A mōlī, or Laysan albatross, effortlessly glides through clear sky over the tropical Pacific Ocean. Albatrosses are built to glide with the high aspect ratio wings displayed in a left banking turn by this beautiful bird. Bones lock joints into position reducing wing extension muscle tension during soaring flight with an energy efficiency that raises metabolism insignificantly above resting rate. Alternately utilizing orographic lift and gravity acceleration, its undulating flight path skims the crests and troughs of ocean waves for thousands of miles while seldom necessitating flapping its six-foot wing span.

After 3 weeks of nearly continous clear blue skies, it finally looked like we were going to get a bit of cloud cover.

Got up early to head down to Fingal Heads. I have only been there once since I got the grad filters, so thought it would be worth a re-visit - although there are not a lot of different compositions you can get there, due to the layout of the place. Was hoping I could get some clouds rushing across the sky over the lighthouse, but alas that was not the case, another clear sky with a half moon shining. Still... happy to be out with the camera and see a new day in, even though the sunrise wasn't all that spectacular.

History of the lighthouse, see Lighthouses of Australia

The Fingal Head Lighthouse was erected in 1872 of stone, and painted white, the tower had a fixed white light of 1,000 candelas.

There is no record of the opening of this light considered so insignificant that apparently the first keeper did not think the matter of sufficient importance to take a record of the official opening.

The area was named after Fingal in Ireland because the basalt headland was thought to be similar to the Giants Causeway there.

Fingal remains a rather sleepy village at the mouth of the Tweed River on the border coast of New South Wales, just a few kilometres south of the hustle and bustle of the Gold Coast.

Single exposure

ISO100

f10

8 Minutes

Kjosfossen is a waterfall located in the Aurland municipality of the Sogn og Fjordane county in Norway. The waterfall is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway. Its total fall is around 225 metres (738 ft)

The Flåm Line passes directly in front of and over the lower part of the waterfall, which is one of the main attractions for tourists who take the Flåm Line.

Another aerial shot from the Himalayas. Insignificant we are!

Virtually all of the world’s seed plants need to be pollinated. This is just as true for cone-bearing plants, such as pine trees, as for the more colorful and familiar flowering plants. Pollen, looking like insignificant yellow dust, bears a plant’s male sex cells and is a vital link in the reproductive cycle.

With adequate pollination, wildflowers:

Reproduce and produce enough seeds for dispersal and propagation

Maintain genetic diversity within a population

Develop adequate fruits to entice seed dispersers

The Simple Truth: We Can’t Live Without Them!

Pollination is not just fascinating natural history. It is an essential ecological survival function. Without pollinators, the human race and all of earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive. Of the 1,400 crop plants grown around the world, i.e., those that produce all of our food and plant-based industrial products, almost 80% require pollination by animals. Visits from bees and other pollinators also result in larger, more flavorful fruits and higher crop yields. In the United States alone, pollination of agricultural crops is valued at 10 billion dollars annually. Globally, pollination services are likely worth more than 3 trillion dollars.

More than half of the world’s diet of fats and oils come from animal-pollinated plants (oil palm, canola, sunflowers, etc.).

More than 150 food crops in the U.S. depend on pollinators, including almost all fruit and grain crops.

The USDA estimated that crops dependent on pollination are worth more than $10 billion per year.

The Simple Truth: We Cannot Live Without Them! coverGet the brochure: The Simple Truth: We Can’t Live Without Them!

Environmental Benefits of Pollination

"The landscapes are insignificant for large landscape; rare and remarkable landscapes are small. "- Friedrich Nietzsche

Project BY LIGHT PATHS | dawn in the Basin of Sepetiba Bay.

--------------------------->

“As paisagens insignificantes existem para os grandes paisagistas; as paisagens raras e notáveis são para os pequenos.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

Projeto PELOS CAMINHOS DA LUZ | Amanhecendo na Bacia da Baía de Sepetiba.

Earlier this spring I watched this bird, whose gaze rarely left the male, try to establish a nest in these branches. As is evident in the image, this was either a first time at nest-building or a particularly difficult piece of wild grass. The dead tree she is in was not tall - she is about seven feet or two metres off the ground. It was not an ideal place to build a nest as local Hawks and Crows would have found it an easy target.

