©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 38.731+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on April 17th 2021

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1312462095 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,924th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

 

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Four metres at 11:10am on Tuesday 13th April 2021 off the Mall and Horse Guards Road within the grounds of St James's Park in Central London, one of the Royal parks of London situated in South West London.

  

Here we see Great White Pelicans (Pelecanus Onocrotalus), of which there are six beautiful individuals now residing in St James's Park. Weighing in at roughly 11kgs, they have wingspans of up to three metres and a six foot body length. They are also known as the Eastern white pelican, Rosy Pelican or White Pelican and are found mostly in South eastern Europe, Asia and the African swamps and lakes.

  

First introduced to St James's Park in 1664 as a gift from the Russian Ambassador, over 40 pelicans have since made the park home.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length: 95mm Shutter speed: 1/320s Aperture: f/10.0 iso400 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Hand held with Nikkor VR Vibration Reduction enabled on Normal setting. Colour space Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Metering: Centre weighted metering. White balance: Auto 1 white balance (5100K). Colour space: Adobe RGB. Nikon Auto Distortion control on. Picture control: Neutral with +2 sharpening

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150 77mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 0.3 (1 stop) Neutral density graduated soft resin filter. Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

  

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LATITUDE: N 51d 30m 3.94s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 21.32s

ALTITUDE: 0.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 92.0MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 51.40MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.20 (14/01/2021) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 R3 Series graphics card (26/03/21). 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

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I was originally enrolled into the GETTY IMAGES collection as a contributor on April 9th 2012, and when links with FLICKR were terminated in March 2014, I was retained and fortunate enough to be signed up via a second contract, both of which have proved to be successful with sales of my photographs all over the world now handled exclusively by them.

    

On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being officially rolled out in December. ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015 and has smoothed out the upload process considerably.

  

These days I take a far more leisurely approach to my photographic exploits, a Nikon D850 FX Pro body as my trusted companion, I travel light with less constraints and more emphasis on the pure capture of the beauty that I see, more akin to my original persuits and goals some five decades previously when starting out. I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 31.712+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on June 10th 2019

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1154926590 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 3,562nd frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Zero metres, at 10:10am on Tuesday June 4th 2019, on a an overcast and drizzle filled morning off Birdcage Walk and Horse Guards Road in the grounds of St James's Park. Situated in the City Of Westminster, the Park spans twenty three Hectares and is the oldest of the Royal Parks of London, with a variety of visiting and nesting birds that include Ducks, Canada Geese and Pelicans.

  

Here we see an Egyptian goose chick (Alopochen Aegyptiaca) on the lake in St James's Park. These were once considered sacred by the ancient Egyptians, appearing in much of thier artwork. They are native to Africa South of the Sahara and the Niler valley.

 

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Nikon D850 Focal length 140mm Shutter speed 1/80s Aperture f/16.0 iso800 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 6880 x 4584 FX). Hand held with Nikkor VR Vibration (Normal) selected . Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Focus mode AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. AF Area mode single. Exposure mode - Manual exposure. Matrix metering. ISO Sensitivity: Auto. Auto 1 white balance. Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal. Active D-lighting on Automatic. High ISO Noise Reduction: On. Picture control: Auto with Sharpening A+1.00.

  

Nikkor AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E. Hoya UHC 67mm UV(C) filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

  

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LATITUDE: N 51d 30m 12.50s

LONGITUDE: W 0d 7m 54.70s

ALTITUDE: 0.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 90.50MB NEF: 64.7MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 19.70MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 41.818+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on May 13th 2021

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1317599182 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 5,532nd frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

 

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Sixty two metres at 15:04am on a cold but bright morning on Wednesday 12th May 2021, of an adult Eurasian Collared dove (Steptopelia decaocto), off Chessington Avenue in Bexleyheath, Kent.

  

The Eurasian Collared dove is from the Pigeons and doves family and protyected in the UK by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 with a current green UK 'of least concern' conservation status thanks to more than 990,00 breeding pairs. They measure 32cm in length with a 51cm wingspan and can weigh 200g.They first came to the UK in 1955 when bred in Norfolk, previously being confined to Turkey and the Balkans before 1930 as well as parts of China. After that, it spread quickly Northwest across Europe and also resides North of the Arctic circle in Norway, the Canary Islands and Morocco. .It was also introduced to Japan, North America and some Caribbean Islands.

  

The name Columba decaocto was proposed by Hungarian born botanist and entomologist Dr Emerich Frivaldszky von Frivald, in 1838. The female lays two white eggs and incubates them at night for between 14-18 days, the male incubating them during the day. Though not as bold as feral and Wood pigeons, the pairs that feed in my garden like to be together and prefer the safety of a bird feeder.

  

They live for around three years with one recorded at seventeen, and have been recorded flying over 600 Kilometres from their birth place. They are monogamous birds.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length 600mm Shutter speed: 1/200s Aperture f/6.3 iso250 Tripod mounted with Tamron VC Vibration Control set to position 3. Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (4128 x 2752). JPeg basic (14 bit uncompressed) AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. AF-S Priority selection: Focus. 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points Exposure mode: Manual exposure mode Metering mode: Matrix metering White balance on: Auto1 (4570k) Colour space: RGB Picture control: Neutral (Sharpening +2)

  

Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150 95mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Manfrotto MT057C3-G Carbon fiber Geared tripod 3 sections. Neewer Carbon Fiber Gimble tripod head 10088736 with Arca Swiss standard quick release plate. Neewer 9996 Arca Swiss release plate P860 x2.Jessops Tripod bag. Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

     

LATITUDE: N 51d 28m 28.19s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 10.31s

ALTITUDE: 54.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF FILE: 90.6MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 42.50MB

    

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

  

©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 42.638+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on Friday 17th June 2022

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1403228101 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 5,606th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Fifty three metres at 11:33am on Wednesday 15th June 2021, of an adult European Magpie (Pica pica)in a garden off Chessington Avenue in Bexleyheath, Kent.

  

Here we see an adult Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica), also known as the Common magpie, and resident as a breeding bird throughout the Northern part of the Eurasian continent. It can grow to Eighteen inches in length with a Twenty five inch wingspan and generally has a lifespan of around Four years.

  

If the Magpie were an exotic, rare bird, people would rave about them, travel distances to view them, crave them in their private collections, but because it is a common, thriving bird with a green status of least concern on the UK conservation lists, it is perceived as a thief, can be very noisy and flays songbird chicks on your lawn it's a different story! Well, I adore these beautiful, cheeky, playful, intelligent and on occasions shockingly ruthless and violent birds, and love them for the colour and attitude they bring to my garden and local woodlands.... So there!

  

YOU GOT A BAD REPUTATION!

  

Let's be honest, in Public relations terms, the Eurasian Magpie has something of a problem with it's image as a thief, a murderer of innocent baby birds and a voracious predator. In history too it's not all been an easy ride.

  

"One for Sorrow" is a traditional children's nursery rhyme about magpies dating back originally to the Sixteenth century. According to an old superstition, the number of magpies seen tells if one will have bad or good luck.

  

The rhyme was first recorded around 1780 in a note in John Brand's (Church of England clergymanand antiquarian), 'Observations on Popular Antiquities' on Lincolnshire with the lyric:

One for sorrow,

Two for mirth,

Three for a funeral

And four for birth

  

In 1846, Michael Aislabie Denham a collector of folklore and merchant released 'Proverbs and Popular Saying of the Seasons' in London with an extended version:

  

One for sorrow,

Two for mirth

Three for a funeral,

Four for birth

Five for heaven

Six for hell

Seven for the devil, his own self

  

And we all in the UK remember the children's TV show Magpie, which ran from 1968 to 1980 and featured an entirely new version of the rhyme in an opening song recorded by 'Spencer davis group' under the alias of 'The murgatroyd band', featuring the lines:

  

One for sorrow

Two for joy

Three for a girl

Four for a boy

Five for silver

Six for gold

Seven for a secret never to be told

Eight's a wish and

Nine a kiss

Ten is a bird you must not miss.

  

In 1815, two French playwrights, Theodore Baudouin d'Aubigny and Louis-Charles Caigniez wrote a historical melodram called La Pie Voleuse, in which a servant is sentenced to death for stealing silverware from her master, when the real thief is his pet magpie. The play opened on 29th April 1815 Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin 18, Boulevard Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Moved by the Parisian urban myth, Gioachino Rossini set his opera La gazza ladra 'The thieving Magpie' to the same story. Thus, the poor Magpie's reputation would be forever set!

  

Two hundred years later in tests, it was found that Magpies were not generally drawn to shiny objects and only two out of over sixty birds took items left in shiny piles by their food. This backs up many previous and subsequent tests that prove conclusively that Magpies are not uniformly thieves, and that there is no evidence of shiny objects ever being found in a magpie nest. Kleptomania and inquisitiveness are of course two entirely different things. As for killing baby birds and destroying local population of starlings, blackbirds and pigeons... again there is no scientific evidence that this has ever been the case, and it's proven that domestic cats are a bigger threat to songbirds. Nature has a balance and each species plays it's part.

  

A CLOSER LOOK

  

The Eurasian Magpie or Common Magpie (Pica pica) is a resident breeding bird found throughouT the Northern part of the Eurasian continent and is often referred to simply as Magpie in Europe, the only other Magpie being the Iberian magpie (Cyanopica cooki) which can only be found in the Iberian Peninsula.

  

An omnivore which eats berries, grains, caterpillars and small mammals, young birds and eggs, insects, scraps, carrion,grain,acorns and vegetables, it is highly adaptable and will incorporate a vast array of foods into it's diet. It can vary in length from 17.3-18.1 inches with a wingspan of 20.5-23.6 inches and it's tail makes up more than half it's length. Viewed as mainly black and white, it actually has a head, neck and breast of gloss black, with a metallic green and violet sheen and gloss black with green or purple wings. Males tend to be larger than females, by sometimes more than twenty per cent, males weighing 210-272g compared to 182-214g of the females.

  

Magpies were originally referred to mas 'Pies', a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'pointed' in reference to their beaks or tails and 'Mag' actually dates back to the Sixteenth century being the shortened abreiviation for the name 'Margaret' which was once used as a term for women in general. The Pies call was said to resemble 'the idle chattering of women', and so the name became 'Mag pie'. The term 'Pie' used as a reference dates back even further to the thirteenth century, whilst 'pied' was first recorded in 1552 as a reference to birds resembling a Magpie with black and white plumage.

  

The Magpie was first described and illustrated by Zurich born Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner in his book 'Historia animalium (History of the Animals)', published at Zurich in 1551–1558 and 1587. Carl Linnaeeus, a Swedish born botonist, zoologist, taxonomist and physician and known as the father of modern taxonomy, included the species in the 10th edition of 'Systema Naturae under the name 'Corvus pica'.

  

The separate genus 'Pica' was first noted by French Zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760, Pica being the classical Latin word for this Magpie.

In 2000, the North American Black-billed magpie (Pica hudsonia) became it's own species after the American Ornithologists Union decided that studies of vocalization and behaviour placed the Black-billed closer to the Yellow-billed magpie (Pica nuttalli) than to the Eurasian magpie. The Yellow-billed magpie has a yellow beak and streak around the eye.

  

There are seven sub species of Magpies found throughout the world:

  

European, Eurasian or common Magpie (Pica pica) found in the British isles, Russia, Southern Scandinavia and Mediterranean.

Iberian Magpie ( Pica melanotos) found in the Iberian Peninsula, Siberia and first noted in 1857.

Northern Magpie (Pica fennorum) found in Northern Scandinavia and North western Russia and first noted in 1927.

Russian Magpie (Pica bactriana)found in Siberia, Caucasus, Iraq, Iran, Central Asia and Pakistan and first noted in 1850.

Kamchatkan magpie (Picacamtschatica) found in the northern Sea of Okhotsk and the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East and first noted in 1884.

  

Others include Pica leucoptera and the separate species of Pica mauritanica, Pica asirensis, Pica serica and Pica bottanensis.

  

INTELLIGENCE

  

The Eurasian Magpie is believed to be not only among the most intelligent of bird species but also the most intelligent of all animals, it's Nidopallium (the region of the avian brain used mostly for executive functions and other higher cognitive tasks), is relatively the same approximate size as those in Humans and chimpanzees, with a brain to body mass ratio equal to Great apes and Cetaceans (Aquatic mammals of the order Cetacea).

  

They have been observed by one Japanese university campus, waiting at traffic lights and placing tough nuts in front of the wheels of stationary traffic. As the lights change and vehicles move away, the shells are crushed. They are accomplished food cache thieves as I have observed in my own garden where Magpies made several false raids on the food stores held by a dominant pair of Carrion Crows (Corvus corone) in my birdbath, before making a real attack.

  

Magpies also work in pairs and use decoy tactics for this purpose, the female in my garden drawing the attention of the crows and flying off with them in hot pursuit, only for the male to nip in and grab the food to rendezvous back at their nest! They even have the ability to learn from their own burglary efforts and guard their own food cache against others.

  

Like crows, Magpies will attend a funeral for their dead. Often a single bird will call for others on finding a dead magpie. Anything up to forty responders have been recorded, gathering around the dead bird for up to fifteen minutes before leaving. On occasions they have been observed laying wreaths of grass like flowers. They have been recorded 'showing happiness or joy' when playing, and are highly social. They are also fond of stealing shiny objects or items which interest them.

  

Magpies are capable of passing the self recognition 'Mirror self recognition MSR' test' or 'Mark test', developed in 1970 by American psychologist Gordon Gallup Jn. Yellow spots were placed on some magpie throats and three out of five birds spotted these marks in the mirror and tried to remove them.

  

That confirms that they understand and recognise a reflection of themselves in the mirror, a test successfully passed by only a handful of other animals including the great apes (including us humans), just one single Asiatic elephant, dolphins, Orcas and the Cleaner Wrasse (a marine fish).

Magpies have demonstrated abilities in the game 'hide and seek' comparable to those of human children aged around 5 years, and in some tests they have managed to fashion simple tools from metal or wood to use as retrieval tools for food in human made puzzles, outsmarting seven year old children performing those same tests.

  

Results published in the journal 'Nature', by researchers from the University of Western Australia and the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, on work that began in 2013 studying the behaviour of 56 wild magpies, individually tagged, living in 14 territorial groups of between three and 12 birds in the Perth suburb of Guildford. Those studies found magpies living in larger groups appeared to be smarter than those in smaller groups, and also that clever female birds seemed to make better mothers, with a higher success rate when it came to both hatching their eggs and raising their young.

  

The findings seemed to back up the 'social intelligence hypothesis' that posits intelligence in animals evolved in response to the demands of living in complex social systems according to Study co-author Dr Benjamin Ashton.

