of the most powerful countries on the planet. Putin’s Kleptocracy allows for these deceitful strategies, but it is also what has left his military weak and untrained.
Through this series of images supporting Ukraine, I have encouraged many ways to help. We heard of a Ukrainian restaurant that just opened up here in Varna earlier this month, Stefania: www.facebook.com/stefania.rest/ - the food was marvelous and it’s staffed by Ukrainians. It reminded me of the food being served today at my own Ukrainian family reunion taking place in Canada this very day. It’s important to support those around you affected by this conflict.
It also reminds me of the simple act of being kind to strangers. Around me, there are many people who have seen the terrors of this war. You never know what story someone is simply not telling you. As with all images in this series, I deliberately place “Starfield” into the Public Domain. More to come. Sorry for my absence in posting, life can get busy. I’ve used the proceeds from some of my own professional activities recently to further support Ukraine, and I would hope that world does not turn away from this continuing tragedy. There’s always more we can do.
War and chaos have been cruelly unleashed on Ukraine. Searing images here in this photo try to capture some of the senseless agony of Putin's aggression in mythic form. The pale horse, with its pale rider, is one of the Four Horses of the Apocalypse. Adolph Putin has become the reincarnation of Vladimir Hitler, so to speak.
This image is a blended in-camera multiple-exposure and ICM transformation of the forest and the forest floor of the Coast Mountains in Manning Park, BC. The only editing was the usual tweaking in Lightroom. I did not set out to make this scene: it created itself as I gestured, with intention, toward the autumn foliage with the camera.
This is a very small portion of the wing of a Euphaedra ignota, a species of butterfly endemic to Ghana. Many species in the Euphaedra genus of butterflies have scales coloured both blue and yellow, sometimes directly interacting with each-other. At this scale, the blue also reveals some royal purple hues as well, and the yellows hold more depth and appear golden. The colour palette for this image should be no surprise; I specifically sourced these butterflies for an entry in my Support for Ukraine series.
This image should serve as a reminder that the fate of peace in Europe is being determined by a senselessly bloody and destructive war of attrition in Ukraine. From friends and family I talk to from Canada and the US, I hear that the conflict is barely discussed in the news, as the sensationalist cycle of current events hold viewer’s attention more than a protracted conflict. I suppose, then, it needs to be repeated: innocence is being irrevocably destroyed in a generation of children, lives ruined and lost, all in an attempt to wipe Ukraine from existence.
I’m glad that some of the supplies we have purchased have ended up at the front lines in the Izyum region. We have more funds arriving in about a week, which will be spent on medical, surgical and power-related supplies for citizen soldiers. We will continue to provide aid as we are able, and genuinely appreciate all of the support for these efforts. There’s always more to do. The only reason why the Ukrainian heroes have been able to successfully fight for their country is because the free world as (an almost) whole has decided to help. Some efforts are too small, or too late, and the battle drags on slowly as a result.
Putin’s forces are being decimated, in part from advanced weapons but also due to the skillful and cunning tactics of the Ukrainian people. Ukrainian forces are also being destroyed on an unsustainable scale; It’s forever an uphill battle against a superior force, especially one that cannot be reasoned with. It’s likely that we will see the intensity of fighting increase dramatically in the coming days, due to Putin’s desire to control the whole of the Luhansk Oblast (Province) before his demoralized troops desert in larger quantities.
It's easy to consider this a distant conflict, but it’s already in our own communities with the cost of fuel, and soon the increased cost of food. Write to your politicians to make it known that we do not help Ukraine in every way possible, to win this war as quickly as possible, the global impact will be severe. Everyone, please keep doing what you can. Do not forget about Ukraine when they need us the most.
This image was photographed with a Mitutoyo Plan APO 50x objective, then cropped in to roughly create the equivalent of a 100x magnification. 650 frames were stacked using Helicon Focus. The company that makes Helicon Focus, HeliconSoft, is based on Kharkiv, Ukraine. It’s my preferred software for very large stacks of images in combination with Photoshop for clean-up work. If you haven’t used it before, give it a trial and support a Ukrainian company: www.heliconsoft.com/ - they also have a list of people they recommend donations go forwards on their website.
