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For several of swimmers who enjoy this refreshing pool of water, this is no doubt their favorite destination. I was fortunate to get here early enough before they starting appearing in the masses. I also was extremely fortunate to experience this amount of water flow. Often in the summer months it will be reduced to just a trickle. Yeah me. Thanks for checking out the base of this pretty falls. Enjoy!
Scanning a few of my Dad's old negs, I ran across this sad sight. A pair of New York Central J3A Hudsons in a scrap yard somewhere in the Chicago area. What a shame one of these classics wasn't saved!
The old story, worth re-telling:
This happened decades ago. In Iowa, highway department maintenance crews cannot mow down wildflowers along state highways. They can only mow 'weeds', and the weeds have to be specifically included on a legislatively-produced list. It came to pass that in some locations, sunflowers growing along the highways, in ditches, were so tall that they reduced visibility.
The state legislature, acting on a request from the highway department, declared the sunflower a noxious weed, so that these patches could indeed be mowed.
Unfortunately, the sunflower is the state flower of Kansas...where the legislature there took offense at the weed designation. The Kansas legislature then added the Goldfinch -- Iowa's state bird -- to its list of declared pests (rather than protected songbirds), eliminating its protection.
The situation was ultimately resolved, but does illustrate the seriousness and solemnity with which state legislatures pursue their responsibilities. True story.
With the impending withdrawal of all Chopper C Sets on 26/2/21, it sees the start of some several transfer trains to Chullora Industrial Siding. Seen passing Berala is 8144 and 8252 with train T191.
The cars withdrawn include:
C2: C3603, T4269, T4261, C3595
C4: C3589, T4260
C10: C3594, T4255
Up on the first walk after French lockdown was reduced, I went on a foggy and wet day to Calerne plateau.
During the summer months, GWR provide high speed services which extend to the popular holiday destination of Newquay to keep up with the demand put on the railways by holiday makers. Due to the uncertainty of how the travel industry would recover following the Covid pandemic and a reduced service, these trains didn’t run during 2020/2021 but have made a return this year. Still supporting its protective face mask, GWR’s 800321 glides past Bethany working 1C79 11:37 London Paddington - Newquay.
Since Aaron shook the bees' nest in his last post, I figured I wanted to take a moment to respond, but first a bit about this image.
I give this image one thumb up and one thumb down. It came together nicely, and the shape of the framing turned out just how I wanted, with the horizontal sweep accenting the horizon and the frames breaking out the top and bottom vertically emphasizing the wake from the ferry and the blue sky above Seattle. Unfortunately my Holga lens is too wide and I waited too long to snap these, as the Seattle skyline has been reduced to a mere strip. I really wanted to get the skyline a bit more imposing and interesting in the final photo. I also wanted to emphasize the wide open embrace of water all around and the blustery nature of the day. This photo sort of does those things.
But it tries, so I give it credit for that. And it is another step in my learning this technique, and when it comes to learning, often your failures are more valuable than your successes, not that I think this is a complete failure. I just think I have done others that were more successful.
Now on to the perfect photograph. Hehe, what a transition. My philosophy has always been that using the word perfect to describe photography is a giant waste of time. It is a pointless exercise. It is like describing a photo as good or bad. Those terms are so subjective. One person's perfection is another person's failure, and vice versa. I try to avoid labeling my photos, or even thinking of them, in such terms. I work instead on identifying what they do, how they do it, how other's respond to it, etc.
I think a landscape photograph's ultimate goal is to connect with its audience, whether that is an audience of one (the photographer himself) or many. If it does that, then it is successful. On a secondary level, these photos try to transport us there, make us feel how it was to be there, spark our imaginations, kindle our inspiration, open our eyes, or some combination of all of these.
Before I go any further, I want to make the disclaimer that I do not want to offend anybody if I describe their way of photography and then critique it. The wonderful thing about art, is we each have the right to do it as we please. My goal is rather to point out tendencies and boundaries, to try and poke people, shake them out of their comfort zones, make them think a bit, push them to push themselves creatively.
