View allAll Photos Tagged Predictive
On Friday I dropped by a local park after work and spotted an immature Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a nest box on a pole and scanning the ground below for a potential prey. I took my position slightly below on a slope, away from it and waited. Then the bird dove down and I started tracking it. Soon it disappeared from view and I took my finger off the shutter.
Later when I looked at the photos on my computer I realized that I took seven extra frames after the bird disappeared from view. To illustrate the point I created this short video after stitching the frames together and introducing slight delay between frames. At 20 frames per second on Z9 that 7 frames amount to close to 300 ms - it took me that long to stop taking photos after the bird disappeared behind the slope. Some may call it reaction time. After the light hit the retina, it took about 30 ms to reach my brain which then took another 120ms to process before the command was sent to my finger to stop taking photos. But this also means we are always living in the past, I only 'saw' the bird disappearing 150 ms after it actually happened. Interesting dilemma.
So, how does a catcher catch a ball that is moving fast? By the time the catcher 'sees' the ball it has already gone past him in reality. A successful catch is still possible because brain extrapolates and predicts where the ball will be before eyes see it. Take a close look at the frames after the bird disappeared. One could see that I was still tracking downward (ground moved upward) because the brain predicted where the bird would be and my hands simply followed it. Fascinating, isn't it?
I also wondered if 300 ms reaction time in the field is good. So I took a test on my computer with color changing circle and my average reaction time came out to be 261 ms., a very respectable number compared to the average of 248 ms found in a group of 18-20 year old medical students. It's raining outside and I am stuck indoor, so I decided to write this up and created this benchmark to measure against as I grow old. And now go measure yours, see where you stand.
By the way, I could've set an alternate title as 'We are always living in the past'. I took the ideas from an article that I just read (theconversation.com/what-youre-seeing-right-now-is-the-pa...)
Saturday, September 1st kicked off 2018 Labor Day weekend. With most of Northern Illinois starting to show signs of extreme drought from nearly two months of little-to-no rain and high temps, the promise of rain and cooler temps in the forecast was a welcome relief. Labor Day weekend usually features the first of the very rare night operations at Illinois Railway Museum, one of only two such opportunities throughout the year. The rain was predicted to begin at approximately 930pm, just as night ops were to finish for the night. So, a full day at IRM ensued, and everything went as predicted. Almost.
The storms began to develop about 7pm, and initially were hit or miss. But once the system got going, it ended up being STRONGER than predicted. They fed off the hot, humid, stagnant air, producing prodigious amounts of embedded cloud-to-cloud lightning. The front that had just days before plagued Central Wisconsin and caused extreme flooding in La Crosse and Madison also moved south and fed the storms. By morning, IRM and vicinity had received over 8" of rain, which caused flooding on the tracks and the temporary closure of the museum the next day.
But this was just the beginning. On September 2nd, IRM saw an additional 5" of rain, and by Labor Day September 3rd, an additional 3" of rain fell. This time, the museum had to close for the next couple of days because the trackage was entirely flooded. But it kept raining! By the end of the week, the area saw close to 21" of rain. Needless to say, by Showcase Weekend two weeks later, it was a mosquito haven.
With the first round of storms nearly upon the museum, IRM's iconic 100-year-old steam star, Frisco 1630, fires up for her final trip of the night. Not even a minute after 1630 left, the heavens opened up with a total deluge, forcing those of us hanging around until the bitter end to seek shelter in the nearest barns. Those who did not jump from barn to barn remained trapped for the next 20-30 minutes until the rain let up enough that we could all make our ways to the parking lot.
The weather forecast predicted rain, rain and more rain for the weekend, so when I noticed a brief break in the clouds early this morning, I grabbed my camera and drove off in search of a composition or two... I didn't find much...
I processed this in B&W just to be different... :)
Nikon D300, Sigma 18-200mm at 80mm, aperture of f11, with a 1/250 second exposure.
Click here to view this one large.
Click here to check out my Vertorama tutorial.
I didn't plan on photographing this iconic scene while on a recent camping/hiking trip. It wasn't until I was looking through a brochure while down there that I realized it was only six minutes away from our camp! So, after a night of steady rain we decided to check it out the next morning. Glad we did. The water was flowing, no wind, very few people the colors were nice, and the sky was overcast, it was actually drizzling while I was taking this shot. We ended up cutting the trip short because of the steady rain predicted and although it wasn't a photography trip, I'm happy I came back with something other than wet camping gear.
ODC-That's Life
Some believe the Woolly Bear Caterpillar can predict whether or not we'll have a mild/severe Winter. The bigger the orange band the milder the winter. If it's true I think winter is going to be a little more severe, though they're predicting a milder winter for us up here in the Finger Lakes.
It's been a strange but nice Saturday. The weather forecast had predicted a cloudy day, with possible rainstorms in the afternoon. Nothing strange, it was the trend of the entire week. My summer vacation were going to end, and It was my last chance for a serious hike. I left the house at 6 AM and I started to hike on the trail that leads into Otro valley. Cloudy sky, but the clouds were high and it was windy. I did not know where I wanted to go. In the end, following a tradition of the last five years, I thought I had to reach Zube pass, despite the elevation gain, almost 1.800m (5,900ft), and the lack of a serious training. I had been at Zube at the end of every summer since my child was born. On the top of the pass there is a small chapel of the Virgin, dedicated to the protection of families all over the world. I am not a religious person, but that small chapel, in that place, always had a sort of mystic call for me. If the weather was bad, moreover, I had already taken so many shots up there, in the previous years, that I would not have cried for the missed photographic opportunity.
