View allAll Photos Tagged StarkBeauty
This impressive structure watches over the bare fields and distant lake. The stark vertical lines of the trees form a dramatic visual fence, emphasizing the grand scale of the architecture above. A sharp view that perfectly captures the imposing beauty of early winter.
I love the dramatic contrast between the sharp vertical lines of the trees and the weighty presence of the stone structure, they seem to challenge and complement each other in perfect balance.
A lone tree stands like a memory etched in the sky, its bare branches spreading into the stillness. The land sleeps beneath a faded winter light, and in the distance, a solitary figure walks—small against the quiet vastness. The horizon is a blur of forgotten time, where earth and sky no longer argue about where one ends.
A view of the raw and otherworldly landscape near the Lagunas Altiplánicas in the heart of the Chilean Atacama Desert. At over 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) above sea level, the terrain is a testament to nature's extremes.
In the foreground, the floor of a dry salt pan (salar) has fractured into intricate polygonal patterns. These are desiccation cracks, formed as the mineral-rich ground dries under the intense sun, leaving behind a crust of salt efflorescence that gleams white against the iron-rich, reddish earth.
In the distance, the majestic, snow-dusted peaks of the Andes rise sharply against an impossibly deep blue sky. The prominent conical peak is a classic stratovolcano, a reminder of the region's powerful geological forces. The snow, a stark contrast to the arid plain below, is the lifeblood of this high-altitude ecosystem, its meltwater feeding the hidden lagoons that give this area its name. This is a place of profound silence, stark beauty, and geological wonder.
Un rêve épuré —
terre de feu et de glace
les elfes rêvent
A pure dream —
land of fire and of ice
the elves are dreaming
Hreinn draumur —
land elds og íss
álfarnir dreyma
Un rêve épuré —
terre de feu et de glace
blizzard au solstice
A purified dream —
land of fire and of ice
blizzard at solstice
Hreinn draumur —
eldjörð og íshella
ofsaveður á sólhvörfum
Soleil de minuit
Terres et fjords à l’infini —
L’or luit sur les elfes
Midnight sun aglow
endless lands and fjords unfold —
gold gleams on the elves
Miðnætursólin
óendanleg lönd og firðir —
gullið glóir á álfum
a lone figure cuts through geometry and silence, stepping through a wedge of light. shadow becomes the stage, concrete the script.
pedaling along the portixol waterfront, the cyclist becomes a bold silhouette against the canvas of a fading day. the sun, a fiery orb, dips low, threading light through the spokes of a turning wheel. clouds scatter across the sky, spectators to this daily race against twilight. the world is reduced to stark contrasts and simple truths in this moment: the eternal cycle of day and night, the solitary figure against the elements, and the pure, unfettered joy of movement. every turn of the wheel is a fleeting dance with the sun's last rays, a pursuit of the horizon as it blushes with the promise of night.
qaluit, having watched the last fuel tanker slip away across Frobisher Bay, now settles into its long vigil. The lifeline of supplies secured, the city abides in a pause — a collective breath before the descent of six months of Arctic winter. From Astro Hill to the shoreline houses, every structure braces against the deep freeze rolling down from the North, while the community turns inward, waiting with resilience for the ice and silence to claim the bay.
Meet the photographer:
From my 2022 winter trip to the Southwest
When I took this, I knew it would eventually become a B&W photo, and so it has. I don't recall exactly where this was taken, but it's just off the main road in the southern section of the park--its placement on the map here is an approximation.
This is a pano combining four photos taken with my Nikon D810. Don't know why the EXIF wasn't uploaded along with the photo, but the four photos were taken with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens--the exposure varying between 1/400th and 1/250th sec at f/11 with an ISO of 125. Lightroom was the primary processing program used with a tweak in Photoshop CS5.
A black and White photo of the Camel Thorn Trees (Acacia erioloba) in the Salt Pan at Dead Vlei (Sossusvlei, Namib Naukluft Park, Namibia).
Dead Vlei is translated as Dead Marsh, and is situated between some of the largest red sand dunes in the world.
The remaining skeletons of the trees, are believed to have died 600–700 years ago.
This image is part of the Legacy Series.
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Martin
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I have not been out at all during the crushing cold snap brought on by a polar vortex stalling over Canada - scheduled to begin tapering off tonight, leading to temperatures above freezing by next weekend. Knock on wood.
During this period of extreme weather - nothing unusual for a Sask winter, btw - I've spent hours going through old boxes of slides and negatives, looking for forgotten images to scan and bring to light for the first time in decades (in some cases for the first time ever).