Because, I think a lot of landscape photography I see on Flickr has grown stagnant. It has become distilled into a science as opposed to an art. It is clinical in its approach, which is ironic because the photographers behind it are often not clinical at all, they are excited and inspired, but the photographs they produce don't seem to capture that as well.
I guess what I am talking about is how so much landscape photography here on Flickr looks the same. Wide angle lens, beautiful sunset/sunrise, snow capped mountain looming over its reflection in a lake, or sweep of ocean along the coast. Composed the same ways vertically or horizontally. Saturated. Exposures blended to be perfect. Everything sharp. Neutral density filter to increase blur, and so on. I am sure many of you reading this will recognize these heavy trends. And again, there is nothing wrong with this per se, photographers are using this checklist to produce some visually stunning imagery, no doubt about that.
But try this quick exercise, find 5-10 of these type of photographers, pull one or two images out of each of their streams, and see how easily it is to fit them all together into one cohesive portfolio. I noticed the same looking at the back of B&W Magazine and Lenswork Magazine. The ads in the back for various "fine art" photographers could have been taken by 2-3 people, the results are so similar. Either black and white landscape (two points if it is an abstract of a sand dune), a still life of flowers (two points if they are lilies or tulips) or a nude female study.
I think there are problems on two fronts with this. First of all, I sort of get turned off by the approach for technical perfection. Why? Simply because the world is not perfect, neither are we. Neither should our art. Modern landscape photography is rapidly leaning towards hyper-realistic renditions of natural scenes, and the result is an image that is so perfect in its sharpness and exposure that it no longer looks real. I have trouble looking at these landscape photos and imagining myself in that spot, because my brain is thinking, "this is not at all how it would look." We create fantasy versions of the Nature that so inspires us. Which is fine if that is your intent. Afterall I have never met an HDR photographer who claimed that style of photography was meant to me a realistic interpretation, but rather an exaggeration. The same with this hyper-real trend to perfection in modern landscape photography. It has become so hyper-realistic in its quest for perfection that it has become an exaggeration. Again, that is fine, as long as the photographer realizes this, and then uses it appropriate.
The second problem relates to a post I made a long time ago about a three tiered system of learning photography. The first being the bottom, where you are a novice and know nothing really. The second being where you know all the rules and apply them heavily with the last tier being those photographers who have accepted that the rules only work some of the time, and the rest you venture out on your own and sort of operate off of instinct and vision. At the time, and I still do, I felt that it was easy to get out of the first tier. We hate not knowing things, so it is easy to push ourselves to learn the rules. But once we get to that second tier, many of us bog down. We know the rules, they are working for us to help us produce technically sound photographs, we lose our drive to push ourselves because the realm we are operating in has become comfortable and easy to work with. It is hard to push ourselves creatively to break those boundaries we have imposed upon ourselves, in fact we often do not even realize we have imposed them. But we have. For example, if you have a 10-20mm lens and use it for landscapes, go back and look at your last few dozen images. Were they all composed the same way? Two-thirds bottom, one third top. Strong foreground leading to the background. Nice light. Etc? This is after all how we are taught such a lens should be used. But certainly it is not the only way right? Or heck, how many of your photos are constrained to a rectangular or square frame? Just look at that little fact. What, 98% of our photographs are in little squares or rectangles. We have become so used to it, that many of us just accept that as natural. It is one of the reasons I like these Holga panos such, they break that stereotype. They allow me to match the frame with the subject. But most of the time we just take this for granted and go along with it, not thinking that we could possibly break this particular boundary.
Phew. I don't claim to be right about all of this. I am trying to put ideas I have out there in hopes that they may spark other ideas in those that read this, and I always welcome discussion. I think too much of Flickr is way too blindly supportive with too little thoughtful critique. Because sharing ideas and photos, getting feedback, responding and adapting, that is how we learn afterall.
