Proportion photos on Flickr

Sony A7RII Bishop California Fine Art Autumn Landscapes! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography! by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

Malibu Pier fine art!

Sony A7RII Malibu Pier Fine Art! Malibu Winter Beaches Seashore Fine Art Landscape Sunsets: Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography

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Sony A7R2 Bishop California Fine Art Autumn Landscapes! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography!

Been busy traveling and shooting landscapes and working on my books The Golden Hero's Odyssey about the golden rectangle and divine proportion I use in a lot of my compositions! Also working on my physics book on Dynamic Dimensions Theory! The equation dx4/dt=ic is on a lot of the 45surf swimsuit and shirts and all! :)

Follow me & 45surf!!

Pretty Hero's Odyssey Mythology Swimsuit Bikini Model! Greek Goddess! by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

My fine art landscape lenses for the A7RII are the Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens and the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens ! Love the Carl Zeiss and super sharp Sony Glass!

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Pretty ballerina model!

Pretty Hero's Odyssey Mythology Greek Goddesses! 45SURF goddesses are the perfect blend of Artemis, Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite! Of Venus, Minerva, and Ares, Demeter, and Nike!

Pretty Hero's Odyssey Mythology Swimsuit Bikini Model! Greek Goddess!

All of the new Gold 45 Revolver(TM) and 45SURF(R) logos and designs are inspired by the golden number phi and divine proportion! Just as my landscapes oft employ the golden rectangle and fibonacci spiral in composition, all the bikinis, shirts, and lingerie designs are made with the golden section and gold number Phi (1.618) in mind! The golden grids, rectangles, pentagons, and spirals make a far better system for compositions than does the rule of thirds! And too, the golden mean and divine proportion are found in every model--in her pretty face and in the divine proportions of the 45surf goddess's heavenly body! I'm working on a book on all this beautitful craziness in fine art landscapes and models called The Golden Hero's Odyssey, which also ties it to my physics theory Dynamic Dimenions theory (dx4/dt=ic). :)

More of the epic Greek goddess bikini swimsuit models on instagram!

I have been traveling around in Zion, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and Bryce Canyon! Will share soon! :)

ALL THE BEST on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!

Follow me & 45surf!!

Pretty Blond Swimsuit Bikini Mddel Goddess Nikon D800 AF-S NIKKOR by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

Beautiful Swimsuit Bikini Surfer Girl Athletic Model Goddess ! Sexy, hot, tall, thin, tan,toned, tan, and fit!

Working on a photography book too--Hero's Odyssey Photography! It focuses on my greatest hits while telling the tsory behind each one, thusly teaching how to shoot epic landscapes, ballerinas, and models!

All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey!

45SURF! Celebrating epic, heroic poetry, classic goddess beauty and the classical soul! Shakespeare, Homer's Iliad & Odyssey, and Moby Dick!

divided in proportion by Marc R. A.

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schwäbische alb

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Pretty Blond Swimsuit Bikini Mddel Goddess Nikon D800 AF-S NIKKOR

Beautiful Swimsuit Bikini Surf Girl Model!

More on instagram!

I have been traveling around in Zion and Bryce Canyon! Will share soon! :)

Well, you asked for the full set of the gorgeous bikini swimsuit model goddess, and here it is!

ALL THE BEST on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!

Been busy traveling and shooting landscapes and working on my book The Golden Hero's Odyssey about the golden rectangle and divine proportion which apears throughout classical art and architecture and which I use in a lot of my compositions! Also working on my physics book on Dynamic Dimensions Theory! The equation dx4/dt=ic is on a lot of the 45surf swimsuits and shirts and all! :)

Follow me & 45surf!!

45EPIC Zion National Park Fine Art Landscapes: Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape and Nature Photography! Zion Autmn Colors and Fall Foliage! by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

Beautiful Swimsuit Bikini Surfer Girl Athletic Model Goddess ! Sexy, hot, tall, thin, tan,toned, tan, and fit!

Working on a photography book too--Hero's Odyssey Photography! It focuses on my greatest hits while telling the tsory behind each one, thusly teaching how to shoot epic landscapes, ballerinas, and models!

All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey!

45SURF! Celebrating epic, heroic poetry, classic goddess beauty and the classical soul! Shakespeare, Homer's Iliad & Odyssey, and Moby Dick!

Body proportion by Karen Li

In Proportion by Mike Molnar

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CN L549 makes a seesaw move after working LC Howard Warehouse in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Seesawing is a switch move where the locomotive is in-between two cuts of cars. It often happens in tight industrial areas, or when there is not enough room or nowhere to run around the train in order to work facing and trailing point switches which was the case here. The GT caboose was a nice touch and in surprisingly great shape.

Train: CN L549 with CN 5258 (SD40-2W).

Kalamazoo, MI

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45EPIC Zion National Park Fine Art Landscapes: Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape and Nature Photography! Zion Autmn Colors and Fall Foliage!

Zion National Park Fine Art Landscapes: Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape and Nature Photography!

Hiking the Zion Narrows and the Zion Subway! Shooting Paradise Cove and Archangel Falls! The Zion National Park autumn is most beautiful!

Greetings flickr fans! Many more uploads soon! I have been busy writing, traveling, and shooting! I finished my books on the Tao of Epic Landscape Photography and the Golden Number Ratio Principle! I oft incorporate the golden ratio in my landscape compositions, and you'll also see it in the design and proportion of the 45surf clothes and surfboard and gun logos (More golden ratio information at my facebook page facebook.com/goldennumberratio). Message me on facebook for free review copies of my books here: facebook.com/mcgucken ! :)

I'm working on a book on photographing epic goddesses too! What should I title it? :)

facebook.com/goldennumberratio

Full titles: The Tao of Epic Landscape Photography: Exalt Fine Art with the Yin-Yang Wisdom of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching.

And: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean !

I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them! :)

Enjoy the epic landscape and goddess and photography and note the golden ratio overlays in some of the photos, as well as the golden ratio in the Birth of Venus painting by Botticelli!

I've been on the road shooting landscapes in Zion, Yosemite, the Eastern Sierras, Big Sur, and more!

Many of you have seen my physics formula dx4/dt=ic for Light Time Dimension Theory on a lot of the 45surf clothing and in the fine art landscape logos. I finally finished the first book of many on the foundations of photography's best friend--light:

Light Time Dimension Theory: The Foundational Physics Unifying Einstein's Relativity and Quantum Mechanics.

All the best on your epic hero's odyssey!

Follow me! instagram.com/mcgucken

Philippines - Bohol Island - Jedi Yoda from Star Wars alias One of the Smallest Known Primates - Philippine Tarsier by Lucie Debelkova

Was so fortunate to be able to photograph the epic Zion glow this year in the Narows and Zion National Park!

Proportion work... by Britishbricks

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by Peggy J Hughes

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“There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.”

~ Francis Bacon, Sr.

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Join me @ Facebook | Twitter | 500px | Instagram | YouTube

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The Philippine tarsier, (Tarsius syrichta) is very peculiar small animal. In fact it is one of the smallest known primates, no larger than a adult men's hand. Mostly active at night, it lives on a diet of insects. Folk traditions sometimes has it that tarsiers eat charcoal, but actually they retrieve the insects from (sometimes burned) wood. It can be found in the islands of Samar, Leyte, Bohol, and Mindanao in the Philippines.

The Philippine tarsier is a tiny animal, measuring about 85 to 160 millimetres (3.35 to 6.30 in) in height makes this one of the smallest primates. The small size makes it difficult to spot. The mass for males is between 80 and 160 grams, usually lighter for females. The average adult is about the size of a human fist and will fit very comfortably in the human hand. Like all tarsiers, the Philippine tarsier's eyes are fixed in its skull; they cannot turn in their sockets. Instead, a special adaptation in the neck allows its round head to be rotated 180 degrees. The large membranous ears are mobile, appearing to be almost constantly moving, allowing the tarsier to hear any movement. It has uniquely large eyes, the largest eyes on any mammal in proportion to its body size. These huge eyes provide this nocturnal animal with excellent night vision.

"The world's smallest monkey" is an often heard slogan. However, it is not a monkey. In truth, its classification is somewhat problematic. Some scientists consider tarsiers to be a taxonomic suborder among the primates. While, because they are closely related to lemurs, lorises and bushbabies, others classify them with the prosimians to which these animals belong. Monkeys and apes belong to the suborder of anthropoids.

One way or the other, it is incredibly cute little animal and for me it will always be animal incaration of Jedi Yoda from the Star Wars.

Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM; Focal length: 200.00 mm; Aperture: 4.0; Exposure time: 1/60 s; ISO: 2000

All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.

Blue Proportion 08 by Miss StrangeLove

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（Leica x Swire x LEAP）

cobb vanth speeder 1 by Blue dat raptor

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I try to make my own cobb vanth speeder. Didn't try to be so much realistic but more beeffy and colorness but still on good proportion for minifig.

Rüstem Pasha Mosque Vertorama by Scott McLeod

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The Rüstem Pasha Mosque (Rüstem Paşa Camii, 1560) in Istanbul's Eminönü district by the Golden Horn, is among the city's architectural gems—yet seen by few foreign visitors. Although small, it is beautifully proportioned and the interior is covered in some of the most exquisite İznik faience (colored tiles) ever produced. The tiles, made at the height of Iznik's supremacy, have a good deal of the famous red color that was the envy of other tilemakers (blue, yellow, white and green were easy colors to produce, but red was extraordinarily difficult.)

Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

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One of the keys to shooting Epic Landscape Photography is exalting the photograph's soul via golden ratio compositions, thusly wedding the photographic art to the divine proportion by which life itself was designed and exalted.

Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies!

Greetings flickr friends! I am working on several books on "epic photography," and I recently finished a related one titled: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean . Message me on facebook for a free review copy!

www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1812448512351066.107374...

The Golden Ratio also informs the design of the golden revolver on all the swimsuits and lingerie, as well as the 45surf logo!

The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after. Robust, ordered growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in nature’s elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which all their vital sustenance and they themselves had been created—the golden ratio.

Ansel Adams is not only my favorite photographer, but he is one of the greatest photographers and artists of all time. And just like great artists including Michelangelo, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Botticelli, and Picasso, Ansel used the golden ratio and divine proportions in his epic art.

Not so long ago I discovered golden regions in many of his famous public domain his 8x10 aspect ratio photographs. I call these golden harmony regions "regions of golden action" or "ROGA"S, as seen here:

And too, I created some videos highlighting Ansel's use of the golden harmonies. Enjoy!

Sony A7RII Bryce Canyon & Zion National Park Autumn Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscapes by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

More golden ratio and epic photography composition books soon! Best wishes for the Holiday Season! Dr. Elliot McGucken :)

Alleys and Arches, Essaouira, Morocco by David & Bonnie

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Essaouira is a city in the western Moroccan economic region Marrakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast. In the Berber language, which is spoken by a sizeable proportion of the city's inhabitants, it is called "Taṣṣort", meaning 'the small fortress'. Until the 1960s, Essaouira was generally known by its Portuguese name, Mogador.

Archaeological research shows that Essaouira has been occupied since prehistoric times. The bay at Essaouira is partially sheltered by the island of Mogador, making it a peaceful harbor protected against strong marine winds.

Essaouira has long been considered as one of the best anchorages of the Moroccan coast. The Carthaginian navigator Hanno visited in the 5th century BC and established the trading post of Arambys.

Around the end of the 1st century BCE or early 1st century CE, the Berber king Juba II established a Tyrian purple factory, processing the murex and purpura shells found in the intertidal rocks at Essaouira and the Iles Purpuraires. This dye colored the purple stripe in the togas worn by the Senators of Imperial Rome.

A Roman villa was excavated on Mogador island. A Roman vase was found as well as coinage from the 3rd century CE. Most of the artifacts are now visible in the Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah Museum and the Rabat Archaeological Museum.

In 1506, the king of Portugal, D. Manuel I, ordered a fortress to be built, named Castelo Real de Mogador. The fortress of Castelo Real of Mogador fell to the local resistance of the Regraga fraternity four years after its establishment, in 1510.

During the 16th century, powers including Spain, England, the Netherlands and France tried in vain to conquer the locality. Essaouira remained a haven for the export of sugar and molasses and as an anchorage for pirates.