I stayed distant to allow this to play out as it did - I did not want to flush the birds or interrupt their process. The male contributed little but vocal advice, and after about twenty minutes of trying to arrange things, the female moved to a different tree - one with leaves and some cover for the nest.

I am at the right age, and in the right part of the world, to have been humbled by early IKEA assembly projects. And those had instructions and all the pieces in a box. The challenge of weaving a nest out of wild grasses is not insignificant.

Like the American Redstart in my image of yesterday, the male Blackbird typically has more than one partner on the go at the same time - in this case, he can have up to fifteen. So his assistance in the more mundane challenges, like nest-weaving, may end at free advice.

[FR]

La contemplation du ciel étoilé prend une grande place dans ma tête.

Tous ces milliers de point brillants visibles en pleine nuit me rappellent combien nous occupons une place insignifiante dans l'univers.

Imaginer des dizaines de façon de mettre en scène, de mettre en valeur ce que la nature a à nous offrir sous les étoiles me passionne tout particulièrement.

Quand nous sommes passionnés par ce que l'on fait, nous rayonnons et notre entourage peut ressentir cette passion qui hante en nous. Ce besoin de l'exprimer.

Si bien qu'à travers cette paire de jumelles, vous pouvez apercevoir ce qui hante mon esprit depuis une quinzaine d'années : l'origine de notre existence.

EXIFS :

Sony A7S + objectif Samyang 24mm f/1.4 sur trépied simple.

Pose unique de 15 secondes à 8000 ISO et f/2.8.

Lieu : Pic de Château Renard / Hautes-Alpes / France.

[EN]

The contemplation of the starry sky takes up a lot of space in my head.

All these thousands of bright points visible in the middle of the night remind me of how insignificant a place we occupy in the universe.

I am particularly passionate about imagining dozens of ways to stage and highlight what nature has to offer us under the stars.

When we are passionate about what we do, we shine and those around us can feel this passion that haunts us. This need to express it.

So that through this pair of binoculars, you can see what has haunted my mind for fifteen years: the origin of our existence.

EXIFS :

Sony A7S + Samyang lens 24mm f/1.4 on tripod.

One shot of 15 secondes at 8000 ISO and f/2.8.

Place : Pic de Château de Renard / French Alps.

we see what a little speck we are in the universe, so insignificant, and we all take ourselves so seriously, but in the sky, there are no boundaries. No differences of caste or religion or race.”

Julia Gregson.

California.

On the summit plateau of Meall an Doire Dharaich, an insignificant hill just east of Kinlochleven and south of the eastern Mamores, which can be seen in the background.

I've previously posted two different colour processings of this shot, one in 2015 and a better one about a year ago. This new b&w processing was processed from a third colour version.

A stunning, backlit ocean displays a rich canvas full of detail revealed by a dazzling sun dance in the western sky. Soft colors add serene energy. The human figure, walking the edge of our continent, is put in perspective. Nice shapes, defined by texture permeate the frame. Treasure in the city.

www.roxanneoverton.com – where you will find more photography and information on my instructional and travel series photography books.

A look back at the viewing plaatform with a couple folks on it and one more out on the ridge in front. I didn't find what I was looking for with my original compositoin for this sunset so I turned around and wham - this looked pretty good. I was happy that one person walked out into the landscape since it adds such a sense of scale and proportion. We do get lost and become insignificant in landscapes like this. All part of the reason I get out in nature as often as I can - to feel a part of it instead of outside and separate.

A view towards Loch Eilde Mòr from near the summit of Meall an Doire Dharaich, a fairly insignificant hill above Kinlochleven. Sgùrr Eilde Mòr is on the left and Glas Bheinn on the right.

Previously posted in a much redder processing; I suspect this is nearer reality but it's hard to be sure seven years later.