  

So there we have it, a brief look at the Eurasian, common or just simply Magpie, pie, or 'those bleedin' black and white things!' as my mum and dad always refer to them. Public opinion will no doubt never be swayed, but to my eyes they are magnificent birds with an ability to please and shock, to entertain, to brighten my day and to bring nature to my daily life. My time with magpies is never dull, never predictable, never boring. I love the little beauties!

  

Paul Williams June 8th 2021

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length 550mm Shutter speed: 1/800s Aperture f/6.3 iso200 Hand held with Tamron Vibration Control set to position 1 Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504) NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) AF-C Priority Selection: Release Nikon Back button focusing enabled 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points Exposure mode: Manual mode Metering mode: Matrix metering Active D-Lighting: Auto Vignette control: Normal White balance on: Auto1, 0, 0 (4860k) Colour space: RGB Picture control: (SD) Standard (Sharpening +3)

  

Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150 95mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

     

LATITUDE: N 51d 28m 28.33s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 10.51s

ALTITUDE: 53.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF FILE: 91.0MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 34.70MB

      

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

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I was originally enrolled into the GETTY IMAGES collection as a contributor on April 9th 2012, and when links with FLICKR were terminated in March 2014, I was retained and signed up via a second contract, both of which have proved to be successful with sales of my photographs all over the world now handled exclusively by them.

  

On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being rolled out to the general public in December. (ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015).

 

With visits now in excess of 17.742 Million to my FLICKR site, used primarily these days as a platform to reach friends and family, prospective clients and fellow Flickerinos, I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to FLICKR, GETTY IMAGES and everyone who drops by.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION December 9th 2016

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/543607234 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 2,342nd frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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This photograph was taken at an altitude of Nine hundred and twenty eight metres, at 13:17pm on Thursday 12th May 2016 off Alaska Highway route 1 between Upper Liard and Swift River, beside Rancheria River at Rancheria Falls, Yukon territory, Canada.

  

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Nikon D800 24mm 1/1600s f/2.8 iso100 RAW (14Bit)Handheld Nikon back focus button enabled. AF-C Continuous point focus with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance. Nikon AF Fine tune on (+9).

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries. Nikon DK-17M 1.2x Magnifying Eyepiece. Nikon DK-19 soft rubber eyecup. Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC card. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW Photo/ 15.4" Notebook Backpack camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 60d 4m 40.69s

LONGITUDE: W 130d 49m 33.50s

ALTITUDE: 928.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 30.53MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D800 Firmware versions A 1.10 B 1.10 L 2.009 (Lens distortion control version 2)

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

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.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 36.214+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on February 3rd 2020

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1203706233 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,297th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Twenty two metres, at 13:09pm on Monday 4th November 2019, off Hyde Park Corner and Park Lane A4202 in the grounds of Hyde park, a Grade 1 listed Royal Park (the largest of) of London.

  

Spanning an area of 350 acres, the park is divided by the Serpentine and the Long water lakes, and was created by King Henry VIII in 1536 as hunting ground. It opened to the puiblic in 1637 and was extensively improved under Queen Caroline in the early righteenth century. The Great exhibition for which the Crystal Palace was erected, designed by Joseph Paxton, was also held here.

  

Here we see, Sciurus Carolinensis (Eastern Gray Squirrel or Grey Squirrel), a tree squirrel native to North America and first introduced to the UK in the 1870's. Though it was largely resonsible for the decimation of our own native red squirrel population, those are now on the increase and found in certain parts of the UK including Scotland. The Greys are still an ecologically essential natural forester regenerator.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length 600mm Shutter speed 1/125s Aperture f/6.3 iso450 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Hand held with Sigma Image stabilization enabled . Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Focus mode AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. AF Area mode single. Exposure mode - Manual exposure. Matrix metering. ISO Sensitivity: Manually set. Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal. Active D-lighting on Automatic. High ISO Noise Reduction: On. Picture control: Auto with Sharpening A+1.00.

  

Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3DG OS HSM SPORTS. Lee SW150 MKI filter holder with MK2 light shield and custom made velcro fitting for the Sigma lens. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

  

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LATITUDE: N 51d 30m 29.65s

LONGITUDE: W 0d 10m 23.96s

ALTITUDE: 22.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.0MB NEF: 91.4MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 42.90MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

'' Find a moment of purity and clarity, of beauty and contemplation and hold it as a precious memory for eternity ''

  

Ten years into my enjoyable and enlightening time here on Flickr, I wanted to take a little time to look back and reminisce on some of the images that have been of great significance to me along the way. Whether in terms of commercial success, personal favourites or images that marked a defined turning point in my journey of learning the wonder of photography, it's my chance to look back and add a few details behind the taking of those photographs.

  

(10) SACRED IS THE GOLDEN SILENCE

  

At one point, four generations of my wife's family have lived in an amazing little town called Sidney which is located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, from 1998 when her Sister and husband and kids moved there until now with them just having moved away, though the kids and grand kids remain. When I first visited in 1997, Sidney was what felt like a sleepy, quaint old town with great charm and beauty in the days when you could easily find a parking free parking space and the streets were empty.

  

It had a lovely old traditional bandstand, the first straight part of a the wooden Bevan Avenue fishing pier and the shops consisted of antique books and lovely coffee shops as well as a Thrifty's food supermarket and a Safeway. There is a lovely marina, some nice restaurants, glass beach and the fish market and the pace of life was beautifully relaxed thanks in part to an average older generation population. Roll on twenty five years and it's now becoming very crowded, high expensive apartment blocks competing for space, huge old detached houses with basements and lots of garden space being bulldozed in favour of tiny little apartments with no gardens and very un-Canadian distances between them, a multitude of cars and a faster pace of life that is a little hard to understand at times. It's still beautiful, but the times they are a-changing it seems.

  

I've always loved to catch the sunrise and sunsets along the coast here and down on the beach in Sidney where I can nestle in with the rocks and watch the daylight come along with passing seals, sea lions, racoons, Bald eagles and all manner of other creatures. Looking across from the small boat jetty you can often see Mt Baker way over in Washington State, USA, a hugely significant mountain to many First nations native tribes for countless generations, a great landmark and a personal favourite to our family as we see it from many angles all over the coast and even been up to the top of the mountain on one trip.

  

This photograph was taken at an altitude of Seven metres, in the golden hour around sunrise at 06:45am on Sunday 27th August 2011 off Bevan Avenue, beside Diver's point and the Sidney Waterfront Inn and Suites in beautiful Sidney by the sea on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It's a very familiar location and one that means a great deal to me. We persuaded our Mother in law to move out here from England so that she could have a better quality of life, be with my wife's sister and watch the grand children grow up which was wonderful. The times we have all had together over are made more precious now as she passed away back in 2006 and she is still present in spirit whenever we are here.

  

There were for many years two beautiful yachts moored by the pier and boat jetty every night which always gave me a nice subject matter to photograph, even when it came down to this last yacht on it's own. But here's a thing that really makes you realize how small the world is. Eight years after this frame was taken, I was staying over on Pender Island at Poet's Cove, a lovely resort of luxury houses on an island in British Columbia, Canada. On a drive about the Island we stopped for provisions as a small parade of shops and a very pleasant elderly Canadian man started talking to me about the nice looking Nikon D850 hanging off my shoulder.

  

And a true story: I met up with the owner of this beautiful yacht some eight years later on a stay in Pender Island, British Columbia, where we met by chance after he commented on the beauty of my Nikon D850. Turned out he left Sidney and moved to Pender Island due to the rising population and the ridiculous mooring costs there. Small world indeed. As we talked it came to light he had moved to Pender Island from Sidney because the costs of mooring his yacht had become too much to justify... the same yacht in this photograph and the same one that I'd been photographing for so many years previously! What are the chances of that?

  

This photograph featured in my third published book, 'Despite Straight Lines - The Getty Images Collection', first published on August 23rd 2015 and versions of it published by my agents Getty Images in 2012, October 23rd 2018 and on October 30th 2020 as part of the Moment open collection, becoming my 4,710th one to be published through them. A version was also published by Shutterstock on February 19th 2019 and it has sold steadily through those publications. It also appeared online and in a photographic exhibition in Sidney, BC. Aside from commercial success, it's here because it means so much to me as a memory of some amazing, peaceful, contemplative moments that I spent here on mornings with a perfect sunrise over a landscape that I know and love so much, and to date I have never bettered this capture of the sunrise, the geese in flight and Mt Baker.'

  

For the frame I was using my Nikon D700, one of the most ground breaking cameras of it's day and released in July 2008 offering a 12.1MP full frame FX CMOS sensor and Nikon Expeed processing and eight frames per second with the optional and expensive Nikon MBD-10 battery grip that I also bought. One of the most important Nikon cameras in my photographic road through the years, it was for me a game changer in terms of full frame capabilities when paired, as in the case of this image, with Nikko's excellent AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF lens. The D700 was discontinued in 2012 and despite it's, by modern day standard modest resolution, it's still a great camera to use and feels like an old friend as soon as you are reunited with it.

  

Also on the shoot was my wonderful little Nikon GP-1 GPS module which has travelled the world with me and become an essential tool in my shooting armoury. I can be in a remote mountain top dirt track and it will show me on Google maps exactly where I am with coordinates. I also used my Manfrotto tripod, I've had a few over the years and would never use any other brand as these are just perfect for me needs, offering safety, stability, build quality and carbon fibre options to reduce weight. The Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod 3 Sections (Payload: 5.6kgs) used for this frame is still in use to this day alongside a heavy duty Manfrotto MT057C3-G Carbon fiber Geared tripod 3 sections, which is the best tripod I've ever used.

 

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Nikon D700 Focal length 52mm Shutter speed: 1/800s Aperture f/10.0 iso200 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (4256 x 2832 FX). Focus mode AF-C focus point AF-Area mode: Auto Exposure mode: Manual exposure. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Matrix metering. White balance: Auto. Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Distortion control on. Picture control: Auto. High ISO NR on. Vignette control: normal. Active D-lighting Auto.

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod 3 Sections (Payload: 5.6kgs). Manfrotto 327RC2 Light Duty Grip Ball Magnesium Tripod Head (Payload: 5.5kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 200PL-14. Jessops Tripod bag.Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release cable.

  

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LATITUDE: N 48d 38m 53.69s

LONGITUDE: W 123d 23m 36.84s

ALTITUDE: 7.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 24.20MB NEF: 34.6MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 8.53MB

     

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PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D700

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.3.1 11/07/2019). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

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***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on June 23rd 2015

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/561251197 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 739th frame to be selected for inclusion and sale in the Getty Images 'Moment' collection, and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Eleven metres at 15:57pm on Tuesday 19th May 2015 off the A87, on the rocky shoreline at Elgol, a village on the shores of Loch Scavaig towards the end of the Strathaird peninsula in the Isle of Skye, in the Scottish Highlands

     

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Nikon D800 24mm 1/320s f/6.3 iso100 Hand held. RAW (14-bit) AF-S single point focus. Manual exposure. Centre weighted metering. Auto white balance.

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries. Digi-Chip Speed Pro 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC card. Nikon DK-17a magnifying eyepiece. Hoodman HGEC soft eyepiece cup. Optech Tripod Strap. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 57d 8m 50.62s

LONGITUDE: W 6d 6m 27.08s

ALTITUDE: 11.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 22.86MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 8.1. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

     

©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 38.861+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on April 4th 2018

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/941224156 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,964th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Eleven metres at 08.06am on Friday March 30th 2018 off Grand Parade B2106 on the pebbled shoreline looking towards Eastbourne Pier in Eastbourne, East Sussex, England.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length: 48mm Shutter speed: 1/60s Aperture: f/8.0 iso64 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space Adobe RGB. Handheld with Nikkor VR Vibration (Normal) selected . AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Area mode single. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance. Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm F4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 32GB Class 10 SDHC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

  

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LATITUDE: N 50d 46m 2.30s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 17m 34.80s

ALTITUDE: 11.0m

    

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB (NEF 89.9mb)

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 56.62MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Three hundred and fifty five metres, at 11:54am on Monday 12th September 2019 off the Trans Canada highway 97 between Kamloops and Monte Creek on the North bank of the Thompson River in British Columbia, Canada.

  

The North American raccoon (Procyon lotor) is also known as the Raccoon, 'Common raccoon','Northern Raccoon',coon or spelled Racoon and is a medium sized mammal in the Procyonidae family, genus Procyon. It is native to North America, a nocturnal omnivore weighing up to 57 pounds and measuring up to 28 inches in length.

  

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Nikon D850. Focal length 300mm Shutter speed 1/640s Aperture f/5.6 iso3600 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Hand held with Nikon Image stabilization VR enabled on Normal mode. Focus mode AF-C focus 51 point with 3D- tracking. AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode - Sutter priority exposure. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Matrix metering. ISO Sensitivity: Auto. White balance: Natural light auto. Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Distortion control on. Picture control: Auto. High ISO NR on. Vignette control: normal. Active D-lighting Auto.

  

Nikkor AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150Con adapter for Lee 100 rings.Lee 100 67mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Nikon EN-EL15a battery.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.

  

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LATITUDE: N 50d 39m 13.83s

LONGITUDE: W 120d 4m 53.01s

ALTITUDE: 355.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 93.5MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 17.60MB

    

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.3.1 11/07/2019). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

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I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 37.069+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on July 28th 2020

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1259853610 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,547th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at 05.06am on a beautiful Springtime morning in the Golden hour around sunrise , at an altitude of nineteen metres on Friday 24th April 2020, off North Cray Road within Foots Cray Meadows in Bexley, Kent.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length 55mm Shutter speed: 1/25s. Aperture f/11.0 iso64 Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Focus mode: Manual focus Exposure mode: Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto ISO sensitivity control on (Max iso 800/ Miniumum shutter speed 125). White blance on: Auto1. Colour space: RGB. Actve D-lighting: Normal. Vignette control: Normal. Nikon Distortion control: Enabled. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1)

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Lee filters SW150 holder. Lee filters SW150 77mm screw in adapter ring. Lee filters SW150 0.6 (2 stops) ND Grad Soft resin filter. Lee filters Little Stopper (6 stops) Glass filter. Manfrotto MT057C3-G Carbon fibre geared tripod. Neewer Gimbal tripod head with Arca Swiss quick release plate.055XPROB Tripod 3 Sections (Payload: 5.6kgs). Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.

   

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LATITUDE: N 51d 25m 20.68s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 7m 16.32s

ALTITUDE: 28.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 90.0MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 36.90MB

   

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

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I was originally enrolled into the GETTY IMAGES collection as a contributor on April 9th 2012, and when links with FLICKR were terminated in March 2014, I was retained and fortunate enough to be signed up via a second contract, both of which have proved to be successful with sales of my photographs all over the world now handled exclusively by them.