Present city of Essaouira was built during the mid-eighteenth century by the Moroccan King, Mohammed III, who tried to reorient his kingdom toward the Atlantic for increased exchanges with European powers, choosing Mogador as his key location. One of his objectives was to establish a harbor at the closest possible point to Marrakesh. The other was to cut off trade from Agadir in the south, which had been favouring a political rival of Mohammed III, and the inhabitants of Agadir were forced to relocate to Essaouira.

For 12 years, Mohammed III directed a French engineer, Théodore Cornut, and several other European architects and technicians to build the fortress and city along modern lines. Originally called "Souira" ("the small fortress"), the name became "Es-Saouira" ("the beautifully designed").

Mohammed III took numerous steps to encourage the development of Essaouira including closing off the harbour of Agadir to the south in 1767 so that southern trade could be redirected through Essaouira. European communities in the northern harbour of Rabat-Salé were ordered to move to Essaouira through an ordinance of 21 January 1765.

From the time of its rebuilding by Muhammad III until the end of the nineteenth century, Essaouira served as Morocco's principal port, offering the goods of the caravan trade to the world. The route brought goods from sub-Saharan Africa to Timbuktu, then through the desert and over the Atlas mountains to Marrakesh. The road from Marrakesh to Essaouira is a straight line, explaining the king's choice of this port among the many others along the Moroccan coast.

Gawler. Old 19th century general store and residence from the 1860s still in use. by denisbin

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The origins of Gawler are unique in SA. When the Special Surveys of 1839 were offered for those with £4,000 to select 4,000 acres in an area of the person’s choice, a group of farming settlers who had voyaged out together on the ship the Orleana clubbed together to purchase a Special Survey at the junction of the North and South Para Rivers. Those settlers were John Reid, Henry Dundas Murray, E. Jerningham, Stephen King, William Porter, Patrick Tod, James Fotheringham, John Patterson, Thomas Stubbs, John Sutton, Robert Tod and the Reverend Howard. You will see many of these names on the street signs of Church Hill. These pioneering men came to a strict agreement and each donated a certain number of acres for the township of Gawler (named after the Governor of the day) in proportion to the total number of acres they had purchased from the 4,000 acres. Most of this group purchased around 300 acres and donated 7½ acres for the town and parklands but John Reid, Henry Murray, E Jerningham and

Stephen King purchased between 530 and 932 acres each. Hence the main street of Gawler is Murray Street. John Reid was the first to settle in the town and built a house called Clonlea. Stephen King built his sandstone mansion, Kingsford along the North Para a couple of miles out of Gawler. It was used for the TV series McLeod’s Daughters but is now an upmarket bed and breakfast establishment. Some of the others from this Special Survey appear to have sold their land and moved on quickly rather than settling in the emerging township. Fotheringham stayed and set up the town’s first brewery.

Social aspects and a sense of civic pride were always strong in Gawler. It was remarkable that in 1859 this small “gateway to the north” sponsored a competition for a national song to be conducted by the Institute Committee. As we all know Mrs Caroline Carleton won the competition. The Song of Australia was sung in all SA primary schools and was one of the options voted upon for the new national anthem in the 1970s. The music for the song was written by German born Carl Linger and the lyrics and music were first presented in the Gawler Oddfellows Hall in December 1859. The town also offered a prize for a written history of SA in 1861. Henry Hussey won that award. Also in 1859 the township opened the first museum in SA. At one time Mr Schomburgk, who later became Director of the Botanic Gardens, was the curator of this museum. Gawler also formed the Humbug Society in 1859 to consider social and political issues of the day and in 1863 the town established its own newspaper, which is still published, called the Bunyip. In later years it was unique in building so many steam railway engines that were used in SA or exported for use in other states.

Six Mansions of the Gawler District.

1. Kingsford House. Stephen King was one of the first settlers of Gawler having come out to SA with other locals on the ship the Orleana. He was a participant in the Gawler Special Survey with 532 rural acres and 13 town acres of land. He “donated” his town acres to the town. He soon had over 3,000 sheep on his rural land and he established the first flourmill in Gawler. Business was good and in 1856 he designed a Gothic and Georgian sandstone residence befitting of relatively wealthy pastoralist with town business interests. His first dwelling still exists on the property too. The interior has slate floors and red cedar skirtings, staircase, architraves etc. A large cellar is beneath the house. John McDouall Stuart stayed here before he set off on his grand explorations to the north of Australia in 1861. Later in the 1860s King sold the property to John Howard Angas of Collingrove. The Angas family held the property until 1924. Tom Fotheringham a descendant of another of those who funded the Gawler Special Survey acquired the property in the mid-20th century and held it for many years. After a succession of owners it was purchased by Channel Nine for the setting of the TV series McCloud’s Daughters. It was sold in 2009 and has become a luxury boutique hotel resort.

2. Yattalunga House. Where did the name for the district and stunning Georgian sandstone house come from? It is from two local Aboriginal Peramangk words, “yattala” meaning waterfall or cascade and “unga” meaning place? Clearly the site was very important to the Peramangk people as the caves on the South Para River below the house contain Aboriginal cave art dating back thousands of years. These cave paintings of birds and other symbols were discovered in 1902. Yattalunga house is a fine two storey Georgian sandstone house built in 1851 according to the National Trust. In its day it was the largest house outside of Adelaide and locally known as “Butler’s Folly.” The first owner Phillip Butler arrived in SA in 1838. He certainly had his first child born at Yattalunga in 1850 and other children were born there in the 1850s. In 1854 Phillip’s brother Richard Butler also arrived in SA with his family and started farming at Yattalunga. It appears the families of both Richard senior and Phillip were raised at Yattalunga. Phillip returned to England in the late 1850s but after his wife died in England in 1862 he returned to Yattalunga and remarried in Gawler in 1863. Phillip returned permanently to England in 1873 and it appears that part of the Yattalunga property passed to Richard Butler senior and his heirs with the mansion eventually going to the Barritt family. This probably occurred around 1900. Richard’s most famous son, Richard Butler, later Sir Richard Butler (1850-1925) was born in England in 1850. He farmed at Mallala and at his uncle’s property of Yattalunga in the 1870s. In 1890 he won a seat in the SA parliament for the electorate of Yatala which covered the district of Yattalunga. He became a government minister, including Treasurer, and later Premier in 1905 but for many years he was the Leader of the Opposition. His political career ended in 1919. In 1899 he moved his place of abode from Yattalunga to Adelaide. Sir Richard’s second son Richard Layton Butler, later Sir Richard, also became Premier of SA. He was born at Yattalunga in 1885 and worked for his father’s stock and station supply firm Butler, Shannon & Co for some years at Hamley Bridge. He entered parliament in 1915. He was Premier of SA from 1927-30 and again from 1933-38. Some land at Yattalunga was still owned by members of the Butler family in 1947, namely Colonel Charles Butler, but since 1901 the Butlers did their farming at Mallala and Francis Barritt and family took over the grand house of Yattalunga.

3. Para Para House. Walter Duffield the flour miller moved to Gawler in 1847 and bought his first flourmill the Victoria Mill. In 1863 he purchased the Union flour mill and others in country towns like Port Pirie, Snowtown and Wallaroo. High prices for flour in the 1850s (flour was sent to the Victorian goldfields) made him a wealthy man. He commissioned local and Adelaide architect Daniel Garlick to design a grand mansion beside the Gawler River. Garlick was a master of Greek classical architecture. The property was purchased in 1851 and the mansion completed in 1862. The magnificent interior is dominated by a large circular vestibule with an encircling upstairs gallery and motifs and designs painted on the inside walls and doors. Beneath this circular balcony is the ballroom. Para Para contains about 22 rooms. Governor Dominic Daly attended the first Duffield party in the house. Many more social functions and garden parties for local charities and events were held at Para Para. Although Walter Duffield died in 1882 the house remained in his family until 1924. It was then tenanted by the new owner until 1940 when it was proposed for demolition because of its parlous state of repair. But fortunately for SA Leslie Cork purchased it and set about restoring this grand house and the rare (for SA) interior wall decorations which are similar to those in Ayers House. Son Frank Cork inherited the property in 1965 and continued the painstaking restoration work. The property was sold in 1992 and has had several owners since. Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh stayed in Para Para in 1867 on his visit to SA. Some claim it is haunted from the days when it was vacant and being vandalised.

4. Holland House. See notes under Rosedale.

5. Trevu House. The first owner of this gracious house was James Martin, the uncle of John Martin who eventually took over his Phoenix Foundry. Trevu was built around 1860 although some sources erroneously state that it was built in 1866. James Martin had arrived in Gawler in 1848 and set up a blacksmithing business. By 1860 his Phoenix Foundry was operating but he did not begin smelting iron until 1871. As early as 1851 he was employing 30 men in his foundry. So by 1860 he was already a leading light of Gawler and a wealthy businessman who could afford to build a grand house. He was the Mayor from 1861 to 1864 and again in the 1870s and 1880s. His business expanded in 1858 after the railway reached Gawler from Adelaide thus expanding his potential market. He first entered state parliament in 1865. When he died in 1899 Trevu House was sold to the Taylor family who lived there until the 1950s after which time it had numerous owners. In 1976 it became a nursing home and is still used for that purpose but with different owners these days. In 1982 six housing blocks were sold off from the original property and gardens and the house was extensively renovated and restored by 2003.

6. Martindale House. Up behind the foundry is Martindale House the final home of John Martin the nephew who inherited the Phoenix Foundry in 1899. The rear part of Martindale House was built in 1872 for a local chemist in a Mediterranean style with an arcaded rear porch, flat roof and with two storeys. The front half was built for John Martin in 1895. It is a typical grand house of Calton Hill as all the wealthy of Gawler liked to build on the hill for its views over the plains. John Martin built an Italianate style house with good symmetry, two storeys, a grand external staircase to the entrance, wrought iron veranda posts and magnificent wrought iron urns from the Phoenix Foundry. Emily Martin was born in the house in 1884. In 1905 she married Henry Dutton of Anlaby in the garden of Martindale House. In 1966 Martindale became a nursing home.

Some Major Buildings of Gawler.

1. John McKinley Memorial. John McKinley (1819-1872) arrived in SA in 1851 and took up pastoral runs with James Pile of Gawler. In 1861 he was chosen to lead the SA Edmund Burke Relief Expedition. The giant 6 ‘4 “ tall McKinley set out with his men, animals and high hopes. He found Burke’s Dig Tree on Cooper’s Creek then he led his expedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria. With Aboriginal help he eventually returned to Bowen in north QLD. On arrival back in Adelaide he was given a £1,000 reward and in Gawler he was feted as a hero, which he was, for he never lost any of his men. He married Pile’s daughter in St. George’s Anglican Church in 1863 and died in Gawler in 1872. The McKinley Monument was opened in 1874. His portrait hangs in the Institute Reading Room.

2. Albion Mill Grind Stone. The Albion flour mill was erected here in 1868 by James Dawson. It was a three storey domed structure. The milling company went into liquidation in 1893. On the same site the Albion Chaff factory operated from 1894 by Howell and Knox thus replacing the flour mill. When the chaff mill closed the Gawler produce and livestock markets operated from this site until the Coles shopping centre was built in the 1990s. At that time one of the original eight stone grinding stones from the flour milling days was unearthed.

3. Free Presbyterian Church and Light Square. Colonlel Light planned for the Church of Scotland to stand in the middle of Light Square. But the local Presbyterians were members of the Free Presbyterian Church not the traditional Church of Scotland. The owners of the Gawler Special Survey refused to donate land for a Free Presbyterian Church in Light Square so it was left vacant. This blue stone Free Prebsyterian Church was built in 1855. It is unusual with its square tower above the main entrance. Look along the sides to see the original stone work where it is not cement rendered.

4. Old Bushman Inn. The first hotel built here by Robert Robertson in 1840 was a wattle and daub structure. In the 1850s it was replaced. You can see parts of this building at the rear of the Bushman’s Hotel. The two storey building you can see was built in the 1870s. The 1850s part of the hotel is said to have accommodated John McDouall Stuart during one of his expeditions northward. The building is Italianate in style and is dominated by the balcony with its cast iron balustrade, frieze and paired cast iron columns. This lacework probably came from the nearby Eagle Foundry.