There are few folks I truly consider as friends. No offense to the many I am friendly with, but I use the word "friend" carefully and with deliberate value and it is earned by a pretty short list of people. Colton is one of those friends. I met him over 10 years ago, just a couple years after he was diagnosed with ALS. Our shared interest in posting photos to Flickr and our mutual admiration for the Pentax 67 put us into similar orbits online. And then his love of film cameras in general eventually brought him to Blue Moon Camera. I remember those early trips well. He could still stand then, albeit for only a brief amount of time, and he could still operate his Pentax 67 with his hands. It is such a seemingly simple thing to twist a shutter speed dial or to focus a manual focus lens. It is even simpler to just hold a camera up to your eye. Colton could do those things at one time but I watched ALS slowly take even those simple things from him. Through it all though he persevered and found ways to make pictures. He'd text me on a trip up to Portland and we'd set aside a Saturday morning to hang out at a coffee shop sipping a latte and just talk photographic philosophy, photographic technicalities, photographic theory, or just photographic potpourri. ALS takes a lot from its victims, eventually including their lives. But with Colton there were certain things it gave him too. It gave him perspective. He had an outlook on every day that was strikingly different from my own. He looked at each photograph he made as a gift, knowing that he didn't know how much longer he'd even be able to hold a camera or push a shutter button. He didn't take much for granted and put a lot of different kinds of value in things than most of the rest of us do. So much of what he said in so many of those conversations still sticks with me today.

I made this photo of him sometime in 2014. It was at a time he was using a Fuji X100 for at least some of his photography. Colton has had quite the collection of cameras over the years. He was favoring the X100 for its autofocus capabilities and easy use. By keeping it on a neck strap he could push it away from his body until the strap pulled taut and use that to hold in place while he roughly aimed it from stomach-height. At the time I was working on a series of photographer portraits where I got them to pose with their cameras and then took the cameras out of their hands and made the portrait with the camera's absence represented through their body language. Colton was a willing participant though he struggled to hold his hands in position while I quickly made the image. Not too much longer after I made this portrait ALS took the strength to hold his hands up even this far away from him. But that was the point when Colton mounted a Pentax autofocus film SLR to a mount on his powerchair, making photos while not being able to hold his camera. Some days he would even still pull out his old Contax rangefinder, a Rollei TLR, or some other beautiful, old film camera. He needed assistance getting the camera mounted to his chair, then he would eyeball the light and ask for a certain aperture and shutter and a set focus. Those photographic adventures were a bit collaborative in that sense and I know Colton was lucky enough to have a few friends who'd accompany him on such walks while he continued to find significance in some of the most beautifully subtle and insignificant ways.

A couple years ago the progression of his disease became so much that even getting out became herculean. He confided in me that he'd have to take a stimulant, Ritalin I think, to get enough energy to last him an hour or two outside. And even then he said he would be wiped out and wrecked the next day. So his photo outings came to a halt, victims too of ALS.

But I didn't mean to set out to write this caption today by talking about Colton's disease, but about Colton's friendship. That is where I want to keep my focus. I really miss those visits from him and miss the hours we'd spend exploring the corners of buildings or the light in an alcove... or even just the words exchanged over a folding metal table outside of Heart coffee. This image takes me back to those cherished times, reminds me of the value of a good friendship, and that is where I'd like to keep my thoughts right now.

at boat with someone insignificantly so significant.

An incredible sunset fills the skies outside my townhouse, reducing a solitary human to an insignificant speck.

I had to merge 5 vertical shots to get this image; there was no way my 15-55 mm lens could get it all in one frame.

Glacier National Park during a chilly morning back in 2009. I processed this one for stock because of some interest and I liked it so here it is. If you want in on one of my 2013 landscape photography workshops the first two only have 1 spot each left. Get in while you have the chance! exposurenorthwest.wordpress.com

All images are copyrighted by Aaron Reed. Do NOT use my images on blogs, personal or professional websites, or any other digital media without my explicit permission. If you are interested in my work for a project or a website I am sure we can work something out directly, or through my pages on Getty Images & Tandem Stills & Motion. You don't have to steal from me. It just makes you feel yucky on the inside anyway.

The most pleasing find of the day however was this beautifully marked Coccidula scutellata!