  

On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being officially rolled out in December. (ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015 and has smoothed out the upload process considerably).

  

With visits now in excess of 16.565 Million to my FLICKR site, used primarily these days as a fun platform to reach friends and family as I have now sold my professional gear and now take a more leisurely approach to my photographic exploits, I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to FLICKR, GETTY IMAGES and everyone who drops by.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on July 15th 2016

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/547482408 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 2,158th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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This photograph was taken at an altitude of Seven hundred and fifty two metres, at 10:49am on Friday 13th May 2016 off the Alaska Highway, then Klondike Highway 2, at Emerald Lake, Yukon, Canada.

  

Located in the Southern Yukon at mile 73.5 from Skagway, Alaska, the distinctive water colour is derived from light reflecting off white deposits of Marl, a mixture of Calcium Carbonate and clay.

  

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Nikon D800 50mm 1/80s f/14.0 iso100 RAW (14Bit) Hand held. Nikon back focus button enabled. AF-C Continuous point focus with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance.Nikon AF Fine tune on (+9).

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries. Nikon DK-17M 1.2x Magnifying Eyepiece. Nikon DK-19 soft rubber eyecup. Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC card. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW Photo/ 15.4" Notebook Backpack camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 60d 16m 5.71s

LONGITUDE: W 134d 44m 45.48s

ALTITUDE: 752.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 24.11MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D800 Firmware versions A 1.10 B 1.10 L 2.009 (Lens distortion control version 2)

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 40.342+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on Thursday October 21st 2021

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1347380598 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 5,290th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Seventy three metres at 06:37am on Monday 8th February 2021, during the beauty of Golden hour around sunrise (Sunrise was at precisely 06:52am), off Woolwich Road A206 and New Road in the grounds of Lesnes Abbey Woods in the London Borough of Bexley, England.

  

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Nikon D850 Hand held with Tamron VR vibration reduction enabled on setting One. Focal length 1500mm Shutter speed: 1/30s Aperture f/7.1 ISO200 Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Focus mode AF-C focus. AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Auto ISO 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points.AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode: Manual mode. Matrix metering. White balance on: Auto1 (4690K). Colour space: RGB. Vignette control: Normal. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1)

  

Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150 95mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

  

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LATITUDE: N 51d 29m 7.66s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 9.20s

ALTITUDE: 73.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 92.5MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 47.60MB

   

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PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

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.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 37.667+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on November 9th 2020

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1284699044 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,677th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Fifty seven metres at 12:16pm on Sunday 8th November 2020 off Heron Hill and New Road in the grounds of Lesnes Abbey Woods, close to Abbey wood open space in the London Borough of Bexley, England. Abbey wood joins to Lesnes abbey wood and Abbey wood open space as well as Bostall Heath and woods.

  

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Nikon D850 Hand held with Nikkor VR Vibration Reduction enabled on normal setting. Focal length 16mm Shutter speed: 1/40s Aperture f/10.0 iso160 Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Focus mode AF-C focus. AF-S Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. AF-S Priority selection: Focus. 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points.AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode: Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto ISO sensitivity control on (Max iso 800/ Minimum shutter speed 125). White balance on: Auto1. Colour space: RGB. Active D-lighting: Normal. Vignette control: Normal. Nikon Distortion control: Enabled. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1)

  

Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4.0G IF ED VR. Lee filters SW150 holder. Lee filters SW150 77mm screw in adapter ring. Lee filters Circular Polariser Glass filter. Lee filters SW150 filters field pouch. Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.

    

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LATITUDE: N 51d 29m 11.95s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 13.34s

ALTITUDE: 57.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 94.1MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 56.60MB

     

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PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

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I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 37.057+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on August 20th 2020

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1266917614 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,544th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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This one point three seconds long exposure was taken at an altitude of Four metres, at 06:16am on Tuesday 3rd September 2019 around sunrise off 1st Street and Bevan Avenue, between the boat jetty and Bevan Avenue Fishing Pier in beautiful Sidney by the sea on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

  

In the distance we see Mt Baker in Washington State, USA . Known to the Lummi First nation people ( Lhaq'temish ) as Kwelshán ('Shooting place' in Nooksack), to the Halkomelem as Kwelxá:lxw, to Lushootseed speakers along the Skagit River as Teqwúbe7 “snow-capped peak'', to the Nooksack language as Kweq’ Smánit (“white mountain'') and also known as Koma Kulshan, (pronounced kō-ō’mah’ kool-shän’), the name for the Middle Fork which originates from the glaciers such as Deming and Thunder on the western slopes, she is an active glaciated andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington State in the United States, standing 3,286 metres tall and was first ascended in 1868, her last eruption recorded in 1880.

  

The name Mount Baker first appeared in print in Captain Vancouver’s 1798 narrative of his voyage around Vancouver Island. Legend has it that his third-lieutenant, Joseph Baker, was the first to spot the mountain while they sailed into Dungeness Bay on April 30th, 1792.

 

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Nikon D850. Focal length 95mm Shutter speed: 1.3 seconds long exposure Aperture f/16.0 iso64 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Focus mode AF-C focus 51 point with 3D- tracking. AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode - Aperture priority exposure. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Matrix metering. ISO Sensitivity: Auto. White balance: Natural light auto. Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Distortion control on. Picture control: Auto. High ISO NR on. Vignette control: normal. Active D-lighting Auto.

  

Nikkor AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150Con adapter for Lee 100 rings.Lee 100 67mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 0.9 (3 Stops) Neutral Density soft resin filter. Lee SW150 Filters field pouch. Nikon EN-EL15a battery.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod 3 Sections (Payload: 5.6kgs). Manfrotto 327RC2 Light Duty Grip Ball Magnesium Tripod Head (Payload: 5.5kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 200PL-14. Jessops Tripod bag.Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release cable.

   

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LATITUDE: N 48d 38m 51.90s

LONGITUDE: W 123d 23m 29.55s

ALTITUDE: 4.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 89.1MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 34.60MB

     

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.3.1 11/07/2019). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PIGEONS

  

The Feral pigeon (Columba livia) gets a really bad name thanks to a whole bunch of popular misconceptions. Labelled as sky rats, flying ashtrays, rats with wings, there is even a name for extreme fear of them, peristerophobia.

  

Some say they spread communicable disease to humans, a myth banded by pest control companies making money out of extermination, and although they can naturally carry some disease like tuberculosis (just like many other bird species), being able to breed up to six times per year and being so commonly seen has lead to the belief that they cause damage and drive other species away (again, no scientific evidence supports this). Seen as a plague by mankind, who is...

er...

  

the biggest plague on the planet, destroyer of all other animal species wherever possible after all and more likely to infect pigeons with his own germs!

  

Being common these days seems to make some animals less appealing than others, and yet the pigeon is culturally and historically significant and utterly beautiful in terms of plumage. When was the last time you took the time to spend a few moments in the company of these gorgeous, fascinating birds, or talked to one.... Well do so soon, your life will be all the better for such interactions.

  

In world terms, Pigeons represent peace and good, symbolizing Prosperity and fertility, luck, fortune, peace and harmony, love and devotion and beauty and piety. It is believed that the Pigeon totem as your animal spirit guide will enter a good persons life after a period of suffering or hurt, restoring faith and the good in their world. It will symbolize Love and kindness, sacrifice and devotion, calmness and tranquility.

  

Their presence in dreams can have significant meaning if the dream is of catching one, killing one, a pigeon falling in the sky, finding a dead pigeon etc. Pablo Ruiz Picasso's 1949 lithograph on paper 'La Colombe', shows a white dove on a black background, widely considered a sign of peace. It was used to illustrate a poster at the 1949 Paris Peace Congress, and is now house in the Tate Gallery, London. The Lithograph went on to become a renowned international iconographic image referred to as 'The dove of peace'. The dove was in fact a Milanese pigeon which had been gifted to Picasso by friend and fellow artist Henri Émile Benoît Matisse.

  

They are a wild ancestor of domestic world pigeons. A common sight in UK gardens, and traditionally seen on London postcards of Piccadilly circus until the feeding of pigeons was banned around the year 2000, they can weigh up to 370g (8-13oz) with a wingspan of 34cms. There are approximately 550,000 breeding pairs in the UK, and they are protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and happily on the Green status for conservation

  

With a name taken from the Latin word for Dove, there are around 350 recorded types of pigeon, the commonest being the Feral pigeon with an estimated European population of around 15 million. Feral pigeons are also called city doves, city pigeons, or street pigeons. They make up part of the group of columbiformes which includes the now extinct Dodo to which they are closely related. Wild pigeons live in coastal areas, whilst feral pigeons are more urban, and more often than not found in close proximity to mankind. Feral pigeons have a lifespan usually of between three to five years, much longer in captivity. Pigeons have an incredibly close link to mankind

  

Technically they are: Kingdom:Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class:Aves Order: Columbiformes

Family:Columbidae Genus:Columba Species:C. livia Subspecies:C. l. domestica

  

In the UK, Pigeons are covered under the "General Licences" and therefore it is illegal to kill them or destroy pigeon nests for any reason other than those listed under the general licences. They can be humanely culled by the land owner or their agent for a variety of reasons (mainly crop protection). At commercial premises where I worked for many years, Pigeons and babies were professionally killed on a regular basis, shot with high powered air rifles and then heads dipped into an acid substance... it was very bloody and extremely unpleasant to witness!

  

They are possibly the first domesticated animal in history and Charles Robert Darwin was one of the first and most famous pigeon breeder, who recognised their beauty and abilities and place in the natural order of things. On board HMS Beagle, he sailed from Plymouth Sound on 27th December 1831 under the command of Captain Robert FitzRoy. Scheduled for a two year voyage, it actually returned on 2nd October 1836.

  

He published his work, 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life', in 1859 and it has long been considered the foundation of evolutionary biology. In the opening of the work, Darwin began with 'fancy pigeons' which were becoming fashionable to own and exhibit in London at the time. By crossbreeding the many different species of fancy pigeon, Darwin showed that, contrary to a commonly held belief that there were two different species which spawned the multitude of domestic pigeons, they actually all came from one wild species: the Rock Dove (Columba livia).

  

Nathan Mayer Rothschild developed a system of communication faster than those of most governments at that time. It is believed that he used carrier pigeons and semaphore to communicate across the English Channel. Following the Battle of Waterloo he used this system to stunning effect. Through a clever stratagem, and foreknowledge of the outcome at Waterloo, Rothschild made an immense fortune by manipulating the London stock market.

  

Then In the early 1800s the Rothschild family set up a network of pigeon lofts throughout Europe using homing pigeons to carry information between its financial houses. This proved to be the fastest and most efficient method of communication at that time, and the speed of the service and the ability to send and receive information ahead of the competition helped the Rothschild family amass a fortune, which still exists today. There are medals from 1870 commemorating the pigeon post in Paris.

  

Pigeons are highly intelligent, one of the few birds who can actually recognise themselves in a mirror, tests proving that they were capable of identifying themselves over other pigeons in photographs even with a five to seven second delay and they could even recognize humans in photographs as well. Proving that their self cognitive abilities were higher than a three year old child (who struggled with photographic recognition of a two second delay), pigeons were trained to discriminate real-time self-image using mirrors as well as videotaped self-image, and proved that pigeons can recognize video images that reflect their movements as self-image.

  

They proved themselves capable of being able to learn the alphabet in trials. They have been used to predict the weather with hearing far superior to that of humans in the very low frequency range that allows them to detect incoming storms not yet on the radar. They can assist in message delivery, help in search and rescue missions and even carry wartime messages across enemy lines, dating back to Greek and Roman times, and then forwards to both World Wars by the British Intelligence.

  

During the first world war, pigeons were dropped from an aeroplane in batches in harnesses with parachutes in order to send and retrieve messages from the resistance. A male pigeon in 1918 named Cher Ami was awarded the Croix de Guerre, an honour bestowed on foreign troops by the French Army, after saving 194 US troops who were pinned down by enemy fire. Despite being shot several times, he still managed to deliver the message attached to him.

  

In history pigeons have been recorded as far back as 3000BC and records show that in the 5th Century AD, both Egypt and Syria used them to send and receive messages. Greek poet Anacreon wrote poems of his tame pigeon over 2000 years ago in which he described the bird's role in carrying a love letter to the poet's lover and how the bird drank from his cup and ate from his hand.

  

Some scholars believe that man's connections with pigeons go as far back as Neolithic man 10,000 years ago. An archaeological discovery of lifelike pigeon images beside the figurines of the Mother goddess, dating from the Bronze Age (2400-1500 BC) in Sumerian Mesopotamia, links to worship also in Crete where the Goddess was depicted with Doves upon her head. Pigeons were also sacrificed to Aphrodite (Venus), the Goddess of love in Greco-Roman culture. The Dove was also the symbol of Demeter (Ceres).

  

Astarte, goddess of fertility and love was often times depicted with a pigeon in ancient Phoenician tradition and Ishtar, mother to the Sumerian people also. Goddesses Aphrodite and Venus from Greek and Roman culture were similarly often depicted with symbolic pigeons.

  

They are highly revered in religions including Hindi where it was believed that pigeons were messengers of deity of death, Yama. Also in Muslim and Sikh traditions as well as Christianity. Some Sikhs will ceremoniously feed pigeons in honour of Guru Gobind Singh, a high priest who was renowned as a friend to pigeons. The Old Testament dove of Noah and the New Testament dove of the Holy Spirit are the ancestors of the dovecote birds of the past and today’s urban pigeons. In China, it is believed that with the coming of Spring, a Sparrow hawk would transform into a pigeon and vice versa, repeating the opposite transformation at the end of the season.

  

Pigeons have been recorded flying at more than 92mph and the average speed is around 78mph, they can also reach altitudes of 6,000 feet. Contrary to the rumour mill, pigeons are very clean birds and very little evidence exists to show that they can spread disease to humans.

  

Generally pigeons mate for life and are monogamous, both incubate and care for their young, and they are amazingly social creatures found in large groups. Pigeons have also saved lives on sinking ships by being released to alert nearby people, and some pigeons have received honours and awards for their part in saving lives.

  

They have been trained to save lives at sea by recognising the red and yellow life jackets of victims, and even being able to view the UV spectrum. They can use landmarks to recognise and retrace routes, and use the sun as as a guide and an internal magnetic compass.

  

During a study in 2016, four pigeons built up a vocabulary of between 26 and 58 written English words, they could identify visual patterns and therefore tell them apart. The birds could even identify words they hadn't seen before.

  

Researchers at University of California Davis Medical Center put 16 pigeons in a room with magnified biopsies of potential breast cancers. If the pigeons correctly identified them as either benign or malignant, they got a treat, Once trained, their percentages of correctly identifying the biopsies was between 85-99% accurate.

