View allAll Photos Tagged Practiced
I always wondered where the line makers practiced their road making skills. Well now we know, just out side Mt Isa in Queensland.
“As I have practiced it, photography produces pleasure by simplicity, I see something special and show it to the camera. A picture is produced. The moment is held until someone sees it. Then it is theirs. Photography, alone of the arts, seems perfected to serve the desire humans have for a moment – this very moment – to stay.” – Sam Abell
Vera Thomson(21)
Vera practiced in front of the mirror for an hour before could do a believable mean girl face. she didn't like looking unfriendly even just for a costume, but she has ideas for the cheer leader outfit. ....
Taken at Sunny's studio. (pose: 1704 pose )
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunny%20Photo%20Studio/128...
I practiced this pattern from (Swedish designer) Elsebeth Lavold's book, "Small Things Matter" until I began to like the results. Learning how to make lace requires of me much practice!
Inle Lake is a freshwater lake located in the Nyaungshwe Township of Taunggyi District of Shan State, Myanmar (Burma). It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 116 km2, and one of the highest at an elevation of 880m.
Most transportation on the lake is traditionally by small boats, or by somewhat larger boats fitted with single cylinder inboard diesel engines. Local fishermen are known for practicing a distinctive rowing style which involves standing at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar. This unique style evolved for the reason that the lake is covered by reeds and floating plants making it difficult to see above them while sitting. Standing provides the rower with a view beyond the reeds. However, the leg rowing style is only practiced by the men. Women row in the customary style, using the oar with their hands, sitting cross legged at the stern.
Our office’s current photo contest theme is flat lay photography. I practiced flat lays and still life on some cranberries over the Thanksgiving holiday. Had never done this before and honestly, the composition and design intimidated me a bit. Was great fun though and hope to do it again before the end of December. Learned a lot!
Australia is a recently settled country in terms of traditional European field farming. Indigenous peoples have been cultivating and selecting for food plants for thousands of years in a manner which the European settlers to Australia did not recognise as farming.
In South America, the Indigenous peoples knew about farming, have cultivated thousands of varieties of corn and hundreds of potatoes. They extensively terraced the steep hillsides for a variety of reasons including farming and using water. Companion planting where corn, potatoes and tomatoes are planted together on a hillock is also practiced in order not to deplete the soil of nutrients as well as to reduce soil loss. For Definitely Dreaming week 41 of Farm. This one is in the Sacred Valley, Peru on the way from Urubamba to Pisac.
Practiced some focus stacking this morning. Last night my daughter and I were at the grocery store and were handed this lovely chrysanthemum as a gift with a note that said "Today is a beautiful gift. Enjoy your day" It was such a nice surprise, my daughter and I were thrilled to receive the flower. It definitely brightened my mood too. I sometimes need reminders that there is good in the world. I need to pay it forward and share something today too. Best wishes for a happy day and hopefully something good will come your way too.
ODC - joy
This is an old graveyard from 1200 called Varhaug Gamle Kirkegård (Varhaug old churchyard)
Under WW2 the germans took over this site and practiced gun shooting, thereof the bulletholes.
Tombstones were also removed if the Germans needed more space. The neighbors were shaken by the grave insult. They rescued some of the tombs that the Germans had removed. These were put in place when the war ended. The Germans used some of the old iron crosses to blink and the bullet holes are still visible.
The name on the ironcross with the bulletholes is Ingeborg Larsdatter, so her dad was called Lars and datter in Norwegian means daughter.
I couldn't see the year properly, but it was quite old.
A simple method had been used to expand the cemetery when space was needed here. More soil was obtained from an area nearby and a new layer was laid on top of the old one.
Obviously a simple way, but it worked in the old days.
My brothers plugged their ears when I practiced my oboe, and Dad (who took this photo) called it "An Ill Wind." Such encouragement.
Practiced some night shots in Galveston after class on Monday evening. This RoRo vessel (basically a parking garage inside), the Aegean Highway, had berthed just a few minutes before getting this shot. I had a great vantage point and captured this with my 18-200VR.
The TIE Striker fighter was an old model, easy to use, an inconspicuous little thing. You could get around with it without people paying too much attention. The wing layout was handy if it rained or snowed, it was like having an umbrella, but most importantly it acted as a cover when getting in and out of the craft.
Darth Vader preferred the Striker to his TIE Advanced when going for private lightsaber outdoors practice retreats. Yeah, he practiced. A lot. Like a maniac!
Little known fact: Darth Vader had weekly lightsaber practice. Every monday, no matter where he was.
Copyright photo PS
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I was recently gifted a clock from Shiraz, Iran, which incorporates some of the historic Persian craft-art work. Here's a detail.
Radials:
The craft of Khatamkari has existed for more than 700 years and is still practiced in Shiraz.
Delicate and meticulous marquetry has been produced since the Safavid period. Khatam was so popular in the court that princes learned this technique alongside music and painting. Khatam means incrustation and Khatamkari refers to incrustation work. This craft consists in the production of patterns (generally star shaped) with thin sticks of wood (ebony, teak, orange, rose), brass (for golden parts) and camel bones (white parts). Sticks are assembled in triangular beams, themselves assembled and glued in a strict order to create a cylinder 70 cm in diameter, whose cross-section is the main motif: a six-branch star included in a hexagon. These cylinders are cut into shorter cylinders, and then compressed and dried between two wooden plates, before being sliced for the last time, in 1 mm wide trenches. Now sections are ready to be glued on the object to be decorated, before lacquer finishing. The trench can also be softened through heating in order to wrap around objects. Many objects can be decorated in this fashion, such as jewelry/decorative boxes, desks, frames or some musical instruments. Khatam can also be used in Persian miniatures.
