Thanks for over 4 million visits.

A canoe beckons along side the South Llano River in Junction, TX on a hot summer day.

"Even if I wanted to try,

to describe love,

when I experience them I am speechless. "

Rumi

www.google.com/nikcollection/

"We have to get used to the idea that at the most important crossroads in our life, there are no signs." ~Ernest Hemingway~

Somewhere in Arizona's Sonoran Desert.

Thank you very much for all your faves and comments.

10 gummi bears having fun in the pool, celebrating 10 years of Macro Mondays - without water, because gummi bears always have to watch their shape ;-)

The pool: a filter box, 6,5 cm / 2,55906 inches in diameter. I used focus stacking (seven images) for more details. I have another one (no jelly babies) which I will upload tonight.

Zehn Gummibärchen planschen im Pool und feiern 10 Jahre Macro Monday. Ohne Wasser, weil Gummibärchen immer besonders auf ihre Linie achten müssen, aber Spaß haben sie trotzdem ;-) Sie sitzen in einer Filterdose mit 6,5 cm Durchmesser, das Foto ist ein Focus-Stacking aus sieben Aufnahmen. Ich habe noch eine andere Version (keine Gummitiere), die ich heute Abend hochladen werde.

Thank you for your kind comments, I appreciate every single one, and your faves! Vielen Dank für Eure tollen Kommentare und Faves!

A Happy Macro Monday everyone, and a Happy 10th!

#tri_colored_heron #florida_birds #florida #best_birds_planet #planet_birds #birdbrilliance #birdphotography #nature #wildlifephotography #birdextreme #bestbirdshots #discovertheworld #nature_perfection #wildlifeperfection #gregorymountainpacks #canon #gitzo #leofotousa #markins #manfrotto #TKpanel #luminarneo #adobe_LR_PS #nikcollection #topaz #dxo #capture 1

#MacroMondays

#EDC

I wasn't sure if things that you have on you every day (like glasses) were OK for the theme, so I decided to photograph my little GRIII as that required "other" EDC that, together with my (now unfortunately slightly faltering Lumix LX100), is always in my shoulder bag. I have two compartments reservered for the cams that also offer enough space for spare batteries.

I have a lot of EDC stuff in my bag and also jacket pockets for (almost) all eventualities, so maybe I would have been a good scout. One of these "be prepared" items is a few strips of plaster. As a possibility for "EDC", I've photographed the padded part of a "Hansaplast Aqua Protect" plaster, and it looked interesting in close-up but I decided to keep that idea for a future "Dots" or "Hexagonal" theme ;)

What I don't have in my bag anymore is the small screwdriver to fix my glasses' hinges if required (I can always fix them at home) or my miniature Swiss pocket knife because there are spots where knives are prohibited (there's a huge problem with people carrying knives, especially male teenagers, but also others), and I don't want to get in trouble because of a tiny pocket knife.

But now for my subject: The GRIII's mode dial has three user preset options, U1, U2, U3, and I've assigned them as follows: U1 is for general "Architecture and Landscape", meaning that I've set a base aperture that usually works best for anything (F 5.6). U2 is my macro preset (essential!), and U3 is assigned to HDR for the more difficult light situations.

I used two light sources: the natural light photo LED from above and a single LED from the right that I had pointed at the gold-coloured cardboard reflector (handheld) for a warmer second tone (the GR's mode dial is all black with raised silvery indicators).

I'll try to catch up with you tonight! HMM :)

A friend of mine shared a similar shot of trees in a forest and I immediately thought of using the effect on this sculpture in Triton Square. It reminds me of 60s architecture from this angle.

Carlingford Lough (Irish: Loch Cairlinn) is a glacial fjord or sea inlet in north eastern Ireland, forming part of the border between Northern Ireland to the north and the Republic of Ireland to the south. On its northern shore is County Down, the Mourne Mountains, and the town of Warrenpoint; on its southern shore is County Louth, the Cooley Mountains and the village of Carlingford. The Newry River flows into the loch from the northwest. Wikipedia

#doe_deer #florida #nature #wildlifephotography #discovertheworld #nature_perfection #wildlifeperfection #gregorymountainpacks #canon #gitzo #leofotousa #markins #manfrotto #TKpanel #luminarneo #adobe_LR_PS #nikcollection #topaz #dxo #capture_1 #rrs

Stephansdom in Wien.