  

Pigeons have been recorded regularly using the subway in the United states of America, hoping on and off subway cars and seeming to understand the direction of the journey. They also on occasions perform aerial backflips, seemingly just for fun.

  

They see the world with five spectral bands, a kaleidoscope of colour compared to humans triple system of colour perception.

  

These are magnificent birds that so often fall victim to mankind's prejudice and dislike. Take a look at their ornate, beautiful plumage, the many markings and differences in coloration, and think about their history and the incredible journey they have made through the centuries.

  

Give them some love, they have certainly earned it!

  

Paul Williams May 2021

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

    

©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 42.749+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on June 10th 2019

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1154963925 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 5,620th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of five metres, at 10:30am on Tuesday June 4th 2019, on a an overcast and drizzle filled morning off Birdcage Walk and Horse Guards Road in the grounds of St James's Park. Situated in the City Of Westminster, the Park spans twenty three Hectares and is the oldest of the Royal Parks of London, with a variety of visiting and nesting birds that include Ducks, Canada Geese and Pelicans.

  

Here we see a feral Pigeon (Columba Livia domestica), close to the lake within the park grounds. It is a relative of a relative of Stock doves and Rock Doves which are the purest of the species.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length 250mm Shutter speed 1/100s Aperture f/11.0 iso450 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 6880 x 4584 FX). Hand held with Nikkor VR Vibration (Normal) selected . Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Focus mode AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. AF Area mode single. Exposure mode - Manual exposure. Matrix metering. ISO Sensitivity: Auto. Auto 1 white balance. Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal. Active D-lighting on Automatic. High ISO Noise Reduction: On. Picture control: Auto with Sharpening A+1.00.

  

Nikkor AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E. Hoya UHC 67mm UV(C) filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

  

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LATITUDE: N 51d 30m 9.10s

LONGITUDE: W 0d 8m 7.60s

ALTITUDE: 5.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 90.40MB NEF: 64.1MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 15.20MB

  

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

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***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on October 22nd 2015

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/587042605 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 1,292nd frame to be selected for inclusion and sale in the Getty Images 'Moment' collection, and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at 16:23pm on September 3rd 2012 off Borrowdale Road B5289 and Lake Road on the shoreline near Strandshag Bay on Derwentwater near to the Lakeland market town of Keswick, one of the Northern most in the Lake District, Cumbria, England.

  

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Nikon D7000 10mm 1/250s f/11.0 iso200 RAW (14 bit) Manual focus. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance. Auto Active D-lighting.

    

Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5-5.6 DX EC HSM. Jessops 72mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D11 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries. Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece. Nikon DK-19 soft rubber eyecup. Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

    

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LATITUDE: N 54d 35m 25.04s

LONGITUDE: W 3d 8m 24.17s

ALTITUDE: 95.0m

  

RAW FILE SIZE: 46.30MB

PROCESSED SIZE: 17.61MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

  

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***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on July 14th 2015

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/565048315 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 870th frame to be selected for inclusion and sale in the Getty Images 'Moment' collection, and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Two hundred and thirty three metres at 13:07pm on Sunday 17th May 2015 off the A95 at Drumuillie, then a single track road to the shoreline of Loch Garten.

  

Loch Garten is a large Highland freshwater loch near Boat of Garten, in the Strathspey area of the Cairngorms National Park, in Scotland

  

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Nikon D800 14mm 1/60s f/11.0 iso100 Hand held. RAW (14-bit) AF-S single point focus. Manual exposure. Centre weighted metering. Auto white balance. Auto Active D-lighting.

  

Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED IF. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries. Digi-Chip Speed Pro 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC card. Nikon DK-17a magnifying eyepiece. Hoodman HGEC soft eyepiece cup. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 57d 14m 35.45s

LONGITUDE: W 3d 42m 27.68s

ALTITUDE: 233.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 21.75MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 8.1. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

  

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***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on September 4th 2015

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/575675897 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 1,071st frame to be selected for inclusion and sale in the Getty Images 'Moment' collection, and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Two hundred and thirty eight metres at 14:34pm on Monday 18th May 2015, off the A87 following a stop for a spot of lunch passed Loch Cluanie at the fabulous Cluanie Inn, Scotland, which serves amazing food and Whiskies and has an almost 360 degree view including Glen Shiel Ridge, Five Sisters of Kintail, Aonach air Chrith and A'Chrolaig.

  

There is no law of tresdspass in Scotland, knowledge that I exploited to the full during my trip in order to capture the beauty of the landsdcape.

      

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Nikon D800 85mm 1/100s f/13.0 iso100 Hand held. RAW (14-bit) AF-S single point focus. Manual exposure. matrix metering. Auto white balance. Auto Active D-lighting.

  

Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED IF VRII. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries. Digi-Chip Speed Pro 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC card. Nikon DK-17a magnifying eyepiece. Hoodman HGEC soft eyepiece cup. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 57d 9m22.46s

LONGITUDE: W 5d 10m 54.34s

ALTITUDE: 238.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 41.16MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 8.1. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

    

Photograph taken at an altitude of Four metres, in the magic of the Golden hour around sunrise at 06:57am on Sunday 21st September 2014 off 1st Street and Beacon Avenue, from the concourse above the shoreline and the Bevan Avenue Fishing pier in beautiful Sidney by the sea on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

  

Here, we are looking over towards Mt Baker in Washington State, USA from beautiful Sidney by the sea on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Also known as Koma Kulshan, (pronounced kō-ō’mah’ kool-shän’),she is an active glaciated andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington State in the United States, standing 3,286 metres tall and was first ascended in 1868, her last eruption recorded in 1880.

  

The name Mount Baker first appeared in print in Captain Vancouver’s 1798 narrative of his voyage around Vancouver Island. Legend has it that his third-lieutenant, Joseph Baker, was the first to spot the mountain while they sailed into Dungeness Bay on April 30th, 1792. Also known by the Lummi as Kwud-Shad, and Koba (meaning 'high mountain always covered with snow', was the Skagit name.

 

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Nikon D800 110mm 1/640s f/2.8 iso100 RAW (14 bit) Mirror up. Manual focus. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance.

  

Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED IF VRII. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL batteries. Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece. Nikon DK-19 soft rubber eyecup. Manfrotto MT057C3 057 Carbon Fiber Tripod 3 Sections (Payload 18kgs). Manfrotto MH057M0-RC4 057 Magnesium Ball Head with RC4 Quick Release (Payload 15kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 410PL-14.Jessops Tripod bag. Optech Tripod Strap.Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 48d 38m 54.86s

LONGITUDE: W 123d 23m 38.63s

ALTITUDE: 4.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 8.85MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 8.1. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2019 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

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.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 34.048+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on November 11th 2019

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1186856550 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 3,853rd frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at 09:41am on Sunday 10th November 2019, a beautifully sunny Autumn morning in Rushenden overlooking the Swale on the Isle of Sheppy, across the Kingsferry Bridge in Kent, England.

  

The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck found in the Americas, Eurasia, Europe and many other parts of the world. This male Mallard is distinguished by it's glossy green head and Blue speculum feathers. They can reach tenty six inches in length with a wingspan of up to thirty nine inches.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length 240mm Shutter speed 1/2000s Aperture f/5.6 iso800 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Hand held with Sigma OS Optical stabilization enabled . Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Focus mode AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Exposure mode - Shutter priority mode. Matrix metering. ISO Sensitivity: Manually set. Active D-lighting on Automatic. Picture control: Standard with Sharpening A+3.00 and clarity +1.00

  

Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3DG OS HSM SPORTS (Firmware version 1.00 05/11/2019). Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

  

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RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.0MB NEF: 93.0MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 51.30MB

  

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.

  

PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

.

.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 37.195+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on September 4th 2020

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1270406437 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,583rd frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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This Four seconds long exposure was taken at an altitude of Three metres at 06:25am on Saturday 6th September 2019 around sunrise off 1st Street and Bevan Avenue, bewteen the Sidney Spit boat jetty and the famous old fish market in Sidney by the sea on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

  

Here we look out towards Moresby Passage and Coal Island, Moresby Island and Portland Island.

  

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Nikon D850. Focal length 175mm Shutter speed: Four seconds long exposure (Electronic front-curtain) Aperture f/16.0 iso64 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Focus mode AF-C focus 51 point with 3D- tracking. AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode - Aperture priority exposure. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Matrix metering. ISO Sensitivity: Auto. White balance: Natural light auto. Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Distortion control on. Picture control: Auto. High ISO NR on. Vignette control: normal. Active D-lighting Auto.

  

Nikkor AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150Con adapter for Lee 100 rings.Lee 100 67mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 0.6 (2 Stops) ND Grad resin filter. Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Nikon EN-EL15a battery.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod 3 Sections (Payload: 5.6kgs). Manfrotto 327RC2 Light Duty Grip Ball Magnesium Tripod Head (Payload: 5.5kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 200PL-14. Jessops Tripod bag.Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release cable.

  

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LATITUDE: N 48d 38m 58.33s

LONGITUDE: W 123d 23m 36.70s

ALTITUDE: 3.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 89.8MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 37.00MB

     

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.

  

PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.3.1 11/07/2019). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

.

.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 38.000+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on January 27th 2021

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1298553311 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,752nd frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

 

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Fifty four metres on Monday 25th January 2021 at 17:35pm on a bitterly cold but beautiful winter evening in January off Chessington Avenue in Bexleyheath, Kent.

  

The moon is the only natural satellite of Earth. It's surface gravity is 0.1654g, around one sixth of Earths, and it's average orbital distance from us is around 384,402km (238,856 miles), or 1.28 light-seconds. The moon influences our tides and stops us in our tracks on a clear night. She is beautiful for sure.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length 600mm Shutter speed: 1/125s (Electronic front-curtain) Aperture f/13.0 iso64 Exposure compensation: -5.0EV Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Focus mode AF-C focus. AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. AF-S Priority selection: Focus. 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points.AF-Area mode single point. Exposure mode: Manual mode. Matrix metering. White balance on: Auto1. Colour space: RGB. Active D-lighting: Normal. Vignette control: Normal. Nikon Distortion control: Enabled. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1)

  

Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3DG OS HSM SPORTS. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Manfrotto MT057C3-G Carbon fibre geared tripod. Neewer Gimbal tripod head with Arca Swiss quick release plate.055XPROB Tripod 3 Sections (Payload: 5.6kgs). Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid sport quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

     

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LATITUDE: N 51d 28m 28.51s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 10.14s

ALTITUDE: 54.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 88.5MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 17.10MB

     

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.

  

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.20 (14/01/2021) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

.

.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 41.346+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on April 4th 2020

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1216579770 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 5,474th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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.

  

Photograph taken on a cloud filled morning at an altitude of Fifty nine metres at 10:04am on Friday 3rd April 2020, off Woolwich Road A206 and The View, within Abbey Wood Open Space in Bexleyheath, Kent, England.

  

Abbey Wood is made up of three public open spaces and woodlands, all within the London Borough of Greenwich.

After weeks of self isolation due to the global pandemic that we know as COVID-19 Coronavirus, we are allowed to go out for exercise once per day and keep away from others. A walk in the woods today to taste the fresh air and get my limbs moving again.

  

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Nikon D850 Hand held with Nikon VR Vibration Reduction set to Normal. Focal length 30mm Shutter speed 1/30s. Aperture f/14.0 iso500 Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Focus mode AF-C focus. AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. AF-S Priority selection: Focus. 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points.AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode: Aperture priority. Matrix metering. Auto ISO sensitivity control on (Max iso 800/ Minimum shutter speed 125). White balance on: Auto1. Colour space: RGB. Active D-lighting: Normal. Vignette control: Normal. Nikon Distortion control: Enabled. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1)

  

Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4.0G IF ED VR. Lee 100 foundation filter holder. Lee 77mm ultra wide angle adapter ring. Lee 0.9 soft (3 stops) ND grad. Lee adapter ring lens cap. Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.

    

LATITUDE: N 51d 29m 13.60s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 14.27s

ALTITUDE: 59.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 94.1MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 56.40MB

      

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

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***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on October 14th 2015

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/585492233 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 1,261st frame to be selected for inclusion and sale in the Getty Images 'Moment' collection, and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at 18:32pm on September 8th 2012 off Isthmus Bay and Lake Road past the Derwentwater Cottages heading towards Hope Park on Derwentwater near to the Lakeland market town of Keswick, one of the Northern most in the Lake District, Cumbria, England.

  

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Nikon D7000 10mm 1/160s f/11.0 iso200 RAW (14Bit) Hand held. Manual focus. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance. Auto Active-D lighting.

   

Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5-5.6 DX EC HSM. Jessops UV filter. Nikon MB-D11 battery grip. Hoodman H-EYEN22S Hood eye eye cup. My memory 32GB class 10 20MB/s SDHC. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit

  

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LATITUDE: N 54d 35m 46.43s

LONGITUDE: W 3d 8m 20.93s

ALTITUDE: 88.0m

  

RAW (FINE) FILE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED FILE: 13.66MB

  

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.

  

PROCESSING POWER:

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

   

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***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on October 12th 2015

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/585369561 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 1,255th frame to be selected for inclusion and sale in the Getty Images 'Moment' collection, and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Forty seven metres at 11:51am on Sunday September 2nd 2012 off Borrans Road and Lake Road, within Borrans Park on the shoreline of Lake Windermere.

  

Windermere is the largest natural lake in England, part of the Lake District in Cumbria, England and fed by the River Brathay, River Rothay, Cunsey Beck, and Trout Beck. It is a ribbon lake formed in a glacial trough after the retreat of ice at the start of the current interglacial.

  

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Nikon D7000 20mm 1/800s f/5.6 iso200 (RAW 14Bit) Hand held. Manual focus. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance.

   

Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5-5.6 DX EC HSM. Jessops 72mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D11 battery grip.Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries. Hoodman H-EYEN22S Hood eye soft viewfinder cup. My memory 32GB class 10 20MB/s SDHC. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit

  

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LATITUDE: N 54d 25m 16.35s

LONGITUDE: W 2d 57m 57.47s

ALTITUDE: 47.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 24.60MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 8.67MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 8.1. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

  

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

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.

  

Photograph taken at an altitude of Fifty eight metres at 09:07am on Tuesday 4th August 2020, of a Common frog (Rana temporaria), off Chessington Avenue in Bexleyheath, Kent, England.

  

Also known as the European common brown frog or the European grass frog, they are semi-aquatic amphibians in the family Ranidae.