Central blue:
Minakari. The art of "Minakari" or "Enamelling" is called "miniature of fire" as well as the decoration of metal and tile. Minakari or Enamelling is the Persian art of painting, colouring and ornamenting the surface of metals by fusing over it brilliant natural colours that are decorated in an intricate design. Mina is the feminine form of Minoo in Persian, meaning heaven. Mina refers to the Azure blue colour of heaven. The Iranian craftsmen of Sasanid era invented this art.
Nightingales:
Another feature is the alternating nightingales (bolbols). These have an association with Shiraz roses.
And Virtue-it is no meaningless sound;
Can be practiced each day if we trouble;
As much as we tend to go stumbling around,
Toward Paradise, too, can we struggle.
And what no logician’s logic can see,
The child-like mind sees obviously.
-Friedrich Schiller, “Die Worte des Glaubens”
/****************
-Montreal Live, Frank Zappa-Imaginary Diseases
I watched a few more videos, practiced some more and at last managed to actually make something. Recognise the thread @synnove75? I'm in love with that bag of thread.
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Chariot races were the major sporting and religious event of Greek Antiquity, the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire, practiced as part of many Panhellenic games. A lot of peoples came to see the races, because they are spectacular !
Both horses are me, but the lady in the char is my friend Ayame, who did a picture from her angle ! Go check it out.
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➵ Char : ME_Biga Chariot
Available at artMEfashion @ Fantasy Faire - Bassett Town from April 21th to May 8th 2022
➵ Coat on Left horse : ME_Teegle applier Lippizan Junker
➵ Coat on Right horse : ME_Teegle applier Lippizan Janko
Can be found at Art ME Fashion Mainstore
➵ Harness : Cheval D'or / Teegle Avatar /Beau Fine Harness Set.
➵ Bridle : Cheval D'or / Teegle Legacy Avatar / Euro Brollar Harness.
Can be found at Cheval d'Or Mainstore
I'm not practiced at bird photography, but with lots of starling activity in the garden thought I'd better attempt to "up my game".
Starlings assemble on this perch in reasonable numbers. In the morning, the sun is behind them and this can give a pleasant effect. To expose for the highlights though, the shadows can be a bit dark. A friend suggested I use flash, so we both experimented yesterday and I has another go this morning.
The sun was perhaps a bit too harsh, but I set up the camera to give about a 2-stop under-exposure. I then set a remote flash on around a quarter power to add some HSS fill-light. It worked quite well, but needs a bit of finessing. A bit of post-production in PSE was required too. Any pointers to assist me in improving would be much appreciated!
Among the sources of Western esotericism, the Hermetica is the most prominent. It is a collection of writings on cosmology, astrology, alchemy, and magic, and it has its origins in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. The Hermetica is attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom and magic, is a significant figure in the Hermetica. Greeks in Egypt came to identify Thoth with their god Hermes.
Hermetism, in its ancient context, is closely related to pagan Neoplatonism. Neo-Platonists practiced Theurgy, a form of pagan mystical practice and magical ritual. The concept of theurgy came from the Chaldean Oracles, which describe the physical world as a prison from which the higher human soul must escape.
Gnosticism is a heresy from the early Christian era. The word Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis, meaning “knowledge” or “insight,” and it pertains to hidden or secret spiritual knowledge. Gnostics believe that their souls are trapped in an imperfect world and that through esoteric knowledge they can be freed from the prison of this material world.
During the Italian Renaissance, a priest named Marsilio Ficino taught new spiritual concepts of Platonism and the Hermetica. This caused a revival of Neoplatonism and Hermetism. During this time, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola blended Kabbalah with Hermeticism. Then came figures such as Johannes Reuchlin, Johann Trithemius, and Henry Cornelius Agrippa, who mixed forms of Hermeticism with Neoplatonism, Neopythagoreanism, magic, astrology, alchemy, and Cabala. After came John Dee, who was an advisor to Elizabeth I. He immersed himself in astrology, alchemy, and Cabala. John Dee and Edward Kelley collaborated in angel magic for several years. And an influential figure in medicine named Paracelsus, combined alchemy with Hermetic and Neoplatonic ideas to form his medical theories. The Emerald Tablet, one of the oldest alchemical writings, played a major role in Renaissance esotericism. The saying, “as above, so below,” comes from the Emerald Tablet.
Christian theosophy emerged in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in reaction to the strict orthodoxy of the Lutheran Reformation. Jacob Boehme was the figure behind the start of this movement. His ideas influenced intellectual movements such as Romanticism and Idealism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Platonism and Hermeticism are an essential part of theosophy. Rosicrucianism also arose in the seventeenth century. “From its obscure origins, the Rosicrucian myth would inspire literature, eighteenth-century Masonic adaptations, the rituals of the Golden Dawn, the leading magical order of the modern occult revival, and still exerts a powerful mystique today.”
Many secret societies formed in the eighteenth century, with their different esoteric beliefs. Many of these societies had relationships with the various Masonic lodges. Continental Freemasonry latched onto many of the esoteric ideas of these societies. The higher degrees of Freemasonry usually incorporated themes of theosophy, Rosicrucianism, and alchemy. Therefore, in the eighteenth century, Freemasonry was a major conduit for the spread of Western esotericism.
Emanuel Swedenborg had a great influence on eighteenth-century theosophy and was a major player in the development of modern esotericism. The Enlightenment influenced esoteric ideas, and they were accepted by many eighteenth-century illuminists. Then came Franz Anton Mesmer, who developed the theory of animal magnetism. His legacy can be traced to the early beginnings of modern Spiritualism. Animal magnetism was rooted in esoteric traditions. A key figure in animal magnetism was Justinus Kerner. His work became well-known throughout Europe. Another key figure was Baron Jules Dupotet de Sennevoy, who used animal magnetism to “unlock the secrets of magic.” His ideas influenced modern occultism. Helena Blavatsky, one of the founders of modern Theosophy, was a big fan of Dupotet. She also linked animal magnetism to magic. A man named James Braid coined the term “hypnotism” to describe animal magnetism. Hypnosis played a major role in the development of modern psychology. (Though they stripped the occult “ideas” from animal magnetism (hypnotism), I consider hypnotism to be an occult “practice.” Both Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung experimented with hypnosis.
