Crail... is a former royal burgh, parish and community council area (Royal Burgh of Crail and District) in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. The civil parish has a population of 1,812 (in 2011). The name Crail was recorded in 1148 as Cherel and in 1153 as Karel. The first element is the Pictish *cair (c.f. Welsh caer) meaning "fort", though this word seems to have been borrowed into Gaelic. The second element may be either Gaelic ail, "rocks", or more problematically Pictish *al; no certain instance of this word exists in P-Celtic. However, if the generic element were Pictish, then this is likely of the specific. Quoted from Wikipedia

The parasitic jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus), also known as the Arctic skua, Arctic jaeger or parasitic skua, is a seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae.

It is a migratory species that breeds in Northern Scandinavia, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Northern Canada, Alaska, and Siberia and winters across the southern hemisphere.

Kleptoparasitism is a major source of food for this species during migration and winter, and is where the name is derived from.

The parasitic jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus), also known as the Arctic skua, Arctic jaeger or parasitic skua, is a seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae.

Identification is complicated by similarities to long-tailed jaeger and pomarine jaeger, and the existence of three colour morphs. Small for a skua, the parasitic jaeger measures 41–48 cm (16–19 in) in length, 107–125 cm (42–49 in) in wingspan and weighs 300–650 g (11 oz – 1 lb 7 oz).

The tail streamer of the breeding adult accounts for about 7 cm (3 in) of their length. Light-morph adults have a brown back, mainly white underparts and dark primary wing feathers with a white "flash". The head and neck are yellowish-white with a black cap and there is a pointed central tail projection. Dark-morph adults are dark brown, and intermediate-phase birds are dark with somewhat paler underparts, head and neck. All morphs have the white wing flash.

Identification of juveniles is even more problematic, and it is difficult to separate parasitic jaegers from long-tailed jaegers. Parasitic jaegers are bulkier, shorter-winged, and less tern-like than long-tailed jaegers. They are usually warmer toned, with browner shades, rather than grey. However, they show the same wide range of plumage variation. The flight is more falcon-like. The parasitic jaeger is the most common of the three jaeger species seen from shore.

The typical call of these birds is a nasal mewing sound, repeated a few times in display. Their alarm call is a shorter sound.

This image was taken in Longyearbyen in Spitsbergen.

Allard Motor Company Limited was a London-based low-volume car manufacturer founded in 1945 by Sydney Allard in small premises in Clapham, south-west London. Car manufacture almost ceased within a decade. It produced approximately 1900 cars before it became insolvent and ceased trading in 1958. Before the war, Allard supplied some replicas of a Bugatti-tailed special of his own design from Adlards Motors in Putney.

Allards featured large American V8 engines in a light British chassis and body, giving a high power-to-weight ratio and foreshadowing the Sunbeam Tiger and AC Cobra of the early 1960s. Cobra designer Carroll Shelby and Chevrolet Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov both drove Allards in the early 1950s.

Using its inventory of easy-to-service Ford mechanicals built up during World War II and bodywork of Allard's own design, three post-war models were introduced with a newly designed steel chassis and lightweight body shells: the J, a competition sports car; the K, a slightly larger car intended for road use, and the four seater L. All three were based on the Ford Pilot chassis and powered by a fairly stock 85 hp (63 kW; 86 PS) 3,622 cc (221.0 cu in) side valve V8 with a single carburetor and 6:1 compression, driving a three-speed transmission and low-geared rear-end, for superior acceleration.[4] Front suspension was Ballamy swing axle, rear Ford solid axle.[4] They were bodied in aluminum by Allard's friend Godfrey Imhof. Sales were fairly brisk for a low-volume car, and demand was high for cars in general, which led to the introduction of several larger models, the drophead coupe M and P.

Allard used "J" for the short-wheelbase two-seaters, "K" for two- or three-seat tourers or roadsters, "L" for four-seat tourers, "M" for drophead (convertible) coupes, and "P" for fixed-head cars. As models were replaced, subsequent models were numbered sequentially

Sydney Allard soon saw the potential of the economically more vibrant – but sports car starved – U.S. market and developed a special competition model to tap it, the J2. The new roadster, weighing just 18.5 cwt,[5] was a potent combination of a lightweight, hand-formed aluminium body fitted with new coil spring[4] front suspension, fitted with inclined telescopic dampers,[6][7] and de Dion-type rear axle,[3] inboard rear brakes, and 110 hp (82 kW), 267 cu in (4,375 cc) Mercury flathead V8, with the option of an Ardun hemi conversion.[4] The J2 had a disturbing tendency to catch fire when started.[5]

Importing American engines just to ship them back across the Atlantic proved problematic, so U.S.-bound Allards were soon shipped engineless and fitted out in the States variously with newer overhead valve engines by Cadillac, Chrysler, Buick, and Oldsmobile. In that form, the J2 proved a highly competitive international race car for 1950, most frequently powered by 331 cu in (5.4 L) Cadillac engines. Domestic versions for England came equipped with Ford or Mercury flatheads. Zora Duntov worked for Allard from 1950 to 1952 and raced for the factory Allard team at Le Mans in 1952 and 1953.