Thick clouds started to roll in at 8.30 AM, but they created an effect that was similar to thermal inversion, that is much more common during fall and winter. At an elevation of 2.400m (7,870ft ) the clouds were below my feet, and the summits of the high mountain were all there, clearly visible.
I reached Zube pass, 2.876m (9,436ft), at 9.30AM. Three hours and an half, not that bad at all. I was there, and I was alone, with a breath taking view. Despite the fact that you can use two cable lifts to shorten the trail (but starting from other valleys), and in the good season many people hike to the pass, I was the first one to reach the summit.
I have many shots with the most spectacular summits of Valsesia (and I will post many of them in a time to come), but I choose this one because it reminds me of how long the trail is.
I stood up there for an hour, with the Virgin, without caring of the temperature, that was close to Zero Celsius, and the fact that I had just a light jacket, shorts and a bottle of water. Probably the major discomfort was for Mary the Virgin, alone up there with a sinner and an unbeliever... but the Maker has a lot of pity.
E' stato un sabato strano, ma simpatico. Le previsioni del tempo avevano previsto una giornata nuvolosa, con possibili temporali nel pomeriggio. Niente di strano, è stato il trend di tutta la settimana. Le mie vacanze estive stavano per finire ed era la mia ultima possibilità per una camminata seria. Sono uscito di casa alle 6 del mattino e ho iniziato a fare un'escursione sul sentiero che porta nella valle di Otro. Cielo nuvoloso, ma le nuvole erano alte ed era ventoso. Non sapevo dove volevo andare. Alla fine, seguendo una tradizione degli ultimi cinque anni, ho pensato di raggiungere il passo Zube, nonostante il dislivello, quasi 1.800 m, e, molto peggio, la mancanza di allenamento. Sono salito a quel passo alla fine di ogni estate da quando è nato mio figlio. Sulla cima del passo c'è una piccola cappella della Vergine Maria, dedicata alla protezione delle famiglie in tutto il mondo. Non sono una persona religiosa, ma quella piccola cappella, in quel luogo, ha sempre avuto una sorta di mistico richiamo per me. Se il tempo fosse stato brutto, per di più, ho già fatto così tanti scatti da lassù in altre occasioni che non avrei pianto per l'occasione fotografica mancata.
Le nuvole spesse hanno iniziato a farsi vive alle 8.30, ma hanno creato un effetto simile all'inversione termica, che è molto più comune in autunno e in inverno. Ad un'altitudine di 2.400m erano sotto i tuoi piedi e le vette più alte erano tutte lì, chiaramente visibili.
Ho raggiunto il passo Zube, a 2.870m, alle 9.30. Tre ore e mezza, non così male alla fine. Ero lì ed ero solo, con una vista mozzafiato. Nonostante sia possibile utilizzare due funivie per accorciare il sentiero (salendo però da altre valli), e nella buona stagione molte persone camminano fino al passo, sono stato il primo a raggiungere la vetta.
Ho molti scatti con le vette più spettacolari della Valsesia (e ne posterò molte in un momento a venire), ma scelgo questo perché mi ricorda la strada fatta.
Sono rimasto lassu' per un'ora, con la Vergine Immaccolata. Senza preoccuparmi troppo della temperatura, che era vicino a Zero, e del fatto che avevo solo una giacca leggera, pantaloncini e una bottiglia d'acqua. Probabilmente il disagio maggiore e' stato per Maria, sola lassù con un peccatore e un miscredente ... ma il Creatore è misericordioso.
This has several photo techniques on it. The first, a rainting, is right out of my camera, but through a window with rain on it. That is not really a post processing technique but merely choosing a way to shoot the picture. I coined the word "Rainting." Then the foggy sky was dreadfully dull; so I used an equalizing technique. That made the sky more interesting, but just about washed out *Scrawny* the little tree I named and then named the hill after. So I did some pen technique on the tree in black, but I don't have the steadiest hand in the world; so it was kind of too wide with the lines and too jumpy from point to point.. I used a light marker technique to soften the lines I drew for the tree, but leave them still evident. I embossed the whole photo,
(DSCN7556-rainting+embopeneqlltmrkr-scrawnytreehill-init)
Early morning fog was predicted in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. I was fortunate enough to meet up with the legendary, award winning photographer/cinematographer Beno Saradzic (visit his page and like it!!!) and woke at 4:30 to head out to the roof of the Nation towers to which Beno had sucured a permit a week before.
The prospect of low level, rolling fog combined with the bluehour light and colourful city lights below made me so exited I could not even sleep!
Unfortunately fog can be very elusive and many variables come into play. We did not get the thick fog we expected and woke to very hazy conditions instead. I managed to capture this image and sqeezed something out of it. The hazyness somehow adds a mysterious element to the image. Conditions were not perfect, but I am very fortunate to have had access to probably the best vantage point of the Corniche and downtown Abu Dhabi
On February 9, 2011
According to legend, if Pelican Pete does not see his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
P.S. I just started this legend ;-)
Have a nice weekend!
Sky Guide predicted this flare at 21:39:09 at my location. So I setup my Canon 1100D using Backyard EOS for a 45 second exposure and ISO400. I collected RAW and JPEG data. I only used RAW as the JPEG seems very much inferior. I kicked off the exposure 20 seconds earlier. EXACTLY on time the flare appeared which I find astounding.
To avoid trailing stars I decided to use my guide camera using PHD2. Was difficult to obtain accurate focus on my main camera but 10-12 test exposures seemed to do the trick. Future focus attainment should be easier as I have now marked the point on my lens which is a 18-55mm. Using 18mm. And in case you wondered, No, you can't use infinity. I have used a LP filter but I was a bit up against it as a distant street light was directly casting light onto the Lens.