In the mid-nineteenth century, occultism was introduced to America, predominantly through forms of animal magnetism, Swedenborgianism, and Freemasonry. Animal magnetism was introduced to America by Charles de Poyen. It quickly spread among occultists and spiritualists and was often combined with Swedenborgian ideas. Then came Andrew Jackson Davis, who communicated with a spirit he later identified as Swedenborg. He wrote a book called The Principles of Nature, which utilized Swedenborg’s ideas. His book sold many copies and became one of the founding texts of modern Spiritualism. Out of animal magnetism came the movements of New Thought and Christian Science, which integrated traditional Christian ideas with nineteenth-century metaphysical traditions. Next came modern Spiritualism, with its entertaining showmanship (self-moving furniture, self-playing musical instruments, and body levitation). Although the concepts of Swedenborg and animal magnetism were part of modern Spiritualism, the movement emerged independently of these influences.
The modern occult revival of the nineteenth century was complex. Romanticism sparked interest in the mysterious and unknown, thus creating an interest in animal magnetism, Spiritualism, and magic. A man named Eliphas Lévi became a pioneering figure in this Western occult revival. Lévi mixed ideas of animal magnetism with his philosophy of magic. Lévi used the Kabbalah and the Tarot as a source of magical symbolism. Much of modern occultism recognizes the Tarot as a root of mystical symbolism and imagery. Aleister Crowley believed himself to be a reincarnation of Lévi. Helena Blavatsky was also a fan of Lévi. In the second half of the nineteenth century, a Freemasonry order called the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia was founded. In turn, some of its members founded the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn produced various offshoots, impacting Western esoteric traditions during the twentieth century.
Arthur Edward Waite came out of the Golden Dawn. He was a poet, scholar, mystic, and occultist. He was a prolific writer on esoteric matters. He was also a co-creator of the Rider-Waite TAROT card deck, which is one of the most popular Tarot decks. Aleister Crowley also came out of the Golden Dawn. Crowley wrote “The Book of the Law,” which stated, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law!” Crowley used sex magick as a major tool for his magical system. Crowley referred to himself as the Great Beast 666. “Gerald Gardner, the founder of modern witchcraft, introduced Crowleyan magick into the neopagan Wiccan movement.” Dion Fortune, who had a great impact on modern Western esotericism, also came out of the Golden Dawn. She was one of the most influential twentieth-century occultists and ceremonial magicians. She had a significant influence on both later ceremonial magic and Wicca. “She was perhaps one of the first occult writers to approach magic and hermetic concepts from the psychology of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.”
The Theosophical Society was founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott. Blavatsky combined elements of Neoplatonism, Renaissance magic, Kabbalah, Freemasonry, ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman mythology and religion, Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta into her religious system. Her new religious movement played a major role in the spread of esoteric traditions in the modern era, and it was likely the biggest Influence behind the modern occult revival. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Theosophy gained a large international following. Her work prepared the foundation for what is now known as the New Age movement.
Alice A. Bailey authored many books on Theosophy. She was one of the first writers to use the term New Age, and her works have significantly influenced the New Age movement. Alice and Foster Bailey founded the Lucifer Publishing Company, which was later named the Lucis Publishing Company. (The Theosophical Society had also used the name “Lucifer” for its early magazine.) World Goodwill, which is part of Alice Bailey’s Lucis Trust, is an accredited Nongovernmental Organization with the Department of Public Information at the United Nations. The Lucis Trust is also on the Roster of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Carl Jung, the famous psychiatrist, had a profound impact on the world of psychology and spirituality. Esoteric traditions profoundly shaped Jung’s understanding of the human psyche. Gnosticism deeply resonated with Jung’s theories. His ideas have had a significant influence on the New Age movement. Western esotericism gained renewed momentum from Jung’s implied spiritualization of the psyche.
“Ever since Plato’s separation of the body and the soul, Western esotericism has traced a path in which the soul has been granted some share in divinity.” Hermetism, Neoplatonism, and modern-day Western esotericism provide people with a vision of the cosmos in which their soul has divine purpose. With the popularity of New Age and neopagan philosophies in the West today, esoteric traditions will continue to evolve and lay claim to some sort of enlightened gnosis.
I think that modern esotericism will lead down the road to Alice Bailey’s vision of a world religion—the fusion of faiths. This concept has been around for a long time. Here is the concept: a one-world government is needed to unite mankind in order to create a world of peace and prosperity (political Gnosticism). To accomplish a one-world government, all religions must unite under one umbrella (spiritual Gnosticism). Many groups have been working towards this goal, such as the Parliament of the World’s Religions, the International Association for Religious Freedom, the World Congress of Faiths, Nostra Aetate, and Religions for Peace.
Nietzsche’s murder of God is an element of parousiastic Gnosticism, which seeks to destroy everything that is perceived as unjust (imperfect), and to replace it with a just (perfect) order through the power of human means and intellect. Therefore, the Christian God of the West has to go, and so does Western democracy. Just like the murder of God, Nietzsche’s transformation of man into the superman is an attempt to murder man. “Historically, the murder of God is not followed by the superman, but by the murder of man.” The Marxists must destroy capitalism and instate communism, thus killing off bourgeois society. They are trapped in this world of capitalism; thus, their world is a prison. The Marxists are trapped in a system of private property and must transcend private property, abolishing it forever. Marxists must transcend the evils of this capitalist world and evolve into the “socialist man”/“communist man.” They must destroy the current system to gain their utopia. Indeed, “socialism is man’s positive self-consciousness,” his gnosis.