This is one I printed in a darkroom way back when, and finally rediscovered. It was one of the first occasions when I saw natural forms as pure graphics - saw the pattern, the lines, the shapes first and foremost. I was walking in the woods in spring. Last year's leaves, mostly decomposed, were scattered everywhere. This one, from a ground plant that grows beneath the forest canopy - and smells like vanilla when crushed, hence its common name - was still attached to its stalk. It was flooded with bright sunshine but the background consisted of dark shadows. I removed a couple of light blobs from one corner during processing; aside from that, it looks exactly as I found it. From one of my field guides: "After the leaves die, the lacy networks formed by the veins persist through much of the autumn and winter." That is exactly what I found in the spring.
Photographed near Gold River, Vancouver Island, BC; scanned from the original Kodak Tri-X Pan negative (ISO 400). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©1976 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
www.flickr.com/photos/184806716@N02/53509951401/in/pool-i...
The Royal Bengal Tiger, also known as the Indian Tiger, is one of the most majestic and charismatic big cats on the planet. These large felines are native to the Indian subcontinent and are the most numerous tiger subspecies, with an estimated population of around 2,500 individuals.
The Royal Bengal Tiger is a carnivorous predator, feeding mainly on deer, wild pigs, and buffalo. They are also known to hunt other animals such as monkeys, birds, and reptiles. Their strong jaws and sharp teeth, combined with their powerful legs and muscular body, make them incredibly efficient hunters.
These tigers are famous for their distinctive orange fur with black stripes. The pattern of the stripes is unique to each individual, and scientists can use these stripes to identify individual tigers. Their fur also helps them blend into their surroundings, providing camouflage in the tall grasses and forests where they live.
Unfortunately, the Royal Bengal Tiger is also one of the most endangered big cats in the world, with habitat loss and poaching being the main threats to their survival. Their habitat is being destroyed at an alarming rate due to human encroachment, and poaching for their bones, skin, and other body parts is a major issue.
Conservation efforts are underway to protect the Royal Bengal Tiger, including the establishment of protected areas and the implementation of anti-poaching measures. These efforts have helped stabilize some populations, but more work is needed to ensure the long-term survival of this magnificent animal.
The Royal Bengal Tiger is a fascinating and beautiful animal, but sadly, it is also endangered. We must continue to work towards protecting and conserving this species to ensure that future generations can admire and appreciate these majestic creatures in the wild.
I can remember my first visit to the Boardman Tree Farm a number of years back. It was a little haunting looking down long rows of trees and seeing no objects or people yet you could easily hear the on and off sound of a saw in action, which did at times sound like it was coming closer. I never saw it. As this farm quickly fades into the sunset for good. It was nice to make one last stop here. I only stopped by a few times as all stops were on the way to somewhere else or on the way home. That rang true once again as it was a short stop on the way home from Montana last year. It was just fine being "late" and missing the usual yellow fall colors on the trees. The fiery late autumn glow on the ground to compliment the starkness of the poplar trees was rather nice in the end.
One of the last photos taken on my latest trip to Texas. Can't say exactly where this is, but it's off US-180 SW of Gail. I stood in a field for about 30 minutes, taking photos every 2 or three minutes in sets of three, four, or five with the idea of creating a pano. This is the third from the last set and combines five photos, though I chopped off a considerable amount on either end, as otherwise the scene would be pretty small on most computer screens.
If you click on the image to enlarge it, there are dozens of electrical generating windmills on the horizon.
An old photo revisited...
Kalahari Desert Circular Star Trails, due to Earth's rotation around the Southern Celestial Pole (a stacked image sequence started just before daybreak, and ended at first light of day).
Entropy:
This image reminds me of a Thermodynamic principle in Physics called Entropy, where everything in the Universe has a tenancy to "naturally" go from a state of order (a living tree), to disorder (a dead tree in the process of decay).
When I returned to the exact same spot 2 years later, there was no sign of the dead tree. The Desert reclaimed it completely, and no trace of its existence remained.
The Desert runs on a "slower clock" than ours, and some of the plants survive in these seemingly harsh conditions for several human generations, but even here time eventually runs out.
In the words of Carl Sagan: "Nothing lasts forever, even the stars die." - Cosmos.
Boltzmann's entropy formula:
This image is part of the Legacy Series.
Photo usage and Copyright:
Medium-resolution photograph licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Terms (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). For High-resolution Royalty Free (RF) licensing, contact me via my site: Contact.