Reflections on Valdez Lake, AK

"Where flowers bloom, so does hope." Lady Bird Johnson

I chose this title because my orchids bloomed for the third time under my care! I've never had much luck with these flowers and don't know how long this run will last, but I have hope!

Corsica 2015

#macromondays

#leaf

The edge of a succulent leaf, to be precise. Or not so precise, because I think this should be an Aeonium, but there are so many varieties that I couldn't find which variety this is exactly. The leaves are thick, and feel velvety to the touch, because each leaf is covered with a dense fluff of translucent, tiny, tentacle-like hair. And, let's face it, plants in my home need to be: easy to care for. Which succulents definitely are ;)

I've used both extension tubes (10 and 16 mm) and the Raynox DCR-250 close-up lens to get as close as possible. The image was backlit by a small LED flashlight, and it's a focus stack of 15 images which I've combined in Helicon Focus (method B, radius 6, smoothing 4). Further processed in DXO PhotoLab with local adjustments on the upper right part of the leaf (exposure / highlights) which was a little too bright, because I had to place the flashlight a little off center (on the right) to avoid that it's visible in the image. Further processing in Analog Efex (Detail Extraction and Classic Camera 6 further tweaked). Final tweaks in LR where I'd slighty increased the green saturation, lowered the blacks, and boosted the structure.

HMM, Everyone, and have a safe and nice new week ahead!

Tausendfüßler

Und eigentlich der Blattrand eines kleinen Sukkulenten-Blattes. Auf jeden Fall handelt es sich um ein Dickblattgewächs, vermutlich Aeonium; die Blätter wachsen rosettenförmig, haben eine kleine, nach innen gewölbte Spitze und sind vollständig von einem samtig-dichten Flaum winziger, durchsichtiger Härchen überzogen. Ich habe hier beide Zwischenringe (10 und 16 mm) und den Raynox DCR-250 Makrovorsatz verwendet, um möglichst nah an diese faszinierenden, tentakelartigen Härchen heranzukommen.

Beleuchtet von rechts hinten mit einer kleinen Taschenlampe. Licht direkt von hinten war hier nicht machbar, weil das Blatt kleiner als der Durchmesser des Frontelements der Taschenlampe (1,5 cm) war. Da der rechte obere Teil des Blattes dadurch ein wenig zu hell geraten war, habe ich in DXO mit dem Werkzeug für lokale Anpassungen dort die Spitzlichter und die Belichtung etwas runtergeschraubt. Was noch: Analog Efex, dort nur Detailextrahierung und Klassische Kamera 6 mit eigenen Anpassungen, keine Vignette, die hier nur gestört hätte. Und in LR habe ich noch die Schwarztöne etwas runtergesetzt, die Grün-Sättigung leicht erhöht und die Struktur verstärkt.

Ich wünsche Euch eine schöne Woche, liebe Flickr-Freunde!

A lonely tree outside Wray Castle.

Title taken from New Order's Perfect Kiss.

Nach dem Aufstieg nach Old Pyli wurde man nicht nur mit kühlen Getränken im Cafe belohnt, sondern auch mit einer wunderbaren Aussicht auf die Ruinen der Festung und das Umland.

#tern #florida #best_birds_planet #planet_birds #birdbrilliance #birdphotography #nature #wildlifephotography #birdextreme #bestbirdshots #discovertheworld #nature_perfection #wildlifeperfection #gregorymountainpacks #sony #gitzo #leofotousa #markins #manfrotto #TKpanel #luminarneo #adobe_LR_PS #nikcollection #topaz #dxo #capture_1 #rrs

Thanks for over 4 million visits.

that my computer decided not to crash while doing things in Lightroom or with NikFilters....