5. Congregational Church, now a private residence. The first Congregational Church here constructed of blue stone and red brick quoins was built in 1851. Note the pretty rounded windows and doorway. It is said the congregation disappeared as it opened when news of the Victoria gold finds reached the town. Even the minister fled to Victoria! A second larger church was opened just ten years later (1861) in traditional Gothic style with arched windows, buttresses and a steep pitched slate roof. It has an unusual narrow clock tower and spire but with no clocks ever installed. The end wall has a pretty triple pained Gothic stained glass window. The building beside the 1851 church was opened in 1912 as a kindergarten/Sunday school room. Note the fine property wall with the half round bricks so common in the Church Hill heritage area and the fine wrought iron gates. Walter Duffield the wealthy flour miller worshipped here.

6. Anglican Manse, 21 Cowan Street. The Anglican parsonage was built around 1850 with funds (£674) raised by the congregation plus a government grant of £150. It remained the parsonage for over 100 years. Note the hitching post.

7. Old Court House, 23 Cowan Street. 19th Century Court Houses were designed to look impressive and engender respect for the law. This one was built in 1881. The first magistrate was a local lawyer John Rudall. The Rann government committed a gross act of vandalism when it ignored the heritage zoning of this area and demolished the old police station and erected the only new structure in this area in 2005. It is sympathetic in style but unnecessary as the new station could have been sited elsewhere. Police were stationed here from 1846 onwards.

8. Zion Lutheran Church Offices. Some old buildings from the 1870s and 1880s were acquired by the Lutheran church and converted into the Zion Kindergarten and Lutheran Study Centre.

9. St. George’s Anglican Church Hall. The well-endowed Anglicans of Gawler erected a church hall in 1866. The façade that you can see today dates from the 1920s. Look down the side and see where the stone work and brick work change. An Anglican school operated on the northern side of the church until the public one opened in 1877.

10. St. George’s Anglican Church and Orleana Square. The Anglicans formed their congregation in 1845 and opened their first church on this site in 1848. Governor Gawler attended the opening service and donated a silver chalice for the communion services. The government had contributed £150 towards the cost of this building and glebe lands for the rectory, parish hall and Anglican School. The church that we see was opened in 1858, with the nave opening in 1864 and the transept in 1885 and the tower in 1909. It is built of local bluestone, sandstone quoins and a slate roof. Among the many notable worshippers were the Reid family, the Fotheringham family- both Special Survey land holders, the Warrens of Mt Crawford, and the Butlers of Yattalunga, One Tree Hill. The church makes a grand statement about the importance of Anglicanism. The Anglican cemetery is on the edge of the town in the east where 4 acres of land was purchased for £55 in 1861.

11. St. Peters and St. Pauls Catholic Church. The first Catholic Church was built on this site in 1850. The church was built with a government grant of £50 for the church and £150 for the presbytery. In 1877 a group of Benedictine Fathers were stationed in the Gawler parish. In 1881 they were replaced by Carmelite Fathers who worked towards a new grand Catholic church for Gawler. The new structure was opened in 1898 in red brick and local bluestone. The Romanesque style church was erected with two dominant towers on each corner of the façade. The towers are six sided. The brick work on the towers and the church is excellent and reminiscent of German influence according to some. The façade windows are rounded in Romanesque style, the front arches are thick and broad and not Gothic in style.

12. Former Catholic Presbytery, 1 Parnell Square. The Catholic Presbytery was built in 1857 and then enlarged in 1865. Priests have served the church here from 1857 onwards. Father Fallon of Koonunga had looked after the first Gawler Church from Koonunga between 1852-57. It is built of bluestone with brick quoins and timber veranda posts.

13. Catholic School now Parish Hall and Convent. The first Catholic School started in Gawler in 1867 at the back of the Presbytery. It was run by the Sisters of St. Joseph. In 1882 a new school building was opened on the corner of Cowan and Porter Streets. The Sisters of the Good Samaritan took over the school in 1902 when it had around 120 pupils. Note the “tear drop” window in the gable end of the stucco building. The school was relocated in 1971 and the old school is now the Parish Hall. Across the street is the two storey 1910 convent which the Sisters of the Good Samaritan had built. It was sold off as a private residence around 1971.

14. Gawler Primary School. This impressive bluestone school was built two years after the Free, Compulsory and Secular Education Act of 1875. The old school has a belfry and it cost nearly £5,000 and was designed for 600 pupils. In the 1950s the government closed off parts of Parnell Square to make larger playing grounds for the primary school destroying the concept of the square. Thus the Catholic Church is no longer sitting in the middle of Parnell Square as originally planned. Gawler Primary was one of the first Model Schools in SA.

15. Tortola House. This architectural gem of Gawler is built in the Venetian Gothic style with polychrome brick work (multi-coloured bricks). The detailing is superb- look at the brick patterns beneath the upper windows. Some say the yellow bricks were imported from Italy but that is unlikely. It is unique in SA. The wrought iron fence came from Mays Foundry near the Gawler Rail Station. William Wincey, a local timber merchant built the house around 1872. He had eight children living in this house and he was for a time Mayor of Gawler. When he died in 1894 the house was sold on to Alfred May who kept it for a few years. The Methodist Church bought the house as a manse in 1912 for £1,000.

16. Tod Street Methodist Church. William Wincey was a devout Methodist and also a generous benefactor of the Wesleyan Methodists in Gawler as he helped them erect the beautiful Tod Street Methodist Church in 1869. Note the symmetry of the faced and the four narrow Gothic windows above the main entrance and the rose window above them. It is a lofty structure and originally had a slate roof.

17. The original Tod Street Methodist Church 1850 and 1858. The Wesleyan Methodists opened their first church in Gawler in 1850 but the first services were conducted, in people’s homes from 1846. The first full time minister for Gawler was appointed to this early church in 1853. This first chapel is now painted white. Look carefully at the stone wall facing Tod Street. The tear drop gable window above the triple narrow Gothic window is all part of the transept which was added to the original chapel in 1858. It shows how fine stone work with brick quoins was financially possible by 1858. The two storey Sunday school class rooms were added onto this 1858 church in 1875.

18. Statue of James Martin on the river bank. This is a picturesque spot with the South Para River, Goose Island to the right and the avenue of majestic Moreton Bay Fig trees planted in the 1870s. James Martin (1821-99) opened his first foundry in Gawler in 1848 providing blacksmithing services and wagons. He expanded greatly with foundries in Gladstone and Quorn for his agricultural implements, strippers (he had worked with John Ridley before he settled in Gawler) etc. He became Mayor of Gawler and a politician in the lower and upper houses in Adelaide. His home was called Trevu in Deland Avenue (it is now a nursing home.) He married three times and when he died he left his property to his son but the Phoenix Foundry business to his nephew, John Martin. James Martin started smelting iron from the Barossa Valley at his Phoenix Foundry in 1871, the first iron production in SA. Martin had only acquired the acres of land off Calton Road in 1871. By 1873 he employed 95 men and his strippers and implements were going all over the state. His foundry was completed by 1880 when his nephew James joined him in a partnership. The May brothers started work at the foundry in 1874 and with their engineering skills the foundry began production of mining equipment. The May brothers left James Martin in 1885 to establish their own foundry but in 1888 James Martin got a government contract to build 52 steam locomotives. The first steam train rolled off the production line in 1890. The 1890s were the heyday of the Phoenix foundry. It occupied over 18 acres, employed around 700 men, and made annual turnovers of £150,000. After James Martin died in 1899 the SA government started making their own railway engines at their Islington works and the May Brothers Foundry had also expanded and taken business from the Phoenix Foundry. In 1907 the business went into liquidation and was taken over by John Martin’s son-in-law, Henry Dutton of Anlaby who had married John’s daughter. Dutton got government contracts again for railway engines and rail carriages for stock. When Dutton died in 1914 the business was purchased by Perry Engineering. Perry lost the government railway contracts and the foundry closed in 1928. Today the Phoenix Foundry is a Target shopping centre. That is great as it had languished for sixty years.

4

Well I was shooting fall colors in Zion National PArk when I saw that they had forecast snow for Bryce Canyon, so instead of heading back to LA, I headed out to Bryce Canyon! And I was treated to snow, sun, clouds, snowstorm, and then a glorious sunrise over the s-capped hoo-doos in Bryce! :)

Sony A7RII Bryce Canyon & Zion National Park Autumn Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscapes

Been busy traveling and shooting landscapes and working on my books The Golden Hero's Odyssey about the golden rectangle and divine proportion I use in a lot of my compositions! Also working on my physics book on Dynamic Dimensions Theory! The equation d4/dt=ic is on a lot of the 45surf swimsuit and shirts and all! :)

Follow me & 45surf!!

Sony A7RII Photos of Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography on Walls & in Galleries: Sony 16-35mm Vario- Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

My fine art landscape lenses for the A7RII are the Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens and the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens ! Love the Carl Zeiss and super sharp Sony Glass!

Transformers Age of Extinction- Scorn by aranobilis98

29 14

Surprise! I bet this was totally unexpected from the wip picture. Anyways here is dinobot Scorn from the fairly recent Age of Extinction movie. (I thought the movie was the best out of the 4.) The color is fairly accurate and it gives him a rusty effect. Yea the dinobots also had a greenish tinge but I could not find good lego color to match it.

Robot mode- I had to make a few changes from the toy's design. Using the dino head for the other arm looked out of proportion and it never looked like that in the movie. So I made the head move to the back.

Dino mode- Scorn is a robotic spinosaurus. My favorite out of the 2 mode. Some proportions may be off but otherwise very good. The hardest part was getting everything fairly symmetric in this mode. The spines on his back just like the toy are a little inaccurate to how they were in the movie (they were spread out like a porcupine) I couldn't really do this because I would be tough to figure out where they individually go in robot mode and plus the real spinosaurus' spines aren't like that. Scorn is also the largest of the dinobots in the movie.

The funny thing is that Scorn was going to be the most accurate of the dinobots compared to their real life counterparts until after a few months after AOE was released when the Spinosaurus' morphology was completely revised.

Transformation- Check out the video in my photostream!

1

Been busy traveling and shooting landscapes and working on my books The Golden Hero's Odyssey about the golden rectangle and divine proportion I use in a lot of my compositions! Also working on my physics book on Dynamic Dimensions Theory! The equation dx4/dt=ic is on a lot of the 45surf swimsuit and shirts and all! :)

Follow me & 45surf!!

45EPIC Zion National Park Fine Art Landscapes: Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape and Nature Photography! Zion Autmn Colors and Fall Foliage! by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

My fine art landscape lenses for the A7RII are the Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens and the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens ! Love the Carl Zeiss and super sharp Sony Glass!

Sony A7RII Photos of Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography on Walls & in Galleries: Sony 16-35mm Vario- Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount

3

45EPIC Zion National Park Fine Art Landscapes: Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape and Nature Photography! Zion Autmn Colors and Fall Foliage!

Zion National Park Fine Art Landscapes: Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape and Nature Photography!

Hiking the Zion Narrows and the Zion Subway! Shooting Paradise Cove and Archangel Falls! The Zion National Park autumn is most beautiful!

Greetings flickr fans! Many more uploads soon! I have been busy writing, traveling, and shooting! I finished my books on the Tao of Epic Landscape Photography and the Golden Number Ratio Principle! I oft incorporate the golden ratio in my landscape compositions, and you'll also see it in the design and proportion of the 45surf clothes and surfboard and gun logos (More golden ratio information at my facebook page facebook.com/goldennumberratio). Message me on facebook for free review copies of my books here: facebook.com/mcgucken ! :)

I'm working on a book on photographing epic goddesses too! What should I title it? :)

facebook.com/goldennumberratio

Full titles: The Tao of Epic Landscape Photography: Exalt Fine Art with the Yin-Yang Wisdom of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching.

And: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean !

I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them! :)

Enjoy the epic landscape and goddess and photography and note the golden ratio overlays in some of the photos, as well as the golden ratio in the Birth of Venus painting by Botticelli!

I've been on the road shooting landscapes in Zion, Yosemite, the Eastern Sierras, Big Sur, and more!