Available both in street trim and stripped down for racing, the J2 proved successful in competition on both sides of the Atlantic, including a third place overall at Le Mans in 1950 (co-driven by Tom Cole and Allard himself at an average 87.74 mph (141.20 km/h), powered by a Cadillac V8.

J2s returned to Le Mans in 1951, one co-driven again by Cole and Allard, the other by Reece and Hitchings; Reece jumped an embankment, while the Allard car broke. They had no more success in 1952, both cars failing to finish.

Of 313 documented starts in major races in the 9 years between 1949 and 1957, J2s compiled 40 first-place finishes; 32 seconds; 30 thirds; 25 fourths; and 10 fifth-place finishes.[10] Both Zora Duntov and Carroll Shelby raced J2s in the early 1950s. Ninety J2s were produced between 1950 and 1952.

The K2 (the car seen in the photos above) is a 2-seater sports car produced from 1950 to 1952. It was offered with Ford and Mercury V8s in the home market and with Chrysler and Cadillac V8s in the USA. 119 were built.

Source: Wiki

Eichhornia crassipes, commonly known as water hyacinth, is an aquatic plant native to the Amazon basin, and is often a highly problematic invasive species outside its native range. Wikipedia

Scientific name: Eichhornia crassipes

Rank: Species

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Problematic EMD SD90"H" Mac former UP 8539 is enjoying a short lease on life working for EMLX leased to Wheeling and Lake Erie, seen here working through Plymouth, Michigan on CSX working coke empties back south - September 22, 2007

- William Penn.

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Although a quick detour to Mesa Arch made us slightly late for the sunset at Green River Overlook, I didn’t find it problematic since I captured some excellent sunset shots at the main overlook. However, as I moved away from the primary viewpoint, I realized it was a mistake. There were many foreground elements—such as large boulders and beautiful pine trees—that I could have used to compose my shot. Despite trying to capture as many compositions as possible, the rushed attempts limited my chances of finding great images. Additionally, the setting sun behind the mountains made it difficult to balance the intensely bright sky with the dark valley below.

Some years ago, I said that I love these curious critters, that the male is called a "Blue Belly" because his belly can be a brilliant blue when he's staking out territory or courting another lizard. And I lamented that I never got a shot showing a blue belly.

Well, I went all the way to 2009 to find this image, the only one with one ... in bloom. I remember where I took this, and I remember that he had hopped onto the log to check me out, but I didn't remember anything else except I was just hoping that I hadn't cropped out that problematic tail. Whew. Just made it.

The Western Fence Lizard can drop its tail when in danger, in the jaws of a predator, or when he gets the hell scared out of him. He'll actually drop two inches or a little more and the tail would move on the ground which usually catches the one intent on a meal. Unfortunately, a male who has dropped his tail will have a tough time interesting a female, and it can take 18 months to grow it back. Life ain't easy in the wild.

Wind power, as an alternative to burning fossil fuels, is plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean, produces no greenhouse gas emissions during operation, and uses little land. The net effects on the environment are far less problematic than those of nonrenewable power sources.

Wind farms consist of many individual wind turbines which are connected to the electric power transmission network. Onshore wind is an inexpensive source of electricity, competitive with or in many places cheaper than coal or gas plants.

In the Upper Palatinate, the farmers use their relatively poor soil to grow rape and additionally to establish wind farms. This one is located near Titting.

Text adapted from Wikipedia.

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An eastbound Baltimore & Ohio unit grain train claws its way up Cranberry Grade near Terra Alta, WV on Oct. 23, 1977 with a mix of five 4-axle EMD's. Four SD35's were shoving hard on the rear.. Unit grain trains were rare on the West End and from what I observed at the time, somewhat problematic.

All the best especially for my friends who live with sorrows and austerities in problematic situations.

Thanks to the situation of pandemic , the park is closed except plaza de España with only few people :-). I have spent one month in Andalusia and enjoyed it so much after a too long lockdown .

I fear that the situation is again getting problematic and hope to be able to travel soon doing a test if needed . Some new posts will come in the next days .

Le parc Marie-Louise est fermé pour des raisons sanitaires , seule la place d’Espagne est accessible .

Après avoir passé un mois dans cette somptueuse Andalousie, j’espère qu’un vaccin sera vite disponible pour pouvoir retrouver une totale liberté et découvrir de nouveaux horizons....D’autres photos suivront dans les semaines qui suivent , heureusement le rêve persiste ....

A pair of plant hoppers mating.

There are 10 species but they are based on wing color, not genitalia. This is problematic. [Bug Guide]

It seems like I say this a lot but when the conditions are right (cloudy/overcast) here in mostly sunny Southern California, there isn't a much better view than out to sea at sundown. Sure, there can be weeks or months where it doesn't rain or there isn't a cloud in sight and yet a single great sunset makes me forget about those less than perfect days. It seems that my perfect time to shoot here is in winter when the skies are filled more frequently with heavy clouds and the intense low light sunsets are about as vivid as I've seen anywhere. When the weather cooperates, there probably isn't another place I'd rather be than right where I am.