You can also see Andromeda Galaxy in the bottom centre part of the image. There is also another object in the picture that I think is some sort of space debris but I am unable to confirm. The mottled effect to the left of the flare is part of the Milky Way, our own Galaxy.
Processing was done in Pixinsight (DBE and NR) and Photoshop.
Skyfire predicted a beautiful sunrise. Clear sky and Intellicast predicted heavy clouds. Well, there was a sliver of pretty pinkish sunlight... that ended about 30 seconds before I got my camera set up for this shot. Oops!
A sunny early afternoon swim in a crystal-clear turquoise body of water.
Staring at my original photograph has triggered memories from the Minority Report film, with Tom Cruise. I think this is one of the best creations of Steven Spielberg and one of those movies I would definitely watch more than once.
The three young women holding hands in the water, making a star formation, resemble the Precogs (Precognitives) in the movie. Their powerful psychic abilities are key in predicting and projecting premeditated murders... but I'll let you watch the movie, if you haven't already.
I changed the water look, altered the daylight, added the rays, and gave the image more pop.
...Canoe Boy will be posting some Greenies and Tri-Colored Heron shots from Horsepen Bayou in the future.
This is officially my last shot of 2020! Well what a year it has been nothing like anyone I am sure had predicted this time last year but we have muddled through! Here only a couple of days after I took it at the Festival Theatre opportunity proved to good to not take another shot here at Royal Circus of Lothian Buses 393 this time on a service 29 to Gorebridge.
To all people we remember who we lost and we go forward standing strong together! Here is to a positive 2021!
The rare Tau Herculids meteor shower predicted for May 30/31, 2022 as a possible meteor storm, but instead produced a modest "normal" meteor shower. The meteors appeared yellowish (as in the bright meteor) and were slow-moving, and often had a sparkling effect as they moved, again as per the irregular brightness of the bright meteor streak. The meteors were from remnants of the Comet 73P/Schawassmann-Wachmann 3 which broke apart in 1995.
This is a blend of exposures taken over 90 minutes from 11:24 pm MDT to 12:52 am MDT, capturing 15 meteors, including a very bright one, the best of the night, which left an orange ionization "smoke" trail expanding away from the meteor over the next few minutes. Another fainter meteor below centre also left a short "smoke trail."
This shows the radiant point of the Tau Herculids, actually located in Böotes above the bright star Arcturus below centre. The Coma Berenices star cluster is below the bright meteor. Corona Borealis and Hercules are left of Arcturus, while bright Vega in Lyra is at far left. The Big Dipper is at top.
This is a blend of 29 exposures for the meteors and smoke trails, stacked onto the sky background taken just before the very bright meteor occured earlier in the night when the sky was still blue from lingering twilight.
All were with the Canon R6 for 15 seconds each but at ISOs from 800 to 3200, increased through the night as the sky darkened, and with the 15mm Venus Optics lens wide open at f/2. The camera was on a tracking mount to keep the stars stationary over the sequence to aid in aligning and stacking the images, so the meteors appear in their correct positions relative to the background stars. Shot from home in Alberta on a very clear and fine night, a pleasant change for a celestial event!
"None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free." - Goethe
It is a huge belief of mine that none of us are free. Its also something that I wish I didn't believe. Its like the snooker-ball example - if you position the cue at a certain angle and input a certain amount of power, the white ball will move a certain distance, in a certain direction, and depending on the circumstances will cause a certain effect, that can be predicted, given that you knew all the circumstances (the positions of the other balls, for example). It's possible to predict with 100% accuracy the outcome of the shot.
The same thing can be applied to life, just in a really really really complex way. Because of every single circumstance in the world, everything that is going to happen is mapped out and ready to happen, right down to the millisecond. And we can't change it or argue with it because thats down to circumstance, too. You might want to leave a comment with an opposing argument - but BAM, you don't have a choice in that because thats the kind of person you are because of a whole other load of circumstances. You weren't free to choose. We are not free. Some like to call it fate. We are all fishies in the tank, not free to be able to choose to get out or not. And if we do get out, thats not our choice either, because thats just the kind of fish we were destined to be.
Mind vomit!
Sunsetwx.com predicted a decent sunrise for this morning, so my 10 year-old and I planned last night to get up and out to familiar territory, the arboretum, for today's picture. Right back smack-dab in my comfort zone, winter sunrises at The Tree with the sun coming up in the gap. Felt good, man.
We saw this guy and his dogs at another part of the arboretum while scouting potential shooting locations, and I was delighted when we got to my usual spot and I saw him and his pooches ambling down the road toward us.
He noticed us taking pictures and started to walk out of the frame, but I asked him to please not go out of his way, and so he kept walking toward us and we got to pet the dogs and chatted with him for a few minutes. He said he hoped he hadn't messed up our photos, and I said of course not, because honestly, though the best colors of the sunrise hadn't happened yet when he happened by, this is far and away my favorite picture I got today.
Tinderbox
Elton John
Nostradamus said "I predict
That the world will end at half past six"
What he didn't say, was exactly when
Was he listening to the radio?
Was he listening to the government?
Well he got us spooked anyway
We'd been running hot up until today
But a wind of change blew across our sails
We were coasting on a winning streak
We were kings until the power failed
We've been living in a tinderbox
And two sparks can set the whole thing off
Rubbing up together around the clock
Lately we've been getting more roll than rock
You and me together in a tinderbox
We've been shooting this great old barn for a few years now, and during the week, we got the sad news that it had succumbed to a grassfire.
My mate Paul did some investigation, and to our relief, and I'm sure the owners, it somehow escaped the fire relatively unharmed.
I've had a look back at some of my past images of it, and it looks like it held up pretty well.
In the unpredictable land and climate that we live in, this is one of the reasons I spend so much time looking for and photographing these beautiful character filled buildings. You just never know when they will be razed to the ground and gone forever.