Many of you have seen my physics formula dx4/dt=ic for Light Time Dimension Theory on a lot of the 45surf clothing and in the fine art landscape logos. I finally finished the first book of many on the foundations of photography's best friend--light:

Light Time Dimension Theory: The Foundational Physics Unifying Einstein's Relativity and Quantum Mechanics.

All the best on your epic hero's odyssey!

Follow me! instagram.com/mcgucken

Sony A7RII Bishop California Fine Art Autumn Landscapes! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography! by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

Was so fortunate to be able to photograph the epic Zion glow this year in the Narows and Zion National Park!

5

Sony A7R2 Bishop California Fine Art Autumn Landscapes! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography!

Been busy traveling and shooting landscapes and working on my books The Golden Hero's Odyssey about the golden rectangle and divine proportion I use in a lot of my compositions! Also working on my physics book on Dynamic Dimensions Theory! The equation dx4/dt=ic is on a lot of the 45surf swimsuit and shirts and all! :)

Follow me & 45surf!!

Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

My fine art landscape lenses for the A7RII are the Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens and the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens ! Love the Carl Zeiss and super sharp Sony Glass!

2

One of the keys to shooting Epic Landscape Photography is exalting the photograph's soul via golden ratio compositions, thusly wedding the photographic art to the divine proportion by which life itself was designed and exalted.

Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies!

Greetings flickr friends! I am working on several books on "epic photography," and I recently finished a related one titled: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean . Message me on facebook for a free review copy!

www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1812448512351066.107374...

The Golden Ratio also informs the design of the golden revolver on all the swimsuits and lingerie, as well as the 45surf logo!

The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after. Robust, ordered growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in nature’s elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which all their vital sustenance and they themselves had been created—the golden ratio.

Ansel Adams is not only my favorite photographer, but he is one of the greatest photographers and artists of all time. And just like great artists including Michelangelo, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Botticelli, and Picasso, Ansel used the golden ratio and divine proportions in his epic art.

Not so long ago I discovered golden regions in many of his famous public domain his 8x10 aspect ratio photographs. I call these golden harmony regions "regions of golden action" or "ROGA"S, as seen here:

And too, I created some videos highlighting Ansel's use of the golden harmonies. Enjoy!

Yosemite Winter Fine Art Landscapes! Sony A7RII yosemite National Park Winter Snow! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography! Ansel Adams & John Muir Tribute! by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

More golden ratio and epic photography composition books soon! Best wishes for the Holiday Season! Dr. Elliot McGucken :)

dolphin proportions by matetronic

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Street portrait 2 | Kolkata by dynamo.photography

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++++++++++ FROM WKIPEDIA +++++++++

Kolkata /koʊlˈkɑːtə/ ([kolkata] (About this soundlisten), also known as Calcutta /kælˈkʌtə/, the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River approximately 75 kilometres (47 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh, it is the principal commercial, cultural, and educational centre of East India, while the Port of Kolkata is India's oldest operating port and its sole major riverine port. The city is widely regarded as the "cultural capital" of India, and is also nicknamed the "City of Joy".[1][2][3].According to the 2011 Indian census, it is the seventh most populous city. the city had a population of 4.5 million, while the population of the city and its suburbs was 14.1 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India. Recent estimates of Kolkata Metropolitan Area's economy have ranged from $60 to $150 billion (GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity) making it third most-productive metropolitan area in India, after Mumbai and Delhi.[11][12][13]

In the late 17th century, the three villages that predated Calcutta were ruled by the Nawab of Bengal under Mughal suzerainty. After the Nawab granted the East India Company a trading licence in 1690,[15] the area was developed by the Company into an increasingly fortified trading post. Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah occupied Calcutta in 1756, and the East India Company retook it the following year. In 1793 the East India company was strong enough to abolish Nizamat (local rule), and assumed full sovereignty of the region. Under the company rule, and later under the British Raj, Calcutta served as the capital of British-held territories in India until 1911, when its perceived geographical disadvantages, combined with growing nationalism in Bengal, led to a shift of the capital to New Delhi. Calcutta was the centre for the Indian independence movement; it remains a hotbed of contemporary state politics. Following Indian independence in 1947, Kolkata, which was once the centre of modern Indian education, science, culture, and politics, suffered several decades of economic stagnation.

As a nucleus of the 19th- and early 20th-century Bengal Renaissance and a religiously and ethnically diverse centre of culture in Bengal and India, Kolkata has local traditions in drama, art, film, theatre, and literature. Many people from Kolkata—among them several Nobel laureates—have contributed to the arts, the sciences, and other areas. Kolkata culture features idiosyncrasies that include distinctively close-knit neighbourhoods (paras) and freestyle intellectual exchanges (adda). West Bengal's share of the Bengali film industry is based in the city, which also hosts venerable cultural institutions of national importance, such as the Academy of Fine Arts, the Victoria Memorial, the Asiatic Society, the Indian Museum and the National Library of India. Among professional scientific institutions, Kolkata hosts the Agri Horticultural Society of India, the Geological Survey of India, the Botanical Survey of India, the Calcutta Mathematical Society, the Indian Science Congress Association, the Zoological Survey of India, the Institution of Engineers, the Anthropological Survey of India and the Indian Public Health Association. Though home to major cricketing venues and franchises, Kolkata differs from other Indian cities by giving importance to association football and other sports.

Etymology

The word Kolkata derives from the Bengali term Kôlikata (Bengali: কলিকাতা) [ˈkɔlikat̪a], the name of one of three villages that predated the arrival of the British, in the area where the city eventually was to be established; the other two villages were Sutanuti and Govindapur.[16]

There are several explanations about the etymology of this name:

The term Kolikata is thought to be a variation of Kalikkhetrô [ˈkalikʰːet̪rɔ] (Bengali: কালীক্ষেত্র), meaning "Field of [the goddess] Kali". Similarly, it can be a variation of 'Kalikshetra' (Sanskrit: कालीक्षेत्र, lit. "area of Goddess Kali").

Another theory is that the name derives from Kalighat.[17]

Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkila (Bengali: কিলকিলা), or "flat area".[18]

The name may have its origin in the words khal [ˈkʰal] (Bengali: খাল) meaning "canal", followed by kaṭa [ˈkata] (Bengali: কাটা), which may mean "dug".[19]

According to another theory, the area specialised in the production of quicklime or koli chun [ˈkɔlitɕun] (Bengali: কলি চুন) and coir or kata [ˈkat̪a] (Bengali: কাতা); hence, it was called Kolikata [ˈkɔlikat̪a] (Bengali: কলিকাতা).[18]

Although the city's name has always been pronounced Kolkata [ˈkolkat̪a] (Bengali: কলকাতা) or Kôlikata [ˈkɔlikat̪a] (Bengali: কলিকাতা) in Bengali, the anglicised form Calcutta was the official name until 2001, when it was changed to Kolkata in order to match Bengali pronunciation.[20] (It should be noted that "Calcutt" is an etymologically unrelated place name found at several locations in England.)

History

The discovery and archaeological study of Chandraketugarh, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Kolkata, provide evidence that the region in which the city stands has been inhabited for over two millennia.[21][22] Kolkata's recorded history began in 1690 with the arrival of the English East India Company, which was consolidating its trade business in Bengal. Job Charnock, an administrator who worked for the company, was formerly credited as the founder of the city;[23] In response to a public petition,[24] the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a founder.[25] The area occupied by the present-day city encompassed three villages: Kalikata, Gobindapur, and Sutanuti. Kalikata was a fishing village; Sutanuti was a riverside weavers' village. They were part of an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor; the jagirdari (a land grant bestowed by a king on his noblemen) taxation rights to the villages were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family of landowners, or zamindars. These rights were transferred to the East India Company in 1698.[26]:1

In 1712, the British completed the construction of Fort William, located on the east bank of the Hooghly River to protect their trading factory.[27] Facing frequent skirmishes with French forces, the British began to upgrade their fortifications in 1756. The Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, condemned the militarisation and tax evasion by the company. His warning went unheeded, and the Nawab attacked; he captured Fort William which led to the killings of several East India company officials in the Black Hole of Calcutta.[28] A force of Company soldiers (sepoys) and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city the following year.[28] Per the 1765 Treaty of Allahabad following the battle of Buxar, East India company was appointed imperial tax collector of the Mughal emperor in the province of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, while Mughal-appointed Nawabs continued to rule the province.[29] Declared a presidency city, Calcutta became the headquarters of the East India Company by 1773.[30] In 1793, ruling power of the Nawabs were abolished and East India company took complete control of the city and the province. In the early 19th century, the marshes surrounding the city were drained; the government area was laid out along the banks of the Hooghly River. Richard Wellesley, Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William between 1797 and 1805, was largely responsible for the development of the city and its public architecture.[31] Throughout the late 18th and 19th century, the city was a centre of the East India Company's opium trade.[32]

By the 1850s, Calcutta had two areas: White Town, which was primarily British and centred on Chowringhee and Dalhousie Square; and Black Town, mainly Indian and centred on North Calcutta.[33] The city underwent rapid industrial growth starting in the early 1850s, especially in the textile and jute industries; this encouraged British companies to massively invest in infrastructure projects, which included telegraph connections and Howrah railway station. The coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new babu class of urbane Indians, whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, newspaper readers, and Anglophiles; they usually belonged to upper-caste Hindu communities.[34] In the 19th century, the Bengal Renaissance brought about an increased sociocultural sophistication among city denizens. In 1883, Calcutta was host to the first national conference of the Indian National Association, the first avowed nationalist organisation in India.[35]

Bengali billboards on Harrison Street. Calcutta was the largest commercial centre in British India.

The partition of Bengal in 1905 along religious lines led to mass protests, making Calcutta a less hospitable place for the British.[36][37] The capital was moved to New Delhi in 1911.[38] Calcutta continued to be a centre for revolutionary organisations associated with the Indian independence movement. The city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese between 1942 and 1944, during World War II.[39][40] Coinciding with the war, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943 due to a combination of military, administrative, and natural factors.[41] Demands for the creation of a Muslim state led in 1946 to an episode of communal violence that killed over 4,000.[42][43][44] The partition of India led to further clashes and a demographic shift—many Muslims left for East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh), while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the city.[45]

During the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes, and a violent Marxist–Maoist movement by groups known as the Naxalites damaged much of the city's infrastructure, resulting in economic stagnation.[46] The Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 led to a massive influx of thousands of refugees, many of them penniless, that strained Kolkata's infrastructure.[47] During the mid-1980s, Mumbai (then called Bombay) overtook Kolkata as India's most populous city. In 1985, prime minister Rajiv Gandhi dubbed Kolkata a "dying city" in light of its socio-political woes.[48] In the period 1977–2011, West Bengal was governed from Kolkata by the Left Front, which was dominated by the Communist Party of India (CPM). It was the world's longest-serving democratically elected communist government, during which Kolkata was a key base for Indian communism.[49][50][51] In the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, 2011, Left Front was defeated by the Trinamool Congress. The city's economic recovery gathered momentum after the 1990s, when India began to institute pro-market reforms. Since 2000, the information technology (IT) services sector has revitalised Kolkata's stagnant economy. The city is also experiencing marked growth in its manufacturing base.[52]

Geography

Spread roughly north–south along the east bank of the Hooghly River, Kolkata sits within the lower Ganges Delta of eastern India approximately 75 km (47 mi) west of the international border with Bangladesh; the city's elevation is 1.5–9 m (5–30 ft).[53] Much of the city was originally a wetland that was reclaimed over the decades to accommodate a burgeoning population.[54] The remaining undeveloped areas, known as the East Kolkata Wetlands, were designated a "wetland of international importance" by the Ramsar Convention (1975).[55] As with most of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the soil and water are predominantly alluvial in origin. Kolkata is located over the "Bengal basin", a pericratonic tertiary basin.[56] Bengal basin comprises three structural units: shelf or platform in the west; central hinge or shelf/slope break; and deep basinal part in the east and southeast. Kolkata is located atop the western part of the hinge zone which is about 25 km (16 mi) wide at a depth of about 45,000 m (148,000 ft) below the surface.[56] The shelf and hinge zones have many faults, among them some are active. Total thickness of sediment below Kolkata is nearly 7,500 m (24,600 ft) above the crystalline basement; of these the top 350–450 m (1,150–1,480 ft) is Quaternary, followed by 4,500–5,500 m (14,760–18,040 ft) of Tertiary sediments, 500–700 m (1,640–2,300 ft) trap wash of Cretaceous trap and 600–800 m (1,970–2,620 ft) Permian-Carboniferous Gondwana rocks.[56] The quaternary sediments consist of clay, silt, and several grades of sand and gravel. These sediments are sandwiched between two clay beds: the lower one at a depth of 250–650 m (820–2,130 ft); the upper one 10–40 m (30–130 ft) in thickness.[57] According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, on a scale ranging from I to V in order of increasing susceptibility to earthquakes, the city lies inside seismic zone III.[58]

Urban structure

Howrah Bridge from the western bank of the Ganges

The Kolkata metropolitan area is spread over 1,886.67 km2 (728.45 sq mi)[59]:7 and comprises 3 municipal corporations (including Kolkata Municipal Corporation), 39 local municipalities and 24 panchayat samitis, as of 2011.[59]:7 The urban agglomeration encompassed 72 cities and 527 towns and villages, as of 2006.[60] Suburban areas in the Kolkata metropolitan area incorporate parts of the following districts: North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and Nadia.[61]:15 Kolkata, which is under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), has an area of 185 km2 (71 sq mi).[60] The east–west dimension of the city is comparatively narrow, stretching from the Hooghly River in the west to roughly the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in the east—a span of 9–10 km (5.6–6.2 mi).[62] The north–south distance is greater, and its axis is used to section the city into North, Central, and South Kolkata. East Kolkata is also a section.