Pam's Pools (SIG) - Shropshire

Skin: LAQ - Olivia * Hair: Plume - Plumeria

Dress: Sn@tch - Inspire Dress * Jewelry: Earthstones: Caged Pearls

Pose: Di's Opera

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

The Staubbach Fall (dust creek fall) is a waterfall in Switzerland, located just west above Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Highlands. The waterfall drops 297 metres (974 ft) from a hanging valley that ends in overhanging cliffs above the Weisse Lütschine.

The stream, on reaching the verge of the rocky walls of the valley, forms a cascade so high that it is almost lost in spray before it reaches the level of the valley. After rain, and early in the season when fed by the melting snows, the Staubbach Fall is a very striking object. The force of the stream above the fall at such times is sufficient to carry the water clear of the precipice, and the whole mass descends in a condition of liquid dust, between spray and cloud, that sways to-and-fro with the gentlest breeze. In a dry summer, when the supply of water is much reduced, the effect is comparatively insignificant.

Was very pleased to see this species in Shropshire for the first time! Previous finds were in Cornwall. Thanks to David for finding him!! A much more detailed image can be seen here: flic.kr/p/2niGJyg

Now to find a female!

Cound Bank - Shropshire

insignificant human beings....

Well, not entirely alone, there was that seal that waddled past me while I was napping inside a cave... But alone is how it felt, watching this storm migrate North as the Milky Way graces us with her presence. Scary? Not at all. After spending countless hours under the stars, one really starts to appreciate how insignificant we are on this planet. The best time to ponder!

This is a 15 image stack using Starry Landscape Stacker, have to say this software does a pretty decent job of removing noise - even when clouds are present!

Captured on a Canon New Zealand EOS 6D and a Samyang Lens Global XP 14mm ƒ2.4.

25 sec, ƒ2.8 and 10,000 ISO.

A few years back, I had the chance of going to the Grand Canyon. The canyon is truly a sight to behold. Sitting there, at the rim, one could marvel at just how truly powerful Mother Nature is, and just to know that this vast canyon was formed by wind and water is truly thought provoking.

As I made my way around the rim of the canyon, in the distance, I could see people sitting on a rock, taking in the wonderment. It was in that moment I had the thought about how insignificant we, as people can be, and the counter thought to that, was just how destructive we can be to each other and to the earth, just the same. We are so caught up in technology and the sense of "me", that we take for grant it, the planet that we rely on so heavily. The three people sitting there, barely noticeable in the foreground of this shot, kind of help me illustrate my point of just how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things.

We are stewards of the beauty that surrounds us and there truly are things that are far more grandiose than Us in this world and the Grand Canyon will be here long after we've gone.

52 in 2016 # 49 boundary

man is a dwarf before nature (I do not know who said it)

If you look closely, you may see a human in this scene. That's how insignificant I feel at times. More so when I am in expansive space like Death Valley National Park.

Shot somewhere in Death Valley with an 18-55mm kit lens (@55mm) on a Nikon D3100.

Colors/tones adjusted in Lightroom, then cropped and saved as JPG file in Photoshop.

Press L key on your keyboard to zoom in and zoom out.

(click on the image if it appears fuzzy when zoomed in or press L 2-3 times)

NOTE: You are under no obligation to fave ( / comment on) this image. If you like (or dislike) this image and/or have something to say about it, I would appreciate it if you could use your own words. Please do not use links / images / GIFs or self / group / website promotions in comments, 🙏

In Flickr Explore on 2019/05/29

blog | instagram | twitter

Continuing our focus on National Parks, today I'd like to feature the Grand Canyon! The canyon is often home to two of my favorite things - storms and dramatic light! With views this big, spotlighting and clouds can create the feeling of a lot of depth. There is no place on Earth that makes me feel smaller than the Grand Canyon. But even though I feel small and insignificant, I feel so alive and energized when I'm here. What an amazing, rugged landscape with so much photographic potential!

With a little time to spare after leaving the ferry on day one of our trip to Orkney, we decided to check out a nearby coastal area.

This is Wind Wick on the east side of South Ronaldsay, one of the Orkney Isles.

Fortunately, while we were there, the sun broke through the clouds.

I was pleased with myself for capturing the splashing wave in the foreground, but little did I know at the time how insignificant it was in comparison with the 'wave action' we would see over the coming few days.