“Communism is the riddle of history solved, and it knows itself to be this solution. The entire movement of history, just as its actual act of genesis—the birth act of its empirical existence—is, therefore, for its thinking consciousness the comprehended and known process of its becoming.” – Karl Marx
“The positive transcendence of private property as the appropriation of human life, is therefore the positive transcendence of all estrangement—that is to say, the return of man from religion, family, state, etc., to his human, i.e., social, existence.” – Karl Marx
Political Gnosticism is seen in communism and National Socialism. Political Gnosticism is alive and well today, with affluent people and organizations who want to transform our world into their utopian dream. The United Nations, with its Sustainable Development Goals, is the chief example. The World Economic Forum is another. Through their gnosis, they can bring peace and prosperity to the world.
“Queer theory brings knowing and being into the education of young children.” In queer theory, people are born (trapped) in the wrong body; their bodies are prisons. “Young people are absorbing the idea that the physical body is not part of the authentic self—that the authentic self is only the autonomous choosing self. This is ancient Gnosticism in new garb.”
Transhumanists want mankind to transcend into the superman. Man is trapped in this mortal body, but the goal is to someday attain immortality. They will use technology and super intelligence to solve man’s problems, to bring about a perfect world of peace and prosperity.
The Bible warns about the forming of a future one-world religion—the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. It warns of a one-world cashless currency system, which will be connected to the Mark of the Beast. Without this one-world digital ID Mark, which will be located on the right hand or forehead, a person will not be able to buy or sell. The man who implements this system will be the Antichrist. His Mark will plunge mankind into the first stages of transhumanism. Those who refuse this transformation into the superman will be put to death—the murder of man. The Western religion of Christianity will be replaced with the worship of Caesar (the Beast). Western democracy will be replaced with totalitarianism.
The gnosis: if you eat the fruit, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God.
This youngster was showing off that signature yellow throat as it practiced singing a few standard call notes. The brush here was about as thick as hair on a dog's back - perfect yellowthroat habitat.
Manipulated photo. Made in the painting style 'Magic realism' as practiced during the interbellum in Europe a.o. by Carel Willink.
"""Also riding on a sledge and managing the reindeers has to be practiced. Here we see the brother of the origami Santa-shaped chopstick wrapper and he just passed this examen. Three of his friends, the Santa-shaped pick holders, are very happy! They use artificial snow and that is not easy too ;-))"""
Model: origami Santa-shaped pick holder
Design: Yuko Fujimoto
Diagrams in NOA Magazine #460
Model: Variation of the origami Santa-shaped chopstick wrapper
Design: Katsuhisa Yamada
Diagrams in NOA Magazine #460
Model: origami Sledge and origami Reindeer
Design: Kunihiko Kasahara
Diagrams in NOA Magazine #460
Moins impactant pour le corps que la course, la marche, pratiquée tous les jours, est un remède naturel et doux. La marche renforce notre cœur et réduit les risques de maladies. La marche tonifie la silhouette et exerce vos muscles. La marche permet de lutter contre l’arthrose et l’ostéoporose. La marche est bonne pour notre cerveau. La marche est un antidépresseur naturel.
Pratiquer une promenade au quotidien, est l’activité sportive la moins chère, la plus facile à mettre en œuvre et d’une efficacité vérifié pour notre corps comme, notre esprit et surtout, le meilleur moyen d’embarquer votre compagnon préféré : l’appareil photo.
Menos efectivo para el cuerpo que correr, caminar, practicado todos los días, es un remedio natural y suave. Caminar fortalece nuestro corazón y reduce el riesgo de enfermedades. Caminar tonifica la silueta y ejercita tus músculos. Caminar ayuda a combatir la osteoartritis y la osteoporosis. Caminar es bueno para nuestro cerebro. Caminar es un antidepresivo natural.
Practicar una caminata diaria es la actividad deportiva menos costosa, la más fácil de implementar y la eficiencia verificada para nuestro cuerpo como, nuestra mente y lo más importante, la mejor manera de enviar a su compañero favorito: el cámara.
Less effective for the body than running, walking, practiced every day, is a natural and gentle remedy. Walking strengthens our heart and reduces the risk of disease. Walking tones the silhouette and exercises your muscles. Walking helps fight osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Walking is good for our brain. Walking is a natural antidepressant.
Practicing a daily walk, is the least expensive sport activity, the easiest to implement and verified efficiency for our body as, our mind and most importantly, the best way to ship your favorite companion: the camera.
Originally created for an exhibition of the photographer platform Kamerata in Zwolle. Unfortunately the lockdown put a hold to that.
The original idea came to me for last year's exhibition (that was also cancelled) with the theme Freedom.
The final image is a combination of two shots, I would have liked to use just one but on the one with the nice sparks the flash did not fire :-(
A filterless shot of the area where we practiced to check out equipment before going out on the course in competition.
Rakhine State - Mrauk-U - Lay Myo River - Tattooed woman - Chin tribe
MYA6449.1.F
Tattooing in Burma was a widespread custom practiced by various ethnic groups, including the Chin, Bamar, Shan, and Karen, until the 20th century.
Tattooing was a distinguishing cultural marker.
Southern Chin women were also tattooed on their faces with closely set lines using blue pigments, ostensibly to discourage them from being kidnapped by invaders. Chin women were typically tattooed between the ages of 15 and 20. The practice has quickly disappeared, as it was banned in the 1960s by Burma's socialist regime and it was discouraged by Christian missionaries.
Eastfjords, Iceland. Nicoline Weywadt, the first woman in Iceland to have practiced photography managed the Teigarhorn farmhouse
My sweatshirt served as a tripod,and I practiced using my timer. It took me a while to realize that manual focus was the way to go for this. I also saw from the fog just how dirty my sensor is. There IS an ocean behind me.
The cormorant the best fisherman
Fishing with cormorants in Japan has been represented since the sixth century in ceramics, Chinese and Japanese and documents of the seventh century mentions the practice. Since then we know that the cormorant fishing is practiced in approximately 150 locations in Japan. I personally believe that the technique of fishing with cormorants came from China before the centuries VI or VII, along with other techniques such as the cultivation of rice and at the same time spread throughout the country.
At present, cormorants are used for fishing only in a dozen locations in Japan and even in them the most often is to attract tourists. One of the best places to watch cormorant fishing is the Nagara River in Gifu, whose season lasts 158 days, from May 11 until October 15 of each year. Cormorants are used in the marine Nagara, brought from the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture, with less than two years old. Are caught wild and domesticated once begin a training program that lasts a lifetime. Cormorants are known as marine able to fish more than the river.
Cormorants are submerged under water, catching fish up to the surface and it requires a gesture engullen beginning with the head. They have a sharp beak and hook-shaped and can open at an angle of 70 or 80 degrees to gobble up to 35 cm pieces. To prevent the fish reach the bird's stomach was tied to the neck of a hemp rope, called kubiyui. When the fisherman has seen the bird in her mouth a big piece, it grabs you by the neck and throat pressure to release the prisoner. Because cormorants are not getting a direct benefit for their work, the word u-kai (cormorant fishing) is also used to express the exploitation of workers. In reality, the bond that brings them in the neck is loose enough to be able to swallow small parts. If you were tight condemn hunger by eating, which would force him to fish more, but both his productivity and reduce its life. Cormorants live only about five years when they have to fish all year, but in places like the River Nagara live 15 to 20 years because they have longer holidays and are very well looked after.
This years ginger bread house. We've made one every year for ten years. We're quite practiced by now. ^^
Painting - Acrylic on Stretched Canvas 20 x 24 inches.
A typical traditional Chinese fishing method that is still practiced in isolated pockets of the rural communities.
Early morning light as the sun rises from the left side of the photo. I practiced my focus stacking on this image.
Bluemont, VA
I practiced a little social distancing this past Sunday when I drove to Barnegat Light State Park and walked out along the beach and the rock jetty. A merganser drake came in for a landing and made quite a splash with his debut. Sometimes the action is better than the animal itself. A northeast wind kept migrating northern gannets drifting closer to the shoreline and into view from the jetty. It was great to get a last look at some of the wintering birds before they complete the last leg of their northern journey to breed for the season. #Merganser
I get the job description. I really do. You have to do whatever your ownermaster tells you to. I did everything I was told. I practiced the sword dance for hours and hours on end as ordered even though knives creep me out. I slept on the floor. I ate gruel. But everyone has their breaking point. I was quiet, meek and obedient so of course the idiot tells me to do the windows. That was it! Well, I took care of him! Who knew all the practice for the sword dance would pay dividends? Only problem is now I have the whole countryside after me and I accidentally started a revolution. How do these things always happen to meek little ole me!
Note: Loved the original Star Wars. Leia (Carrie Fisher) passed 12/27/16. She was awesome. Her writing showcased her wicked sense of humor which also came shining through the Leia back then. She is one of my heroes.
Location: Nykus
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nykus/17/219/22
(Note: yep there is a bush right there but I derendered it cuz the mermaid was swimming right behind it. Then, of course, I ended up liking the shots better without her).
Lighting/camera
Firestorm: raw
Windlight sky: Fluffy Big clouds
windlight water: Turbid reflections
Pose: runner by Ulrika Zugzwang
D-R4CO Pink Steel Droid by HEXtraordinary
Me:
Eye position: AnyPose Expression HUD v1.0
Expression: Catwa animation
Star Gals / Slave Princess Skirt and Top by Curemore
Haley Collar Rare by Luas
Solaris female Arm Snake R and Wrist Snake L by Fallen Gods Inc.
*Yandere* Love Me Knives by Le Poppycock
Hair: Dakota Mesh Hair by Wasabi Pills
Skin: Payne by Glam Affair
Eyes: Dusk - Frostfell by Astrae . Gaze
Head: Alice V4.10 by Alice
Mesh Body: Lara V4.0, feet and bento hands by Maitreya
Wartown Crew Hoodlums from Warrington VA, BMX at the Navy Memorial, NW, Washington DC on Sunday afternoon, 3 October 2004 by Elvert Barnes Photography
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On Sundays and Saturdays it is not uncommon for me to take a walk from my apartment to Dupont Circle and back again. Capturing scenarios along the way.
When I'd began in 1992 I was living on 15th Street in SE WDC. Then, in 1993, when I moved to Scott Circle, which is just blocks from Dupont Circle, it became even more of a ritual. And, as a result, I now have an interesting collection of "Dupont Circle, Over the Years" images. In 1997 I'd move back to Capitol Hill in NE on Constitution Avenue and would continue the ritual of walking across town, usually to Dupont Circle, and then back again.
In November 2001 I'd move to SW which is where I now live and would resume the ritual in the spring of 2002. Since, over the years, since I've captured skateboarders in Freedom Plaza it has caught my attention, in recent months, that there are more bmx's in the city. And not only in Freedom Plaza.
On Sunday, 3 October 2004, two days before my 51st birthday, during my Sunday walk and as I headed back home from Dupont Cirlce I'd happen upon a group of young white males in the Navy Memorial 'bmx'ing.
Which before I'd ask what they called it I did know the term was 'bmxing'. I mention the fact that they were 'young white boys' because that is often the case. Even though WDC is known as 'Chocolate City' black males have never had the freedom that white males do.
Whether it is bmxing, skateboarding, roller hockey at the White House or rugby on the Ellipse. And while, of course, there are exceptions to the rule, for the most part, in 2005, it is just as much the case now as it 'ever was'.
I say this because if I were to play roller hockey, bmx, skateboarding or whatever and as is true with me and photography I'd be one of the few black males that you'd see every weekend engaging and assimilating with the 'white folks' who I'd regard as my friends and/or colleagues.