North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city. Characterised by 19th-century architecture, dilapidated buildings, overpopulated slums, crowded bazaars, and narrow alleyways, it includes areas such as Shyambazar, Hatibagan, Maniktala, Kankurgachi, Rajabazar, Shobhabazar, Shyampukur, Sonagachi, Kumortuli, Bagbazar, Jorasanko, Chitpur, Pathuriaghata, Cossipore, Kestopur, Sinthee, Belgachia, Jorabagan, and Dum Dum.[63]:65–66 The northern suburban areas like Baranagar, Durganagar, Noapara, Dunlop, Dakshineswar, Nagerbazar, Belghoria, Agarpara, Sodepur, Madhyamgram, Barasat, Birati, Khardah up to Barrackpur are also within the city of Kolkata (as a metropolitan structure).

Central Kolkata

Central Kolkata hosts the central business district. It contains B. B. D. Bagh, formerly known as Dalhousie Square, and the Esplanade on its east; Strand Road is on its west.[64] The West Bengal Secretariat, General Post Office, Reserve Bank of India, High Court, Lalbazar Police Headquarters, and several other government and private offices are located there. Another business hub is the area south of Park Street, which comprises thoroughfares such as Chowringhee, Camac Street, Wood Street, Loudon Street, Shakespeare Sarani, and A. J. C. Bose Road.[65] The Maidan is a large open field in the heart of the city that has been called the "lungs of Kolkata"[66] and accommodates sporting events and public meetings.[67] The Victoria Memorial and Kolkata Race Course are located at the southern end of the Maidan. Other important areas of Central Kolkata are Park Circus, Burrabazar, College Street, Sealdah, Taltala, Janbazar, Bowbazar, Entally, Chandni Chowk, Lalbazar, Chowringhee, Dharmatala, Tiretta Bazar, Bow Barracks, Mullick Bazar, Park Circus, Babughat etc. Among the other parks are Central Park in Bidhannagar and Millennium Park on Strand Road, along the Hooghly River.

South Kolkata

South Kolkata developed after India gained independence in 1947; it includes upscale neighbourhoods such as Ballygunge, Alipore, New Alipore, Lansdowne, Bhowanipore, Kalighat, Dhakuria, Gariahat, Tollygunge, Naktala, Jodhpur Park, Lake Gardens, Golf Green, Jadavpur, Garfa, Kalikapur, Haltu, Nandi Bagan, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Ramgarh, Raipur, Kanungo Park, Ranikuthi, Bikramgarh, Bijoygarh, Bansdroni and Kudghat.[16] Outlying areas of South Kolkata include Garden Reach, Khidirpur, Metiabruz, Taratala, Majerhat, Budge Budge, Behala, Sarsuna, Barisha, Parnasree Pally, Thakurpukur, Maheshtala and Joka. The southern suburban neighbourhoods like Mahamayatala, Pratapgarh, Kamalgazi, Narendrapur, Sonarpur, Subhashgram and Baruipur are also within the city of Kolkata (as metropolitan, urban agglomeration area). Fort William, on the western part of the city, houses the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army;[68] its premises are under the jurisdiction of the army.

East Kolkata

East Kolkata is largely composed of newly developed areas and neighbourhoods of Saltlake, Rajarhat, Tangra, Topsia, Kasba, Anandapur, Mukundapur, Picnic Garden, Beleghata, Ultadanga, Phoolbagan, Kaikhali, Lake Town, etc. Two planned townships in the greater Kolkata region are Bidhannagar, also known as Salt Lake City and located north-east of the city; and Rajarhat, also called New Town and sited east of Bidhannagar.[16][69] In the 2000s, Sector V in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for information technology and telecommunication companies.[70][71] Both Bidhannagar and New Town are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits, in their own municipalities.[69]

Climate

Kolkata is subject to a tropical wet-and-dry climate that is designated Aw under the Köppen climate classification. According to a United Nations Development Programme report, its wind and cyclone zone is "very high damage risk".[58]

Temperature

The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures are 19–30 °C (66–86 °F). Summers (March–June) are hot and humid, with temperatures in the low 30s Celsius; during dry spells, maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in May and June.[72] Winter lasts for roughly two-and-a-half months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9–11 °C (48–52 °F) in December and January. May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from 27–37 °C (81–99 °F); January, the coldest month, has temperatures varying from 12–23 °C (54–73 °F). The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111.0 °F), and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F).[72] The winter is mild and very comfortable weather pertains over the city throughout this season. Often, in April–June, the city is struck by heavy rains or dusty squalls that are followed by thunderstorms or hailstorms, bringing cooling relief from the prevailing humidity. These thunderstorms are convective in nature, and are known locally as kal bôishakhi (কালবৈশাখী), or "Nor'westers" in English.[73]

Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the south-west summer monsoon[74] lash Kolkata between June and September, supplying it with most of its annual rainfall of about 1,850 mm (73 in). The highest monthly rainfall total occurs in July and August. In these months often incessant rain for days brings live to a stall for the city dwellers. The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per year, with maximum sunlight exposure occurring in March.[75] Kolkata has been hit by several cyclones; these include systems occurring in 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands.[76][77]

Environmental issues

Pollution is a major concern in Kolkata. As of 2008, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide annual concentration were within the national ambient air quality standards of India, but respirable suspended particulate matter levels were high, and on an increasing trend for five consecutive years, causing smog and haze.[80][81] Severe air pollution in the city has caused a rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments, such as lung cancer.[82]

Economy

Kolkata is the main commercial and financial hub of East and North-East India[61] and home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange.[83][84] It is a major commercial and military port, and is the only city in eastern India, apart from Bhubaneswar to have an international airport. Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the decades following India's independence due to steep population increases and a rise in militant trade-unionism, which included frequent strikes that were backed by left-wing parties.[52] From the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated.[52] The lack of capital and resources added to the depressed state of the city's economy and gave rise to an unwelcome sobriquet: the "dying city".[85] The city's fortunes improved after the Indian economy was liberalised in the 1990s and changes in economic policy were enacted by the West Bengal state government.[52]

Flexible production has been the norm in Kolkata, which has an informal sector that employs more than 40% of the labour force.[16] One unorganised group, roadside hawkers, generated business worth ₹ 8,772 crore (US$ 2 billion) in 2005.[86] As of 2001, around 0.81% of the city's workforce was employed in the primary sector (agriculture, forestry, mining, etc.); 15.49% worked in the secondary sector (industrial and manufacturing); and 83.69% worked in the tertiary sector (service industries).[61]:19 As of 2003, the majority of households in slums were engaged in occupations belonging to the informal sector; 36.5% were involved in servicing the urban middle class (as maids, drivers, etc.), and 22.2% were casual labourers.[87]:11 About 34% of the available labour force in Kolkata slums were unemployed.[87]:11 According to one estimate, almost a quarter of the population live on less than 27 rupees (equivalent to 45 US cents) per day.[88] As of 2010, Kolkata, with an estimated gross domestic product (GDP) by purchasing power parity of 150 billion dollars, ranked third among South Asian cities, after Mumbai and Delhi.[89] Kolkata's GDP in 2014 was Rs 1.84 trillion, according to a collaborative assessment by multiple universities and climate agencies.[90] As in many other Indian cities, information technology became a high-growth sector in Kolkata starting in the late 1990s; the city's IT sector grew at 70% per annum—a rate that was twice the national average.[52] The 2000s saw a surge of investments in the real estate, infrastructure, retail, and hospitality sectors; several large shopping malls and hotels were launched.[91][92][93][94][95] Companies such as ITC Limited, CESC Limited, Exide Industries, Emami, Eveready Industries India, Lux Industries, Rupa Company, Berger Paints, Birla Corporation and Britannia Industries are headquartered in the city. Philips India, PricewaterhouseCoopers India, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Steel have their registered office and zonal headquarters in Kolkata. Kolkata hosts the headquarters of three major public-sector banks: Allahabad Bank, UCO Bank, and the United Bank of India; and a private bank Bandhan Bank. Reserve Bank of India has its eastern zonal office in Kolkata, and India Government Mint, Kolkata is one of the four mints in India.

Panoramic view of the Down town Sector V one of the major IT hubs of Kolkata as seen from the lakes surrounding Bidhannagar. Major Buildings such as Technopolis, Godrej Waterside, TCS Lords, Eden and Wanderers Park, Gobsyn Crystal, South City Pinnacle, RDB Boulevard, West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation (WEBEL) Bhawan can be seen.

Demographics

See also: Health care in Kolkata

A big building in cream colour with many columns and a portico

Calcutta Medical College, the second institution in Asia to teach modern medicine(after 'Ecole de Médicine de Pondichéry')

IPGMER and SSKM Hospital, Kolkata is the largest hospital in West Bengal and one of the oldest in Kolkata.

As of 2011, the health care system in Kolkata consists of 48 government hospitals, mostly under the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal, and 366 private medical establishments;[177] these establishments provide the city with 27,687 hospital beds.[177] For every 10,000 people in the city, there are 61.7 hospital beds,[178] which is higher than the national average of 9 hospital beds per 10,000.[179] Ten medical and dental colleges are located in the Kolkata metropolitan area which act as tertiary referral hospitals in the state.[180][181] The Calcutta Medical College, founded in 1835, was the first institution in Asia to teach modern medicine.[182] However, These facilities are inadequate to meet the healthcare needs of the city.[183][184][185] More than 78% in Kolkata prefer the private medical sector over the public medical sector,[117]:109 due to the poor quality of care, the lack of a nearby facility, and excessive waiting times at government facilities.[117]:61

According to the Indian 2005 National Family Health Survey, only a small proportion of Kolkata households were covered under any health scheme or health insurance.[117]:41 The total fertility rate in Kolkata was 1.4, The lowest among the eight cities surveyed.[117]:45 In Kolkata, 77% of the married women used contraceptives, which was the highest among the cities surveyed, but use of modern contraceptive methods was the lowest (46%).[117]:47 The infant mortality rate in Kolkata was 41 per 1,000 live births, and the mortality rate for children under five was 49 per 1,000 live births.[117]:48

Among the surveyed cities, Kolkata stood second (5%) for children who had not had any vaccinations under the Universal Immunization Programme as of 2005.[117]:48 Kolkata ranked second with access to an anganwadi centre under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme for 57% of the children between 0 and 71 months.[117]:51 The proportion of malnourished, anaemic and underweight children in Kolkata was less in comparison to other surveyed cities.[117]:54–55

About 18% of the men and 30% of the women in Kolkata are obese—the majority of them belonging to the non-poor strata of society.[117]:105 In 2005, Kolkata had the highest percentage (55%) among the surveyed cities of anaemic women, while 20% of the men in Kolkata were anaemic.[117]:56–57 Diseases like diabetes, asthma, goitre and other thyroid disorders were found in large numbers of people.[117]:57–59 Tropical diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya are prevalent in Kolkata, though their incidence is decreasing.[186][187] Kolkata is one of the districts in India with a high number of people with AIDS; it has been designated a district prone to high risk.[188][189]