  

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Nikon D850 Handheld with Sigma OS Optical Stabilization set to normal. Focal length 480mm Shutter speed: 1/80s Aperture f/8.0 iso400 Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Focus mode AF-C focus. AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. AF-S Priority selection: Focus. 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points.AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode: Shutter Priority mode. Matrix metering. Auto ISO sensitivity control on (Max iso 800/ Miniumum shutter speed 125). White blance on: Auto1. Colour space: RGB. Actve D-lighting: Normal. Vignette control: Normal. Nikon Distortion control: Enabled. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1

  

Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3DG OS HSM SPORTS. Lee SW150 MKI filter holder with MK2 light shield and custom made velcro fitting for the Sigma lens. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

    

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LATITUDE: N 51d 28m 28.33s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 10.29s

ALTITUDE: 58.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 93.1MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 51.50MB

    

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.

  

PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

.

.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 42.466+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on February 7th 2020

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1204153020 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 5,591st frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Three hundred and sixty six metres, at 13:31pm on Monday 12th September 2019 off the Trans Canada highway 97 between Kamloops and Monte Creek on the North bank of the Thompson River in British Columbia, Canada.

  

Also known as the 'white wolf' and 'polar wolf', the Arctic wolf (canis lupus arctos) is a sub species of the grey wolf native to Canada's Queen Elizabeth Islands. Smaller than other species of wolf, it has a whiter coat and narrower braincase and skull due to hybridization with dogs.

  

Nikon D850. Focal length 230mm Shutter speed 1/3200s Aperture f/5.6 iso720 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Hand held with Nikon Image stabilization VR enabled on Normal mode. Focus mode AF-C focus 51 point with 3D- tracking. AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode - Sutter priority exposure. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Matrix metering. ISO Sensitivity: Auto. White balance: Natural light auto. Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Distortion control on. Picture control: Auto. High ISO NR on. Vignette control: normal. Active D-lighting Auto.

  

Nikkor AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150Con adapter for Lee 100 rings.Lee 100 67mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 Circular polariser glass filter. Lee SW150 Filters field pouch. Nikon EN-EL15a battery.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.

  

LATITUDE: N 50d 39m 6.65s

LONGITUDE: W 120d 4m 56.53s

ALTITUDE: 366.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 93.2MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 57.30MB

    

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.3.1 11/07/2019). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

.

.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 37.656+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on August 25th 2020

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1268414783 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,674th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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.

  

Photograph taken at an altitude of Fifty four metres at 11:33am on Monday 24th August 2020 off Ashbourne Avenue and Chessington Avenue in Bexleyheath, Kent, England.

  

Here we see a Male European robin (Erithacus rubecula), also known as the Robin, or Robin redbreast, a small insectivorous passerine bird, more specifically a Chat.

  

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.

  

Nikon D850. Hand held with Sigma OS Optical stabilization set to position 1. Focal length 380mm Shutter speed 1/200s. Aperture f/6.0 iso64 Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Focus mode AF-C focus. AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. AF-S Priority selection: Focus. 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points.AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode: Shutter priority. Matrix metering. Auto ISO sensitivity control on (Max iso 800/ Minimum shutter speed 125). White balance on: Auto1. Colour space: RGB. Active D-lighting: Normal. Vignette control: Normal. Nikon Distortion control: Enabled. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1)

  

Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3DG OS HSM SPORTS. Lee SW150 MKI filter holder with MK2 light shield and custom made velcro fitting for the Sigma lens. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.

    

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LATITUDE: N 51d 28m 28.14s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 10.56s

ALTITUDE: 52.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 90.1MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 28.60MB

    

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.

  

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

.

.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 38.238+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on February 9th 2021

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1300976894 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,777th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

 

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Fifty nine metres at 08:32am on Monday 8th February 2021, during snow brought in from the continent by 'The beast from the East 2', off Woolwich Road A206 and New Road in the grounds of Lesnes Abbey Woods in the London Borough of Bexley, England.

  

Here we see an adult Jay (Garrulus glandarius), the most colourful of the crow family, though very shy and seldom seen for long when humans are around. They mainly eat nuts and acorns, as well as nestlings and small mammals.

  

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Nikon D850 Hand held with Sigma OS Optical Stabilization enabled on normal setting. Focal length 360mm Shutter speed: 1/320s (Electronic front-curtain) Aperture f/6.0 ISO1600 Exposure Compensaion: +0.7EV Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Focus mode AF-C focus. AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points.AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode: Manual mode. Matrix metering. White balance on: Auto1 (6660K). Colour space: RGB. Vignette control: Normal. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1)

  

Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3DG OS HSM SPORTS. Lee SW150 MKI filter holder with MK2 light shield and custom made velcro fitting for the Sigma lens. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

    

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LATITUDE: N 51d 29m 10.71s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 14.07s

ALTITUDE: 59.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 94.5MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 67.10MB

     

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.

  

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

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I was originally enrolled into the GETTY IMAGES collection as a contributor on April 9th 2012, and when links with FLICKR were terminated in March 2014, I was retained and fortunate enough to be signed up via a second contract, both of which have proved to be successful with sales of my photographs all over the world now handled exclusively by them.

    

On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being officially rolled out in December. ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015 and has smoothed out the upload process considerably.

  

These days I take a far more leisurely approach to my photographic exploits, a Nikon D850 FX Pro body as my trusted companion, I travel light with less constraints and more emphasis on the pure capture of the beauty that I see, more akin to my original persuits and goals some five decades previously when starting out. I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 32.229+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on December 2nd 2018

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1074793404 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 3,634th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of One hundred and ninety four metres at 13:30pm on Thursday 8th November 2018, off Biskupstungnabraut 35 at Gullfoss (Golden falls) waterfall, on the Ölfusá river in the South-west of iceland, located in the canyon of the Hvítá (white river)which begins at the Hvítárvatn glacier lake on the Langjökull glacier in the highlands of Iceland.

  

This tiered cataract waterfall has two drops of around eleven and twenty one metres, falling into a crevice thirty two metres deep and flows at a rate of between eighty and one hundred and forty cubic metres per second depending on the season.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length 50mm. Hand held with Nikkor VR vibration reduction enabled on Normal setting. Shutter speed 1/13s Aperture f/11.0 iso100 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space. Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance (8030K). Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

  

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LATITUDE: N 64d 19m 38.70s

LONGITUDE: W 20d 7m 15.90s

ALTITUDE: 194.0m

  

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RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 90.9MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 45.00MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB DATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 40.169+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on June 18th 2021

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1323687585 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 5,250th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Forty four metres at 09:41am on Saturday 20th February 2021 off Blackheath Avenue and Charlton Way in the grounds of Greenwich Park, one of the Royal Parks of London situated in Greenwich, South East London.

  

The Great tit (Parus major) is a passerine bird in the Paridae tit family, with a distinctive black head and neck, white cheeks and yellow/olive underparts. It is common throughout Europe. Males have a darker and more prominent black bib that extends to the sides and down to the base of the feet, with a glossier cap.

  

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Nikon D850 Hand held with Sigma OS Optical Stabilization enabled on normal setting. Focal length 220mm Shutter speed: 1/500s Electronic front-curtain Aperture f/5.6 ISO500 Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Focus mode AF-C focus. AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Auto ISO 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points.AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode: Shutter priority mode. Matrix metering. White balance on: Auto1 (4370K). Colour space: RGB. Vignette control: Normal. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1)

  

Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3DG OS HSM SPORTS. Lee SW150 MKI filter holder with MK2 light shield and custom made velcro fitting for the Sigma lens. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

    

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LATITUDE: N 51d 28m 28.47s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 0m 18.24s

ALTITUDE: 44.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 92.7MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 70.40MB

    

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.

  

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

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***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on September 20th 2015

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/579719377 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 1,163rd frame to be selected for inclusion and sale in the Getty Images 'Moment' collection, and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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This One point eight seconds long exposure was taken at an altitude of Forty four metres, during the magic of the Golden Hour around sunrise (Sunrise was at 06:15am), at 05:30am, on Thursday 3rd September 2015 off Lullingstone Lane beside the Lullingstone Roman Villa in the village of Eynsford, Kent, England.

  

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Nikon D800 24mm One point six seconds long exposure f/2.8 iso100 RAW (14 bit) Manual focus. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance. Auto Active D-lighting.

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL batteries. Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece. Nikon DK-19 soft rubber eyecup. Manfrotto MT057C3 057 Carbon Fiber Tripod 3 Sections (Payload 18kgs). Manfrotto MH057M0-RC4 057 Magnesium Ball Head with RC4 Quick Release (Payload 15kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 410PL-14.Jessops Tripod bag. Optech Tripod Strap.Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 51d 21m 50.90s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 11m 51.85s

ALTITUDE: 44.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED FILE: 15.63MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

   

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On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being rolled out to the general public in December. (ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015)

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on June 15th 2016

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/539269282 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 1,990th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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This photograph was taken at an altitude of Nine hundred and twenty nine metres, at 13:17pm on Thursday 12th May 2016 off Alaska Highway route 1 between Upper Liard and Swift River, beside Rancheria River at Rancheria Falls, Yukon territory, Canada.

  

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Nikon D800 24mm 1/200s f/8.0 iso100 RAW (14Bit)Handheld Nikon back focus button enabled. AF-C Continuous point focus with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance. Nikon AF Fine tune on (+9).

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries. Nikon DK-17M 1.2x Magnifying Eyepiece. Nikon DK-19 soft rubber eyecup. Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC card. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW Photo/ 15.4" Notebook Backpack camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 60d 4m 40.67s

LONGITUDE: W 130d 49m 33.50s

ALTITUDE: 929.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 31.45MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D800 Firmware versions A 1.10 B 1.10 L 2.009 (Lens distortion control version 2)

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

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This photograph was taken at an altitude of three metres, seated on a fold up camping chair at 18:42pm on Saturday 31st August 2019 off First Street on the shoreline of Sidney by the sea on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

  

This massive, rusting hulk of an engine sits on the shoreline exposed to the elements, very much an oddity in a co9mmunbity where dumping and littering are not words commonly uttered in polite conversation.

  

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Nikon D850. Focal length 32mm Shutter speed: 1/125s Aperture f/16.0 iso5000 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Focus mode AF-C focus 51 point with 3D- tracking. AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode - Aperture priority exposure. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Matrix metering. ISO Sensitivity: Auto. White balance: Natural light auto. Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Distortion control on. Picture control: Auto. High ISO NR on. Vignette control: normal. Active D-lighting Auto.

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Cokin GND4 resin filter (2 stops) . Nikon EN-EL15a battery.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod 3 Sections (Payload: 5.6kgs). Manfrotto 327RC2 Light Duty Grip Ball Magnesium Tripod Head (Payload: 5.5kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 200PL-14. Jessops Tripod bag.Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release cable.

  

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LATITUDE: N 48d 38m 43.82s

LONGITUDE: W 123d 23m 39.84s

ALTITUDE: 3.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 93.0MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 34.60MB

     

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.

  

PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.3.1 11/07/2019). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

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.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 36.634+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on January 15th 2020

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1199169923 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,394th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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This Two seconds long exposure was taken at an altitude of Three metres, in the golden hour around sunrise at 06:26am on Friday 6th September 2019 seated on a fold up camping chair around sunrise off 1st Street and Bevan Avenue, beside the Fish Market and Sidney Spit boat jetty, looking towards the Southern Gulf Islands from Sidney by the sea on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

  

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Nikon D850. Focal length 90mm Shutter speed: Two seconds long exposure. Aperture f/16.0 iso64 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Focus mode AF-C focus 51 point with 3D- tracking. AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode - Aperture priority exposure. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Matrix metering. ISO Sensitivity: Auto. White balance: Natural light auto. Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Distortion control on. Picture control: Auto. High ISO NR on. Vignette control: normal. Active D-lighting Auto.

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150 77mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 0.6 (2 stops) ND Grad soft resin. Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Nikon EN-EL15a battery.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod 3 Sections (Payload: 5.6kgs). Manfrotto 327RC2 Light Duty Grip Ball Magnesium Tripod Head (Payload: 5.5kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 200PL-14. Jessops Tripod bag.Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release cable.

  

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LATITUDE: N 48d 38m 58.29s

LONGITUDE: W 123d 23m 36.71s

ALTITUDE: 3.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 89.1MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 34.10MB

     

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.3.1 11/07/2019). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

  

©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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.

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 38.757+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on April 20th 2021

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1313273180 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,932nd frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

 

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Forty one metres at 09:38am on Sunday 18th April 2021, of a male Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus), on the fence in a garden off Woolacombe Road in Blackheath, South East London. Chessington Avenue in Bexleyheath, Kent.

  

The male is identified by a more striking blue skull cap, a thicker, broader and more well defined black chest stripe and stripe above and behind the eyes, and these little characterful birds are bestowed with wonderful acrobatic skills.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length 600mm Shutter speed: 1/500s Aperture f/6.3 iso500 Hand held with Sigma VC Vibration Control set to position 1. Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX) AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. AF-S Priority selection: Focus. 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points Exposure mode: Manual mode Metering mode: Centre Weighted Average Auto ISO sensitivity control on (Max iso 800/ Minimum shutter speed 125). White balance on: Auto1 (5540k) Colour space: RGB Picture control: Neutral (Sharpening +2)

  

Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150 95mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

    

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LATITUDE: N 51d 27m 57.97s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 1m 53.47s

ALTITUDE: 41.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF FILE: 91.1MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 41.40MB

   

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PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

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****This frame was chosen on July 24th 2015 to appear on FLICKR EXPLORE (Highest Ranking: #178. This is my 74th photograph to be selected, which for me is both amazing and exciting, as I never view my images as worthy compared to some of the awesome photography out there. EXPLORE is Flickr's way of showcasing the most interesting photos within a given point in time -- usually over a 24 hour period.

  

Flickr receives about 6,000 uploads every minute -- That's about 8.6 million photos a day! From this huge group of images, the Flickr Interestingness algorithm chooses only 500 images to showcase for each 24-hour period. That's only one image in every 17,000!..... so I am really thrilled to have a frame picked and most grateful to everyone who visited, favourite and commented on the frame*****

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Three hundred and nine metres in the magic of a rainy and misty Golden Hour around sunrise at 05:39am on Monday 25th May 2015 off the A855 close to The Storr, showing The old man of Storr, on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.

  

To capture this shot, my wife and I set the alarm for 3am and parked in the small car park off the road. The climb up to the Old man of Storr is incredibly steep, and I can honestly say we did not think we would make it at points along the way. Eventually we cleared the two main wooden gateways and arrived below the impressive rocks in the mist, the final climb needing the skills of a mountain goat which precluded us from even trying.

