I fly because it frees my mind from the tyranny of insignificant things.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Deep in the Catlins there is a hidden gem, a small, insignificant signpost marks the start of a magical journey to an amazing place.

Hardly knowing what to expect we started walking into the forest , listening to a riot of birdsong calling out all around.

Shortly we are faced with a river crossing, but with stepping stones the lines blur between reality and fantasy.

Is this New Zealand, or Middle Earth?

The track winds deeper into lush native forest. Huge ferns line our way, massive trees. We clamber over and under, along.

Before long we reach a stream, covered in massive boulders, lined with moss and ferns, we can hear the falls in the distance.

I am entranced, never have I seen such stunning beauty, all lit green, more like a film set with every carefully placed footstep.

If Elves exist we shall surely find them dancing and laughing ahead!

Round the last corner, over the last rise finally we see our prize, the journeys end. Koropuku falls, a wonder of the world.

One of the highlights for me visiting Page was our boat ride to Rainbow Bridge National Monument. Reflecting back on the 4-hour round trip ride, I am not sure what was most impressive: Rainbow Bridge or the sandstone rock formations along the way. As we left Page, the formations kept getting more and more impressive. They tower above Lake Powell, and you feel quite insignificant in comparison to the overall landscape. To give a feel on how big some of the formations are, I included a houseboat in this composition. The houseboats on Lake Powell are no small things, ranging from 50 -75 feet long and sleep anywhere between 8-16 people. I am not sure how big the houseboat in this photo is, but it is so small in comparison to the formation. I think it gives some scale to the landscape along Lake Powell.

Was a pleasure to see a few of these on Sunday!

Pam's Pools (SIG) - Shropshire

I finally got the image I wanted of this magical little stretch of road that runs through a lovely ranch and is lined with some of the biggest Eucalyptus trees I've ever seen.

"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force. "

I think this kid said something like that to me as I walked by but I can't be sure as he spoke in German :)

Original quotation : Darth Vader

Near my wild river...!!!

Every moment I’m in close communion with the real nature, as a child, it happens to me… constantly… to fall in love with what may seem insignificant to others ... photography is definitely a philosophical art for me ...!!! Ü

An impressionnist photo safari concentrated mainly on a daily basis (or almost) on my small piece of planet of 55 000 square feet …!!!

A Thoreau "waldennienne" approach …!!!

__________________________

Passion de la Lumière...!!!

Près de ma rivière sauvage …!!!

Chaque instant que je suis en étroite communion avec la Nature, comme un enfant, il m’arrive… constamment… de tomber en amour avec ce qui peut paraître insignifiant pour les autres… la photographie est définitivement un art philosophique pour moi…!!! Ü

Un safari photo impressioniste au quotidien concentré essentiellement (ou presque) sur un petit morceau de planète de 55 000 pieds carrés ...!!!

Une démarche "waldennienne" à la Thoreau …!!!

Happy International Polar Bear Day!

Take the challenge, set your thermostat back a couple degrees today.

Recycle, reuse, re-purpose everyday. May seem insignificant but every little bit counts.

Italien / Südtirol - Fischleintal

On the way to Rifugio Zsigmondy Comici

Auf dem Weg zur Zsigmondyhütte

The Fischleintal/ Val Fiscalina

Town/City: Sexten/Sesto Region: Dolomites Region Three Peaks

The Carnic mountain ridge appears almost insignificant compared to the stately Dolomite rock towers on the opposite side of the Sesto valley. But this impression is deceiving! From Sesto, you can not only reach the Tre Cime Dolomiti, a popular and panoramic hiking and skiing area, but also the western foothills of a mountain range that stretches for over 100 km, almost to Villach in Carinthia. Interesting detail: The Carnic Alps were formed long before the Dolomites. Numerous fossil finds indicate a turbulent, geological past. However, the mountain range also has great historical importance, as it forms part of the Italian-Austrian border. Those who want to experience a border passing on high tracks can walk from the Monte Elmo peak (2,434 m) past the Helmhaus and along the ridge - with their left foot in Austria and the right one in Italy. This is also the starting point of the popular Carnic high route, also called the "peace route", which leads in eight to eleven days of walking to Arnoldstein in Carinthia.