This is why I love photography so much.
Capturing moments in time, and preserving memories.
Hope you like "Tinderbox"
Cheers, Mike
I checked the aurora predictor site I used and it called for activity this evening. Peeking outside, I could see faint moving light to the north, even with maladjusted eyesight. So I quickly bundled up (it was -26 C) and hopped in the car to zip down to my usual north-facing lakeshore view.
I set up very close to the shore because despite a few weeks of cold, there was still slush on the ice and I felt and heard frequent booms of the ice cracking.
This image is a panorama comprising 8 vertical shots using my manual 24mm Bower lens which handles night shots beautifully. The lights were dancing somewhat., and pretty brihgt, so I could use nice short shutter speeds.
Hugin didn't know how to stitch this image automatically, so I had to manually select individual stars in each image to use as control points. I'm pretty pleased with this, although I will try again with another set of shots which were darker but had more distinct aurora lines.
I wasn't sure this shoot would work because of the waxing moon, but it lit the snow nicely.
(20181119_213058)
Hydrangea, Shasta Daisy and Gladiolas
Wasn't cropped nicer and put in groups and sets until March 2024
Happy Sliders' Sunday!
TE1742 (SN09CFX) blinded for Route 207 to White City, which could happen if this batch transfers to HZ
The Britain's WWII aircraft positional predictor with two operators. They always sold this model with one operator but in reality this needed about six people to operate it.
I was given one of these as a small child and it was always with my military models but, at that time, I did not know what it did.
See here for a Youtube video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG6Rr5Kg6Qk
There was no Youtube when I was small !!!!!!!
The Great Fountain Geyser is a fountain-type geyser located in the Firehole Lake area of Lower Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. It is the only predictable geyser in the Lower Geyser Basin. I patiently waited about an hour and a half for the eruption. The predicted time for an eruption was between 2:00PM and 6:00PM and it erupted somewhere right around 6:00PM. DSC_4868A
Great Fountain sits in the middle of one of the prettiest sinter formations in the park. The sinter forms a series of terraced concentric reflective pools around the geyser's 16' diameter vent. Even if the geyser isn't erupting, it is worth driving past to see the pools. Its interval range from 9 to 15 hours but its short term average interval is usually stable enough that the eruptions can be predicted to within an hour or two. Great Fountain's maximum height ranges from about 75 feet to over 220 feet. Its duration is usually about one hour but durations of over two hours have been seen. - www.geyserstudy.org/geyser.aspx?pGeyserNo=GREATFOUNTAIN
I have photographed this pine for 20 odd years and many of the creatures that lived in, on and around it. In recent times it has formed a texture layer in my multiple exposure adventures in-camera.
I know that our youngest granddaughter will be really upset when she learns that her old tree friend is no more.
A sad day.
The forecast for Thursday evening was looking promising, there was a predicted KP4 due to a CME and a cloud free sky, we thought this would be our big chance, finally a break in the weather so we could get to see the Northern Lights! We drove all the way to Kirkjufell (as the conditions were looking most favourable there) with the plan to camp in the car over night to give us the best chance of capturing a good image and then we could do sunrise in the morning and drive back to the hotel. This certainly was not the case!
Kirkjufell looks to most people to be a giant mountain with it's impressive silhouette, however at a tiny 463m, it is actually smaller than Mam Tor (for all you locals).
When we arrived, we couldn't even see Kirkjufell due to the low cloud, fog and snow storms. We kept our fingers crossed that it would clear up.... We got absolutely battered for most of the night by strong winds and heavy snow storms!!! Sunrise didn't exist, although I was able to capture some big stopper images from the water, making the most of the shore and snow lines. Who needs good weather eh?
To top it all off, we were warned by the locals to head back to Reykjavik as quickly as possible as a huge storm was going to hit Iceland within the next few hours, little did we know at that point, we'd be receiving a phone call from our hotel to our room informing us that whilst our car was parked 'safely' outside the hotel, a flag pole had blown over in the storms and landed on our car! I swear we can't go away without some kind of drama occurring! Suppose it wouldn't be an adventure otherwise!
Copyright ©2015 Sarah Louise Pickering
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Previously in Chapter 6 The Two Societies
This piece gave me the title to this chapter and was what I listened to much of the time when writing. It perfectly sets the tone for these scenes and the events that take place in our story.
⚜️The voyage had been long, just as Tabitha Kinkade had predicted. And while not terribly eventful overall, there was one mystery that troubled them throughout their journey. Quite often they were watched by an ominous, dark figure. A man in a dark, hooded cloak. He always kept his distance, holding to the shadows. And while he never approached, he loomed over them the entire trip. At one point, Prince Jelani grew tired of the enigma and decided to confront the man. However, Tabitha advised caution, as situations such as these would usually reveal themselves in time. Tabitha had learned long ago in her training, that without provocation most things or people that lingered around her, would eventually proclaim their identity. And if provoked they might flee or be lost, which could result in a costly delay. Besides, he'd done nothing thus far that would warrant a confrontation. And so, they would allow circumstances to run their course.
⚜️Once safely landed at the port in Calcutta both Tabitha and Lexington needed a warm bath and some much-needed rest away from the constant bumping ride of the ship's cabins. One of their porters was from Algeria and spoke Tamazight, a native tongue of the Berber people. It was obvious that Lexington was delighted to talk to someone from his native lands, which made Tabitha smile watching her friend speak in a language she had not heard for so long.