As for every image in this series, I deliberately place it into the Public Domain. Use it for any purpose you can imagine.
i stand with ukraine
painting on wood: acrylic paint, metallic paint
12" X 12"
2022
jennifer beinhacker
jenniferbeinhacker.com
art outside the edge
the horror of what is happening to ukraine
glory to ukraine
glory to the heroes
It’s a Monday evening for me, yet time has lost all traditional meaning for those fighting in Ukraine and those fleeing, besieged and tormented. Once again, I show my solidarity towards Ukraine and their plight by creating a photograph, and once again I dedicate this image to the Public Domain. Anyone can use this image in any way they like without license, permission, or credit to me. I encourage all artists to use their craft to create symbols of support for Ukraine. It’s easy to feel powerless but we can all utilize our skills and opportunities to help.
In my previous post, I had mentioned that my wife and I had run a car-load of food to the refugee centre here in Varna, Bulgaria. Knowing that I had a way to directly help, a number of people contacted me to see if there was a way to donate towards the cost of these groceries. We’ve done two trips so far with a third planned for tomorrow morning. If anyone wants to contribute, I’d be happy to run multiple trips a week or more. I’m not a charity and cannot provide you with tax receipts, and you’d have to trust me with your money.
I’m just a stranger on the Internet for most people reading this, and you absolutely shouldn’t trust a stranger with your money. You can find a list of charities doing good work in Ukraine here: www.cnbc.com/2022/03/09/heres-a-list-of-top-rated-chariti... . And there is a video on that page that specifically states to avoid charity scams by staying away from individual appeals. Even still, if you know me personally and you’d like to help my efforts, I’d welcome it. Thank you so much to those who have offered help already.
If you are in Canada and wish to eTransfer funds to me, you can send it to don.komarechka@gmail.com . If you are anywhere else and wish to use PayPal, send the funds to don@komarechka.com with a note “Donation for Ukraine refugee aid” so I can properly sort all the donations that come in. The food we’re supplying is the kind that doesn’t require a lot of prep work: fruits, canned fish, cured meats, juice etc. that doesn’t require a kitchen to prepare. After tomorrow’s grocery run, we will ask a coordinator what they need the most, and then go out and source exactly that. We’ve also picked up some art supplies for the kids.
This image was created in a similar way to one I shot for Earth Day last year ( www.flickr.com/photos/donkom/51148150819/ ). Gerbera daisy petals bent into the shape of a heart, with a droplet at the center. In this case, using the same blue and yellow construction paper as a backdrop. These petals are tricky to work with – they were wrapped around a small cylinder (the protecting cap for the hypodermic needle I use to place the droplet worked well) and kept tightly wound for a half an hour. They kept the curve I needed to put them together, but they were still too “springy”. A tiny dot of superglue was used to hold them together; nothing like a bit of foreign aid to help out, right? At first the image had a wider crop, but I decided to make the heart shape interact with all the edges of the frame, creating strong trigonal geometry and bringing more focus to the delicate, dangling drop.
Ukraine’s war for the right to exist is at a very pivotal point. I feel more and more like Ukraine’s allies need to step up further and stop the lawless, soulless, catastrophic destruction of life. I won’t tell you what to think, but I would suggest letting your elected government officials know your thoughts. It’s one thing to opine on social media, but it’s another to write influential letters to those who can take greater action than any individual. The world has become a “global village”, and it’s one of the reasons why my family and I moved to Eastern Europe. The actions of many nations have indicated that this is also a global fight. It’s a war unlike any other in history with incredible worldwide aid for Ukraine and sanctions for Russia that are unprecedented. As a global fight unlike any other, we must all think differently. I will not be a passive bystander when my actions can make a difference in the biggest human tragedy of my existence.
Stay strong, Ukraine.
Beautiful artwork by Amanda Newman for #Art4UkraineAus in Essendon.