(suedtirol.info)

Das Fischleintal (italienisch Val Fiscalina) ist ein rund 4,5 km langes, vom Sextental nach Süden abzweigendes Seitental in den Sextner Dolomiten im östlichsten Teil von Südtirol in Italien.

Lage

Es reicht in voller Breite vom Sextner Ortsteil Moos bis zur Talschlusshütte via Fischleinboden mit gleichnamigem Großparkplatz und Buswendepunkt für den Linienbus Kreuzbergpass-Innichen/Toblach. Das sich zum Talschluss hin verjüngende Tal ist durch Wege, Gaststätten und Beherbergungsbetriebe gut erschlossen. Hinter dem Fischleinboden wird die asphaltierte Straße von unbefestigten, aber gut gangbaren Wegen abgelöst.

Das Tal ist für seine landschaftliche Schönheit überregional bekannt und führt in den Naturpark Drei Zinnen, vorbei an einigen Gipfeln der Sextner Sonnenuhr. Hinter der Talschlusshütte (1.548 m) gabelt es sich am Fuß des Einserkofels in das Bachern- und das Altensteintal, welches gegen die Drei Zinnen und den im Ersten Weltkrieg hart umkämpften Paternkofel hinaufzieht. Auf den Zustiegen zur Dreizinnenhütte auf dem Toblinger Riedel und zur Zsigmondyhütte im Bacherntal wird das Fischleintal oft durchwandert.

Das Fischleintal entwässert über den Fischleinbach, der im Sextner Ortsteil Moos in den Sextner Bach, einen Zubringer der Drau, mündet.

Geschichte

Das Fischleintal ist als Hochalpe des Klosters Innichen bereits seit dem 10. Jahrhundert unter der erst später eingedeutschten Bezeichnung „Uiscalina“ urkundlich bezeugt.

Bergsturz

Am Morgen des 12. Oktober 2007 stürzten ca. 60.000 Kubikmeter Fels- und Geröllmassen vom Einserkofel (2.698 m) in den hinteren Talgrund. Es kamen dabei keine Menschen zu Schaden, 30 Urlauber konnten unverletzt gerettet werden. Der Felssturz begrub weite Teile eines Parkplatzes unter Geröllschutt und ließ den Fischleinbach über die Ufer treten. Der Bergsturz wird auf die Sprengkraft von in Felsspalten aufgrund vorausgegangener heftiger Temperaturschwankungen gefrierenden Wassers zurückgeführt. Eine zunächst vermutete Folge der Klimaerwärmung wurde jedoch relativiert.

(Wikipedia)

"Life is a series of steps. Things are done gradually. Once in a while there is a giant step, but most of the time we are taking small, seemingly insignificant steps on the stairway of life."

Ralph Ransom

Aka Horseshoe ladybird.

Absolutely thrilled to find one of these! Had been on the lookout for some time!! I very nearly dismissed it, as it was so tiny in my tray, but something made me look closer, and when I saw that little horseshoe on the back, I was very excited!!

Upton Magna - Shropshire

Find these utterly adorable!

Upton Magna - Shropshire (Sept 22)

This is a profound spot, simultaneously peaceful and dangerous. It provides an excellent reminder of the duration and power of nature, and just how insignificant we and our problems really are.

Life is a great tapestry. The individual is only an insignificant thread in an immense and miraculous pattern.

~Albert Einstein

A cold winter afternoon... when i'd hoped that the late sun would colour the distant mountain ingleborough.

Despite a favourable forecast... things didn't pan out.

The sun when it appeared was fleeting, weak and watery.... you could say that it was a wasted venture.

However standing on Scales moor, a remote plateau, surrounded by big frozen mountains- Ingleborough, Gragareth and Whernside gives you a lesson in Scale (apt place name then). How tiny we are... insignificant even.

The last thing my Father said to me (and will ever say to me) was that i was an "insignificant piece of Sh#t".