⚜️When the two travelers finally arrived at their hotel, both Tabitha's and Lexington's multilingual skills came into play when dealing with her pets and the porter's fears. Tabitha had taken just two of her wolves on the journey, Rolf and Kiva, as they were natural mates. Neither offered any hostility toward the porters or anyone else for that matter without Tabitha's command. However, aside from their daily walks on board the ship, they'd spent a great deal of time in their cages and were quite restless. Fortunately, with some gentle persuading, they were able to calm the porters and settle into their rooms.
⚜️The next morning was Easter. It was Sunday and their contact from the Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary had sent a carriage to pick them up for services.
"We're to attend the Christian services, my lady?" Lexington inquired as he held his hand to help her into the carriage.
Tabitha grinned politely before answering him with a lofty and nonchalant demeanor, as was her custom when jesting with her friend,
"But of course, Dear Lexington. It's Easter! You didn't believe we were going to escape services today of all days, did you?"
At which point, she patted the seat next to her in the carriage.
"Now, come along."
Lexington's grumbling, as the rickety carriage made its way along the bustling streets of Calcutta, nearly made her laugh aloud as they rode toward the church. Not having the heart to tease him farther, she looked over at the handsome Berber while placing her gloved hands around his arm.
"Dear Lex, I've gone too far this time."
At which time she did laugh.
"The look on your face.... oh, dear Lexington, I adore you so!"
Lexington began to smile a little himself watching Tabitha giggle then asked. "What has brought this on my lady?"
Tabitha finally composed herself and assured him that she didn't expect him to attend the Easter services at the church as it was not his faith. While Catholic herself, she nor her parents had ever forced Lexington into their religious beliefs. They believed the workings of the soul were God's work.
Lexington breathed a sigh of relief at the news but in the end decided to attend anyway, out of respect for Tabitha and for their host.
⚜️Father Thomas Haskell was a lean man in his sixties. His bald head looked slick and shiny in the bright sun and his white hair gleamed. When he shook Tabitha's hand, she felt how rough and callused they were, and his skin was leathery tan. It was obvious Father Haskell spent much of his time in the gardens around the church. He wore the traditional robes of a parish priest and as with most Catholic holy men of that day, he appeared humble and somewhat trite. After introductions were made, he did not hesitate to reveal to the duo that he not only believed in the evil beings that scoured the earth but were unfeigned in his support of the Shadowhunters.
"You and your kind my dear are destined to rid the world of these heinous creatures. I am at your disposal of course."
As the bells of the church rang and the church doors began to open the priest looked at the church and then smiled when he turned back toward his guest.
"It is a delight to have you both visit us this morning and if you'll forgive me Lady Kindake I must attend to my flock. Services are about to begin, and I am expected inside. I've reserved seats for you both, won't you follow me."
Tabitha nodded and smiled as did Lexington
"Of course, Father Haskell," she responded.
And with that, they both followed the priest toward the grand doors that opened to the church's foyer.
As they approached, both Tabitha and Lexington noticed a striking man standing near a fountain. His hair was dark as a raven's wing and his equally dark beard was neatly trimmed. He wore a very smart-looking cutaway coat and silk vest that gave away his social status and as the man began to walk in their direction Tabitha could see that he was of average height and appeared to be in his peak years. She also noted how mysterious and mesmerizing his eyes were, and it was at that moment a commotion could be heard at the entrance to the church which caught all their attention.
Father Haskell began to walk faster and broke into a run with Tabitha and Lexington close behind him. When they reached the onlookers, the priest was determined, but not overly aggressive as he made his way through the congregation that had gathered there. Once through the crowd, Tabitha was surprised to see that the mysterious man she'd noticed outside was already just inside the large doorway. Lexington reached to touch her arm quietly, his way of letting her know he'd noticed as well. Turning quickly to rejoin the priest, they were greeted with the most morbid sight. At the top of the staircase, hanging from her neck, and high into the massive, vaulted ceiling was a young woman. Her face, though discolored and contorted was still beautiful as her lifeless body swung several feet above the top of the staircase.
Wanting desperately to help, Lexington started to climb the staircase but quickly came back to his senses realizing the poor woman's body was well out of reach. Looking over at Father Haskell, Tabitha watched as he moved his hand over his chest making the sign of the cross. His eyes were filled with dread and tears as he gazed up at the woman's corpse. She thought he might be in shock as she walked over to him.
"Father! Father Haskell!"
Shaking his head, he looked at Tabitha and then back at the woman's corpse.
"Dear God, whatever shall we do?!"
Tabitha motioned for Lex to join her and as he approached, she responded.
"This is your church Father and your congregation. They're depending on you. I'd suggest you postpone services this morning or at least move them to another location as quickly as possible."
Father Haskell nodded, still bewildered when he gazed back up at the woman's body hanging there, but when he looked back at them both again, he appeared to be himself.
"Quite right Lady Kinkade. We can set up chairs and move services to the garden."
Lexington looked back up at the girl's body and then back to Tabitha.
"My lady, the local authorities will be here soon. I'd suggest, well, if Father Haskell would allow us to represent the church in this matter, we could begin an investigation."
Tabitha looked at the girl again then back at Father Haskell.
"Father, do you know this woman?"
He nodded as he answered.
"Yes, she came to me about a week ago, she told me she was having nightmares, very vivid nightmares that were very real to her."
Tabitha and Lex looked at each other then back at the priest.
"She said she'd been sleepwalking as well. I.. well, I just can't think. I must get this situation under control!"
Tabitha nodded, reaching to hold the priest’s hands. "That's quite alright Father. From what you've told us this young woman may hold clues to the mystery that's brought us to Calcutta and you. Will you allow us to represent the church and aid you?"
Father Haskell nodded as he knew the Kinkade name very well and Tabitha's father had been a friend. He also trusted Cardinal Antonio implicitly.