A good start to the trip, nevertheless.

Connect with me on Facebook | 500px | Twitter | Pinterest | Prints are available at my Website and through my Etsy shop. Be sure to check out my full New Zealand Photography collection.

A shot of this photographer on New Zealand's Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Sometimes the landscapes we shoot are so incredibly majestic that the only thing that can put them into perspective it a human presence, tiny and insignificant against the forces of nature before us.

The national park is a vast and primarily unaltered area of exceptional natural value, including one or more preserved or insignificantly altered ecosystems. The purpose of the park is primarily to serve science, culture, education and recreation, while tourism activities have also been introduced for its visitors. Including the submerged part of the river at the mouth, the Krka River is 72.5 km long, making it the 22nd longest river in Croatia. It springs in the foothills of the Dinara mountain range, 2.5 km northeast of Knin. With its seven waterfalls and a total drop in altitude of 242 m, the Krka is a natural and karst phenomenon. The travertine waterfalls of the Krka River are the fundamental phenomenon of this river.

See more at: www.npkrka.hr/en/#sthash.ENqzXozb.dpuf

Thank you for Explore! :)

Thanks for your kind comments & faves

© 2015 Dunja All rights reserved

From ancient times to the present, philosophers have repeatedly emphasized the importance of living a frugal or minimalist life. The ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes said, “True wealth is not in increasing possessions, but in reducing one’s needs.” Mahatma Gandhi pointed to the destructive side of human greed, stating, “The Earth has enough for everyone’s needs, but not enough for everyone’s greed.” From the Buddha to Karl Marx, across the passage of time, many have expressed similar ideas. This minimalist concept in philosophy has greatly influenced the photographer, and its mark is clearly visible in his vision and framing.

The absence of color or the use of minimal composition in framing reflects the photographer’s inclination toward a minimalist approach. The fog, wrapped like a thick winter blanket, creates a serene atmosphere. In this calm and pure dramatic setting, human presence becomes secondary. Before nature, even humanity’s vast achievements become insignificant. That is why the photographer has kept humans and their architectural achievements in the background, framing the scene in a minimalist style. Here, nature is the primary subject—not humans or their constructions.

According to nihilism, or the philosophy of pessimism, human life does not has inherent purpose. Evolutionary theory has shown that humans are an unintended outcome of nature’s evolutionary process. Yet human beings, regarded as the finest of creations, continue to exploit all their knowledge and effort into seeking meaning in life. They establish ever-greater architectural structures upon the heart of nature. In proving their superiority, they seem to challenge nature itself. Viewing nature as an adversary, humanity gradually distances itself further and further from it.

“If one keeps loving faithfully what is really worth loving, and does not waste one's love on insignificant and unworthy and meaningless things, one will get more light by and by and grow stronger.”

Vincent van Gogh

thank you expolre :)

I took this whilst Cathy and the kids were in the pub sheltering from the Gail force winds and sea spray.

I set off from the pub (about half a mile from the sea), at 8pm and to be honest I wasn’t optimistic for the sunset one hour away due to the heavy cloud cover, but I wanted to see the fierce sea that I could see crashing against the rocks from the pub window. I was very pleasantly surprised when the sun broke through under a break in the clouds. Luck! Right time right place eh!

One of the big problems I had this evening was to keep the lenses clean from the sea spray. For some reason my lenses cloth didn’t work and frustratingly keep washing the salt water around the polarizer. I decided to get my lens tissue out which worked better but they became damp very quickly and began to stick to the glass. I have yet to get a solution to this better than cleaning the glass and replacing the cap until I want to expose the shot. Any ideas guys?

Having said that, I really love taking pictures in this kind of environment because it’s so raw and for some reason I feel very alive. Very humbling!

Nature is more powerful than we arrogant human beings! This arrogance that some of us have only perpetuates our difference from nature. We have become to removed from raw nature in my opinion. I love the feeling of salt on my skin; I love the bite of a winter wind. Getting closer to it helps me feel at one with myself. It helps me feel optimistic! I find security in knowing I'm just an insignificant small element in the whole scheme of things. Sounds weird but unusually reassuring to me to know that there are forces at work that are more powerful than we can even comprehend.