Martin
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Mount St. Helens National Monument, Washington State
Next to poor lighting, the bane of photographers is laziness. The pursuit of images which exceed mere adequacy requires effort . . . and a little foresight doesn't hurt either. In this particular, as I prepared to set out on a short hike, I hesitated--bring my camera bag, or just my camera? Of course, I chose the latter. And so, I began my hike, armed with my Nikon D810 and a 35mm lens.
One-half mile later and I was ruing my decision.
I'd seen--and photographed--mountain goats before but had never had such a close encounter. Twenty feet, and all I had was a 35mm. They were SO close that the 35mm wasn't absolutely terrible, but the 50mm would have been much superior (and no doubt would have used the 70-300mm lens as well).
Oh well.
Of course, even had I had the requisite lens, this would not have been ideal. Better would have been to capture these beasts on a steep ridge with the entire volcano in view. That would have required a lot of time and patience to find such a moment. But insufficient patience is but one reason I will never be a great wildlife photographer. :-)
Yuccas are adapted to survive the extreme heat and dryness of the Mojave Desert. This location receives less than 4 inches (102 mm) of precipitation per year and summer temperatures often exceed 110 degrees F (43 degrees C) - Muddy Mountains, Clark County, Nevada
{ L } Lightbox view is best
© All Rights Reserved
A winding road rises gently toward the horizon, leading in the direction of Ohmenheim. On the right, a solitary tree stands against the sky, its silhouette sharp in the monochrome light. Behind it, a wind turbine turns slowly, a quiet sentinel of the present in a landscape shaped by time. The clouds are heavy, the weather unsettled, pressing low over the fields.
Ohmenheim lies within the municipality of Neresheim, in southern Germany, on the Härtsfeld plateau of the Swabian Alb.
A scene both stark and poetic – where movement, solitude, and silence meet beneath a troubled sky.
Eine Straße schlängelt sich in sanfter Erhebung Richtung Ohmenheim, am Horizont verschwindend. Rechts steht ein einzelner Baum, seine Silhouette markant im Schwarz-Weiß-Licht. Dahinter ragt eine Windturbine auf – stiller Zeuge der Gegenwart in einer Landschaft, die vom Wandel erzählt. Das Wetter ist rau, die Wolken schwer und drückend über den Feldern.
Ohmenheim liegt in der Gemeinde Neresheim in Süddeutschland, auf dem Härtsfeld der Schwäbischen Alb.
Ein Bild von Strenge und Poesie – wo Einsamkeit, Bewegung und Stille sich unter einem unruhigen Himmel begegnen.
Teddy Bear Cholla growing out of the desert pavement *
- Sonoran Desert, La Paz County, Arizona
{ L } Lightbox view is best
This image was created under very difficult light conditions
- single exposure, processed w/ PSPX6.
© All Rights Reserved
Rain in the Tankwa Karoo, one of the driest places on earth. After the rain the landscape will transform into a magnitude of wildflowers.
This was my view from the Elandsberg Cottages in the Park.
This image is part of the Legacy Series.
Photo usage and Copyright:
Medium-resolution photograph licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Terms (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). For High-resolution Royalty Free (RF) licensing, contact me via my site: Contact.
Martin
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The White Sands National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located about 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Alamogordo in the state of New Mexico.
A crow perches atop the towering flower stalk of a blooming century plant (Agave americana), its silhouette set against a clear San Diego sky. Century plants produce this massive stalk only once in their lifetime, reaching heights of 20–30 feet before flowering and then dying back. The branching tiers of tightly packed buds will open into clusters of yellow blossoms, attracting pollinators such as bats, bees, and hummingbirds. Here, the bird finds both a high vantage point and a resting place on one of the Southwest’s most dramatic botanical displays.
Austere beauty; the Nevada desert at sunset - Muddy Mountains, Clark County, Nevada
Ϙ View Large +
© All Rights Reserved
Wildfires can lead to the creation of unique and interesting art, they can also lead to devastating loss to individuals.
For those that don't my good friend and fellow Photo Cascadia team member, Erin Babnik, found out yesterday the house she just started renting was destroyed in the Paradise, California wildfire. Although she feels fortunate to have made it out alive, as some unfortunately did not, she had to leave behind pretty much everything she owned.