"Yes, yes of course. Cardinal Antonio has sent you to us after all. And as I said before, if there's anything you need, anything at all. Please let me know. For now, however, I have much to do and must leave you."
⚜️Her name was Malini Gadhavi. She had been a mother and wife and her father and mother owned a bakery in town. She helped her parents with the business as did her children. Her husband, Harshad worked on the docks. They had all been notified of her death. Malini's body was taken to a crypt beneath the church where so many people in the community had been taken for decades. Out of respect, Tabitha and Lex had not examined the body yet. When the family arrived, they both bowed their heads, watching as they were escorted to the undercroft. Neither Tabitha nor Lexington were looking forward to questioning them.
⚜️The afternoon wore on and with their interrogations near completion, they'd learned very little. That was until the woman's mother told them about one of Malini's dreams. Sitting with them in Father Haskell's office the poor woman stared blankly at a candle's flame as Tabitha held her trembling hands, listening. She said that on one occasion her daughter had been able to remember one of her dreams completely. Melini had said it was so clear in her mind, and unlike most dreams, it felt as though it had happened. In this nightmare, she had emerged from a cave not far from her home. She also told her mother there was a man there with her in a cloak and a hood over his head. This dark, ominous being followed her to the mouth of the cave. Malini said the man never came close but watched her from the shadows. Her daughter told her that in the dream she roared like an animal and when she peered into the trees, she could feel the forest come alive with the heartbeats and movements of every living creature. And then she told her mother that even at that distance she could not only hear but smell the people in town. It was then her mother began to cry. Tabitha comforted her, giving a nod to Lexington and Father Haskell. The interrogations were now over.
⚜️It had been a long day. Nighttime was upon them, and they all needed rest. Standing there in the small tomb, the air was cool, and the smell of old dirt filled their nostrils as they began to examine Malini Gadhavi's body. Her fingernails and toenails showed no signs of dirt, blood, or flesh. Her body, as well as her hair, was clean as though it had just been washed. There were also no injuries, not even a scar, and when they turned her on her side to look at her back there was no tattoo, no brand of any kind. Holding a candle over the young woman's corpse, Lexington glanced over at Tabitha.
"This is peculiar my lady. She should have some sort of brand on her even if she wasn't a member with the pack we seek."
Tabitha nodded but didn't look up as she continued to scan the woman's body for any evidence and clues.
"Agreed Lex, this is odd. Melini's dream was not an uncommon one for a werewolf, other than the presence of the dark man of course. And yet, I do not see a brand anywhere on her. Or any physical evidence she was Lycan for that matter. We must be missing something."
Lexington pulled his candle away to poor some of the melted wax onto the dirt floor and as he did, Father Haskell brought his lantern closer to help Tabitha see. Then just as Lex brought the candle back Tabitha gasped and cried out.
"Wait! I saw something. When you brought your candle back Lex. It was yellow like, like... It was something on her skin!"
Lexington and the priest looked at each other then back at Tabitha as she continued.
"The lights... somehow. Father, bring your lantern back to where you had it, and Lex you take the candle away, and then bring it back just as you did before."
Both did as instructed but Tabitha only sighed with disappointment asking them both to try again. Shaking her head, she was both exhausted and frustrated when she pounded her fist on the stone slab. After which time she folded her arms to lay her head down for a moment. Lexington watched her and then offered some sound advice.
"My lady let us retire for the evening and come back in the morning with rested eyes."
Tabitha looked up at him but didn't raise when she answered.
"No Lex, not yet. I know I saw something. We must find it!
With her head still laying on her arms, she looked at them both.
"Now let's do this again. And Lexington when you bring the candle back, do it very slowly please."
Lexington nodded unenthusiastically, then began to move the candle away from the woman's body when Tabitha screamed out.
"Stop! Don't move! Do you see it?! It's there on her shoulder. You must not move, either of you. It's the lights!"
Both men looked at each other, each wondering if the trials of this day had finally gotten the best of the hunter, then listened as she explained.
"It's the lights! Look see, the glass of Father Haskell's lamp is red, and so the flame gives off a deep red hue, while the candle's light of course is much brighter. Obvious of course but, if you carefully peer into the candle's blue flame and with the help of the red glow from Father Haskell's lantern you can see it!"
Taking a candle in hand she invited Lexington to take her place.
"Now as I hold the candle look through the blue of its flame Lex. Can you see it?"
Lex nodded and gasped, then excitedly scrambled for his journal. As he did, Tabitha looked at the priest's bewildered face and offered further explanation.
"My guess is it's phosphorous under the skin Father. The lights set off some sort of chemical reaction allowing it to be seen. Once Lex has studied the tattoo and made a drawing, we'll hold the lantern and candle so you can observe for yourself."
Having to peer through the flame made the study of the tattoo quite difficult, however, Lexington was able to examine it thoroughly.
"How very interesting Ms. Tabitha. The ink leaves no protrusions on the skin, and it's entirely undetectable under normal light conditions."
Tabitha smiled as she listened and nodded.
"Is it our pack Lex?"
"Yes, my lady. She was a member of the pack we're tracking.
Tabitha nodded once more and raised an eyebrow as she spoke.
"I think it's obvious that Malini Gadhavi was not a willing participant. The poor woman. Such torment."
Gathering herself she redirected her attention toward Father Haskell.
"Father, do you know of any caves in the area?"
The priest nodded as he spoke, the radiant red hue of his lantern causing his face to look very macabre under the low ceiling of the underground chamber.
"Why yes of course. There are several smaller caves, but Mawsmai Cave is the largest in the area. It's not far but it will easily be a day’s journey there and back."
Tabitha and Lexington listened intently,
"Could you show us on a map Father?"
"Of course. If you'll follow me to my office, I can set you on the right path."