As of 2014, because of higher air pollution, the life expectancy of a person born in the city is four years fewer than in the suburbs.[190]

Education

Kolkata's schools are run by the state government or private organisations, many of which are religious. Bengali and English are the primary languages of instruction; Urdu and Hindi are also used, particularly in central Kolkata.[191][192] Schools in Kolkata follow the "10+2+3" plan. After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in schools that have a higher secondary facility and are affiliated with the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, the ICSE, or the CBSE.[191] They usually choose a focus on liberal arts, business, or science. Vocational programs are also available.[191] Some Kolkata schools, for example La Martiniere Calcutta, Calcutta Boys' School, St. James' School (Kolkata), St. Xavier's Collegiate School, and Loreto House, have been ranked amongst the best schools in the country.[193]

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade

As of 2010, the Kolkata urban agglomeration is home to 14 universities run by the state government.[194] The colleges are each affiliated with a university or institution based either in Kolkata or elsewhere in India. Aliah University which was founded in 1780 as Mohammedan College of Calcutta is the oldest post-secondary educational institution of the city.[195] The University of Calcutta, founded in 1857, is the first modern university in South Asia.[196] Presidency College, Kolkata (formerly Hindu College between 1817 and 1855), founded in 1855, was one of the oldest and most eminent colleges in India. It was affiliated with the University of Calcutta until 2010 when it was converted to Presidency University, Kolkata in 2010. Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU) is the second oldest engineering institution of the country located in Howrah.[197] An Institute of National Importance, BESU was converted to India's first IIEST. Jadavpur University is known for its arts, science, and engineering faculties.[198] The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, which was the first of the Indian Institutes of Management, was established in 1961 at Joka, a locality in the south-western suburbs. Kolkata also houses the prestigious Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, which was started here in the year 2006.[199] The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences is one of India's autonomous law schools,[200][201] and the Indian Statistical Institute is a public research institute and university. State owned Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal (MAKAUT, WB), formerly West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) is the largest Technological University in terms of student enrollment and number of Institutions affiliated by it. Private institutions include the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute and University of Engineering & Management (UEM).

Notable scholars who were born, worked or studied in Kolkata include physicists Satyendra Nath Bose, Meghnad Saha,[202] and Jagadish Chandra Bose;[203] chemist Prafulla Chandra Roy;[202] statisticians Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis and Anil Kumar Gain;[202] physician Upendranath Brahmachari;[202] educator Ashutosh Mukherjee;[204] and Nobel laureates Rabindranath Tagore,[205] C. V. Raman,[203] and Amartya Sen.[206]

Kolkata houses many premier research institutes like Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bose Institute, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI), S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS), Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM), National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kolkata, Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) and Indian Centre for Space Physics. Nobel laureate Sir C. V. Raman did his groundbreaking work in Raman effect in IACS.

Culture

Kolkata is known for its literary, artistic, and revolutionary heritage; as the former capital of India, it was the birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought.[207] Kolkata has been called the "City of Furious, Creative Energy"[208] as well as the "cultural [or literary] capital of India".[209][210] The presence of paras, which are neighbourhoods that possess a strong sense of community, is characteristic of the city.[211] Typically, each para has its own community club and, on occasion, a playing field.[211] Residents engage in addas, or leisurely chats, that often take the form of freestyle intellectual conversation.[212][213] The city has a tradition of political graffiti depicting everything from outrageous slander to witty banter and limericks, caricatures, and propaganda.[214][215]

Kolkata has many buildings adorned with Indo-Islamic and Indo-Saracenic architectural motifs. Several well-maintained major buildings from the colonial period have been declared "heritage structures";[216] others are in various stages of decay.[217][218] Established in 1814 as the nation's oldest museum, the Indian Museum houses large collections that showcase Indian natural history and Indian art.[219] Marble Palace is a classic example of a European mansion that was built in the city. The Victoria Memorial, a place of interest in Kolkata, has a museum documenting the city's history. The National Library of India is the leading public library in the country while Science City is the largest science centre in the Indian subcontinent.[220]

The popularity of commercial theatres in the city has declined since the 1980s.[221]:99[222] Group theatres of Kolkata, a cultural movement that started in the 1940s contrasting with the then-popular commercial theatres, are theatres that are not professional or commercial, and are centres of various experiments in theme, content, and production;[223] group theatres use the proscenium stage to highlight socially relevant messages.[221]:99[224] Chitpur locality of the city houses multiple production companies of jatra, a tradition of folk drama popular in rural Bengal.[225][226] Kolkata is the home of the Bengali cinema industry, dubbed "Tollywood" for Tollygunj, where most of the state's film studios are located.[227] Its long tradition of art films includes globally acclaimed film directors such as Academy Award-winning director Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, and contemporary directors such as Aparna Sen, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Goutam Ghose and Rituparno Ghosh.[228]

During the 19th and 20th centuries, Bengali literature was modernised through the works of authors such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.[229] Coupled with social reforms led by Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, and others, this constituted a major part of the Bengal Renaissance.[230] The middle and latter parts of the 20th century witnessed the arrival of post-modernism, as well as literary movements such as those espoused by the Kallol movement, hungryalists and the little magazines.[231] Large majority of publishers of the city is concentrated in and around College Street, "... a half-mile of bookshops and bookstalls spilling over onto the pavement", selling new and used books.[232]

Kalighat painting originated in 19th century Kolkata as a local style that reflected a variety of themes including mythology and quotidian life.[233] The Government College of Art and Craft, founded in 1864, has been the cradle as well as workplace of eminent artists including Abanindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, and Nandalal Bose.[234] The art college was the birthplace of the Bengal school of art that arose as an avant garde and nationalist movement reacting against the prevalent academic art styles in the early 20th century.[235][236] The Academy of Fine Arts and other art galleries hold regular art exhibitions. The city is recognised for its appreciation of Rabindra sangeet (songs written by Rabindranath Tagore) and Indian classical music, with important concerts and recitals, such as Dover Lane Music Conference, being held throughout the year; Bengali popular music, including baul folk ballads, kirtans, and Gajan festival music; and modern music, including Bengali-language adhunik songs.[237][238] Since the early 1990s, new genres have emerged, including one comprising alternative folk–rock Bengali bands.[237] Another new style, jibonmukhi gaan ("songs about life"), is based on realism.[221]:105 Key elements of Kolkata's cuisine include rice and a fish curry known as machher jhol,[239] which can be accompanied by desserts such as roshogolla, sandesh, and a sweet yoghurt known as mishti dohi. Bengal's large repertoire of seafood dishes includes various preparations of ilish, a fish that is a favourite among Calcuttans. Street foods such as beguni (fried battered eggplant slices), kati roll (flatbread roll with vegetable or chicken, mutton, or egg stuffing), phuchka (a deep-fried crêpe with tamarind sauce) and Indian Chinese cuisine from Chinatown are popular.[240][241][242][243]

Though Bengali women traditionally wear the sari, the shalwar kameez and Western attire is gaining acceptance among younger women.[244] Western-style dress has greater acceptance among men, although the traditional dhoti and kurta are seen during festivals. Durga Puja, held in September–October, is Kolkata's most important and largest festival; it is an occasion for glamorous celebrations and artistic decorations.[245][246] The Bengali New Year, known as Poila Boishak, as well as the harvest festival of Poush Parbon are among the city's other festivals; also celebrated are Kali Puja, Diwali, Holi, Jagaddhatri Puja, Saraswati Puja, Rathayatra, Janmashtami, Maha Shivratri, Vishwakarma Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Ganesh Chathurthi, Makar Sankranti, Gajan, Kalpataru Day, Bhai Phonta, Maghotsab, Eid, Muharram, Christmas, Buddha Purnima and Mahavir Jayanti. Cultural events include the Rabindra Jayanti, Independence Day(15 August), Republic Day(26 January), Kolkata Book Fair, the Dover Lane Music Festival, the Kolkata Film Festival, Nandikar's National Theatre Festival, Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally and Gandhi Jayanti.

Media

See also: Kolkata in the media and List of Bengali-language television channels

A five storied building in cream colour with multiple columns in front

Akashvani Bhawan, the head office of state-owned All India Radio, Kolkata

The first newspaper in India, the Bengal Gazette started publishing from the city in 1780.[247] Among Kolkata's widely circulated Bengali-language newspapers are Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, Sangbad Pratidin, Aajkaal, Dainik Statesman and Ganashakti.[248] The Statesman and The Telegraph are two major English-language newspapers that are produced and published from Kolkata. Other popular English-language newspapers published and sold in Kolkata include The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Indian Express, and the Asian Age.[248] As the largest trading centre in East India, Kolkata has several high-circulation financial dailies, including The Economic Times, The Financial Express, Business Line, and Business Standard.[248][249] Vernacular newspapers, such as those in the Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Odia, Punjabi, and Chinese languages, are read by minorities.[248][103] Major periodicals based in Kolkata include Desh, Sananda, Saptahik Bartaman, Unish-Kuri, Anandalok, and Anandamela.[248] Historically, Kolkata has been the centre of the Bengali little magazine movement.[250][251]

All India Radio, the national state-owned radio broadcaster, airs several AM radio stations in the city.[252] Kolkata has 12 local radio stations broadcasting on FM, including two from AIR.[253] India's state-owned television broadcaster, Doordarshan, provides two free-to-air terrestrial channels,[254] while a mix of Bengali, Hindi, English, and other regional channels are accessible via cable subscription, direct-broadcast satellite services, or internet-based television.[255][256][257] Bengali-language 24-hour television news channels include ABP Ananda, Tara Newz, Kolkata TV, 24 Ghanta, News Time and Channel 10.[258]

Sports

See also: Football in Kolkata, Kolkata Marathon, and Kolkata derby

Salt Lake Stadium during Indian Super League opening ceremony

The most popular sports in Kolkata are football and cricket. Unlike most parts of India, the residents show significant passion for football.[259] The city is home to top national football clubs such as Mohun Bagan A.C., East Bengal F.C., Prayag United S.C., and the Mohammedan Sporting Club.[260][261] Calcutta Football League, which was started in 1898, is the oldest football league in Asia.[262] Mohun Bagan A.C., one of the oldest football clubs in Asia, is the only organisation to be dubbed a "National Club of India".[263][264] Football matches between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, dubbed as the Kolkata derby, witness large audience attendance and rivalry between patrons.[265]

A Twenty20 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors during Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens

As in the rest of India, cricket is popular in Kolkata and is played on grounds and in streets throughout the city.[266][267] Kolkata has the Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders; the Cricket Association of Bengal, which regulates cricket in West Bengal, is also based in the city. Kolkata also has an Indian Super League franchise known as Atlético de Kolkata. Tournaments, especially those involving cricket, football, badminton, and carrom, are regularly organised on an inter-locality or inter-club basis.[211] The Maidan, a vast field that serves as the city's largest park, hosts several minor football and cricket clubs and coaching institutes.[268]

Eden Gardens, which has a capacity of 68,000 as of 2017,[269] hosted the final match of the 1987 Cricket World Cup. It is home to the Bengal cricket team and the Kolkata Knight Riders.