As far as perfection, if it is perfection you think you are trying to capture in your photographs I would warn you to re-evaluate, you will be searching a long time and will never find what you are looking for. Or worse, believe you have. And in the course of that odyssey you will miss a lot of other important things.
That is my take on perfect photography anyway. Thanks for sticking along all this way, sorry I have been sort of absent from Flickr for a bit. I hope for that to change.
And one quick shout out to Rob to congratulate him on finally getting to go home from the hospital. Keep it up Rob!
If you are interested in pricing for my images, or just plain curious, more info can be found at my website: www.zebandrews.com
Yesterday when I crested the highest dune I couldn't see the ocean for the thick fog. Once I reached the waterline I saw that the tide had exposed a sandbar not far from the shore. Immediately I remembered that last year I had seen pelicans grounded on the sandbar under the same conditions.
No sooner had I walked I few yards than the same scene appeared in front of me through the fog. Unlike seagulls, pelicans do not like humans approaching them too closely.
Ocean Park, Washington.
On Sunday 5/3/2023, an overpowered 1120s (empty Aurizon grain transfer) is seen at Wingfield (Adelaide) with alf23-CLP16-cm3308 in charge.
قالت مادام الهجر ما منه مصلـوح خفف من السرعه شويه و حاسب
فكر قبل ما تنوي البعـد و تـروح هل القرار اللـي خذيتـه مناسـب؟
Sounds Rivulet, Murdunna > Tasmania
6 February 2016
4 shot panorama stitched in Lightroom CC
Nikon D7200, ISO 100, f22, 1/8, 50mm, Hoya Circular PL
Here is another from the series of portraits I took recently of our friends' kids. This is the eldest daughter and she was nice to give some smiles while sitting out in the grass under the reduced sunlight behind the overcast skies at that time.
A less fortunate Olympian seen a couple of hours after my previous upload is R837OVN, an Alexander R type bodied example new to Cleveland Transit in 1998 which was later absorbed into the Stagecoach fleet as their 16837.
Last in service with Golden Eagle Coaches of Salsburgh, it's seen here reduced in height and about to head off to the fragger after having had its mechanical units removed.
Westmoreland Street Dublin, a hive of activity normally reduced to this as a result of the travel restrictions due to COVID-19
56104 (TO - FEDN) - 6R89 (0929 ThO? STP Milford Sidings - Goldthorpe Colliery, which was formed of 36 empty HAAs & departed Milford at 0824) - Goldthorpe Colliery branch - 1005 - 13/05/93.
I knew my annual car mileage in the last 12 months was low, but I got a shock yesterday when the car passed it's MOT & it had fallen from 5,727 miles in 2019 to just 2,508 in 2024, but that's what you get if you add a urine infection for six weeks in the summer, on top of the normal problems caused by Spina Bifida (at least the local charities will benefit more than normal this year [I hope those who have spent more than 30 days or had more than 10 trips to Europe will support their charities] & the planet will benefit from my reduced carbon footprint)!!
Bandon, Oregon
Open lot for sale on the bluff edge above Bandon Beach affords open view of Face Rock.
(homeless woman, sf, 11/12/06)
homeless rebecca from detroit. rebecca doesn't fit. as though she's not where she's supposed to be. i see her as i pass. she is almost ghostly. she sways and bends like the only tree on a hill; unprotected. she seems resigned to a losing battle.
she is panhandling as i pass. or she is praying or mourning. but she is not seen. i turn the corner and watch her for a moment. she grimaces her mouth as though swallowing some new resignation and moves away from the season's passing throng; in my direction, but floating by. i seem to snap a trance when i say hello.
she's been homeless since 1998. she sleeps sometimes in shelters. but says there's not enough beds for women. the men have many more. she went to the shelter this afternoon to put her name in for a bed this evening. there's a lottery, and she didn't get one.
says she has no family and no children. she's the only one. but she has one girlfriend who got a place from the city finally after years. says she's trying to stay there with her friend tonight, if she can make up the guest fee. she's about a third of the way. it's been cold and she clearly doesn't want to be on the street tonight.
she was an accountant not so long back. she had a good job. she worked for kgo. but in '98, they were downsizing her group and she was let go. she thought she'd get another job easy. but she never did. they all wanted someone younger. and now she's 54, and says it's too late for her.