This past Tuesday, I got my typical late start for the sunset but had decided already I'd go to Venice anyway and at 3:40 or so when I left, traffic felt a bit lighter than usual in that direction. Unlike the awful but slightly predictable traffic back in DC where you just know it will be slow between 3-7 regardless of where you are, out here it's never that easy. My GPS said I'd arrive at 4:35pm which was about 15 minutes before sunset and I hit no traffic jams, arrived at Venice right when I expected to and had zero trouble parking. As I walked through the few alleys that lead to the boardwalk, I could see golden sunlight shining on the sides of some homes and buildings and knew before I stepped onto the beach that at least it wasn't as overcast as last time. What I didn't expect was that the tide would be the lowest I've seen and I'd also get to see a yellow sunset transition to orange, then pink and finally a deeper purple hue as night approached. The shoreline was so reflective that no matter how far I backed up, I still couldn't get as much into the frame as I wanted. Anyone watching me would've seen me move about 10 feet in every direction every few minutes trying to squeeze in the very best angle and view possible.

I started with some closer range shots of the reflections and sun over the horizon like I normally do and while there was still some light, captured some people walking through the scene. As usual, I felt mostly invisible out there crouched down over my tripod which was set up about a foot off the ground. I did catch the eye of a bouncy french bulldog who streaked across the reflections and wiggled next to me while I pet him. Normally I avoid interacting while I'm shooting and generally keep to myself as much as possible but a happy dog is always OK with me and was one of two really nice distractions on the evening. This dog spent most of the time I was there running back and forth along the shore while his humans kept an eye from a distance. It made me miss the days when Scotch was healthy enough to join me on my photography trips and just enjoyed being outdoors, sleeping between my feet and tripod, and hopefully he'll be able to join me again soon enough.

As I mentioned, once the sun dipped below the horizon, the pink and salmon hues took over and filled the sky. That color was mostly to the Southwest with the view facing the sea still showing a yellowish orange. I had the lens at 18mm most of the time during this segment of the shoot and kept moving to my left and right a bit or further back away from the surf in an attempt to capture the incredible sky and patterns above. I've seen a few sunsets out here of this color though none were as impressive or defined as this. There were even more onlookers for this sunset than usual and most lingered for a greater length of time as well. A lot of people stopped in their tracks and held their camera phones up to shoot or record the sky and it was fairly common for me to see people off in the distance pointing in astonishment and it was nice to know I wasn't the only one in awe. Even with the video clip I shot of this sky and all the images I have on my memory card from the evening, it's still hard to believe this is what I saw and what everyone else at Venice and the neighboring beaches saw if they happened to be facing the right direction.

I ended up taking about 200 shots in a relatively short amount of time and once I got home, I realized I had only been shooting with panoramas in mind. I didn't even realize it fully while there but I only took about 15 shots that were intended to be presented as a single frame and the rest focused on very wide panoramas of the 3 or 4 distinct color transitions and cloud patterns. I shot a series of the golden sunset, the orangish afterglow, the transition into the large pink clouds and finally the period just before dark when the purple/magenta colors filled the mostly dark sky.

Shooting just for panoramas proved a bit problematic actually because many of these shots aren't framed all that well individually since my focus was on getting the full cloud pattern across my view as far as I could. I did back up enough to make most of the waves small which I figured would help me match the frames better in post. Amazingly, they all fit together pretty flawlessly and none of the combinations I tried failed to merge in photoshop which was a first for me. However just being able to merge successfully is only the starting point. The main issue I had on this evening was perspective.

For this shot, I fed 6 horizontal images at 18mm into the photomerge which isn't ideal by any means, but it did seem like my only option if I wanted to get both a bit of the pier in on the left and the orange remnants of where the sun had set on the right. Traditionally, my best results have come from 2-3 frame panoramas since it's much easier to correct of the curve in the horizon and make it feel like a large single frame shot. With this one however, I not only got some of that curve but also realized that the view was slightly more skewed than normal since I was panning from the same spot. The further right and left I got from center, the more the perspective changed as the view got smaller and angled slightly more (I know this is obvious but it was never real noticeable in my 2-3 shot panoramas previously).

With those 2-3 panel panoramas, I generally can crop a bit off the left and right side to fix any perspective distortion but this shot wasn't like those. Even the full view in this picture had to be cropped a little to reduce some bend and about an inch of the pier and maybe 2 inches to the right had to be cut. I don't think I'll be making a habit of going for these larger scale panoramas of the sea at 18mm but I'm sure glad I did this time. I couldn't have gotten this full pattern without probably backing up a few hundred feet to the boardwalk and then I would've lost most or all of the reflections so this felt like my only option. I almost always shoot right above ground level so if the big sky and full reflection couldn't fit this way, it wasn't going to happen.

I'm sure I will post some of the individual shots soon along with the other panoramas, but this image represents the very best highlight of the evening. I won't be forgetting this sky for quite some time, regardless of what the winter weather might bring me. Colorful sunsets are far more common year round back in the Washington, DC area than out here but I suppose there's some degree of quality over quantity here around Los Angeles. While I remember a few specific sunsets back home, I can recall nearly every sunset I've witnessed here in great detail. If I can just average 2 cloudy days per week this winter, I will never complain about the weather again!