Gathering their things, they followed Father Haskell from the dank black corridor where Malini Gadhavi's broken body lay. As they wearily made their way up the stone stairwell Tabitha muttered to herself.
"We will avenge you and your children Melini. Whoever did this to you will pay. I promise you."
A soft beam of light showed across the young woman’s corpse from the top of the stairs. From deep in the vault their faint voices could be heard and then the door closed, and all was dark, and all as silent, forever.
🐺🐺🐺🐺
⭐This capture and this chapter of this story could not have been possible without the help of some truly wonderful people who I'm honored to know as friends
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⭐First of all I'd like to thank my dear friend and mentor Morgan Talbot who not only opened up his beautiful sim to me to I could take this shot but provided the build itself and many of the characters. He also took the time to model for this shot. Morgan's advice and support are always so very special to me. But perhaps calling him my friend is the most remarkable treasure of all. Thank you babes.💓
⭐Next, I would like to thank my dear friend Harper Blackwood for her help and for enduring my rough drafts for this chapter. Thanks for being the lab rat this time babes. Not a rat but like...in a lab. She gets it. lol But mostely I'd like to thank Harper for her support, her encouragement, and her precious friendship. You're the best girl.💓
⭐Lastly and as the say, certainly not least, I want to thank my very dear friend and mentor Marcus Strong. His unwaivering support and encouragement is precious to me. He's has always there to help in any way he can, whether thats advice, modeling, or just to tell me I'm doing a good job. I can never repay this man for all he's done for me. I'm honored to call him my friend. Thank you babes.💓
Warm rich red, oranges and golds predict leafy new life to this unusual tropical tree that has delicate powderpuff flowers and dark foreboding chard-like bark.
Witches, trolls, ghosts... they seem to belong in this tree's world.Such a contrast to the rows of delicate new-red, orange and gold leaves that emerge from these fractured trunks. And the red and green mobile clusters that float about as they grow in the breeze.
Sabicu wood or sabicu comes from two species of the genus Lysiloma. Lysiloma sabicu (L.) Benth. occurs sparingly in the Bahamas, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba. It was named by George Bentham (1800-1884) from a Cuban specimen examined in 1854. Bentham went on to identify a second species, Lysiloma latisiliquum (L.) Benth., which grows best in the Bahamas. The latter is commonly known as 'wild tamarind' or 'false tamarind'.
The wood of both species is similar, mid-brown in color with a reddish hue, heavy (specific gravity of 0.40-0.75) hard and durable. Some timber is well figured, but most relatively plain. The wood has been used in construction, shipbuilding and furniture making, although its weight is a distinct drawback for the latter purpose. The stairs of The Crystal Palace in London, in which The Great Exhibition of 1851 was held, were made of sabicu due to its durability. Despite the enormous traffic that passed over them, the wood at the end was found to be little affected by wear.
Seen on my morning walk in Biscayne Park, a neighborhood in Miami FL
On July 22, 2022, weather forecasters throughout the mid-west were predicting severe, fast-moving storms that would include 60 mph winds, rooftop damage, large, damaging hail, flooding, and downed trees early in the morning July 23, 2022. Sure enough, early in the morning, not far off, thunder could be heard rumbling, skies began to darken, turning an eerie blue-green that we had never seen before. The trees began to quake, and the wind sounded different too. We are used to having to take shelter during these storm warnings, so when the tornado sirens went off, our level of seriousness kicked up a "few notches." I was thinking, "This is the one that is going to take down our 70-foot tree or rip our roof off. The rain went from a torrential downpour to what looked like a wall of water! We had the TV on in another room, so that we could hear the continued warnings. Almost as suddenly as the sirens had blared, the local weather person stated that the tornado warning was canceled for our area. We breathed a big sigh of relief. Thankfully our immediate neighborhood was spared and all that happened in our area was that lots of fallen branches were everywhere. Unfortunately, there were many areas that got hit hard.
*These photos were all take through our windows before the tornado siren went off!
ABC's and 123's W is for Window (view).
Captured at the predicted end of totality. This eclipse was moderately dark at totality and the colors of ozone band were muted for this event. I like the almost total time better than mid totality for photography as the solid red ruddy color gives way to other colors of blue and purple that grade across the Moon's disk. A bit more challenging to photograph but for me much more interesting. How the Moon sits in the Earth's shadow and as it moves through it results in a dynamic change in color that is fascinating to watch.
Captured with a Questar Telescope and Nikon Z8 in Tucson AZ. Tucson had severe weather rain high wind clouds that cleared as totality begin resulting in a quick set up when it was practical to do so. The Questar with its optics facilitates capturing the color gradation with its slower optics and high resolution.
The Night Before
19.00: Checked weather forecast. Hoar frost and patches of freezing fog predicted. Poured glass of wine.
19.00-20.00: Enjoyed another splash or two of the old vino while spending a frustrating hour of indecision determining a location for the best sunrise while maximizing the likely atmospheric conditions.
20.01: Tried to remember the exact physical mechanism that could explain how a bottle of wine could simply evaporate in the space of 60 mins. Thinking a Nobel prize may be coming my way if I ever crack it.
20.30: Discovered a smidge of brandy at the end of the bottle. In a fit of OCD housekeeping decided the bottle was littering the place up, so the only decent thing to do was finish off the contents and place in recycle.
20.31: Felt smug for doing my bit for the environment and household chores.
20.45: Finally decided on spot for tomorrow’s shoot. Plugged in camera battery to recharge. Excited to get back behind the viewfinder. Having done a good job of planning, it was time for a celebratory tot (or two) before setting the Casio for a ridiculous early start. Can’t remember going to bed.