Amanda says about the work (from her Instagram page);
This piece is about hope and resilience. A video circulated at the beginning of the war showing a Ukrainian woman offering a Russian soldier sunflower seeds to put in his pockets so that they would bloom when he died. This image has stuck with me.
The bravery of the woman. Beauty sprouting from something awful. A sunflower (Ukraine’s national flower) symbolising the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the hope that they would not only survive, but prosper, in the wake of evil. A nightingale (Ukraine’s national bird) singing with sweet victory and hope for the future. A young girl in traditional Ukrainian clothing, sowing the seeds of her identity so that her culture is not lost.
This mural is part of a larger campaign #art4ukraineAus to raise money and awareness for the ongoing atrocities in Ukraine. There will be a fundraiser at Off The Kerb gallery soon - follow their page for updates.
My heart goes out to all those in Ukraine and beyond who have suffered and been displaced. #istandwithukraine
April, a photo a day, 29 of 30.
Also for my MCF 52 Week Challenge week 17 theme of Early Morning, shot just after sunrise, when I do most of my street art photography.
One year ago, in the early hours of the morning, Ukraine saw the end of a peaceful existence, and threat to end their existence as a sovereign nation entirely. Lone border guards were among the first casualties, as the tanks rolled in and the missiles were launched in what Putin had wagered to be a three-day conquest. I am so glad that Russia had quietly become a kleptocracy, and their delusions of success could not be realized against the impassioned and skilled Ukrainian people.
As I sit here contemplating the past year, I am reminded of the kindness of friends, family, and strangers alike who helped our early efforts to support the influx if refugees here in Bulgaria. And I thank those who continue to support our efforts in sending aid to Ukraine. My thankfulness extended to many of the world’s governments, who are stepping up send tanks and long-range weapons to Ukraine. Without this help, Russia would have quickly expanded it’s borders and would not have stopped.
With the bravery of the Ukrainian people, and also the International Legion of foreign soldiers, and all the humanitarian aid workers within the country, Ukraine is on a path to recovery everything. The vast majority of the population say that there should be no territory lost, and I agree. The world is at war with Russia via Ukraine, and Russia will lose.
A few days ago, Putin made a long-winded speech. A few days before that, Russia failed in test-launching a RS-28 Sarmat ICBM. I believe Putin had intended to highlight a successful launch in his speech. Instead, his words echoed the frustration of failures in the military in Ukraine. Those failures continue, with the most modest territorial gains costing many thousands of lives and countless military assets.
As Russia runs short of military resources, Iran and now China are allegedly providing aid. I wouldn’t be surprised if North Korea is doing the same. Allegiances are being made across the world, and Russian natural resources are no longer required by Europe. Just today, the US, Australia and New Zealand announced new sanctions against Russia. The world continues to isolate the once-powerful tyrant who now must rely on the few strong allies it has – all of them non-democratic despotic nations.
I am confident that Ukraine will never give up this fight, and it will end with the destabilization of the Russian Federation. Poland is willing to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, and the first Leopard 2 tanks have arrived on Ukrainian soil. Ukraine will win, that much is a certainty. There’s still a lot of unknowns, however. How long and how many lives will it take? What happens when Russia loses? Remember that China and Russia share a very large border… in a destabilized Russia, would a country like China simply respect all previous international borders? The world is at the largest potential turning point in my generation.
And maybe the world needs a turning point for the better - with the climate crisis and geopolitics, a whole and sovereign Ukraine is the keystone of the next phase of international cooperation. It’s proof that much of the world can come together for a common goal. Beyond borders, continents, language and religion, the world can become aligned with democracy. That’s a scary thought for the despots of the world, and as it should be.
This image is taken with a snowdrop flower, turned upside down (as the flower usually droops downward – in this image it’s facing up). This isn’t a water droplet, but rather a gel-based “water pearl” that absorbs water and maintains a spherical shape. Like a mini crystal ball, it refracts what is behind it – and also stays spherical at much larger sizes than a water droplet. I made a print of the Ukrainian Coat of Arms to place in behind. I dedicate this image to the Public Domain – use it for any purpose you wish, no constraints or obligations.
Слава україні. The only way to peace is through victory. Victory will only be possible because of the heroes fighting for it. Героям слава! May this year of fighting and sacrifice be seen by the world as a beacon of hope.
We were given a chance blue skies
Our dialogue is silent, only eyes burn
The fact that in the soul of bad weather how to explain the clock
I think I'll give my life for minutes of happiness
I didn't have time to tell you about love
Let the doors close behind you
I will never get tired of waiting
You never get tired of believing
I will never get tired of waiting
You never get tired of believing
This image is an interesting mix of science and art, created on the floor of my office in a plate filled with coffee cream. It’s based on the principals often shown to children as a science experiment, where dish soap causes food colouring in milk to spread out make streaking patterns. The same physics were utilized here, but with a different set of ingredients.
I have a number of fluorescing inks, including yellow and blue. With ultraviolet lights pointed towards the plate, I used a pipette to carefully place the ink BELOW the surface of the cream. This is important, as is the use of cream instead of milk, which will create a more tumultuous reaction – so long as you have the right kind of intensely strong dish soap. I drained a few dishwasher pods of their concentrated liquids for best results.
Then comes the Tryzub, the Ukrainian coat of arms. I wanted the colour to be emanating from the emblem of Ukraine, but how? The answer was simple but tedious: I printed out the shape, taped it to a piece of felt, and used a razor to cut the shape out. I then soaked it in concentrated dish soap, dabbed it dry, and attempted to carefully place it on the surface of the cream. It sank slightly underneath, allowing for a greater mix of the shape and the colours. Adding a bit more fluorescing ink where required for dramatic effect, here we are. Here's a "behind the scenes" image: donkom.ca/bts/IMG_2707.jpg
Before I forget to mention it, I am deliberately placing this image into the Public Domain in support of Ukraine. Feel free to freely use this image.
The past week of the war in Ukraine has been intense. While the Ukrainian forces continue to liberate villages in preparation for another major offensive, we have had dramatic shifts in offensive strategies on both sides. The Kerch Bridge, connecting Crimea to Russia, was severely damaged when a truck filled with explosives detonated. This is a functional success but also one as important as sinking the Moskva (Russia’s Black Sea Fleet flagship). Putin claimed that the bridge was absolutely safe, secured from every possible vector of attack. So, when a truck is stopped on the Russian side of the bridge, it is barely even looked over – no real inspection given – before heading forward. The corrupt / inept / kleptocratic culture in Russia allowed for this to happen. And it deeply angered Putin.
Yesterday, Russia fired at least 80 cruise missiles to civilian targets all over Ukraine, as far west as Lviv and many aimed at Kyiv. The Ukrainian forces shot down more than 40 of them, but the tactic was to overwhelm the defences. It worked, sadly. Ukraine destroyed a bridge that was transporting tanks, ammunition and all manner of military equipment. Russia targeted schools, apartments, energy infrastructure, even Kyiv’s Glass Bridge, designed for scenic pedestrian strolls: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyUqrFEsU3k
Thankfully, they just barely missed the bridge and the damage is minimal. Many of their strikes have been alarmingly accurate, leading experts to believe that the very expensive guided cruise missiles were mostly used; some estimates put the cost at USD$700,000,000 (seven hundred million US dollars). These are missiles that Russia will have a limited ability to replenish over a long period of time. They are running out of steam, so much so that a battalion of T72 tanks are currently being moved from Belarus to Russian territory, presumably some sort of “gift” to Putin.
Reports have said Russian conscripts are appearing on the front lines already, and they have no preparations for the coming winter weather. Temperatures dip to nearly the freezing point in the recently liberated city of Lyman. November will be a crippling month for both morale and mortal losses for Russia. On the other hand, Ukrainian morale high from the strike on the Kerch bridge, fused with a desire for revenge for the October 10th attack.