[Don't hold me to that last statement please]

WHEN & WHERE

Venice Beach

Venice, California

November 15th, 2016

SETTINGS

Canon T4i

cropped 5 frame panorama

EF-S 18-135mm IS STM

@18mm

ISO 100

f/8

1/10th second

CPL

Spanning the infant River Eden this is the first of many bridges over the river. It carries an old path called Lady Anne's Way. The route taken by Lady Ann Clifford when travelling between her many properties in the North o England; from Skipton to Penrith in the seventeenth century.. Like many early routeways in hilly country they avoided valley bottoms and clung to valley sides to avoid seasonal adverse weather conditions that could make travel problematic.

I first spotted this little one on Sept.8. It has not grown any larger feathers by the looks of it. This can be a bit problematic with "second" broods.

J.Poole wetland area, St.Albert, AB.

Downtown Omaha is pretty much the last holdout of searchlight signals in the state. An open container door would prove problematic getting out of CB for the train.

ZLCG2

I’ve been a fan of Roger Dean’s artwork ever since I was a young Yes fan back in the 1970’s. (Yes, I’m that old. ) I don’t know how many album covers I had seen while perusing the shelves of The Wherehouse and Licorice Pizza back then, but I could always spot Roger Dean’s work from across the store.

Why do I bring that up? As I glanced down at my LCD screen last Friday night at 3 AM in Natural Bridges Monument, a Roger Dean album cover was the first thing that popped into my head. I was in the middle of a 3 day shooting run in which I followed Eric Gail out across 5 states in order to catch up with nightscape guru Wayne Pinkston. This was our second stop of the night and after clambering down 6 billion steps and a wooden ladder or two, we were staring up at one of the most impressive arches I had ever seen.

Wayne immediately got to work setting his low level lighting while Eric shouted back to let him know if it was too hot, too low, or just right. It took about 90 minutes to get the lights set just right, and then all three of us began to look for compositions.

The Sipapu Bridge is problematic mainly in that it is just so darn huge. I tried shooting with my Nikon 14-24, but I couldn’t quite get the massive show of scale that I was after. So out came the Rokinon 12mm fisheye. After trying several ideas, I glanced up and noticed how the wall of the canyon we were in curved around nicely behind us. I pointed the fisheye directly up to the sky and the result is what you see here.

Full disclosure: The tree that you see on the bottom of the frame is actually a tree on the ridge behind me. As soon as I saw it I noticed that it anchored the shot. The Sipapu Bridge is actually the buttress in the upper left corner of the frame.

Over those three days, I drove well over 1000 miles through five states and scouted or shot Bisti Badlands, Ship Rock, Monument Valley, Bears Ears and Natural Bridges. I put my poor Toyota FJ through it’s paces and even though it has 160,000 miles on it, it was a champ as I beat the crap out of it on the “roads” surrounding Ship Rock. Between temps that hit 120 degrees at times and the plague of insects that descended on our campsite, it wasn’t a particularly easy weekend, but it was well worth it for a chance to shoot with Wayne Pinkston.

Wayne, by the way, is a madman. We started setting up for our first shot at ….at 10 PM and by 4 AM we were still shooting. Dawn was creeping across the sky as I limped up the six billion steps back to the FJ. The last thing I remember hearing that morning was Eric and Wayne continuing their discussion on post processing as I drifted off, too tired to make it back to our campsite.

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Thank you so much for your views and comments! If you have specific questions or need to get in touch with me, please be sure to send me a message via flickr mail, or feel free to contact me via one of the following:

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Yes, the flower is a beautiful. More important, I took this with my left eye on Thursday. Darn near had to hold the viewfinder away from my face to see what I was "capturing." It was one of the 11 shots I made that day. It was tedious, uncomfortable, and problematic ... until I got this up on my monitor which is also uncomfortable, tedious, and problematic ;-) But, it's certainly in focus, and I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of field. I'm going to perfect this posture of using the nondominant eye. The timing of this new method will probably occur right after I can see again ;-) Go ahead, view large.

Now then, the Kangaroo paw is the common name for a number of species, in two genera of the family Haemodoraceae, that are endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. These rhizomatous perennial plants are noted for their unique bird-attracting flowers. The tubular flowers are coated with dense hairs and open at the apex with six claw-like structures, and it is from this paw-like formation that the common name "kangaroo paw" is derived.

The red and green kangaroo paw was adopted as the state emblem of Western Australia in a proclamation on 9 October 1960.

Both red and green Kangaroo Paws have died in pots on my patios. It would probably be more cost effective, albeit not aesthetic, to buy them dead and cut out the middle whatever killed them off. I'm sure I didn't water them enough or perhaps I watered them too much. Or perhaps I have whatever the opposite of a green thumb is. PC keeps me from speculating.

flic.kr/p/2hjJmCx

Sick to death of the many foibles my little 300mm f4 displays, i've gone back to my older, heavier version of the lens. Which has far fewer niggles. The newer one seems to do very well on its own, but introduce it to a tube, or a converter, and it under performs. Before all of you with a copy say in chorus 'well mine's alright'. Mine has been problematic from the start. Purbeck, Dorset.