  

The Storr (Gaelic: An Stòr), is a rocky hill on the Trotternish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye with a steep rocky eastern face overlooking the Sound of Raasay, contrasting with gentler grassy slopes to the west.The Old Man of Storr rises to 535 metres and is visibile from the main road between Portree and Staffin on the west coast of Skye. Dominating the scene and visible fom many more parts of the islands the Storr is the hill immediately west of the Old Man and rising to 719 metres with xdcramatic cliffs on its eastern flank.

   

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Nikon D800 38mm 1/40s f/2.8 iso100 RAW (14-bit) AF-S single point focus. Manual exposure. Centre weighted metering. Auto white balance . Auto Active D-lighting.

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries.Manfrotto MT057C3 057 Carbon Fiber Tripod 3 Sections (Payload 18kgs). Manfrotto MH057M0-RC4 057 Magnesium Ball Head with RC4 Quick Release (Payload 15kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 410PL-14.Jessops Tripod bag. Optech Tripod Strap. Digi-Chip Speed Pro 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC card. Nikon DK-17a magnifying eyepiece. Hoodman HGEC soft eyepiece cup. Optech Tripod Strap. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 57d 30m 8.08s

LONGITUDE: W 6d 9m 59.21s

ALTITUDE: 309.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 24.70MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 8.1. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

    

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I was originally enrolled into the GETTY IMAGES collection as a contributor on April 9th 2012, and when links with FLICKR were terminated in March 2014, I was retained and fortunate enough to be signed up via a second contract, both of which have proved to be successful with sales of my photographs all over the world now handled exclusively by them.

    

On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being officially rolled out in December. ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015 and has smoothed out the upload process considerably.

  

These days I take a far more leisurely approach to my photographic exploits, a Nikon D850 FX Pro body as my trusted companion, I travel light with less constraints and more emphasis on the pure capture of the beauty that I see, more akin to my original persuits and goals some five decades previously when starting out. I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 24.386+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on November 15th 2018

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1066482422 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 3,187th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Two hundred and two metres at 13:23pm on Thursday 8th November 2018, off Biskupstungnabraut 35 at Gullfoss (Golden falls) waterfall, on the Ölfusá river in the South-west of iceland, located in the canyon of the Hvítá (white river)which begins at the Hvítárvatn glacier lake on the Langjökull glacier in the highlands of Iceland.

  

This tiered cataract waterfall has two drops of around eleven and twenty one metres, falling into a crevice thirty two metres deep and flows at a rate of between eighty and one hundred and forty cubic metres per second depending on the season.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length 24mm. Hand held with Nikkor VR vibration reduction enabled on Normal setting. Shutter speed 1/50s Aperture f/10.0 iso250 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space. Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance (8030K). Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

  

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LATITUDE: N 64d 19m 37.90s

LONGITUDE: W 20d 7m 18.70s

ALTITUDE: 186.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 92.1MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 45.00MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

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I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 35.657+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on April 2nd 2020

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1215656394 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,147th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken in the Golden hour around sunrise at an altitude of One hundred and eleven metres at 06:54am on Thursday 26th March 2020, off Green Lane and Camer Park Lane, in the grounds of Camer Park Country Park, Meopham , Kent.

  

After weeks of self isolation due to the global pandemic that we know as COVID-19 Coronavirus, we are allowed to go out for exercise once per day and keep away from others. Today was Blkuebelle (my car's) MOT, something the government still allows, and so I headed out early and had the fortune of a beautiful sunrise... and Bluebelle passed it's MOT.

  

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Nikon D850 Hand held with Sigma OS Optical Stabilization on Normal. Focal length 60mm Shutter speed 1/80s. Aperture f/13.0 iso400 Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Focus mode AF-C focus. AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. AF-S Priority selection: Focus. 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points.AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode: Aperture priority. Matrix metering. Auto ISO sensitivity control on (Max iso 800/ Miniumum shutter speed 125). White blance on: Auto1. Colour space: RGB. Actve D-lighting: Normal. Vignette control: Normal. Nikon Distortion control: Enabled. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1

  

Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3DG OS HSM SPORTS. Lee SW150 MKI filter holder with MK2 light shield and custom made velcro fitting for the Sigma lens. Lee SW150 0.9 (3 stops) ND Grad soft resin. Lee SW150 Circular Polariser filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.

    

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LATITUDE: N 51d 22m 38.50s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 22m 16.24s

ALTITUDE: 111.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 93.0MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 54.10MB

     

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 39.440+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on July 20th 2021

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1329506439 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 5,104th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Forty eight metres at 08:12am on a beautiful summer morning on Sunday 18th July 2021, off Woolacombe Road and Broad Walk in a garden in Blackheath, South East London.

  

Here we see a Female Blackbird (Turdus merula), perched within the twisting confines of an apple tree. A passerine of the Turdidae (Thrushes) family, these beautiful song birds are found in gardens, woodland and grasslands and eat insects, earthworms, fruit and berries. Folklore suggests that a blackbird nesting near a house is a sign of good fortune, but mostly we love them for their amazing songs that begin each dawn and end late at night.

Blackbirds can reach 25cm in length with a wingspan between 34-39cm and weigh up to 100g, and with a UK breeding population over over five million pairs, and up to fifteen million wintering birds, they are protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and currently have a UK conservation status of Green (Least concern).

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length: 500mm Shutter speed: 1/250s Aperture: f/7.1 iso100 Hand held with Tamron VC Vibration control set to ON (Position 1) 14 Bit uncompressed RAW NEF file size L (8256 x 5504 pixels) FX (36 x 24) Focus mode: AF-C AF-Area mode: 3D-tracking AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points Exposure mode: Manual exposure mode Metering mode: Matrix metering White balance on: Auto1 (4520k) Colour space: RGB Picture control: Neutral (Sharpening +2)

  

Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150 95mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

    

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LATITUDE: N 51d 27m 57.92s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 1m 53.44s

ALTITUDE: 48.00m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF FILE: 89.5MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 48.70MB

     

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PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 38.644+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on April 1st 2021

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1309888590 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 4,908th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

 

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Two metres, at 06:36am on Friday 9th September 2011 within the magic of the Golden hour around sunrise, off 1st Street and Bevan Avenue, between the boat jetty and Bevan Avenue Fishing Pier in beautiful Sidney by the sea on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

  

In the distance we see Mt Baker in Washington State, USA . Known to the Lummi First nation people (Lhaq'temish) as Kwelshán ('Shooting place' in Nooksack), to the Halkomelem as Kwelxá:lxw, to Lushootseed speakers along the Skagit River as Teqwúbe7 meaning “snow-capped peak'', to the Nooksack language as Kweq’ Smánit (“white mountain'') and also known as Koma Kulshan, (pronounced kō-ō’mah’ kool-shän’), the name for the Middle Fork which originates from the glaciers such as Deming and Thunder on the western slopes, she is an active glaciated andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington State in the United States, standing 3,286 metres tall and was first ascended in 1868, her last eruption recorded in 1880.

  

The name Mount Baker first appeared in print in Captain Vancouver’s 1798 narrative of his voyage around Vancouver Island. Legend has it that his third-lieutenant, Joseph Baker, was the first to spot the mountain while they sailed into Dungeness Bay on April 30th, 1792.

 

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Nikon D700. Focal length 75mm Shutter speed 1/160s Aperture f/11.0 iso200 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L. Focus mode AF-C focus Exposure mode: Manual exposure. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Matrix metering. ISO Sensitivity: Auto. White balance: Natural light auto. Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Distortion control on. Picture control: Auto. High ISO NR on. Vignette control: normal. Active D-lighting Auto.

  

Nikkor AF 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 D (1989 35mm film lens). Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 32GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod 3 Sections (Payload: 5.6kgs). Manfrotto 327RC2 Light Duty Grip Ball Magnesium Tripod Head (Payload: 5.5kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 200PL-14. Jessops Tripod bag.Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release cable.

  

LATITUDE: N 48d 38m 53.20s

LONGITUDE: W 123d 23m 36.10s

ALTITUDE: 2.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 34.50MB NEF: 23.90MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 9.47MB

     

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D700

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.3.1 11/07/2019). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

 

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This photographs was taken at an altitude of One metre, at 06:38am on Sunday 5th September 2019 around sunrise off 1st Street and Bevan Avenue, close to Glass beach in beautiful Sidney by the sea on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

  

In the distance we see Mt Baker in Washington State, USA, an active glaciated andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades. Standing 3,286 metres tall, she was first ascended in 1868, her last eruption recorded in 1880.

  

The four Salishan language speaking First Nation bands nearest to Mount Baker know her by different names. Known to the Halkomelem as Kwelxá:lxw, Kwelshán (wounded by a shot) to the Lummi,Teqwúbe7 (snow-capped peak) to Lushootseed speakers along the Skagit River, and to the Nooksack language, the ice- and snow-covered top is Kweq’ Smánit (white mountain) while the high meadows around the peak are Kwelshán (shooting place)”.

 

There are also unsubstanciated references to Mt Baker as Komo Kulshan (pronounced kō-ō’mah’ kool-shän’), the name for the Middle Fork which originates from the glaciers such as Deming and Thunder on the western slopes, though Koma or Komo Kulshan is not a native name for the mountain in any of the twenty three collective Salishan languages.

  

The name Mount Baker first appeared in print in Captain Vancouver’s 1798 narrative of his voyage around Vancouver Island. Legend has it that his third-lieutenant, Joseph Baker, was the first to spot the mountain while they sailed into Dungeness Bay on April 30th, 1792.

  

The Bevan Avenue fishing pier is one of the main focal points in Sidney, and Work commenced on the pier in 1993 with Phase one, a 90 metre straight section being completed in 1996. A year later the 110 metre Phase two section was completed.

  

Currently in February 2023, tenders are being invited for major renovations to the pier to include Localized replacement of coating system on pier structures, Installation of a pile wrapping system, Localized steel repairs, and Installation of supplemental sacrificial anodes.

 

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Nikon D850 Focal length: 38mm Shutter speed: 1/2s (Mechanical shutter) Aperture: f/16.0 iso64 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX) Full frame Focus mode: AF-C AF-Area mode: 3D-Tracking Exposure mode: Aperture priority exposure Nikon Back button focusing enabled Metering mode: Matrix metering White balance: Natural light auto, 0, 0 Colour space: Adobe RGB Nikon Distortion control: On Picture control: (SD) Standard Sharpening +3.00 Clarity +1.00 High ISO NR: On (Normal) Vignette control: Normal Active D-lighting: Auto

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150 77mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 0.9 (3 stops) Reverse Neutral density Graduated glass filter. Lee SW150 Filters field pouch. Nikon EN-EL15a battery.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod 3 Sections (Payload: 5.6kgs). Manfrotto 327RC2 Light Duty Grip Ball Magnesium Tripod Head (Payload: 5.5kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 200PL-14. Jessops Tripod bag.Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release cable.

  

LATITUDE: N 48d 38m 52.70s

LONGITUDE: W 123d 23m 36.70s

ALTITUDE: 1.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 90.3MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 28.90MB

        

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.3.1 11/07/2019). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

  

'' I am not clumsy. It's just the floor hates me, the tables and chairs are bullies, and the wall gets in the way! ''

  

After ten enjoyable years on Flickr, I wanted to take the time to reminisce for a short while with a series of my photographs that each have a special significance and meaning in my photographic journey. They might be commercial successes, personal favourites or images that marked a change of direction or outlook, each with a few more background details behind the shot.

  

(13) SILENT MOMENTS FROM MEALL A'BHUIRIDH

  

The joys of Flickr Explore and the tears at destroying Nigella Nikkor, my much loved Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 lens!

  

This photograph is in my list of important photographs for a few reasons, firstly to represent my images picked for FLICKR EXPLORE over the years. I think Explore has been a little controversial for many because the merits of the images chosen are assessed using a secret process of algorithms created by a team of once thought extinct Pixies sprinkling fairy dust in a secret room in some underground bunker on the planet Unobtainium (I have it on good authority that that's actually true).

  

How Flickr described things was: '' EXPLORE is Flickr's way of showcasing the most interesting photos within a given point in time -- usually over a 24 hour period. Flickr receives about 6,000 uploads every minute -- That's about 8.6 million photos a day! From this huge group of images, the Flickr Interestingness algorithm chooses only 500 images to showcase for each 24-hour period. That's only one image in every 17,000! ''

  

I think the secrecy in exactly how and why an image is chosen genuinely bugs some people, and I once received a very angry comment on one of my photographs that had been selected, in which the person couldn't understand why my photographs, and in particular that particular image had been chosen when none of theirs ever had. That's not a question I could answer nor particularly give much thought to. The fact of the matter is, that speaking personally although being selected for Flickr Explore isn't really a huge importance in the real world, it is however a nice feeling when you are, and perhaps boosts your personal viewing stats and possibly opens you up to a new audience who might not ordinarily have seen your work. I still get a buzz from being selected which perhaps makes me a little sad....

  

Anyway, my first photograph selected for Explore was taken at Llynnau Mymbyr (also known as the Capel Curig lakes), two lakes located in Dyffryn Mymbyr, a valley running from the village of Capel Curig to the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel in Snowdonia, north-west Wales. It was selected on March 26th 2013 and it's highest ranking was # 355. To date I've been fortunate to have 205 photographs selected which is nice, the highest ranking being # 355.

  

The photograph shown here was selected on January 9th 2014 reaching # 356. It was taken on Friday 13th September 2013 having left Killearn where the A85 meets the fantastic A82 towards Fort William, at an altitude of almost 750 metres up the Glen Coe Ski Resort (also known as 'Glencoe mountain' (Gleann Comhan) and White Corries ski centre', located on Meall a' Bhuiridh, a mountain on the edge of Rannoch Moor in the highlands of Scotland, close in proximity to Glen Coe and Glen Etive. The mountain is One thousand, One hundred and eight metres tall (3,635ft), ranked 36th in the UK with a prominence of 795 metres and the name in Gaelic means 'Hill of the bellowing'.

  

The River Coe runs through the valley and the views from the mountain include The Three Sisters, Meall Mor, Aonach Dubh and Bidean Nam Bian, the highest point in the former county of Argyll. Stob Coire Sgreamhach is designated as a separate Munro (a mountain in Scotland with a height over 3,000 ft (914.4 m). Of course, there is always Ben Nevis to admire as well.There are seven lifts on Meall a' Bhuiridh and nineteen ski runs. The Glen Coe ski resort lies on it's Northern slopes, and the wooden cafe at the base serves the finest hot chocolate smothered with whipped cream and lashings of scrumptious marshmallows that I have ever tasted. Our first stop was a drink and then we paid for a return ride on the ski lift (You can walk back if you are fit enough), from which the views were absolutely amazing.