The Day
05.30: Alarm went off. Hit snooze in a soporific haze. Repeated cycle. Repeatedly.
06.15: Woke up household has I stumbled around trying to simultaneously pack camera bag (last night I seemed to forget to gather lenses, sd cards, etc. can’t imagine why), get dressed, have a cup of tea (somethings are sacrosanct, no matter how late you are running), and work out why my head was feeling like a freshly washed pillow. Some swearing may have been involved.
06.45: Finally got in the car and headed off. Later than planned.
06.46: Released a tirade of Anglo-Saxon colloquialisms as I realised I would miss the exact moment of sunrise. More Tourette-esque outbursts as I looked out of the windscreen and saw the hoar frost had not materialised and the promised glorious misty morning was not looking very, well, misty.
07.25: Finally parked up in Normanton, Rutland. Rapidly donned wellies (note to self – check the auto spellchecker has not changed “wellies” to “willies”, like it did last time. The resulting confusion and threatened legal action took a long time to resolve) and hiked off to the edge of the reservoir.
07.40: Air temp: -1 deg C, all surfaces covered in a thin veneer of ice, courtesy of the night’s frozen fog (which had mysteriously disappeared)
07.41: Found a good location to set up… a sloping wall running down into the water that I could use as a base for my tripod.
07.42: Put camera and filters on wall as I placed tripod in position.
07.42 + 30 seconds: Heard a thud as camera slowly slid off ice-covered wall and fell onto the gravel.
07.42 + 35 seconds: Frightened local joggers and dogwalkers as I shook my fist at the heavens and (very) loudly berated the gods for my misfortune and noting, with extreme-prejudice, that gods have no fathers.
07.50: Attached ND filter on freshly cleaned up camera and placed on tripod.
07.51: Pressed button on IR remote release. Nothing.
07.52: Pressed button repeatedly while promising to have some severe words with any random deity that may come wandering in this general direction. Still nothing.
08.00: Finally worked out the battery was flat and long-exposure shots were going to be limited to 30 seconds.
08.01: Noticed that my foot was getting very wet and very, very cold. Bloody wellies had leaked. Badly.
08.02: Started taking 30-second snaps as a most glorious mist rolled in across the lake and the church was cast in a beautiful dawn light.
08.05: Soggy foot had gone completely numb. Mind started wandering to vague memories of a first aid course that described the signs and symptoms of frostbite.
09.30: Finally departed Rutland with a smile on my face because I had finally got out to take some photos.
Equipment: Nikon D7000, Nikkor 10-24mm @10mm. ISO 400, F3.5, 30 sec. 7-stop Hitech Firecrest ND filter. Manfrotto tripod
Post-production: 5-shot pano merged in Photoshop. Curve layers to control local exposure. Image warped to remove barrel/spherical distortion. Partially desaturated.
As predicted on The Film Photography Podcast - Beloved Chrome Slide Film is being reintroduced by Kodak Alaris and to be Available in Fourth Quarter 2017
35mm and Super 8!!!!!
filmphotographyproject.com/content/news/2017/01/kodak-ala...
As predicted, the California central coast was hit by high surf this morning. The big waves were 20 to 30 feet high, and the ocean was extremely unsettled.
The sky was blue, and fortunately the tide was low and the gentle wind was coming from the east. Otherwise, our house would be in danger.
Pacifica had a huge number of visitors, many from inland. Despite warning signs, one person, yet to be named, climbed down on the rocks and was taken by a sneaker wave, apparently while his family watched.
One wonders how anyone could fail to sense the danger that nature sometimes displays.
I observed that you could watch the waves and get an idea of what might be safe. HOWEVER, an area that is dry and for 20 minutes never gets hit, can be the next target of a surprise wave. These conditions are very dangerous, and people not familiar with the ocean can be fooled to death.
A 4 hour search by the Coast Guard, with 2 helicopters and 3 boats, turned up nothing.
I feel so sad for this man's family.
It has been a while since I shoot the ocean last time. When weather forecast predicted some light while the sunset was at negative tide, I had no hesitate to shoot the ocean to start this season.
First Leeds have invested in over 30 of these Wrights Streetdeck vehicles primarily for busy routes 1 & 6. They carry this bright new livery with Leeds City fleetname, the red being the specific corridor brand. No 35266 is seen here fresh from the wash departing for a publicity appointment in the city. Of course it reintroduces two tone green to the streets after many years, something many couldn’t have predicted.
With clear skies predicted for lots of my shooting locations on Friday night, my decision wasn’t one of “should I go out and risk it being cloudy”, but more the case of deciding which location I should visit. Although I was faced with a drive of over two hours each way, it had been a couple of years since my last trip to these silos south of Goulburn, Australia, so that’s where I went. Despite two different cloud-forecast services indicating cloudless skies all night, there was a large cloud bank to the south, and southeast of the silos, seen here at the bottom right-hand corner of the photo.
Even though this is a rural locality, there is a car speedway off to the east, and its carpark lighting seems to be left on all night. That was frustrating, but one of the lights did provide a nice “starburst” effect through the support structures that hold up the silos.
Almost as bright as that light below the silos is the planet Jupiter, rising into the heavens and situated above the line between silos two and three (counting from the left). Like all photographs this one doesn’t convey the smells that were assailing my nostrils as I stood outside the compound, clicking away to try to get a few good shots.
For this single-frame photo, I used a Canon EOS 6D Mk II camera, a Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 lens @ f/2.4, with an exposure time of 15 seconds @ ISO 6400.
As predicted, a more painterly edit of the Chinook pass Superpano. I'm to close to it to tell if I like it now, but I think I do. Compare to here
I think this will look probably look superb on my Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta
(and for goodness sake compare it large on black... its an epic landscape after all!)