There are more little things that when unpacked, are quite large. Germany has finally given IRIS-T SLM systems to Ukraine, their most advanced surface-to-air missile system. They have also allocated over 90,000 units winter weather equipment to Ukraine. Germany had close ties to Russia due to the gas pipelines, but those dependencies have literally been eroded by saltwater inside the pipelines, rendering them irreparable.
Russia claims to currently have 2500 Ukrainian prisoners of war, and likely a large contingent of them are civilians. As the Ukrainian forces continue liberate villages and towns, more mass graves are uncovered. Most people show signs of a violent death. Children continue to be among the dead. Russia has kidnapped the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant deputy head, torturing him for information about the plant’s staff – so that they can be found and forced to work for Russia’s Rosatom nuclear energy corporation. All of these are war crimes, if proven in court. And I hope they will be.
And just an aside, I have been taking flack for these posts, likely from Russian trolls. I need to delete a lot of unsavory comments, but I also have daily hacking attempts on many of my social media accounts; I have two-factor authentication turned on, but I still get password reset e-mails and evidence on my websites of intrusion attempts. None of this happened before I started this series in support for Ukraine. It’s a small stress to deal with, but it’s there.
If you enjoy this series and want to support more Public Domain images for Ukraine, or you just appreciate my work, I’d encourage you to “buy me a coffee”: www.buymeacoffee.com/donkomphoto - a few dollars can go a long way and keep my attention on these “mad scientist” ideas as they come up. We continue to use available funds to support Ukraine as well. More needs to be done.
Beautiful artwork by Amanda Newman for #Art4UkraineAus in Essendon.
Amanda says about the work (from her Instagram page);
This piece is about hope and resilience. A video circulated at the beginning of the war showing a Ukrainian woman offering a Russian soldier sunflower seeds to put in his pockets so that they would bloom when he died. This image has stuck with me.
The bravery of the woman. Beauty sprouting from something awful. A sunflower (Ukraine’s national flower) symbolising the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the hope that they would not only survive, but prosper, in the wake of evil. A nightingale (Ukraine’s national bird) singing with sweet victory and hope for the future. A young girl in traditional Ukrainian clothing, sowing the seeds of her identity so that her culture is not lost.
This mural is part of a larger campaign #art4ukraineAus to raise money and awareness for the ongoing atrocities in Ukraine. There will be a fundraiser at Off The Kerb gallery soon - follow their page for updates.
My heart goes out to all those in Ukraine and beyond who have suffered and been displaced. #istandwithukraine
Я придбала собі новий рюкзак для роботи, і, звісно, мені довелося спершу покращити його нашивкою з Українським прапором, щоб висловити свою підтримку цій мужній, героїчній Країні та її Народу! Слава Україні! 💙💛
I got myself a new backpack for work and of course I first had to improve it with a patch of the Ukrainian flag to show my support for this brave, heroic country and its people!
Glory to Ukraine! 💙💛
Keep the comments clean! No banners, awards or invitations, please!
Happy New Year Ukraine. I hope 2023 will be a better year for you.
(I’ve planned to post other pics today, but I ran out of time and now I got to meet a friend.)
Beautiful artwork by Amanda Newman for #Art4UkraineAus in Essendon.
Amanda says about the work (from her Instagram page);
This piece is about hope and resilience. A video circulated at the beginning of the war showing a Ukrainian woman offering a Russian soldier sunflower seeds to put in his pockets so that they would bloom when he died. This image has stuck with me.
The bravery of the woman. Beauty sprouting from something awful. A sunflower (Ukraine’s national flower) symbolising the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the hope that they would not only survive, but prosper, in the wake of evil. A nightingale (Ukraine’s national bird) singing with sweet victory and hope for the future. A young girl in traditional Ukrainian clothing, sowing the seeds of her identity so that her culture is not lost.
This mural is part of a larger campaign #art4ukraineAus to raise money and awareness for the ongoing atrocities in Ukraine. There will be a fundraiser at Off The Kerb gallery soon - follow their page for updates.
My heart goes out to all those in Ukraine and beyond who have suffered and been displaced. #istandwithukraine