  

The second reason for inclusion is as part of the collection of images I posted from Scotland which collectively have been published and sold around the world as well as having done well on flickr. We had travelled to Scotland for a two week break, a part of the UK that I've always loved for it's glorious landscapes and natural beauty. Staying at the incredible Abbotsford Lodge in Stirling Road, Callander in the fabulous Loch Lomond and The Trussachs National Park, the gateway to the Scottish Highlands, we were treated to full scottish breakfasts every morning and a room upgrade by our marvellous hosts Fraser and his wife. From here location wise, you are spoilt with access to a dizzying array of Lochs including Lake of Menteith, Loch Ard, Loch Arklet, Loch Katrine, Loch Earn, Loch Tay and many others. It was on this trip that, after forty two years of handling photography equipment with just one minor mishap that I finally dropped and destroyed my first lens. Not just any lens of course, oh no... Nigella Nikkor, my beautiful and much cherished ultra wide angle 14-24mm lens to be more precise (Sniff, sniff!)

  

We were visiting Loch Lomond (Loch Laomainn), a freshwater loch situated on the Highland Boundary fault, the largest inland stretch of water by surface area in Great Britain, at 39km in length and up to 8km in width with a maximum depth of 190metres. Primary inflows and outflows include Endrick water, Fruin water and the River Leven. It was late in the afternoon on Tuesday 10th September 2013 off the A82 near Lady's Wood at Luss, on the shoreline of Loch Lomond in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. I sat on the pebbled beach with my tripod on it's lowest height setting and my Nikon D800 and Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED IF mounted, taking low level shots of the leafs and pebbles leading to the waters edge.

  

I momentarily shifted my weight as I sat and stared at the beauty all around me, the pebbles began to move and the tripod began to lean. In a split second the camera and lens over balanced and hit the stones, the huge round dome of the ultra wide lens making acqaintance with the stones. Even though I grabbed the camera strap around my neck for safety and pulled the equipment up literally as it hit the ground, the damage was done. The coated surface of the lens was peppered with tiny indentations and long scrapes which completely ruined the possibility of any further shots with it. Streaks of light now flooded any frame and I could have cried! The zoom ring, also damaged in the tumble was as useful as a waxworks in a desert, stiff as five day old roadkill and only good for ultra wides at 14mm or standard 24mm frames.

   

A week later after returning home I put Nigella the Nikkor in to be mended by the wonderful technicians at Fixation in Kennington Lane, London who restored my much loved £1,300 lens to her former glory for the princely sum of £402.94 (£145 in parts/£200 in labour and 20% rip off government VAT), and I still have her to this day, eight years later as beautiful as the day she was born.

  

The equipment used for this photograph was the Nikon D800 which first came out on February 7th 2012 priced at £2,399 in the UK and featuring a 36.3 megapixel game changing sensor capable of capturing detail and sharpness like no other Nikon had ever done. With an Expeed 3 image processor, 4fps and 91,000 pixel metering sensor, this was an incredible camera and a game changer for many. I teamed it up with the excellent but overpriced Nikon MB-D12 battery charger and as always my handy little Nikon GP-1 GPS module which could pinpoint my exact location and footsteps on google maps anywhere in the world. I loved the Nikon D800, not only because it was the best quality camera capable of the highest levels of detail capture I'd ever owned or used, but also because it was something of a Jekyll and Hyde and made me work harder and learn more as a photographer.

  

Teamed with good quality lenses such as Nikkor's Holy trinity of AF-S f/2.8 14-24mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses and naturally Nikkor's finest primes, the D800 was capable of capturing images with a level of sharpness, clarity and detail that was quite simply breath taking. The flipside was that you had to work hard to get those images as, with so many megapixels at hand, any flaws in your own technique would reveal themselves in the RAW file. Tripod mounted and everything was pretty straight forward, handheld on the other hand, the way that I often shot landscapes, required patience and care. I loved how this camera made me think hard about techniques and photography, and I honestly believe it helped me to progress my skill levels. A legend of a camera, a wolf in a kittens skin, worthy of the awards it won.

  

This frame was published by Getty Images and has sold through them and also featured on myLensDB.com, a Malaysian Camera Lens Database and Price watch website, showing the capabilities of the Nikkor AF-SA 70-200mm f/2.8G ED IF VRII lens. A version of it also featured in one of my published books, and the photograph from that fateful day with Nigella Nikkor taken on this trip went on to be published and become one of my most viewed images on Flickr.

 

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©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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Photograph taken at 12:56pm on Friday 13th September 2013 having left Killearn where the A85 meets the fantastic A82 towards Fort William, at an altitude of almost 750 metres up on Gleann Comhan (Glen Coe), a volcanic glen in the highlands of Scotland, in the Southern part of the Lochaber Committee area of Highland Council, formerly part of the County of Argyll.

  

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Nikon D800 Focal length: 70mm Shutter speed: 1/100s Aperture: f/18.0 iso200 RAW (14Bit) Uncompressed file size L (7360 x 4912 Pixels) Handheld with Nikkor VR Vibration reduction enabled on normal setting Exposure Mode: Manual exposure Metering mode: Matrix metering White balance mode: Auto white balance Colour space: Adobe RGB

  

Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED IF VRII. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries. Sandisc 32GB Ultra Class 10 30MB/s SDHC. Nikon DK-17a magnifying eyepiece. Hoodman HGEC soft eyeiece cup. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 56d 37m 39.40s

LONGITUDE: W 4d 50m 32.51s

ALTITUDE: 744.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED FILE: 27.14MB

  

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D800

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

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***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on September 20th 2015

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/579720893 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 1,161st frame to be selected for inclusion and sale in the Getty Images 'Moment' collection, and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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This Eight seconds long exposure was taken at an altitude of Forty six metres, during the magic of the Golden Hour around sunrise (Sunrise was at 06:15am), at 05:28am, on Thursday 3rd September 2015 off Lullingstone Lane beside the Lullingstone Roman Villa in the village of Eynsford, Kent, England.

  

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Nikon D800 70mm Eight seconds long exposure f/2.8 iso100 RAW (14 bit) Manual focus. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance. Auto Active D-lighting.

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL batteries. Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece. Nikon DK-19 soft rubber eyecup. Manfrotto MT057C3 057 Carbon Fiber Tripod 3 Sections (Payload 18kgs). Manfrotto MH057M0-RC4 057 Magnesium Ball Head with RC4 Quick Release (Payload 15kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 410PL-14.Jessops Tripod bag. Optech Tripod Strap.Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 51d 21m 51.03s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 11m 50.88s

ALTITUDE: 46.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED FILE: 12.98MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

   

Photograph taken at an altitude of Zero metres, in the magic of the Golden hour around sunrise at 05:41am on Saturday 20th September 2014 off 1st Street and Beacon Avenue, in front of the Beacon Avenue Fish Market, looking towards the Bevan Avenue fishing pier in beautiful Sidney by the sea on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

  

The Bevan Avenue fishing pier is one of the main focal points in this small but beautiful town where some of my family are so lucky to reside. I am never happier than when walking around and capturing the beauty and charm of this most special of locations. Work commenced on the pier in 1993 withn Phase one, a 90 metre straight section being completed in 1996. A year later the 110 metre Phase two section was completed.

  

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Nikon D800 70mm One point three seconds long exposure f/2.8 iso100 RAW (14 bit) Mirror up. AF-S Single point focus. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance. Auto Active D-lighting.

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL batteries. Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece. Nikon DK-19 soft rubber eyecup. Manfrotto MT057C3 057 Carbon Fiber Tripod 3 Sections (Payload 18kgs). Manfrotto MH057M0-RC4 057 Magnesium Ball Head with RC4 Quick Release (Payload 15kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 410PL-14.Jessops Tripod bag. Optech Tripod Strap.Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 48d 38m 57.19s

LONGITUDE: W 123d 23m 34.34s

ALTITUDE: 7.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 8.21MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D800 Firmware versions A 1.10 B 1.10 L 2.009 (Lens distortion control version 2)

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

  

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I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 36.525+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on July 1st 2020

  

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This photograph became my 4,379th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Fifty four metres at 10:47am on Tuesday 2nd June 2020, of an adult Male European robin (Erithacus rubecula), also known as the Robin, or Robin redbreast, a small insectivorous passerine bird, more specifically a Chat, off Chessington Avenue in Bexleyheath, Kent.

  

This is Paul, the male half of a pair of Robins that keep me company in the garden, with Paul singing his lungs out all day long before coming down for worms once I've watered the garden.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length 600mm Shutter speed: 1/320s Aperture f/6.3 iso125 Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Focus mode AF-C focus. AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. AF-S Priority selection: Focus. 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points.AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode: Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto ISO sensitivity control on (Max iso 800/ Miniumum shutter speed 125). White blance on: Auto1. Colour space: RGB. Actve D-lighting: Normal. Vignette control: Normal. Nikon Distortion control: Enabled. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1

  

Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3DG OS HSM SPORTS. Lee SW150 MKI filter holder with MK2 light shield and custom made velcro fitting for the Sigma lens. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Manfrotto MT057C3-G Carbon fibre geared tripod. Neewer Gimbal tripod head with Arca Swiss quick release plate. Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

    

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LATITUDE: N 51d 28m 28.17s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 10.50s

ALTITUDE: 54.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 92.6MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 24.80MB

    

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

  

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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Unashamedly I will shout it from the rooftops.

  

I LOVE CARRION CROW.

   

There, I've said it. Words I use to describe these amazing birds would include stunning, beautiful, bold, magnificent, intelligent and fantastic, loving, tender, victimized...... oh yes, and sometimes they can be brutal (Let's face it, Mother nature often is).

  

Recently I had a resident pair of Carrion crows who decided that my garden was theirs, playing a game of cat and mouse with a pair of cheeky Magpies (Pica pica) for dominance and food rights. The male crow actually flew in and 'winged' the magpies to make them leave, an incredible sight to witness. It was an honour and a privilege to be able to win their trust and they have given me so much pleasure this year being able to get within a few feet of them, and their three youngsters, to photograph and feed them, and they have reinforced my already deep admiration for a bird that is brimming with beauty, intelligence, confidence and also surrounded by myths, legend and prejudice.

  

So let's begin with a look back over history.

  

LEGEND AND MYTHOLOGY

  

Crows appear in the Bible where Noah uses one to search for dry land and to check on the recession of the flood. Crows supposedly saved the prophet, Elijah, from famine and are an Inuit deity. Legend has it that England and its monarchy will end when there are no more crows in the Tower of London. And some believe that the crows went to the Tower attracted by the regular corpses following executions with written accounts of their presence at the executions of Anne Boleyn and Jane Gray.

  

In Welsh mythology, unfortunately Crows are seen as symbolic of evilness and black magic thanks to many references to witches transforming into crows or ravens and escaping. Indian legend tells of Kakabhusandi, a crow who sits on the branches of a wish-fulfilling tree called Kalpataru and a crow in Ramayana where Lord Rama blessed the crow with the power to foresee future events and communicate with the souls.

  

In Native American first nation legend the crow is sometimes considered to be something of a trickster, though they are also viewed positively by some tribes as messengers between this world and the next where they carry messages from the living to those deceased, and even carry healing medicines between both worlds. There is a belief that crows can foresee the future. The Klamath tribe in Oregon believe that when we die, we fly up to heaven as a crow. The Crow can also signify wisdom to some tribes who believe crows had the power to talk and were therefore considered to be one of the wisest of birds. Tribes with Crow Clans include the Chippewa (whose Crow Clan and its totem are called Aandeg), the Hopi (whose Crow Clan is called Angwusngyam or Ungwish-wungwa), the Menominee, the Caddo, the Tlingit, and the Pueblo tribes of New Mexico.

  

The crow features in the Nanissáanah (Ghost dance), popularized by Jerome Crow Dog, a Brulé Lakota sub-chief and warrior born at Horse Stealing Creek in Montana Territory in 1833, the crow symbolizing wisdom and the past, when the crow had became a guide and acted as a pathfinder during hunting. The Ghost dance movement was originally created in 1870 by Wodziwob, or Gray Hair, a prophet and medicine man of the Paiute tribe in an area that became known as Nevada. Ghost dancers wore crow and eagle feathers in their clothes and hair, and the fact that the Crow could talk placed it as one of the sages of the animal kingdom. The five day dances seeking trance,prophecy and exhortations would eventually play a major part in the pathway towards the white man's broken treaties, the infamous battle at Wounded knee and the surrender of Matȟó Wanáȟtaka (Kicking Bear), after officials began to fear the ghost dancers and rituals which seemed to occur prior to battle.

  

Historically the Vikings are the group who made so many references to the crow, and Ragnarr Loðbrók and his sons used this species in his banner as well as appearances in many flags and coats of arms. Also, it had some kind of association with Odin, one of their main deities. Norse legend tells us that Odin is accompanied by two crows. Hugin, who symbolizes thought, and Munin, who represents a memory. These two crows were sent out each dawn to fly the entire world, returning at breakfast where they informed the Lord of the Nordic gods of everything that went on in their kingdoms. Odin was also referred to as Rafnagud (raven-god). The raven appears in almost every skaldic poem describing warfare.Coins dating back to 940's minted by Olaf Cuaran depict the Viking war standard, the Raven and Viking war banners (Gonfalon) depicted the bird also.

  

In Scandinavian legends, crows are a representative of the Goddess of Death, known as Valkyrie (from old Norse 'Valkyrja'), one of the group of maidens who served the Norse deity Odin, visiting battlefields and sending him the souls of the slain worthy of a place in Valhalla. Odin ( also called Wodan, Woden, or Wotan), preferred that heroes be killed in battle and that the most valiant of souls be taken to Valhöll, the hall of slain warriors. It is the crow that provides the Valkyries with important information on who should go. In Hindu ceremonies that are associated to ancestors, the crow has an important place in Vedic rituals. They are seen as messengers of death in Indian culture too.

  

In Germanic legend, Crows are seen as psychonomes, meaning the act of guiding spirits to their final destination, and that the feathers of a crow could cure a victim who had been cursed. And yet, a lone black crow could symbolize impending death, whilst a group symbolizes a lucky omen! Vikings also saw good omens in the crow and would leave offerings of meat as a token.

  

The crow also has sacred and prophetic meaning within the Celtic civilization, where it stood for flesh ripped off due to combat and Morrighan, the warrior goddess, often appears in Celtic mythology as a raven or crow, or else is found to be in the company of the birds. Crow is sacred to Lugdnum, the Celtic god of creation who gave his name to the city of Lug

  

In Greek mythology according to Appolodorus, Apollo is supposedly responsible for the black feathers of the crow, turning them forever black from their pristine white original plumage as a punishment after they brought news that Κορωνις (Coronis) a princess of the Thessalian kingdom of Phlegyantis, Apollo's pregnant lover had left him to marry a mortal, Ischys. In one legend, Apollo burned the crows feathers and then burned Coronis to death, in another Coronis herself was turned into a black crow, and another that she was slain by the arrows of Αρτεμις (Artemis - twin to Apollo). Koronis was later set amongst the stars as the constellation Corvus ("the Crow"). Her name means "Curved One" from the Greek word korônis or "Crow" from the word korônê.