Macro monday: Liquid

This shot has been taken during one of my sunrise sessions in Rosolina Mare (see my What a meaningful world... for information about that peculiar location).

I was going back home and the sky was animated by an everchanging play of the sun with the clouds. And the bird was there, alone, flying straight away from the rays of sunlight towards the bowels of a dark cloud. The story was set, the actors were playing their roles. I framed without thinking and captured the moment.

I offer this story to all my Flickr friends while saying good bye: I will be away for some weeks - no computer, no internet connection but my phone, so no further uploads for quite a while. I will have a look to your photos when I can and comment how I can (I do not love commenting on the phone since the screen is small and I often need to go back to the photo while commenting and the app is not designed for such operations). Be well, my friends - I will try too... :-)

Single shot processed by luminosity masks in the Gimp, with some substantial final work with Nik Silver Efex and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.

In die Leere hinein

Sonntags sind Parkhäuser nicht so voll... :))

Parking decks seem to be quite empty on Sundays... :))

Tools: Photos, Analog Efex Pro2, Pixelmator.

Une surprise en retour de la Crète chaude

Looking Southwest from the Hiking Trail bridge over the Merced towards Taft Point and Cathedral Rocks.

Thank you very much for your kind comments and faves.

These birds come to our garden many times every day for a feed at the grevillea bushes.

Many thanks to all my Flickr photo stream followers I have now more than 1.9 million views, thank you. Thanks for viewing my photos and for any favourites and comments, it is very much appreciated.

I love scrolling through Flickr looking at everyone's images, getting new ideas.

My Blog: www.alldigi.com

#bald_eagle #florida #best_birds_planet #planet_birds #birdbrilliance #birdphotography #nature #wildlifephotography #birdextreme #bestbirdshots #discovertheworld #nature_perfection #wildlifeperfection #gregorymountainpacks #sony #gitzo #leofotousa #markins #manfrotto #TKpanel #luminarneo #adobe_LR_PS #nikcollection #topaz #dxo #capture_1 #rrs

"Allow nature's peace to flow into you as sunshine flows into the trees." ~John Muir~

Thanks for having a look! All faves and comments are highly appreciated!

#skimmer #florida #best_birds_planet #planet_birds #birdbrilliance #birdphotography #nature #wildlifephotography #birdextreme #bestbirdshots #discovertheworld #nature_perfection #wildlifeperfection #gregorymountainpacks #sony #gitzo #leofotousa #markins #manfrotto #TKpanel #luminarneo #adobe_LR_PS #nikcollection #topaz #dxo #capture_1 #rrs

Another quick shot. I have started making a list of skills that I want to strengthen this year during this 365 day project. One of them is to get better at post processing my photos. I would also like to get quicker at taking photos as well. I think this photo helps with both. How can I be quicker in camera when I need to be and still get a good final result with post processing. I feel like I am learning more every day, including how lazy I can be! 😊

Géranium des bois, Wood cranesbill, Midsommarblomster

(Geranium sylvaticum)

#bald_eagle #florida #best_birds_planet #planet_birds #birdbrilliance #birdphotography #nature #wildlifephotography #birdextreme #bestbirdshots #discovertheworld #nature_perfection #wildlifeperfection #gregorymountainpacks #canon #gitzo #leofotousa #markins #manfrotto #TKpanel #luminarneo #adobe_LR_PS #nikcollection #topaz #dxo #capture_1 #rrs

#sliderssunday

More clouds from the neighbourhood. We've been spoiled with some spectacular cloud formations and colourful sunsets lately and on Friday evening the sky was not only graced with particularly golden tones and clouds but also amazing sunbeams. It was quite a "Wow, look at this, must photograph!"-moment ;)

For the best possible dynamic range, I set the LX100 to "Auto Bracket 3BKT 1/3" (the camera's standard bracketing setting) and combined the images in HDR Efex which nicely brought out the clouds' and sunbeams' textures, and also the colours. As a final touch, I applied the "Skylight" filter (Color Efex) for more warmth.

Happy Sliders Sunday, Everyone, and have a wonderful week ahead!