The young Mongol Yesugei Baghatur, takes his sheep to a nearby river to quench their thirst. With a falcon ready to take down any predators and a bow to take down thieves, he is always on guard. This was because life on the Eurasian Steppe was anarchic and often short. The environment on the steppe was harsh, with temperatures in both the summer and winter at their most extreme. There was no room for agriculture in this environment, instead the inhabitants were pastoral nomads who relied on sheep, goats, yaks, camels, and horses.

The Mongols at this time were also just a small insignificant tribe living near the forests in the north. "Mongolia" as we know it today was also home to Merkits, Oirats, Kirghiz, Tatars, and so many other tribes. These various tribes with would battle for control over pasture land, steal livestock, and on occasion engage in "bride kidnapping". The tribes were also kept divided by the Jin Dynasty in the south because it was better that they fight each other than to attack the Chinese heartland.

Little did Yesugei know that his son, Temujin or Genghis Khan, would change the status quo of the steppe by uniting the tribes, but that time would come long after his death.

My Entry to the Summer Joust 2021 "Asia' Category.

Another pleasing find from last week!

Muckleton Moss - Shropshire

Eastern Spinebill was one of the unwary visitors to this insignificant puddle which I was "staking out" on North Bruny Island. He had a drink and a bath, along with a couple of other small, cautious, local birds.

- Virgil Thomson.

|| insta || blog || photostream ||

The Artist Palette location in Death Valley National Park boasts several small canyons that visitors can explore to witness the strikingly colorful mineral deposits that lend it its unique name. However, the canyons' shape makes it challenging to get the perfect light to showcase the colors correctly. Besides, the odd orientation, coupled with a massive mountain immediately to the southwest, makes light planning a daunting task. This was my second visit to the location, and it was the only place I revisited during our trip. I discovered that direct sunlight was not ideal, even during the golden hour, as soft diffused light brings out the colors' beauty. Since overcast skies are rare in Death Valley, twilight hours are the best time to capture stunning photographs. The attached picture is an excellent example of how even warm evening light can be too strong, making the pastel pinks and yellows on the canyon wall insignificant. Nevertheless, I couldn't resist sharing it since I'm a sucker for an excellent leading line.

Well, not really. I can't help it that I'm head-over-heels in love with these flowers. They are so insignificant in the grand scheme of time yet they bring me so much joy. :)

with music : daydreamsfactory.bandcamp.com/album/blue-thoughts-of-a-sl...

© All rights reserved. This image may not be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my permission.

"Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.”

~Mary Oliver

Zion National Park

This spot made me feel tiny and insignificant...but also not. I also felt extremely connected to it. A juxtaposition of feeling unimportant in a vast, wild landscape, but also feeling like it was mine to behold.

...that I can’t believe the whole universe exists for our benefit.

At the peak of La Maroma, the highest one in Malaga province (2069 m AMSL).

We are but ghosts in the political machine. Insignificant, barely seen, barely heard, like the figures in this picture.

Do not repeat the mistakes of our past. Civil rights applies to all, not just the ones with money and power. Keep the dream alive.

‘Its looks belies its beauty’………Elaeagnus pungens has the most beautiful aroma! The flowers are very tiny & insignificant but their perfume is its main attraction and its out right now. Alan:-)……

For the interested I’m growing my Shutterstock catalogue regularly here, now sold 53 images :- www.shutterstock.com/g/Alan+Foster?rid=223484589&utm_...

©Alan Foster.

©Alan Foster. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.……

A few watercraft head downstream through the gorge towards the Bristol Channel after locking out of the floating harbour.

Sadly, due to the virus lockdown imposed countywide yesterday, this scene will not be repeated next Sunday......

My own sailing plans for the summer in the Mediterranean are postponed; firstly I can't actually get out to my yacht in Greece and should I get there, I can't go anywhere as all Greek ports, harbours and islands are now closed........either locked down as they have the virus or quarantined so they stay virus free!

Although disappointing, I can't complain as this disruption to my plans is completely insignificant compared to life-threatening issues millions, or perhaps even billions, of people around the world now face.........

Worrying times indeed......stay safe everyone........