("news" about shows etc.)
Seneca Improved View 5x7 + 4x5 reducing back, Bausch & Lomb 5x7 Tessar 1c f/4.5, New Guy Positive collodion (fresh)
f/4.5, 10 seconds
Concerned that this was my first plate after heavy silver bath maintenance. Sure no pinholes but despite a ton of filtering there are small specs all over if you look close on the scan.
Also concerned about the solvent streaks. I bet it was just too cold for any of the alcohol in the bath to actually evaporate. I even added less alcohol and acid to my developer than usual.
When we first had passed this stand of trees on the Zomba Plateau, they were filled with smoke from a bushfire in the valley below. As we passed this time, it began to rain heavily, extinguishing the fire, and replacing the smoke with misty haze.
To the unaided eye the moon does not look colorful; it appears to be just different shades of gray. However, the rocks that make up the lunar surface are not the same everywhere, and different minerals have slightly different colors. With a digital photo we can make the differences obvious by strongly amplifying color saturation without changing hues or brightness levels. The lunar highlands become yellow and orange while the basalts of the maria turn blue (fitting, given that they were once thought to be oceans). Only large craters and the material ejected from them are neutral gray or white.
For this picture 50 frames were captured. The camera was on a tripod; it did not track the sky. Aligning the frames and computing the mean yielded a single image with a higher signal to noise ratio. One copy of the mean image was strongly sharpened to reduce blurring caused by atmospheric distortion. This produced the version of the moon seen on the left. In a second copy of the mean image color saturation was amplified, but no sharpening was applied. Combining the luminance of the sharpened image with the colors of the saturated image produced the version of the moon seen on the right.
Happy Earth Day, ya'll
Reuse more, waste less.
Keep them bushes tidy
and above all don't litter!
Every little bit helps :)
Stacked photo consisting of:
- 20 x background star shots stacked in Sequator to reduce noise
- 1 x light painted foreground shot
Since these two ships were almost brand new and very modern, they were quickly converted by the Nationalists into auxiliary cruisers, armed with four 152mm guns on single turrets, four 88mm and four 20mm Anti-aircraft guns.
In this role, they patrolled the seas and captured or sunk a large quantity of Republican cargo ships in the Mediterranean and as far as the North Sea. It´s estimated that the Nationalist Navy reduced the war by one year due to the huge quantity of ships captured or sunk with weapons and supplies for the Republicans.
Since it was so simple to convert an existing cargo-ship into a reasonably capable auxiliary combat ship, some Nations with a smaller number of combat ships saw them as a cheap alternative to a Cruiser. The Germans and the Italians for example had used with great success commerce raiders ships during World War One and they took notice of the Spanish success with these ships, which probably led to the use of this kind of ships during the Second World War (again with great success)
After the war, the ships were returned to their previous owners and continued to transport cargo until the seventies.
To know more about this MOC, click here for the next photo:
www.flickr.com/photos/einon/52047409144
Eínon
T45 Leyland Roadtrain B429APP- Showing a few battle scars but otherwise ready for work around the yard.
Tradewinds Motel
2844 Auburn Blvd
Sacramento, California
It took an extra month due to asbestos abatement, but this motel was finally taken down. Now only the sign, front garden, and pool remain. The Maita auto dealership group bought this property and the adjacent Welcome Inn. Reportedly the Subaru dealership further down the street will be moving here.