She literally only moved in a week before the fire started, getting new furnishings for this move. Being that she just moved she had not gotten insurance. The day the fire happened is when she was starting to take inventory for insurance. I remember the day before the fire Erin's excitement for starting to get settled in her new place that she shared with her fellow PC team members. She planned to take a short video to show us the new space in the coming days. Unfortunately, her new place never made it that point before the fire took it.
This is obviously a challenging time for Erin and everyone else from the Paradise area coming to the realization that they are starting over. If you know Erin like I know her, you know she is a caring and generous person that helps others. Anyone who would like to help her please donate what you can in this great time of need. Any support you can offer she will truly appreciate.
www.gofundme.com/erin-babnik039s-paradise-fire-fund?share...
This surreal blend of AI-generated painting and photography presents a haunting volcanic landscape where barren trees emerge from the dark terrain. The contrast between the ashen slopes, reflective water, and twisted branches creates an eerie yet captivating atmosphere. Duncan Rawlinson's composition merges the organic with the artificial, evoking a dreamlike vision of nature reshaped by imagination and technology.
A captivating moment near the cliffs of Valahnúkamöl, Iceland, on a beautiful day with the sea in turmoil. The relentless waves clash against the rugged coastline, creating a symphony of raw power. Nature's drama unfolds as the sun casts its golden glow on the tempestuous waters. Valahnúkamöl's stark beauty and untamed energy are on full display, a testament to the wild heart of Iceland's landscapes.
At the corner of Independence Avenue and 3rd Street SW in Washington, D.C., the Hubert H. Humphrey Building stands as one of the most distinctive—and polarizing—examples of federal Brutalist architecture. Designed by Hungarian-born modernist architect Marcel Breuer, the building was completed in 1977 and named in honor of Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, a champion of civil rights and public health. It houses the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), an agency that evolved from the original Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
This hulking concrete structure embodies the Brutalist ethos: raw concrete (béton brut), dramatic geometry, and fortress-like massing. The repetitive modular façade—composed of sculptural precast concrete window hoods—casts deeply recessed shadows that change throughout the day, creating an ever-evolving play of light and form. Breuer’s distinctive use of triangulated surfaces and exaggerated cantilevers gives the building a sense of heavy monumentality while allowing for unexpected nuance and rhythm in the fenestration.
While often criticized for its austere and imposing aesthetic, the Humphrey Building remains an enduring representation of the era’s civic architectural ambition—meant to project governmental strength and permanence during a time of post-Watergate disillusionment. Breuer, best known for his contributions to the Bauhaus and his design of the Whitney Museum in New York, brought a humanist touch to Brutalism. The building's pilotis—elevating it above the ground—were intended to create openness and flow at street level, though tight security measures today limit public access.
Located within the heart of the Capitol complex, the building’s design has become a flashpoint in debates over the future of federal architecture. While some advocate for its preservation as a masterwork of late modernism, others view it as a relic best replaced with more "classically inspired" forms.
Regardless of aesthetic preference, the Hubert H. Humphrey Building is a significant artifact in the narrative of 20th-century American government architecture. It’s a monument to a particular moment in U.S. history—one shaped by the Great Society, by expanding social programs, and by bold (if controversial) ideas about what government buildings should look like.
This is the final shot of our new back yard. We got the survey results on the new house today, and while a few minor things need work, it looks good, so a happy ending to our house hunting.
This is also my last tongue in cheek play at getting unearned views. Flickrs stats are such a complete mess at the moment that I figured I may as well play around, and see how high I can go.
I'm also taking another sabbatical from Flickr. I've tried to adapt to the 'upgrade', but it seems to be getting worse rather than better, at least from my usability perspective. The groups and stats, which were some of the last things working after the 'upgrade' are now a mess as well. I really like the format and the customer service at Ipernity, but while the community is nice, I miss the deeper roots of my contacts and network over here. So I'm stuck with a foot in each camp, but don't really have time to be active in both. I keep hoping that Flickr will get it's act together, make the new format more user friendly, and embrace some level of consumer facing design. That doesn't seem terribly likely in the short term, so I think a break is in order again. I'll pop in and visit from time to time.
“The Fjallsjökull glacier in Iceland gracefully descends into the bay, a majestic flow of ice meeting the sea. This natural wonder, where ice and water dance in a frozen ballet, captures the stark beauty of the Arctic wilderness.”
“Il ghiacciaio Fjallsjökull in Islanda scende con grazia nella baia, un maestoso flusso di ghiaccio che incontra il mare. Questa meraviglia naturale, dove ghiaccio e acqua danzano in un balletto congelato, cattura la bellezza austera della natura artica.”