And folks including my white friends would react to me, as a black man, the same way as they now do ... and have done ... towards me and my photography. In recent weeks I've observed many photographers from around the world and, of course, in WDC who photograph with the same passion and similar interests and focus as do I who post and upload to Flicker. And if you look at my photos from years ago ... I have done the exact same thing as they do.
And having captured Washington DC for the past decade on Sunday and Saturday afternoons as well as through protest photography nothing is more obvious to me than the freedom that young white males have, experience, and are afforded. Which is in sharp to my experience as a 51 year old gay black man.
Who, since grade school in the 60's have practiced integration, assimilated and associated with whites. And, in case you, there is some misunderstanding in what I mean when I say 'integrate and assimilate' to put it in more simpler terms many of those with whom I have had sexual relatationships have been white males. As far backs as junior high school.
Not only have we slept and partied together. But we've also travelled and lived together.
And as I'd snap this series of pictures of a group of young white boys bmxing at the Navy Memorial in WDC, in October 2004, I'd reflect on the fact that this group of 'young white boys' may would have been amongst my friends ... had they been born 50 years ago.
And just as it was the case on 3 October 2004, two days before my 51st birthday, I may would have been one of if not the only black guy amongst the crowd. And, of course, treated just the opposite as they.
If only I had known then what I know now.
When it is practiced by hard work, do not worry this is the best to be poor and is waiting to help others ...........
عندما يكون العمل الذي تمارسه شاقاً ، لاتقلق فأن هذا أفضل من أن تكون فقيراً وتنتظر مساعدة الآخرين
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all … and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make Canada great, (not to imply that Canada is necessarily greater than any other), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee.
- DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTABILITY -
(By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.)
I took a Hummingbird Photography class sponsored by Desert Botanical Garden and taught by Robert McBride. I learned a lot and practiced a lot. I really feel that I had improved significantly by the end of the class.
The class was in a classroom in the recently constructed addition. It has a private garden just outside the classroom that DBG set up with hummingbird feeders.
My best guess is a male Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna). Any correction will be appreciated. I admit I don't really know the difference between a Anna's Hummingbird and a Broad-tailed Hummingbird.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Annas_Hummingbird/id
Desert Botanical Garden has an incredible collection of plants and cacti arranged in a beautiful park setting.
"Think the desert is all dirt and tumbleweeds? Think again. Desert Botanical Garden is home to thousands of species of cactus, trees and flowers from all around the world spread across 55 acres in Phoenix, Arizona."
Desert Botanical Garden
DBG Hummingbird class
Though it's clearly Chilly Autumn, Nature still allows Field Bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis, to tangle around along the ancient pilgrimage way down the Meuse River from Venlo to Genooi. Contemplating on the little Chapel there devoted to Our Lady, I could not but be reminded of the White Lilly, her particular flower. And seeing Convolvulus, I thought of great Pliny the Elder's (23-79) aside in his Natural History's discussion of Lilium candidum, Madonna Lily. That great naturalist remarks on Convolvulus's likeness to Lily except for its scent and the Lily's yellow stamens; and he concludes that Nature must've practiced on Convolvulus to perfect her Lillian Skill. An honor indeed for our humble Convolvulus, most often white but here no doubt blushing with pleasure at Pliny's word!
PS Scholars have said that Pliny's Bindweed was Convolvulus saepium and not arvensis; the difference though is not all that great...
Do NOT try this on your own. It is a practiced method, even from years when I was working- I know some folks who can attest to seeing my system of filing, and I know many of you will be horrified! LOL! But yes, I can honestly come up with anything I want out of these random looking piles! Oh dear! I can clear this off once a month and voila! looks the same very shortly! (This is actually my desk in the bedroom because since Ken has retired, neither of us really want to sit downstairs in the office- especially since I might be down there all night without him to say "Come To BED!")
For the Jules' Photo Challenge Group: "Where do you work on your computer."
I do not want to say what I saw and so leave such images to be found. This is your choice and chance to view and to decide what you see. Surely there is an App for Nephelomancy? If not then we are on own using the symbol structure we have in place and ready for use.
I offered no idea of what I could see when I posted the film version to the internet. I still do not wish to influence what anyone else can see. In no particular order I would like to just leave these here.
Isis
Nephthys
Vulture
Fertile Expanding Cosmic Egg(s)
Venus of Willendorf
Fox – Cat – Kitten
Winged Serpent
Fenris Wolf
© PHH Sykes 2022
phhsykes@gmail.com
Nephomancy and Nephelomancy from the web
Nephelomancy Shirleytwofeathers.com link below
Nephomancy or Nephelomancy is divination by studying clouds. This involves observing and interpreting the color, shape and position of clouds in the sky. The Celtic Druids made extensive use of nephomancy, which they called neladoracht.
Celtic shamans sometimes practiced a form of Nephomancy that was closely related to Hydromancy and Scrying. After finding a hollowed stone or other depression that was filled with rain water, priests would look into it studying the cloud formations reflected on the water’s surface.
To practice Nephomancy today, one should ask specific questions and then observe the shape and disposition of the clouds. This is easy enough to do in most parts of the world and requires only a basic understanding of the forces involved.
shirleytwofeathers.com/The_Blog/divination/nephomancy-wha...
Nephomancy
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nephomancy
nephomancy
1. Divination by use of the movement of clouds.
Hypernyms
• Aeromancy [Divination by use of atmospheric conditions.]
• austromancy [Soothsaying, or prediction of events, from observation of the winds or cloud formations.]
The Long Road to My Photo at the Tre Cime di Lavaredo
Now comes a long story about how this photo came to be.
One and a half years ago, the idea was born. When I once again happened to see this extraordinary landscape – the Tre Cime di Lavaredo – in a documentary about the Dolomites, I was spellbound. Since my passion has always been night photography, it quickly became clear: this was the place where I wanted to capture the Milky Way. Although I had been doing deep-sky photography for more than ten years, I had never photographed the Milky Way itself. This would mark the beginning of a new passion.
At such a breathtaking location, I didn’t want to simply “take a picture” – my goal was far more ambitious: to create one of the finest Milky Way photographs to be found anywhere in the world. Admittedly, not a modest ambition… but once you stand before this scenery, you instantly understand why someone suddenly feels the urge to reach for the stars.
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Planning and Technology
So the planning began. I needed a highly precise yet mobile and lightweight star tracker. It quickly became clear: with stacking and only 8-second exposures – meaning without tracking – combined with extremely high ISO values, I would never reach the image quality I was aiming for.
So I practiced again and again with the tracker under the light-polluted skies of my hometown: how does it react to wind? What happens with high humidity, thin clouds, or turbulence in the upper atmosphere? Every small disturbance worsens the “seeing,” and it takes a lot of experience to master these pitfalls.
Even calibrating the tracker has to be extremely precise. I measure my tripod digitally in steps of 0.1 degrees to ensure it is perfectly level – the more exact, the longer you can track. Of course, there are superb mounts available, but they are anything but portable. You don’t carry a 20-kilogram block in your backpack up to 2,600 meters on a night hike, together with all the other gear.
And then, of course, you need the brightest and sharpest lenses available. At night, every fraction of a stop counts – daylight photography is far more forgiving.
In general: the less artificial light, the clearer and more majestic the Milky Way appears. For deep-sky astrophotography, there are special filters that block man-made light pollution (for example, from cities). But the Milky Way is something entirely different: it shines across the full spectrum – from deep red to violet-blue. No filter trick works here. Any filter would also block starlight. In other words: the only “trick” is no trick at all – you simply need the darkest, most pristine skies possible.
In Europe, you can only find such conditions in a handful of places: the Dolomites, Großglockner, or La Palma (Canary Islands) – the best you can get by European standards. There are a few more, but the weather there is so unpredictable that your chances of success are even lower. The ideal is high altitude with dry, crystal-clear air.
If you want to go even further, travel to Namibia. There you’ll experience one of the most spectacular night skies anywhere: no weather problems, almost every night is perfect. The catch? Malaria. Which means daily prophylaxis with all its side effects. There’s always something, isn’t there?
If you want to get a sense yourself: on lightpollutionmap.info you can view worldwide light pollution interactively. Just one glance shows how rare truly dark places on our planet have become.
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Milky Way Time Window
In Europe, the Milky Way can only be photographed between April and the end of August during new moon. But especially in June and July, the nights are too short and too bright – it never gets completely dark at our latitude. Effectively, there are only about three months, with a small time window of just a few days around each new moon. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, you wait until the next month.
In summer, you can look towards the center of our galaxy and see the striking dust and nebula bands. In winter, however, you’re looking “outward” into the universe – without those spectacular structures. The season is extremely short, and the chance of a cloudless sky in the Dolomites is less than 30%. The weather often remains stable for only 3–4 hours before changing – a true lottery.
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Tre Cime: A Dream Location with Obstacles
Even during the day, at around 2,500 meters, it is breathtakingly beautiful – wherever you look, a picture-book landscape opens up. And then, right before you, the Tre Cime rise: massive rock walls soaring almost 500 meters straight up, touching the 3,000-meter mark.
But getting there is no longer so simple: you need a reservation and a ticket. Your license plate is checked already down in the valley.
The tickets are strictly limited. For our campervan, 12 hours cost €60. But the probability of stable, cloud-free weather up there is less than 30% – with just one ticket, my project would have been impossible. So I booked 6 time slots of 12 hours each, back-to-back.
Not so easy: the tickets have to connect seamlessly, with only a handful of vehicles allowed per hour. If one slot ends at, say, 4 p.m. and the next one is fully booked, you’re simply out of luck. Getting even one slot is difficult – arranging six in a row is almost impossible. And at the barrier in the valley, there is zero tolerance: even a second late at exit, and the fine is guaranteed.
For the booking itself, you get just five minutes – starting the moment you open the system, not with your final click. From finding matching slots to entering credit card details, personal data, and vehicle info, the countdown runs relentlessly. Everything that could be complicated, is complicated – as if the Dolomites didn’t already present enough natural challenges.
And as if that weren’t enough, you can only buy six tickets per month – now reduced to five.
Going up spontaneously? Forget it. Even if a slot were free, you must book digitally at least 24 hours in advance. On site or the same day? Impossible, not allowed. If you think you can just go with the weather – no chance. Here, bureaucracy rules over nature.
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Arrival and First Setbacks
One and a half years later, the time finally came. Before the drive up, we prepared our campervan: fridge filled, toilet emptied, all batteries charged – for camera, smartphone, star tracker, heating bands against dew, and countless lamps. We were ready to last three days and nights up there.
But even if you arrive early at the barrier full of anticipation, you won’t be let in – the gates only open at the exact booked time. Then it was up in second gear, carefully winding through the serpentines. Now and then the front wheels slipped on the wet asphalt – a clear sign of just how steep it was. A motorhome weighing over four tons and 7.5 meters long is no off-roader. But at the top, on one of the highest campsites in Europe, everything was set.
Only problem: the fridge decided that at 2,500 meters it was no longer its job – even though we had filled it to the brim beforehand. Absorption fridges in RVs simply don’t work reliably on gas at this altitude. Another hard-learned lesson. Result: half of our food ended up in the trash.
The first two days: rain, wind, dense fog, temperatures around 4°C. Thanks to the heater in the camper, at least the cold was bearable – but photographically, a frustration. On the last day, though, everything changed: sunshine, clear views, amazing mood. Could it finally work out?
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The Night of the Shoot
The hike with a backpack weighing over 12 kilos was tougher than expected – the thin air made itself felt.
That night, countless shots were taken. Many tracked 6-minute exposures of the Milky Way, which I later stacked to further improve the signal-to-noise ratio – a trick to achieve more quality than the sensor alone could deliver. I also captured the landscape separately – since with tracked stars, the foreground would blur.
And here came the next challenge: Milky Way photos require new moon and absolute darkness. Landscapes, however, look flat and monochromatic under such conditions, whereas full moon would provide plastic light. The solution: capture the landscape during blue hour or light it deliberately.
For that, I had a special lamp built – custom-made down to the last detail. I even chose the exact LED type myself, tailored precisely to my requirements for color temperature and light quality. 99% of ordinary flashlights are useless for high-quality photography: the light is usually far too cold, or the CRI index (color rendering) is too poor.
My lamp also has a zoom: the beam can be focused extremely tightly – up to 1.5 kilometers – or spread wide and soft, depending on what’s needed for light painting.
And the surprising part: from manufacturers like Convoy Flashlight in China, you can get such customized lamps for under €30. In Germany, such a service would hardly exist – and if it did, the price would make you swallow hard.
So I created exposures of up to 15 minutes while painting the rocks with light. Sometimes the right side turned out better, sometimes the left. A single perfect shot is impossible.
And then there are the famous headlamp trails – little light streaks from hikers that often give an image that extra something. The problem: at night, hardly anyone is up there. And if they are, it’s guaranteed not at the exact moment you’d need them in frame. Paradoxical, isn’t it? You want them desperately – but almost never get them when you need them. So the only option is to collect separate exposures whenever someone happens to pass.
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The Puzzle
By the end of the night, I had about 30 shots in the bag – and darkness gave way to morning. Among them: long exposures with light painting, shots with headlamp trails, many tracked Milky Way frames, and landscapes from blue hour to deep night.
That was my raw material, my toolkit. Later I selected the best elements and merged them into a single image – like a painter who first collects sketches and then fuses them into a finished work of art.
This is the supreme discipline of photography: absolutely no fake, but impossible to achieve in a single exposure. Each frame had to be carefully developed – matching white balance and color temperatures, adjusting brightness and contrast, reducing noise, enhancing details. Sometimes the foreground stone looked better illuminated on the left, sometimes on the right. Everything had to be precisely assembled, layer by layer.
In the end, the Photoshop file grew to over a hundred layers and more than 60 gigabytes. Every little adjustment had to be carefully considered, since each change affected the entire image. The greatest challenge: blending all these different exposures into a seamless whole, without visible transitions, without an artificial impression.
To outsiders, the finished photo may look obvious – as if you had simply stood there and captured that exact moment. In reality, it meant days of work, hours of meticulous corrections, and an enormous amount of patience and technical precision.
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Conclusion
Moments like these stay with you for a lifetime. Not just the photo itself, but the entire journey: the long preparation, the struggles, the setbacks, and finally, the success.
It’s also important to me to show with such texts that photography is not just a click. It’s an adventure – a battle with nature, technology, and yourself. Again and again, I try to surpass my previous limits. Each step makes it harder – but when it works, the moments of joy are unforgettable.
And for those who know me – of course, the next ideas are already in preparation.
Enjoy the view!
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Making of – did you know?
With night photography something curious happens: when viewed in daylight or against a bright background, the deepest shadows often “stick together,” making the landscape look darker than it really is.
The trick is not to leave black at absolute zero, but to raise it ever so slightly – the sweet spot is around 2–3 out of 255 brightness levels. This way, fine structures remain visible even in bright surroundings.
It’s the same little secret used by film and streaming studios to keep images stable across every kind of screen.
As you can see – nothing here is left to chance.
Scientific Sweet Spot for Night Photos
To balance depth and readability across all devices, researchers and industry standards recommend placing the darkest tones in a narrow “sweet spot.” My photo was fine-tuned exactly to these values:
Percentile (how many pixels are darker)Recommended rangeScientific midpointMy photo
5% darkest pixels2–3 / 255~2.5 / 2553
25% darkest pixels6–10 / 255~8 / 2558
Median (50% of all pixels)12–20 / 255~16 / 25515–16
How to read this:
The percentile tells you what fraction of pixels are darker than a certain brightness.
Example: “5% darkest pixels = 3” means the very darkest areas are not pitch black, but lifted just enough to remain visible.
The goal: sit right at the scientific midpoint, so the photo works equally well on OLED at night and on laptops or phones in bright daylight.
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🔧 Technical Information
📷 Camera: Sony Alpha 7R V
🔭 Lens: Sony FE 14 mm f/1.8 GM
🗻 Mount: Benro Cyanbird Carbon Tripod + Benro Polaris Astro Tracker
🌌 Sky: stack of 10 tracked exposures
️ Foreground: composite of 20 exposures (blue hour, light painting, headlamp trails, deep night phases)
⏱️ Exposure time per frame:
– Sky: ISO 320, f/1.8, 6 minutes each
– Foreground: ISO 100, f/2.8, from a few minutes (blue hour) up to 20 minutes
🕒 Total exposure time: approx. 6 hours combined
📍 Location: Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Drei Zinnen, 2,999 m), Dolomites, Italy
On Monday night, my photo club practiced panning shots. The drivers on the Canton Square were quite surprised and confused by 20 photographers taking their picture.
Wild Pacific Salmon reefnet fishing is a historical Pacific Northwest salmon fishing method. It has been practiced for centuries by the Native American tribes of the Puget Sound. Fisherman still stand on towers, wearing polaroid sunglasses, waiting to spot a school of Sockeye, Chinook, Pink, Coho or Chum salmon swimming along the reef and over the small net suspended between two boats. This process is incredibly selective, as spotters can identify the exact type of fish swimming below. When a school of salmon is observed, the net is quickly pulled up and the fish are gently spilled into a netted live well to relax after a brief struggle. This process is not only humane but allows for the dissipation of bitter lactic acid built up in the salmon flesh, which results in a sweeter flavor.
All my photographs are © Copyrighted and All Rights Reserved. None of these photos may be reproduced and/or used in any form of publication, print or the Internet without my written permission.