Topping up Talbot hill with the ammeter almost in the red zone since the last 10 or so miles, daily Chambord to Toronto A469 is passing the station name sign Talbot, a lone and remote 3730 foot-long siding usually used only by engineering department or by any 469 crews who had to double up the problematic hill after stalling or breaking up a knuckle-or even worse, a drawbar.

Today's edition made it in one piece and as each car passing over the summit, made the Garneau-based crew closer of their 25 mph track speed.

CN A46921-10

2759 3803 3248 DP 3979 3364

Milepost 47.5 Lac St-Jean subdivision

Rivière à Pierre, QC

October 10th 2024

My final version, at least for today, of a mosaic to commemorate today's release of the Lady Gaga Judas video.

In the video, Gaga mixes religious imagery with biker imagery, and she herself plays Mary Magdalene. Nevertheless, the video is not intended to be a statement on religion, but rather the singer's problematic return to a "bad-boy" ex-boyfriend.

I settled on this image from the Lady Gaga Judas video due to the rich reds and purples. I have uploaded the truly FULL SIZE version of this. It's ENORMOUS.

View the FULL SIZE here:

THE FULL SIZE of the LADY GAGA JUDAS mosaic

Try it - I think you'll like it!

If you like this Lady Gaga Judas mosaic, be sure to check out the prototype version here:

Lady Gaga - Judas (prototype)

Position in Explore for May 6, 2011

May  7:  #141   8: #78     9:   #73    10: #83    11: #87

May 12: #97   13; #109   14: #112   15: #108   20: #111

Seljalandfoss, Iceland

Alternate view of those very pretty falls along the southern ring road. Spray was very problematic for the camera but thankfully marianne and I were both toasty and dry in full waterproofs. A most remarkable fall in a remarkable country.

The image is a manual blending of two exposures as well as a tonemapped image from photomatix. The blurs are due to splashes of water on the lens!! well, I guess its better than drops. (the little dot of red is marianne in her unmissable bright jacket!)

- o , thanks for explore too :)

View On Black for the spray and mist

our blog is in progress at everlookphotography.wordpress.com/

Since Bunkyo Civic Centre was closed, a last minute decision to head to the i-link Town Observatory in Ichikawa turned out incredibly well with clear skies for the evening and the setting sun intersecting Tokyo Skytree from this viewpoint.

The vantage point from this observatory offers panoramic views of both Mt Fuji and different landmarks in Tokyo - you can see the silhouettes of Yoyogi Tower and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in this frame (along with a few other iconic buildings as well).

We reached the observation deck early and managed to secure a good corner spot to frame our shots before the evening crowd came in. As it was a clear day, we had many local photographers joining us as well, and they all seem to have planned for this shot too - many of them wielding dual camera setups to avoid missing a key moment.

Despite being an enclosed area, it was still cold and windy as the roof allowed wind from the outside to pass through, so keeping our setups stable especially with long lenses was problematic. It was still worth all the trouble though, for this angle that we didn't plan for!

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Dunwich Heath National Trust Nature Reserve. It was difficult to get a close clean isolated shot of this wonderful rare visitor to our shores, as it spent a majority of its time hunkered in the middle of a gorse bush sheltering from the very gusty winds also the staff at Dunwich were marshalling the bird quite heavily and distance and heat haze were a bit problematic :-}

Along the McCarthy Road in the southern portion of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park are ponds that give reflection to the Wrangell Mountains. Rain is still problematic in Alaska during the month of August but a brief opening in the sky plus calm winds allowed the sunlight to provide a beautiful reflection. I love the lily pads and emerged grasses in the water to provide an interesting foreground for this photo.

The popular name for this plant is actually a Christmas Cactus and I had originally planned to post it a few weeks ago. For whatever reason it never happened but rather than keep it for another year...

I did struggle with finding a composition that wasn't too cluttered because once this cactus starts flowering, it is covered in beautiful, but very short lived blooms.

Snapped as a whole, (at least by me!) it can look like a big red compost heap but trying to pick out an individual bloom can also be problematic.

This is a subject I always loved to shoot. This year I wanted to check the performance of my older Zeiss Distagon 2,8/21 ZF with the new Nikon Z7. As you will know, subjects like this one with twigs in the backlight are always challenging to a lens. I was really pleased to see that my good old lens is performing very well here. It even performs better in the corners than it does at a number of revies where 2-dimensional test charts are measured which I guess is always problematic for a wide angle lens.

Happy Bench Monday and Marte de Nubes! We're in a weather pattern where the skies threaten thundershowers or worse in the afternoon, making our mountain hikes problematic.

The Buachaille Etive Mòr mountain is not simply referred to as B.E.M, but as the Bookie by mountaineers. Buachaillie is a confusing looking Gaelic word creating many interesting pronunciations, hence The Bookie. The most common pronunciation from Highland folk, to my ears anyway, is Boo-Kay-Lee. Say it in a slightly Scouse way with a push on the second sylabul and you will be close. My Grandfather had many sage expressions, to ward us off the perils of gambling he would say "a bookies car is always better than yours!"