The multi-use Salt Lake Stadium, also known as Yuva Bharati Krirangan, is India's largest stadium by seating capacity. Most matches of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup were played in the Salt Lake Stadium including both Semi-Final matches and the Final match. Kolkata also accounted for 45% of total attendance in 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup with an average of 55,345 spectators.[270] The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is the second-oldest cricket club in the world.[271][272]

Kolkata's Netaji Indoor Stadium served as host of the 1981 Asian Basketball Championship, where India's national basketball team finished 5th, ahead of teams that belong to Asia's basketball elite, such as Iran. The city has three 18-hole golf courses. The oldest is at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, the first golf club built outside the United Kingdom.[273][274] The other two are located at the Tollygunge Club and at Fort William. The Royal Calcutta Turf Club hosts horse racing and polo matches.[275] The Calcutta Polo Club is considered the oldest extant polo club in the world.[276][277][278] The Calcutta Racket Club is a squash and racquet club in Kolkata. It was founded in 1793, making it one of the oldest rackets clubs in the world, and the first in the Indian subcontinent.[279][280] The Calcutta South Club is a venue for national and international tennis tournaments; it held the first grass-court national championship in 1946.[281][282] In the period 2005–2007, Sunfeast Open, a tier-III tournament on the Women's Tennis Association circuit, was held in the Netaji Indoor Stadium; it has since been discontinued.[283][284]

The Calcutta Rowing Club hosts rowing heats and training events. Kolkata, considered the leading centre of rugby union in India, gives its name to the oldest international tournament in rugby union, the Calcutta Cup.[285][286][287] The Automobile Association of Eastern India, established in 1904,[288][289] and the Bengal Motor Sports Club are involved in promoting motor sports and car rallies in Kolkata and West Bengal.[290][291] The Beighton Cup, an event organised by the Bengal Hockey Association and first played in 1895, is India's oldest field hockey tournament; it is usually held on the Mohun Bagan Ground of the Maidan.[292][293] Athletes from Kolkata include Sourav Ganguly and Pankaj Roy, who are former captains of the Indian national cricket team; Olympic tennis bronze medallist Leander Paes, golfer Arjun Atwal, and former footballers Sailen Manna, Chuni Goswami, P. K. Banerjee, and Subrata Bhattacharya.

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Yosemite Winter Fine Art Landscapes! Sony A7RII yosemite National Park Winter Snow! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography! Ansel Adams Tribute!

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John Muir: "When I reached the [Yosemite] valley, all the rocks seemed talkative, and more lovable than ever. They are dear friends, and have warm blood gushing through their granite flesh; and I love them with a love intensified by long and close companionship. … I … bathed in the bright river, sauntered over the meadows, conversed with the domes, and played with the pines."

"Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life."--John Muir

"I would advise sitting from morning till night under some willow bush on the river bank where there is a wide view. This will be "doing the valley" far more effectively than riding along trails in constant motion from point to point. The entire valley is made up of "points of interest." --John Muir on Yosemite!

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Had a great time waking up at 5 AM every day to shoot tunnel view and then driving around down in the valley to Half Dome, Bridalviel Falls, Cook's Meadow and the glorious Cook's Meadow elm tree, Sentinel Bridge, Valley View, Swinging Bridge, and more! Yosemite winters are made for black and whites, and Ansel Adam's ghost haunts the brilliant landscape scenery!

The most epic "Ansel Adams" view is tunnel view where one can see El Capitan, Bridalviel Falls, and Half Dome over magnificent trees, snow, rising fogs, and breaking mists. Enjoy!

Been busy traveling and shooting landscapes and working on my books The Golden Hero's Odyssey about the golden rectangle and divine proportion I use in a lot of my compositions! Also working on my physics book on Dynamic Dimensions Theory! The equation dx4/dt=ic is on a lot of the 45surf swimsuit and shirts and all! :)

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Malibu Winter Beaches Seashore Fine Art Landscape Sunsets: Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

My fine art landscape lenses for the A7RII are the Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens and the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens ! Love the Carl Zeiss and super sharp Sony Glass!

Winter fine art landscapes!

Epic Yosemite valley village winter snowstorm!

Yosemite Winter Fine Art Landscapes! Sony A7RII yosemite National Park Winter Snow! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography

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Malibu Winter Beaches Seashore Fine Art Landscape Sunsets: Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography

Been busy traveling and shooting landscapes and working on my books The Golden Hero's Odyssey about the golden rectangle and divine proportion I use in a lot of my compositions! Also working on my physics book on Dynamic Dimensions Theory! The equation d4/dt=ic is on a lot of the 45surf swimsuit and shirts and all! :)

Follow me & 45surf!!

The Ornate Art Nouveau Ceiling of the Drawing Room of Billilla Mansion - Halifax Street, Brighton, Melbourne by raaen99

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Although shrouded in shadows and with its curtains drawn at present, the Billilla drawing room, built at part of the 1907 extension and renovation, is an elegant and light filled space with two large demilune bays of full-length windows.

As one of the showpiece main rooms of the mansion when guests came to call, the drawing room is not only elegantly proportioned, but also elegantly appointed. As a very femininely oriented room, the ceiling of the drawing room is decorated with ornate stylised foliate Art Nouveau mouldings of roses tumbling about in undulating boiseries. Although not original, the room is papered in softly shaded wallpaper sympathetic to the era, and features its originally gas lit 1907 electroplated sconces of posy vases and bows. Electrified subsequently, the original gas taps can still be seen on each sconce light fixture.

It is however the central chandelier, also once gas lit, with it's original flounced Edwardian shade of russet fabric that perhaps hints at the room's original colour scheme. This matches the gleaming russet Arts and Crafts hearth and inlay tiles of the white marble fireplace. Matching the boiseries and garlands of plaster roses on the ceiling, the in built fire dogs and guard of polished brass also featured roses which are inlaid with losenges of russet coloured glass.

Built in High Victorian style in 1878 for successful gold miner Robert Wright, Billilla mansion was originally a thirteen room mansion erected on seven and a half acres of land.

When economic boom turned to bust in the 1880s, the property was purchased in 1888 by wealthy New South Wales pastoralist William Weatherly who named it Billilla after his land holdings and established a home there for his wife Jeannie and their children Violet, Gladys and Lionel.

The house was substantially altered by architect Walter Richmond Butler in 1907, extending the house beyond its original thirteen rooms and adding the Art Nouveau façade seen today.

After William Weatherly's death in 1914, his wife, who was much younger, remained living there until her own death in 1933. She bequeathed the property to her daughter, Violet, who maintained the home with reduced staff until her own death in 1972.

The property was purchased in 1973 by the Bayside Council who subsequently used Billilla as a historical house with guided tours, a wedding and events venue, a school and finally in 2009 as an artist's precinct in the property's outbuildings. Billilla is a beautiful heritage property retaining many of its original features thanks to its long private ownership still incorporating a stately formal garden and the magnificent historic house.

Billilla, at 26 Halifax Street, Brighton, is one of Melbourne’s few remaining significant homesteads, built on land which had originally been owned by Nicholas Were. The house has a mixture of architectural styles, featuring a Victorian design with Art Nouveau features and has exquisite formal gardens, which retain much of their original Nineteenth Century layout.

Billilla retains many original Victorian elements and a number of outbuildings still stand to the rear of the property including the butler’s quarters, dairy, meat house, stable garden store and coach house.

Billilla was opened to the general public as part of the Melbourne Open House weekend 2022.

Billilla was used as a backdrop in the 1980 Australian Channel 10 miniseries adaptation of Sumner Locke Elliott's "Water Under the Bridge". It was used at the Sydney harbourside home of Luigi, Honor and Carrie Mazzini.

Golden Number Ratio Divine Proportion Compositions Fine Art Photography Dr. Elliot McGucken : Using the Nature's Golden Cut to Exalt Nature Photography! by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

24

Golden Number Ratio Divine Proportion Compositions Fine Art Photography Dr. Elliot McGucken : Using the Nature's Golden Cut to Exalt Nature Photography!

Join my golden ratio groups!

www.facebook.com/groups/1401714589947057/

www.facebook.com/epiclandscapephotography/

Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography

New book page!

Epic Landscape Photography: The Mythological Principles of Fine Art Nature Photography

Ansel Adams used the golden ratio in his photography too:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrOUX3ZCl7I

The Fibonacci Numbers are closely related to the golden ratio, and thus they also play a prominent role in exalted natural and artistic compositions!

I'm working on a far deeper book titled The Golden Ratio Number for Photographers. :)

The famous mathematician Jacob Bernoulli wrote:

The (golden spiral) may be used as a symbol, either of fortitude and constancy in adversity, or of the human body, which after all its changes, even after death, will be restored to its exact and perfect self.

Engraved upon Jacob’s tombstone is a spiral alongside the words, "Eadem Mutata Resurgo," meaning "Though changed, I shall rise again." And so it is that within the Golden Ratio Principle, the golden harmonies rise yet again.

The golden ratio is oft known as the divine cut, the golden cut, the divine proportion, the golden number, and PHI for the name of the architect of the Parthenon Phidias. It has exalted classical art on down through the millennia and it can exalt your art too!

Ask me anything about the golden ratio! :) I will do my best to answer!!

Enjoy my Fine Art Ballet instagram too!

instagram.com/fineartballet

Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Ratio Principle: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after. Robust, ordered growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in nature’s elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which all their vital sustenance and they themselves had been created—the golden ratio. the golden number, rectangle, and spiral!

www.instagram.com/goldennumberratio/

Sony A7R2 Fine Art Bryce Canyon Hoo Doos Covered in Snow! Dr. Elliot McGucken Winter Bryce Canyon Landscapes by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

2

Well I was shooting fall colors in Zion National PArk when I saw that they had forecast snow for Bryce Canyon, so instead of heading back to LA, I headed out to Bryce Canyon! And I was treated to snow, sun, clouds, snowstorm, and then a glorious sunrise over the s-capped hoo-doos in Bryce! :)

Sony A7RII Bryce Canyon & Zion National Park Autumn Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscapes

Been busy traveling and shooting landscapes and working on my books The Golden Hero's Odyssey about the golden rectangle and divine proportion I use in a lot of my compositions! Also working on my physics book on Dynamic Dimensions Theory! The equation d4/dt=ic is on a lot of the 45surf swimsuit and shirts and all! :)

Follow me & 45surf!!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knole_House

Beautiful snow covered hoo-doos in Bryce Canyon! Bryce Canyon hoodoos all covered in snow! Beautiful Bryce Canyon Fine Art Sunrise!

My fine art landscape lenses for the A7RII are the Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens and the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens ! Love the Carl Zeiss and super sharp Sony Glass!

Proportion by さくら / *Sakura*

338 71

Wild deer at Knole Park Gardens by tedesco57

9 10

Knole Park is a deer park located directly to the south-east of the town of Sevenoaks in Kent, England. Dominating a large proportion of the park is Knole House, a 15th-century manor house, with the oldest parts being built by Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury. The park is substantially wooded and reflecting its woodland is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[1] In the north of the park lies Knole Park Golf Course

Knole House /noʊl.haʊs/ NT is an English country house in the civil parish of Sevenoaks in west Kent. Sevenoaks consists of the town itself and Knole Park, a 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) park, within which the house is situated. Knole is one of England's largest houses. It has been suggested that it was a calendar house, which had 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and seven courtyards, but this is a lovely story rather than actual fact. The house has grown and changed over hundreds of years of development and there is no evidence that it was designed as a calendar house.

It was constructed beginning in the late 15th century, with major additions in the 16th century. Its grade I listing reflects its mix of Elizabethan to late Stuart structures, particularly in the case of the central façade and state rooms. The surrounding deer park has also survived with few manmade changes in the 400 years since 1600. But, its formerly dense woodland has not fully recovered from the loss of more than 70% of its trees in the Great Storm of 1987.

Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

3

One of the keys to shooting Epic Landscape Photography is exalting the photograph's soul via golden ratio compositions, thusly wedding the photographic art to the divine proportion by which life itself was designed and exalted.

Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies!

Greetings flickr friends! I am working on several books on "epic photography," and I recently finished a related one titled: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean . Message me on facebook for a free review copy!

www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1812448512351066.107374...

The Golden Ratio also informs the design of the golden revolver on all the swimsuits and lingerie, as well as the 45surf logo!

The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after. Robust, ordered growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in nature’s elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which all their vital sustenance and they themselves had been created—the golden ratio.

Ansel Adams is not only my favorite photographer, but he is one of the greatest photographers and artists of all time. And just like great artists including Michelangelo, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Botticelli, and Picasso, Ansel used the golden ratio and divine proportions in his epic art.

Not so long ago I discovered golden regions in many of his famous public domain his 8x10 aspect ratio photographs. I call these golden harmony regions "regions of golden action" or "ROGA"S, as seen here:

And too, I created some videos highlighting Ansel's use of the golden harmonies. Enjoy!

www.informationisbeautiful.net

More golden ratio and epic photography composition books soon! Best wishes for the Holiday Season! Dr. Elliot McGucken :)

vigorous tree... by yvone042488

10 13

煙囪飛榕...這是在廣州增城的白湖村裡面一個奇景，在這個廢棄的煙囪頂上有棵榕樹，往裡面看，其實樹根早已不見，但他仍然長得非常得茂盛，可見他的生命力有多強韌啊...