He hoped that this was an insult, and he had wanted to hurt.... however all i heard was the truth..... and the truth is liberating.

My father wasn't loving, or caring, he wasn't a role model, nor was he my idol. A teacher would you believe, an educated man who used his intelligence to brutalise his children.

I endured his apathy towards me, his beatings and his belittlement. And when i got to an age where he could no longer throw me around, i was of no use to him and he retreated to his study and garden. He has never telephoned me, never said well done... that i make him proud.. or that he loves me. When i visited his home... he would be there.... in the garden or another room.

I'll add that this retreat wasn't shame for his parental failings, for he believes that his education means that he is utterly infallible and therefore has no need or capacity for self analysis or desire for atonement. He never bothered with his parents, friends or family, anyone that could have corrected him or set him an example to follow. Anyone in his life was short lived and only because they were of benefit to him in some way...... isn't that ugly?

So he was quite correct, i was insignificant, however he was a man that i never knew and insignificance is very much a two sided coin.

So we're both insignificant...

My insignificance however isn't confined to a pressure cooker of four walls or trimmed privets..... And as i stood utterly alone next to this huge erratic that has endured countless seasons and lifetimes the difference was that i was euphoric in my insignificance. Here there were no confines, or hate or anger or regret.

To add to my euphoria some rare Kelvin- helmholtz clouds formed over Ingleborough... the final piece for my composition.

Life is beautiful!!

Without sounding like a motivational speaker ....

Never forget the bad stuff in life, just don't dwell on it, instead use it to appreciate the good.... and this world will show you some incredible things.

Henry Eckford (1823–1905), a nurseryman of Scottish descent, cross-bred and developed the sweet pea, turning it from a rather insignificant, if sweetly scented flower, into the floral sensation of the late Victorian era.

His initial success and recognition came while serving as head gardener for the Earl of Radnor, raising new cultivars of pelargoniums and dahlias. In 1870 he went to work for one Dr. Sankey of Sandywell near Gloucester. A member of the Royal Horticultural Society, he was awarded a First Class Certificate (the top award) in 1882 for introducing the sweet pea cultivar 'Bronze Prince', marking the start of association with the flower. In 1888 he set up his development and trial fields for sweet peas in Wem in Shropshire. By 1901, he had introduced a total of 115 cultivars, out 264 cultivars grown at the time.[2] Eckford was presented with the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour for his work. He died in 1906 but his work was continued, for a time at least, by his son John Eckford.

More recently, the association between the sweet pea, the Eckfords and Wem has been highlighted again. In the late 1980s, the Sweet Pea Society of Wem started an annual show and the town has again taken the flower to its heart. Many of the street signs now carry a sweet pea motif and an area of the town is known as Eckford Park. There is also a cultivar 'Dorothy Eckford', named after a family member.

`07

Maybe there isn't a specific place waiting for you. Maybe everything - missing someone, old letters, insignificant things that lead you to love, fields, the wind - is home.

The lovely Scymnus auritus.

Prees Heath East - Shropshire (Sept 21)

Brighton

Wirgin Edixa Prismaflex, Super Takumar F1.8 55mm, and Rollei Retro 400S developed in homemade D23 replenished for 7 minutes 30 seconds at 20C.

August 16, 2016

Clouds are building behind this grassy one tree hill. The tree is so small and insignificant compared to its grandios surroundings, but it is bold and adventurous... a brave pioneer on this grass-centric range who thumbs its twigs at lightning and wind.

South-West Trip 2016(Day 4)

August 13-27, 2016

Route 285

Somewhere in the Colorado Rockies - USA

Photo by brucetopher

© Bruce Christopher 2016

All Rights Reserved

...always learning - critiques welcome.

No use without permission.

Please email for usage info.

Unnoticed by most, but so beautiful in all it's details.

Jet Liner in Halo

A commercial crop of Borage growing on Wheely Down, Hampshire.

When grown as a garden herb the purple / blue flowers of Borage (Borago officinalis) are a bit insignificant, but grown on this scale it really is impressive.

Happy New 1000 Light Years — IMRAN®

Every day, NASA and great scientists make us realize two things — the very dichotomies that we ourselves are the evidence of.