This may be my last stop, for a long while, at this toggers honeypot spot. The blue sky would normally put me off, but a mixture of post covid fatigue and a belated desire to click made me pull off the Glen Coe thoroughfare. There were no other toggers there but the path to the Coupall River is overly worn. Nature is fighting back in that the trees and bushes on the other side of the river are now obscuring the view to the Bookie in many of the traditional composition sites.Even in their winter denuded state, I think they will still be problematic. Still, there are many good reasons to explore down the Glen Etive road.

The morning sun shines over the mountain Sron na Creise, casting light and shadows on a small frozen lochan high up on the mountain opposite, Beinn a'Chrulaiste, which means 'rocky hill' in Scots Gaidhlig (Gaelic). The photo was taken standing thigh deep in snow drifts which had formed in a natural hollow between two outcrops.

Exposure was problematic given the amount of white in the photo coupled with the sun shining directly at the lens and I had to blend 3 shots for this photo, sky, near and far distance, then the blended photo was processed using Nik Color Efex and some dodging and burning applied to provide contrast and detail in the shot.

Canon 6d + tamron 15-30mm 15mm ISO 6400 x f2.8 x 30s x 50 images panorama using my fish eye sort of panorama style. While it's 50 images - it's only really about 30 images. I had some problems with a new lens and just kept on taking. So quite a few redundant frames in this instance.

I went to Lake Dumbleyung - a salt lake in Western Australia to shoot the milky way. The water level was lower than expected so only took one of the lake itself (may process that one later). I found the thick mud to be an issue as clung to my legs and I sunk more than half a foot into the muddy surface. A bit problematic when you're carrying 2 tripods, camera and a heavy pack when scouting.

Around the lake - there are hundreds of dead trees clutching at the sky - so I visualised with the fisheye effect to have the image framed by them.

I had some stitching issues though - I had to re-stitch one of the frames manually as one of the arms of the milky way initially distorted more than I would like - and a small triangle around the edge had to be filled - I think I've finally worked out how to fix that.

#MacroMondays #String

finding some string around the house seemed to be more problematic as I thought. ended up with a ball of string and added the white string for effect.

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This passage goes under the connection between the old and the new stage of The Royal Danish Theater (Det Kongelige Teater) in Copenhagen. In 1931, the new stage opened, but it had several impractical constructions, like the audio studio wasn't sound isolated. It remained problematic until it was closed in 2008.

If the Dart is my favourite river then this is my favourite ferry, 'the Ditsum'. Hourly it plies the river between Dartmouth and Dittisham, a beautiful stretch of countryside connecting a pretty town to a pretty village with lots of interest to see along the way. Problematically it can only hold 12 people at a time so we have often been left behind. But I'd rather wait an hour for the next one than take the car round the twisty roads, and I'm always careful to book a return seat!

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The Ducal Palace is a Renaissance building in the Italian city of Urbino in the Marche. One of the most important monuments in Italy, it is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.

The construction of the Ducal Palace was begun for Duke Federico III da Montefeltro around the mid-fifteenth century by the Florentine Maso di Bartolomeo. The new construction included the pre-existing Palace of the Jole. The solid rock hillside salient was impregnable to siege but was problematic for carving out the foundation of a palace. Thus, a prominent fortress-builder, Luciano Laurana, from Dalmatia, was hired to build the substructure; but Laurana departed Urbino before the living quarters of the palace were begun. After Laurana, the designer or designers of the Ducal Palace are not known with certainty. Leading High Renaissance architect Donato Bramante was a native of Urbino and may have worked on the completion of the palace.

The Ducal Palace is famous as the setting of the conversations which Baldassare Castiglione represents as having taken place in the Hall of Vigils in 1507 in his Book of the Courtier.

The palace continued in use as a government building into the 20th century, housing municipal archives and offices, and public collections of antique inscriptions and sculpture (the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, see below). Restorations completed in 1985 have reopened the extensive subterranean network to visitors.

Harsh evening light proved problematic when at the summit of Glyder Fach, but a few opportune clouds gave us a narrow window to shoot the illuminated path to Glyder Fawr.

Crystal Springs Gardens is a lovely private garden in Portland, Oregon, which is a delighful place to view azealas and rhododendrons in the spring. Its many water features, including ponds and waterfalls, attract birds such as Canada Geese, Mallards, Wood Ducks, and Gadwalls, as well as many small birds. The parking lot is minuscule, so going on a weekend or when they have an event might be problematic. They charge a small admission fee, which to me was well worth it. Long exposure without a tripod...on a rock!

Oh, I felt so clever this morning when I used blue LED lights to illuminate these marbles but when I went to edit let's just say it proved to be more problematic that I anticipated. Also, I discovered this morning I somehow messed up my 50mm lens again, it won't focus - feeling a little blue about that :/.

I used my 85mm lens with my 36mm extension tube. The marbles are sitting on an I-pad. Happy Macro Monday - thanks for viewing my image.

Raccoons are exceptionally intelligent, exhibiting problem-solving skills, tool use, and complex memory comparable to some primates, surpassing even smart dogs in cognitive tests. Their high density of neurons, dextrous paws, and reliance on touch for manipulating objects contribute to their ability to learn, adapt, and creatively overcome obstacles like locks and latches. Studies have shown raccoons can learn complex tasks, remember solutions for years, and even use tools to achieve goals, though they remain wild animals that can become more problematic in human environments.

Raccoons are adept at finding creative solutions to challenges, such as opening containers, manipulating locks, and even navigating complex puzzle boxes.

Macey's was the target for our walk en-route to a photography store as my colleague needed film. New York is problematic in the way of you can't just go to a place and not encounter distractions. I had no idea where anything was in New York but they do find you and the last thing I expected walking up 34th street was the next building to be The Empire State. I was distracted, everything leading up to it was scrutinised, if it fit it was taken, all with this remarkable building, an icon of the Art Deco age standing tall as a backdrop. This image was no exception, it was my choice image for this day's shooting.

One of the many problematic Acela Avelia trainsets heads west to Olean for storage.

At first I was thinking Sooty Grouse, but maybe this gal is a Ruffled Grouse, particularly with that crest and tail band. I guess I won't grouse too much about not being sure of the species :) Obviously problematic lighting, but seeing these birds is a rare treat. We found this gal in the Eddys Mountains just to the west of the Shasta Valley.

The 105 to the other side.

I was advised by another photographer NOT to try semistand development with Fomapan, given the hybrid of the type of grain crystals of the film (not the 'old' like Tri-X, or the 'new' like Tmax) because I'd lose both contrast and sharpness...didn't understand that, so naturally I tried it. I didn't find I'd lost anything with either, but perhaps I just got lucky. The other shots on the roll weren't problematic, though. I agree that this is not a EI200 film; probably half that, realistically.

Of all the images that I’ve shot on Socotra, this one is probably the best example of the remarkable anatomy of the dragon blood tree. When you stand close to one and lookup is when you can really appreciate the dense canopy and the intricate structure of the branches. To me those branches actually look like the roots of the tree - it is as if someone has pulled the tree from the ground and put it back upside down

A fully grown tree of this size is estimated to be around 600-700 years old, which is also close to their maximum age.

The dragon blood trees on Socotra face several serious threats.

Climate change has resulted in much drier air and fewer days with fog and mist. Socotra is slowly drying out, but the trees need this moisture to survive.

Another threat is local farmers. More and more farmers on the island have goats that they let graze all over the island. Goats love the young dragon blood seedlings and eat most of them - the result is that there are no new dragon blood trees.

This is particularly problematic because climate change has led to more typhoons. Over the past couple of years, Socotra has been hit by several severe storms that have wiped out a considerable amount of dragon blood trees.

The locals drill holes in the trees to extract the crimson red resin that they use as medicine, paint, varnish, and makeup. Once a tree has many holes it has lost its ability to withstand strong winds. Also, insects can enter the tree through these holes and further weaken the tree from the inside.

All in all the future of the dragon blood looks grim, which is one of the reasons I wanted to visit the island sooner rather than later.

Socotra is a Unesco World Heritage Site, so some effort is taken to protect the vulnerable vegetation, but I’m afraid that it’s not enough. What is needed is a mentality change, trying to make the population aware of the precious fauna on their island, make them feel proud of what they have, and, ultimately, make them want to protect their natural heritage.

Awi Rabelista made a short documentary about my journey to Socotra and my quest for the dragon blood tree - you can watch it here: www.squiver.com/socotra

Marsel | squiver.com

Camera: Holga 135BC

Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400, rated @ ISO 800

Exposure: ca. 1/100 sec and f/8, hand-held

Film developed and scanned by Foto Brell, Bonn

Edited under Adobe Lightroom

Whether 35mm or medium format, you can use the Holgas as toy cameras and eagerly anticipate the results, or as serious cameras, like any high-quality classic camera. I prefer the classic approach. I've gotten used to the viewfinder parallax, and the film advance on the 35mm version works without overlap (I use 24-exposure film instead of 36-exposure). I cover the notoriously problematic areas with gaffer tape to prevent light leakage. I use the Holgas to achieve the typical look of the plastic lens: soft rendering of details in the center, a drop in sharpness towards the edges, vignetting, and color saturation in the case of color film. Not all subjects are suitable for this. But when it works, you get impressionistic, painterly images. Sharpness isn't everything in photography, and sometimes too much sharpness can be distracting. Reduced sharpness can downplay unimportant details, thus focusing attention on the essential elements. Sharp or soft reproductions are not mutually exclusive for me, but rather complementary approaches in photography.

In this case, I thought that the little Holga would be the appropriate recording tool for capturing the winter mood within the walls of a centuries-old castle ruin. The distinct softness results from the rendering of the plastic lens and the fog.

Thank you in advance for any likes or comments.

@artistryink_challenge prompt: Knitted Sweater.

Did you know the octopus mother can lay between a few dozen eggs to around 500,000 depending on the species? The male usually dies within a week or two of mating, while the female dies shortly after the eggs hatch. This can be problematic for the female trying to knit sweaters for all her offspring. Okay, octopuses don’t knit sweaters, but the rest of this trivia is true.

Sharpie Pen on Hahnemühle Collection Hot Press.

@Sharpie @hahnemuehle_global @Hahnemühle USA

#artistryinkchallengenovember2025

#artistryinkchallengeknittedSweater

From a recent trip to Wales, we stayed in New Brighton on the way back just to ease the pain of driving. Plus, I'd always wanted to see Liverpool. Unfortunately, many of the shots I had planned on this entire trip was scuppered by a broken TSE 24 that I only discovered was problematic upon arriving in Wales. So, no Welsh landscape images on this occasion, but I did manage to get a few long distance shots of Liverpool from across the Mersey.

The 24 is currently being repaired - fingers crossed.

5DSR + 70-300L

Na de prachtige tentoonstelling "4 Rijkscollecties & Hans op de Beeck" die ik vorig jaar in Amersfoort bezocht (link hier: www.flickr.com/photos/145400672@N02/albums/72177720316697... creëert beeldend kunstenaar Hans Op de Beeck voor "Nachtreis" die momenteel te zien is in het KMSKA in Antwerpen één groot, belevingsgericht parcours doorheen een fictief, mysterieus oord. Het is een soort raadselachtige, duistere evocatie van een verlaten nachtelijk park, waarin allerlei beelden van personages, stillevens, objecten, dieren, architecturale constructies en natuurelementen samenvloeien tot een bevreemdende wereld.

Meer info: kmska.be/nl/hans-op-de-beeck-nachtreis

'The Settlement (Indoor)' is een fictief paalwoningen dorp op schaal, een cluster van houten huisjes, aanlegsteigers, roeibootjes, vissersnetten en sprokkelhout, uitgevoert in zacht monochroom grijs. Het geheel is geïnstalleerd in een vijver van raadselachtig zwart water.

Het werk wordt gepresenteerd als een feeëriek nachttafelreel, waarbij kunstlicht uit de raampartijen en lichtslingers straalt en deienend reflecteert in het water.

Het dorp herinnert aan de geïmproviseerde huizen op het water zoals die voorkomen in eilandengroepen als de Filipijnen.

Hier versterkt de monochromie het gevoel dat dit een verlaten plek is, een stil nabeeld van wat ooit levendig en kleurrjk moet zijn geweest.

De kunstenaar stelt dat deze setting weliswaar kan doen dromen van een idyllisch bestaan, maar voor de mensen die daadwerkelijk op het water wonen, net dat water en de wisselende weeromstandigheden vaak uiterst uitdagend, problematisch en confronterend kunnen zijn.

Bron: Hans op de Beeck - Nachtreis (boekje beschikbaar op de tentoonstelling)

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Following the amazing exibition "4 Rijkscollecties & Hans op de Beeck" which I visited last year in Amersfoort, (link here: www.flickr.com/photos/145400672@N02/albums/72177720316697... for "Nocturnal Journey", which runs currently at Antwerp's KMSKA, Belgian artist Hans Op de Beeck creates one large, experiential trail through a fictional, mysterious place. It is a kind of enigmatic, dark evocation of a deserted nocturnal park, in which all kinds of images of characters, still lifes, objects, animals, architectural constructions and natural elements merge into a peculiar world.

More info: kmska.be/en/hans-op-de-beeck-nocturnal-journey

"The Settlement (Indoor)" is a scaled-down, fictional stilt-dwelling village, a cluster of wooden houses, jetties, rowboats, fishing nets, and brushwood, executed in soft, monochrome gray. The entire structure is installed in a pond of enigmatic black water.

The work is presented as a magical nightstand reel, with artificial light radiating from the windows and string lights, swaying and reflecting in the water.

The village is reminiscent of the improvised waterside dwellings found in archipelagos like the Philippines.

Here, the monochrome reinforces the sense of a deserted place, a silent afterglow of what must once have been vibrant and colorful.

The artist argues that while this setting may evoke dreams of an idyllic existence, for those who actually live on the water, it is precisely that water and its changing weather conditions that can often be extremely challenging, problematic, and confrontational.

Source: Hans op de Beeck - "Nocturnal Journey" (booklet available at the exhibition)

Have you ever sat on a hillside overlooking a small beautiful cove that runs into a deep blue sea 🌊 behind us, having a conversation with four Shelties….If not, I suggest that you ought to try it sometime….As it can be quite a rewarding experience….Ok, I agree that it can be a job getting a word in edgeways’ sometimes….But I like to think that I can be a good listener when put my mind to it, especially when the conversation is about Maysie having trouble getting her directions to her food bowl ever since she had a stroke last October leaving her head on the tilt and her brain has not come to terms with that and likes to thinks that her head is perfectly upright. Making her feeding a bit problematic, but no big deal as she coupes well….But Millie has come up with a solution to the problem by suggesting buying a much bigger food bowl for her to target into……And guess what….She saw one in a boutique shop on our way up here….But because it has pictures of dogs around it sold from a boutique shop, the price is £18 sterling……As I start to buck at the price, Halo stops me right there, saying that Millie Jazz and himself would raid the CraZyGang treat fund and empty their pockets and do whatever it takes to raise the £18 needed to buy the big food bowl for Maysie, which for once left her speechless with gratitude…..And yes this this is a true story, and did I not say those conversations with Shelties can be a very rewarding experience…Sigh…Oh yes indeed they can….