Excellence of Proportion... by P1ay

21 16

I do not get to come here much unless its worked related and did not really appreciated the thought that has gone into designing this place. Its not till you start walking around and take a little step back that you actually start to notice the detail in this place, especially the symmetry.

I took this picture just as the sun was going down and the blue hour was starting, I was trying out another shot a and decided to use my ND filter. I did not notice till I got home that the blue sky was slightly dark and the whole picture had a purple tint, so I ran with it.

I increased the clarity, vibrance and the purple saturation. I then cropped the image so everything looked well balance and then added a colour priority in LR.

reserved" worldwide. Please do not use, copy or edit any of my photographs. However please feel free to contact with me if you are interested in using any of my images.

Proportion by Howard Duncan

53 2

digital art

262:365 - Silhouettes of Epic Proportion by Andrew Sullivan

22 18

I was hoping for enough clouds to pull this photo off today. The ND filter helped with effect.

Here are the alternatives:

take 1

take 2

Matter Of Proportion by david

31 23

source: news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/

more visuals

45EPIC Zion National Park Fine Art Landscapes: Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape and Nature Photography! Zion Autmn Colors and Fall Foliage! by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

2

45EPIC Zion National Park Fine Art Landscapes: Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape and Nature Photography! Zion Autmn Colors and Fall Foliage!

Zion National Park Fine Art Landscapes: Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape and Nature Photography!

Hiking the Zion Narrows and the Zion Subway! Shooting Paradise Cove and Archangel Falls! The Zion National Park autumn is most beautiful!

Greetings flickr fans! Many more uploads soon! I have been busy writing, traveling, and shooting! I finished my books on the Tao of Epic Landscape Photography and the Golden Number Ratio Principle! I oft incorporate the golden ratio in my landscape compositions, and you'll also see it in the design and proportion of the 45surf clothes and surfboard and gun logos (More golden ratio information at my facebook page facebook.com/goldennumberratio). Message me on facebook for free review copies of my books here: facebook.com/mcgucken ! :)

I'm working on a book on photographing epic goddesses too! What should I title it? :)

facebook.com/goldennumberratio

Full titles: The Tao of Epic Landscape Photography: Exalt Fine Art with the Yin-Yang Wisdom of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching.

And: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean !

I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them! :)

Enjoy the epic landscape and goddess and photography and note the golden ratio overlays in some of the photos, as well as the golden ratio in the Birth of Venus painting by Botticelli!

I've been on the road shooting landscapes in Zion, Yosemite, the Eastern Sierras, Big Sur, and more!

Many of you have seen my physics formula dx4/dt=ic for Light Time Dimension Theory on a lot of the 45surf clothing and in the fine art landscape logos. I finally finished the first book of many on the foundations of photography's best friend--light:

Light Time Dimension Theory: The Foundational Physics Unifying Einstein's Relativity and Quantum Mechanics.

All the best on your epic hero's odyssey!

Follow me! instagram.com/mcgucken

Yosemite Winter Fine Art Landscapes! Sony A7RII yosemite National Park Winter Snow! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

Was so fortunate to be able to photograph the epic Zion glow this year in the Narows and Zion National Park!

5 1

Yosemite Winter Fine Art Landscapes! Sony A7RII yosemite National Park Winter Snow! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography

Follow me on instagram for more!

Had a great time waking up at 5 AM every day to shoot tunnel view and then driving around down in the valley to Half Dome, Bridalviel Falls, Cook's Meadow and the glorious Cook's Meadow elm tree, Sentinel Bridge, Valley View, Swinging Bridge, and more! Yosemite winters are made for black and whites, and Ansel Adam's ghost haunts the brilliant landscape scenery!

The most epic "Ansel Adams" view is tunnel view where one can see El Capitan, Bridalviel Falls, and Half Dome over magnificent trees, snow, rising fogs, and breaking mists. Enjoy!

Been busy traveling and shooting landscapes and working on my books The Golden Hero's Odyssey about the golden rectangle and divine proportion I use in a lot of my compositions! Also working on my physics book on Dynamic Dimensions Theory! The equation dx4/dt=ic is on a lot of the 45surf swimsuit and shirts and all! :)

Follow me & 45surf!!

The beautiful Ibrahim Rouza is among the most elegant and finely proportioned Islamic monuments in India. Its 24m-high #minarets are said to have inspired those of the Taj Mahal, and its tale is similarly poignant: built by emperor Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1 by Sumit Bose

My fine art landscape lenses for the A7RII are the Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens and the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens ! Love the Carl Zeiss and super sharp Sony Glass!

Winter fine art landscapes!

Epic Yosemite valley village winter snowstorm!

Yosemite Winter Fine Art Landscapes! Sony A7RII yosemite National Park Winter Snow! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography

2

Talking to Me ? by Ben Heine

314 284

________________________________________________

A funny mule I found in Mykonos, Greece.

________________________________________________

For more information about my art: info@benheine.com

________________________________________________

You Talkin' to Me?

A poem by Katie Gabrielle

Are you talking to me?

With your nose up in the air

Do you think that I care

What you got to say

If you can't say something

Nice to me

Then please go away.

I may be an ass

Or a mule in donkey's guise

But I have a heart that cries

Just take a look at my eyes

Are you talking to me?

Then say something sweet

Talk about candy and music

That's sweet!

Don't try to be cool

Because I know better

Talking is like living

It's all in the giving.

Are you talking to me?

Then say something good

Then maybe I 'll say

Something worth saying

And that's all I gotta say!

I'm just a mule in donkey's

Guise. Some call me an

Ass but I know better.

Are you talking to me?

Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

3

One of the keys to shooting Epic Landscape Photography is exalting the photograph's soul via golden ratio compositions, thusly wedding the photographic art to the divine proportion by which life itself was designed and exalted.

Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies!

Greetings flickr friends! I am working on several books on "epic photography," and I recently finished a related one titled: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean . Message me on facebook for a free review copy!

www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1812448512351066.107374...

The Golden Ratio also informs the design of the golden revolver on all the swimsuits and lingerie, as well as the 45surf logo!

The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after. Robust, ordered growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in nature’s elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which all their vital sustenance and they themselves had been created—the golden ratio.

Ansel Adams is not only my favorite photographer, but he is one of the greatest photographers and artists of all time. And just like great artists including Michelangelo, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Botticelli, and Picasso, Ansel used the golden ratio and divine proportions in his epic art.

Not so long ago I discovered golden regions in many of his famous public domain his 8x10 aspect ratio photographs. I call these golden harmony regions "regions of golden action" or "ROGA"S, as seen here:

And too, I created some videos highlighting Ansel's use of the golden harmonies. Enjoy!

Yosemite Winter Fine Art Landscapes! Sony A7RII yosemite National Park Winter Snow! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography! Ansel Adams & John Muir Tribute! by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

More golden ratio and epic photography composition books soon! Best wishes for the Holiday Season! Dr. Elliot McGucken :)

4

Yosemite Winter Fine Art Landscapes! Sony A7RII yosemite National Park Winter Snow! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography! Ansel Adams Tribute!

Follow me on Instagram! instagram.com/45surf

John Muir: "When I reached the [Yosemite] valley, all the rocks seemed talkative, and more lovable than ever. They are dear friends, and have warm blood gushing through their granite flesh; and I love them with a love intensified by long and close companionship. … I … bathed in the bright river, sauntered over the meadows, conversed with the domes, and played with the pines."

"Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life."--John Muir

"I would advise sitting from morning till night under some willow bush on the river bank where there is a wide view. This will be "doing the valley" far more effectively than riding along trails in constant motion from point to point. The entire valley is made up of "points of interest." --John Muir on Yosemite!

Follow me on instagram for more!

Had a great time waking up at 5 AM every day to shoot tunnel view and then driving around down in the valley to Half Dome, Bridalviel Falls, Cook's Meadow and the glorious Cook's Meadow elm tree, Sentinel Bridge, Valley View, Swinging Bridge, and more! Yosemite winters are made for black and whites, and Ansel Adam's ghost haunts the brilliant landscape scenery!

The most epic "Ansel Adams" view is tunnel view where one can see El Capitan, Bridalviel Falls, and Half Dome over magnificent trees, snow, rising fogs, and breaking mists. Enjoy!

Been busy traveling and shooting landscapes and working on my books The Golden Hero's Odyssey about the golden rectangle and divine proportion I use in a lot of my compositions! Also working on my physics book on Dynamic Dimensions Theory! The equation dx4/dt=ic is on a lot of the 45surf swimsuit and shirts and all! :)

Follow me & 45surf!!

Year 4 (9-10yrs) body proportion project - they had to draw the right proportioned body onto their chosen magazine head. #artwork #studentart #art #arted #artteacher by art central

My fine art landscape lenses for the A7RII are the Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens and the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens ! Love the Carl Zeiss and super sharp Sony Glass!

Winter fine art landscapes!

Epic Yosemite valley village winter snowstorm!

Yosemite Winter Fine Art Landscapes! Sony A7RII yosemite National Park Winter Snow! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography

by jo.dixon ift.tt/26keTzd

Sony A7RII Fine Art Autumn Landscapes Fall Colors Autumn Foilage! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography! by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

4

Sony A7RII Fine Art Autumn Landscapes Fall Colors Autumn Foilage! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography!

Been busy traveling and shooting landscapes and working on my books The Golden Hero's Odyssey about the golden rectangle and divine proportion I use in a lot of my compositions! Also working on my physics book on Dynamic Dimensions Theory! The equation dx4/dt=ic is on a lot of the 45surf swimsuit and shirts and all! :)

Follow me & 45surf!!

Sony A7RII Bishop California Fine Art Autumn Landscapes! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography! by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

My fine art landscape lenses for the A7RII are the Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens and the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens ! Love the Carl Zeiss and super sharp Sony Glass!

2

Sony A7R2 Bishop California Fine Art Autumn Landscapes! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography!

Been busy traveling and shooting landscapes and working on my books The Golden Hero's Odyssey about the golden rectangle and divine proportion I use in a lot of my compositions! Also working on my physics book on Dynamic Dimensions Theory! The equation dx4/dt=ic is on a lot of the 45surf swimsuit and shirts and all! :)

Follow me & 45surf!!

Divine Proportion on a Divine Goddess! Golden Rectangle Goddess! Fibonacci Spiral Composition for Classical Goddess and Exalted Fine Art! by 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography

My fine art landscape lenses for the A7RII are the Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens and the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens ! Love the Carl Zeiss and super sharp Sony Glass!

25

Working on a book titled THE GOLDEN HERO'S ODYSSEY!

Check out my epic album: Golden Rectangle, Golden Ratio, Golden Spiral, Phi Grid, and Fibonacci Spiral in Fine Art Photography Compositions!

www.flickr.com/photos/herosjourneymythology45surf/albums/...

Divine Proportion on a Divine Goddess! Golden Rectangle Goddess! Fibonacci Spiral Composition for Classical Goddess and Exalted Fine Art!

Pretty Greek Goddesses! Artemis, Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite! Venus, Minerva, and Ares, Demeter, and Nike!

Pretty Swimsuit Bikini Model Goddess Nikon D800 Super Sharp AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

All of the new Gold 45 Revolver and 45SURF logos and designs are inspired by the golden number phi and divine proportion! Just as my landscapes oft employ the golden rectangle and fibonacci spiral in composition, all the bikinis, shirts, and lingerie designs are made with the golden section and gold number Phi (1.618) in mind! The golden grids, rectangles, pentagons, and spirals make a far better system for compositions than does the rule of thirds! And too, the golden mean and divine proportion are found in every model--in her pretty face and in the divine proportions of the 45surf goddess's heavenly body! I'm working on a book on all this beautitful craziness in fine art landscapes and models called The Golden Hero's Odyssey, which also ties it to my physics theory Dynamic Dimenions theory (dx4/dt=ic). :)

More of the epic Greek goddess bikini swimsuit models on instagram!

I have been traveling around in Zion, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and Bryce Canyon! Will share soon! :)

ALL THE BEST on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!

Follow me & 45surf!!