The data about the sizes and distances of these discoveries highlight how insignificant we are in the grand scale of things. (This photo is from an incredible but barely understood system “merely” 1000 light years away.)

Seeing how even the known Universe has absolutely zero need for any life to exist — much less for us humans to go about acting like masters of our domain — makes one pause. And that realization then also makes one gasp in amazement at how incredible our very existence is in the grand scheme of things.

We are, at once, infinitesimally small and infinitely privileged — a fleeting spark in a cosmos that neither notices nor requires us, yet somehow conscious enough to wonder, question, create, and seek meaning in the void. That paradox alone is a miracle worth honoring.

May we learn more about the Creator before it’s time to meet our Maker. May we make wiser use of the time we’re given, and create moments, memories, and meaning worthy of the gift of existence. Let’s make the best creative use of time and life.

Happy New 1000 Light Years.

© 2025 IMRAN®

Trees grow over and around boulders in the woods and they die there, too.

And just when we thought the explosions in the sky were the real show, we were blinded by our own little lights that we had made. And perhaps, even standing above the cracking fireworks, gazing down on them and up at the moon, I was simply blinded by a different light, great and insignificant all on its own.

We'd just skied a red run down to the bottom of a valley close to the Posh French resort of Val d'Isere. The only way out, other than on foot, was up via a chairlift but not before I'd snapped this majestic scene. Every now and then....well quite a lot really....you find yourself just staring at the drop dead gorgeous views that present themselves. The mountain in front of us seemed to rise up forever until it hit the clouds. Not until after I'd taken the shot did I spot the couple of figures (the insignificants), walking up the snow covered road in the lower half of the frame.

Val d'Isère is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department (Rhône-Alpes region) in south-eastern France. It lies 5 km (3 mi) from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park created in 1963. During the 1992 Winter Olympics, the Face de Bellevarde was the site of the men's downhill race. Other alpine skiing events held during those games included men's giant slalom and alpine combined. Val d'Isère regularly hosts World Cup alpine events, usually for the men in early December, and hosted the World Championships in 2009. It is located in the Savoie région with good transport links in and out of Lyon, Geneva and Chambery. The ski area of Val d'Isère and Tignes forms the Espace Killy, named after the triple Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killy who grew up in Val d'Isère.

Single handheld exposure. Minor tweaking in photoshop. Fuji X-E2 with 18-55 f2.8-4, @ 55mm, f9, exposure 1/2200 sec, ISO 200.

Week 46, November 9 - November 15:

Oh so insignificant.

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With Kunsthaus Lempertz (auction house) in the centre, and the spires of St Nicholas Church in the background.

The seemingly insignificant clouds in the distance are carrying plenty of rain. Not too long after this, my Berlin-based friend and I were suddenly caught out in the open in a very heavy downpour, and got drenched. With but one umbrella, and the two of us huddled underneath it, it was a pitiful sight!

It was then and there that I learned exactly what the sudden appearance of the thunderstorm in Beethoven's 6th Symphony actually means,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolaiviertel

berlin-nikolaiviertel.com/the-historic-path/?lang=en

berlin-nikolaiviertel.com/culture/st-nicholas-church/?lan...

www.lempertz.com/en/auction-house-berlin.html

Close of the Decade and Beginning of a New One:

Many a beautiful sunrise/ sunset, many dreary pewter coloured skies, many a wave crashing in fury, many a lake placid and surreal, many a hike up mountain sides, many a stroll on calm beaches, sometimes fishing in crowded markets and malls, many significants and insignificants that could have missed the eye, many ups and downs, many exhilarating and disappointing moments, many a turmoil and conflict both within and without; but He is the Lord of them all! Thank God for the decade and I’ll go with the quiet assurance that Christ is my all in all, the author and finisher of my faith.

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Pleased to find another one today!

Upton Magna - Shropshire

Another shot of sunrise at Llyn Y Fan Fach. Truly spoiled on this day with the sunrise we were given.

A tiny lochan near the summit of Meall an Doire Dharaich, a fairly insignificant hill between Kinlochleven and the eastern Mamores, but a fine viewpoint.

An old shot from 9 years ago, posted before but newly reprocessed for greatly improved colour and detail.

These are the moments when I'm repeatedly reminded of how insignificant human beings (me including ;)) truly are. Taken at the coast of Alentejo, Portugal, on a stormy full moon night.

Das sind die Momente, in denen ich immer wieder daran erinnert werde, wie unbedeutend der Mensch (mich eingeschlossen ;)) wirklich ist. Aufgenommen an der Küste des Alentejo, Portugal, in einer stürmischen Vollmondnacht.

Mary Cassat the American Impressionist said this in a letter to John Howard Whittemore after a visit to this home and property approximately in 1893:

“I constantly think of Naugatuck and of your beautiful home, and wonder what you would think of my summer home. I am going to send you a photograph of it; my little pond seems very small and insignificant after the rushing rivers of Naugatuck, and no place I am at home seemed to me so desirable as a summer home as Milbury (Middlebury). That beautiful lake and the woods are often in my mind, and all your circle enjoying the delights of it together.”

source- patch.com/connecticut/naugatuck/a-place-in-naugatuck-hist...

"The John Howard (J. H.) Whittemore estate in Middlebury, Connecticut, was primarily the work of landscape architect and planner Warren H. Manning. The project was begun by Charles Eliot (1859–1897), an important mentor for Manning at the firm of Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot. Manning (1860–1938) was a young associate in 1893, when Eliot began designing the estate, called Tranquillity Farm, on 300 acres of sloping farmland overlooking Lake Quassapaug. The layout integrated McKim, Mead & White buildings and a landscape of intimate garden spaces, distant prospects, a working forest, farm pastures, and recreational amenities. Graceful roads and prominent stone walls traced the contours of the land. Possibly at Manning’s suggestion, Ellen Shipman designed a terraced garden overlooking the water."

source- lalh.org/tranquillity-farm-middlebury-connecticut/

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compared will all this immensity

Who am I? Who are you?

Am I insignificant too?

In the fetal position we were all once curled

We're all one little person is the big bad world

We can make a difference that is what we're told

But to make it come true you have to be BOLD

Live your life like you have an impact

Change it from a saying into a proven FACT

Muriwia beach New Zealand

At Jökulsárlón in Iceland, with its vast ice floes and raw, Arctic conditions, the cold weather protocols back in the Netherlands seem almost insignificant by comparison. Yet even so, under many circumstances, winter scenes at home remain deeply beautiful—proof that the quiet magic of snow, ice, and frozen light can be admired anywhere, even far from Iceland’s dramatic extremes.....

STELLAR PINK is a hybrid dogwood (Cornus florida x Cornus kousa) that was developed by Elwin R. Orton, Jr. as part of the Stellar series of dogwoods released by Rutgers University.

The true dogwood flowers are actually tiny, yellowish green and insignificant, being compacted into button-like clusters. However, each flower cluster is surrounded by four showy, petal-like, pink bracts which open flat, giving the appearance of a single, large, 3-5” diameter, 4-petaled, pink flower. STELLAR PINK is sterile and does not produce fruit.

If you want to be one of the first people to see the sunrise each day in the continental United States, head to Maine. A great place to capture the first light is Acadia National Park. While it is not the most eastern part of the state (West Quoddy Head is), it is pretty close. You also won't find a more beautiful part of the coast to shoot it from. The Maine Coast in Acadia is one of the most rugged in the US. Jagged rocks and boulders of all shapes and sizes are the norm for the coast. Every step might land on what looks like solid rock, but sometimes the rocks move unexpectedly.

There is nothing like the feeling of climbing to your spot on the rocks before the sun rises above the horizon. As you stand there waiting, the sound of the waves hitting the rocks, and the clouds beginning to light up in different shades of colors make you feel insignificant in the overall scheme of things. On this morning, the tide was out, so Thunder Hole was rather silent for the most part. Then the sun crests the horizon and you are glad that you were out of the hotel by 4:45 am to experience the scene.