  

A similar Muslim legend allegedly tells of Muhammad, founder of Islam and the last prophet sent by God to Earth, who's secret location was given away by a white crow to his seekers, as he hid in caves. The crow shouted 'Ghar Ghar' (Cave, cave) and thus as punishment, Muhammad turned the crow black and cursed it for eternity to utter only one phrase, 'Ghar, ghar). Native Indian legend where the once rainbow coloured crows became forever black after shedding their colourful plumage over the other animals of the world.

  

In China the Crow is represented in art as a three legged bird on a solar disk, being a creature that helps the sun in its journey. In Japan there are myths of Crow Tengu who were priests who became vain, and turned into this spirit to serve as messengers until they learn the lesson of humility as well as a great Crow who takes part in Shinto creation stories.

  

In animal spirit guides there are general perceptions of what sightings of numbers of crows actually mean:

  

1 Crow Meaning: To carry a message from your near one who died recently.

 

2 Crows Meaning: Two crows sitting near your home signifies some good news is on your way.

 

3 Crows Meaning: An upcoming wedding in your family.

 

4 Crows Meaning: Symbolizes wealth and prosperity.

 

5 Crows Meaning: Diseases or pain.

 

6 Crows Meaning: A theft in your house!

 

7 Crows Meaning: Denotes travel or moving from your house.

 

8 Crows Meaning: Sorrowful events

  

Crows are generally seen as the symbolism when alive for doom bringing, misfortune and bad omens, and yet a dead crow symbolises potentially bringing good news and positive change to those who see it. This wonderful bird certainly gets a mixed bag of contradictory mythology and legend over the centuries and in modern days is often seen as a bit of a nuisance, attacking and killing the babies of other birds such as Starlings, Pigeons and House Sparrows as well as plucking the eyes out of lambs in the field, being loud and noisy and violently attacking poor victims in a 'crow court'....

  

There is even a classic horror film called 'THE CROW' released in 1994 by Miramax Films, directed by Alex Proyas and starring Brandon Lee in his final film appearance as Eric Draven, who is revived by a Crow tapping on his gravestone a year after he and his fiancée are murdered in Detroit by a street gang. The crow becomes his guide as he sets out to avenge the murders. The only son of martial arts expert Bruce Lee, Brandon lee suffered fatal injuries on the set of the film when the crew failed to remove the primer from a cartridge that hit Lee in the abdomen with the same force as a normal bullet. Lee died that day, March 31st 1993 aged 28.

  

The symbolism of the Crow resurrecting the dead star and accompanying him on his quest for revenge was powerful, and in some part based on the history of the carrion crow itself and the original film grossed more than $94 Million dollars with three subsequent sequels following.

  

TAKING A CLOSER LOOK

  

So let's move away from legend, mythology and stories passed down from our parents and grandparents and look at these amazing birds in isolation.

  

Carrion crow are passerines in the family Corvidae a group of Oscine passerine birds including Crows, Ravens, Rooks, Jackdaws, Jays, Magpies, Treepies, Choughs and Nutcrackers. Technically they are classed as Corvids, and the largest of passerine birds. Carrion crows are medium to large in size with rictal bristles and a single moult per year (most passerines moult twice). Carrion crow was one of the many species originally described by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (Carl Von Linne after his ennoblement) in his 1758 and 1759 editions of 'SYSTEMA NATURAE', and it still bears its original name of Corvus corone, derived from the Latin of Corvus, meaning Raven and the Greek κορώνη (korōnē), meaning crow.

  

Carrion crow are of the Animalia kingdom Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae Genus: Corvus and Species: Corvus corone

  

Corvus corone can reach 45-47cm in length with a 93-104cm wingspan and weigh between 370-650g. They are protected under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in the United Kingdom with a Green UK conservation status which means they are of least concern with more than 1,000,000 territories. Breeding occurs in April with fledging of the chicks taking around twenty nine days following an incubation period of around twenty days with 3 to 4 eggs being the average norm.

  

They are abundant in the UK apart from Northwest Scotland and Ireland where the Hooded crow (Corvus cornix) was considered the same species until 2002. They have a lifespan of around four years, whilst Crow species can live to the age of Twenty years old, and the oldest known American crow in the wild was almost Thirty years old. The oldest documented captive crow died at age Fifty nine. They are smaller and have a shorter lifespan than the Raven, which again is used as a symbol in history to live life to the full and not waste a moment!

  

They are often mistaken for the Rook (Corvus frugilegus), a similar bird, though in the UK, the Rook is actually technically smaller than the Carrion crow averaging 44-46cm in length, 81-99cm wingspan and weighing up to 340g. Rooks have white beaks compared to the black beaks of Carrion crow, a more steeply raked ratio from head to beak, and longer straighter beaks as well as a different plumage pattern. There are documented cases in the UK of singular and grouped Rooks attacking and killing Carrion crows in their territory. Rooks nest in colonies unlike Carrion crows. Carrion crows have only a few natural enemies including powerful raptors such as the northern goshawk, the peregrine falcon, the Eurasian eagle-owl and the golden eagle which will all readily hunt them.

  

Regarded as one of the most intelligent birds, indeed creatures on the planet, studies suggest that Corvids cognitive abilities can rival that of primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas and even provide clues to understanding human intelligence. Crows have relatively large brains for their body size, compared to other animals. Their encephalization quotient (EQ) a ratio of brain to body size, adjusted for size because there isn’t a linear relationship is 4.1. That is remarkably close to chimps at 4.2 whilst humans are 8.1. Corvids also have a very high neuronal density, the number of neurons per gram of brain, factoring in the number of cortical neurons, neuron packing density, interneuronal distance and axonal conduction velocity shows that Corvids score high on this measure as well, with humans scoring the highest.

  

A corvid's pallium is packed with more neurons than a great ape's. Corvids have demonstrated the ability to use a combination of mental tools such as imagination, and anticipation of future events. They can craft tools from twigs and branches to hook grubs from deep recesses, they can solve puzzles and intricate methods of gaining access to food set by humans., and have even bent pieces of wire into hooks to obtain food. They have been proven to have a higher cognitive ability level than seven year old humans. Communications wise, their repertoire of wraw-wraw's is not fully understood, but the intensity, rhythm, and duration of caws seems to form the basis of a possible language. They also remember the faces of humans who have hindered or hurt them and pass that information on to their offspring.

  

Aesop's fable of 'The Crow and the Pitcher, tells of a thirsty crow which drops stones into a water pitcher to raise the water level and enable it to take a drink. Scientists have conducted tests to see whether crows really are this intelligent. They placed floating treats in a deep tube and observed the crows indeed dropping dense objects carefully selected into the water until the treat floated within reach. They had the intelligence to pick up, weigh and discount objects that would float in the water, they also did not select ones that were too large for the container.

  

Pet crows develop a unique call for their owners, in effect actually naming them. They also know to sunbathe for a dose of vitamin D, regularly settling on wooden garden fences, opening their mouths and wings and raising their heads to the sun. In groups they warn of danger and communicate vocally. They store a cache of food for later if in abundance and are clever enough to move it if they feel it has been discovered. They leave markers for their cache. They have even learned to place walnuts and similar hard food items under car tyres at traffic lights as a means of cracking them!

  

Crows regularly gather around a dead fellow corvid, almost like a funeral, and it is thought they somehow learn from each death. They can even remember human faces for decades.Crows group together to attack larger predators and even steal their food, and they have different dialects in different areas, with the ability to mimic the dialect of the alpha males when they enter their territory!

  

They have a twenty year life span, the oldest on record reaching the age of Fifty nine. Crows can leave gifts for those who feed them such as buttons or bright shiny objects as a thank you, and they even kiss and make up after an argument, having mated for life.

  

In mythology they are associated with good and bad luck, being the bringers of omens and even witchcraft and are generally reviled for their attacks on baby birds and small mammals. They have an attack method of to stunning smaller birds before consuming them, tearing violently at smaller, less aggressive birds, which is simply down to the fact that they are so highly intelligent, and also the top of the food chain. Their diet includes over a thousand different items: Dead animals (as their name suggests), invertebrates, grain, as well as stealing eggs and chicks from other birds' nests, worms, insects, fruit, seeds, kitchen scraps. They are highly adaptable when food sources grow scarce. I absolutely love them, they are magnificent, bold, beautiful and incredibly interesting to watch and though at times it is hard to witness attacks made by them, I cannot help but adore them for so many other and more important reasons.

  

OBSERVATIONS ON THE PAIR IN MY GARDEN

  

Crows have been in the area for a while, but rarely had strayed into my garden, leaving the Magpies to own the territory. Things changed towards the end of May when a beautiful female Carrion crow appeared and began to take some of the food that I put down for the other birds. Within a few days she began to appear regularly, on occasions stocking up on food, whilst other times placing pieces in the birdbath to soften them. She would stand on the birdbath and eat and drink and come back over the course of the day to eat the softened food.

  

Shortly afterwards she brought along her mate, a tall and handsome fella, much larger than her who was also very vocal if he felt she was getting a little too close to me. By now I had moved from a seated position from the patio as an observer, to laying on a mat just five feet from the birdbath with my Nikon so that I could photograph the pair as they landed, scavenged and fed. She was now confident enough to let me be very close, and she even tolerated and recognized the clicking of the camera. At first I used silent mode to reduce the noise but this only allowed two shooting frame rates of single frame or continuous low frame which meant I was missing shots. I reverted back to normal continuous high frames and she soon got used to the whirring of the frames as the mirror slapped back and forth.

  

The big fella would bark orders at her from the safety of the fence or the rear of the garden, whilst she rarely made a sound. That was until one day when in the sweltering heat she kept opening her beak and sunning on the grass, panting slightly in the heat. I placed the circular water sprayer nearby and had it rotating so that the birdbath and grass was bathed in gentle water droplets and she soon came back, landed and seemed to really like the cooling effect on offer. She then climbed onto the birdbath and opened her wings slightly and made some gentle purring, cooing noises....

  

I swear she was expressing happiness, joy....

  

On another blisteringly hot day when the sprayer was on, she came down, walked towards it and opened her wings up running into the water spray. Not once, but many times.

  

A final observation came with the male and female on the rear garden fence. They sat together, locked beaks like a kiss and then the male took his time gently preening her head feathers and the back of her neck as she made tiny happy sounds. They stayed together like that for several minutes, showing a gentle, softer side to their nature and demonstrating the deep bond between them. Into July and the pair started to bring their three youngsters to my garden, the nippers learning to use the birdbath for bathing and dipping food, the parents attentive as ever.

  

I was privileged to be in close attendance as the last juvenile was brought down by the pair, taught to take food and then on a night in July, to soar and fly with it's mother in the evening sky as the light faded. She would swoop and twirl, and at regular intervals just touch the juvenile in flight with her wing tip feathers, as if to reassure it that she was close in attendance. What an amazing experience to view.

  

Corvus Corone.... magnificently misunderstood by some!

  

Paul Williams June 4th 2021

  

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 39.479+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

  

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on July 21st 2021

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1329638409 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 5,114th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Fifty four metres at 20:37pm on an beautiful summer evening as the light faded away on Monday 19th July 2021, off Hythe Avenue and Chessington Avenue in Bexleyheath, Kent.

  

Here we see an adult Female Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) teaching the last of her three juveniles to swoop, soar and fly. She stayed close to it at all times, on occasions touching it with her wingtips to guide it and reassure it that she was there, an absolutely amazing sight to witness. Beauty and elegance from these magnificent birds that it's been my privilege to get close to for the last few months.

  

I've played my part in the rearing of the three babies, putting out food and water, gaining mum and dad's confidence, and what joy they have given me watching their progression. A passerine bird of the family Corvidae and the genus Raven (Higher classification: Corvus), which is native to western Europe and eastern Asia. It can grow to twenty inches in length with a wingspan of up to thirty nine inches.

  

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Nikon D850 Focal length: 280mm Shutter speed: 1/2500s Aperture: f/10.0 iso1000 Hand held with Tamron VC Vibration control set to ON (Position 1) 14 Bit uncompressed RAW NEF file size L (8256 x 5504 pixels) FX (36 x 24) Focus mode: AF-C AF-Area mode: 3D-tracking AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points Exposure mode: Manual exposure mode Metering mode: Matrix metering White balance on: Auto1 (7570k) Colour space: RGB Picture control: Neutral (Sharpening +2)

  

Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150 95mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

     

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LATITUDE: N 51d 28m 28.18s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 10.47s

ALTITUDE: 52.00m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF FILE: 92.3MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 58.60MB

   

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PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

  

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***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on June 30th 2015

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/562575271 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 781st frame to be selected for inclusion and sale in the Getty Images 'Moment' collection, and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Eight metres at 11:38am on Sunday 24th May 2015, on the shoreline at Culnamean looking out onto Loch Brittle, a sea loch on the Southwest coast of the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

  

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Nikon D800 23mm 1/2500s f/2.8 iso100 Hand held. RAW (14-bit) AF-S single point focus. Manual exposure. Centre weighted metering. Auto white balance.

  

Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED IF VR. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries. Digi-Chip Speed Pro 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC card. Nikon DK-17a magnifying eyepiece. Hoodman HGEC soft eyepiece cup. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 57d 12m 9.39s

LONGITUDE: W 6d 17m 30.33s

ALTITUDE: 8.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 11.64MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 8.1. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

    

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***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on June 25th 2015

  

CREATIVE RF gty.im/561651603 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

  

This photograph became my 760th frame to be selected for inclusion and sale in the Getty Images 'Moment' collection, and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Three hundred and twenty five metres at 13:42pm on Sunday 17th May 2015 heading back from Cairn Gorm Mountain towards Aviewmore, in Glenmore Forest Park close to the shoreline of Loch Morlich a freshwater loch in the Badenoch and Strathspey area of Highland, Scotland.

   

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Nikon D800 24mm 1/250s f/10.0 iso100 Hand held. RAW (14-bit) AF-S single point focus. manual exposure. Centre weighted metering. Auto white balance.

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries. Digi-Chip Speed Pro 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC card. Nikon DK-17a magnifying eyepiece. Hoodman HGEC soft eyepiece cup. Optech Tripod Strap. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

  

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LATITUDE: N 57d 10m 4.16s

LONGITUDE: W 3d 42m 0.42s

ALTITUDE: 325.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 49.50MB

  

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PROCESSING POWER:

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 8.1. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit