View allAll Photos Tagged curveball
My weekend was a mix of mega happy highs, and some equally low lows. Life sometimes seems to wanna throw those kinds of curveballs at us. But with some introspection, I am, as always, left with the realization that I have so much to be thankful for. And even if something causes a sharp pang of disappointment, there is a lesson to be learned in that, and we come out of those experiences with more strength and self awareness.
A glass of wine, while chilling at home with my three precious fluffy friends calmed my hyper brain, and allowed clearer thinking to prevail. Current mood: accepting, grateful for friendship, love, wine, and furry therapy! ❤️
I hope everyone has a beautiful new week! I love you, my cherished Flickr friends, you all add so much joy and inspiration to my life. 💕🍷
A new morning blooms, to the sweet Spring aroma -- spreads hope for today.
It's been a while since my last post. Life has thrown a number of curveballs lately. My camera broke, went through illness with myself and family, and my father passed in February. But, it's time to get back to Spring and to self expression. Shooting with a new Canon R5. A fresh unfurling Dianthus flower a little over an inch in size. They have such a pleasant smell. There is always hope for tomorrow. Wishing everyone a great Friday ahead!
Sometimes you don't get what you want when you go out to shoot. I had a shot in mind when I got up of capturing the Minarets from the vista at sunrise with them being frontlit by light of the rising sun. When I got up there, I was surprised to see that they were socked in by the clouds. I waited and waited in the hopes that the clouds would break and I would be rewarded with the scene I had in mind. The clouds never broke to reveal the Minarets instead, I got this beautiful band of light on the hills below.
Sometimes I wonder if we are not all guilty of making up our minds with the shot we want and when nature throws us a curveball, we pack in our tent and go some where else. I admit, I came really close to doing just that here. I decided to stick it out and see what was going to happen and I got this. Maybe it wasn't what I wanted but it sure was pretty!
This image was taken from the viewing platform at New Yorks highest midtown skyscraper, Summit One Vanderbilt. I only took a couple with my wide angle lens, but when I viewed them later I could see the smallest of curvature in the skyline, which I accentuated in photoshop, and made this image. Let me know what you think. And if you can think of a better title for it!
See more of my work on my photography facebook page
www.facebook.com/moragforbesphotography
And on instagram
Sometimes you get thrown a curveball. On this morning I set out to shoot a classic image of Multnomah Falls in the fall, shot far back from the walkways. When I got there, there were now gates thanks to COVID and they did not open until 9am. 9? I need the morning light though. Ok, plan b. I have bene watching a lot of Nick Page and Fototripper videos where they challenge us all to use zoom lenses more often. So I backed out and zoomed in. Why was I there? To capture the falls and the season. So what if I moved in and shot just the falling portion of the falls and a single tree that shows the season? So this image is me stepping out of the comfort zone and trying to shoot something more elemental. This is a blend to show tonal rages to deepen the colors and the contrast.
Let me know what you think.
.:AMUI:. "Miley" Jumpsuit
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/POSH%20DRIVE/187/226/75
You're in love, you're in love, you're in love
Well she might be here, might be hot
But baby she's not me
You try to forget and you tell her that you miss her
But I bet every time you go to kiss her
You get a hot rush feeling on your lips
It's me taking over you, throwing you a curveball
Reminding you of our true romance and
Just like the first time you learned to dance and
I showed you all those moves she can't do
She's not me (me, me)
Dinner at this camp is like a fancy prison cafeteria! Set mealtimes, courses in order... only the main course throws a curveball with veggie and meat options. But hey, free juice and hot drinks almost make up for it!
Speaking of deliciousness, my pisco sours and "end of the world beer" were epic! Pro tip: You can pre-book meals or rough it with your own backpack pantry. Just let them know if you're dining in or taking a "breakfast/lunch escape pod" for the trail.
Next company (days 3-6) upped the game with a full-blown buffet! More options, free drinks... basically, a hiker's paradise. #spoiled
PS. Feeling fancy (or a bit fragile)? Don't worry, the W Trail caters to VIPs too! Luxury hotels and horsey trail rides await the less-than-rugged adventurer. Plus, catamarans ferry you between posh digs. Talk about glamping on steroids!
Sometimes you need to slow down and smell the flowers. Especially when life has thrown a curveball.......
Can you hit the curve? It takes talent and a lot of practice to hit the curveball, but it's worth it. Outside the Oculus, New York City
Before stacks, the Harbor threw another curveball at us. Westbound autos out of Gibson Yard (that none of my counterparts that work for the company could even remember) shoot west for, well, someplace west. EXCEPT we don't have the usual treatment of "let's stick the receiving railroads junkers on it!" We have one SW1500 - IHB 1523 and accompanying (but out of view) slug 479 dragging out a 70+ car drag of autos - no one's making cars with the virus, so no one needs racks moved. Sad, but it can certainly lead to interesting moves like this.
Similar to my NA11 shot at the end of February, this goes out to all you golden hour conformists out there!
Television camera replica on a small trophy I was awarded in 1987 (for, I vaguely recall, providing audio-visual support for a university course with very challenging needs, including quite a few metaphorical curveballs being thrown my way).
The camera itself looks to be a very generic 1970s-style design, but with an anachronistic lens turret (missing a few lenses) in place of a zoom lens in a boxy shroud typical of the era.
I've been away so long it seems.
As with so many of us, life had thrown some curveballs my way and hobbies have taken a back seat.
For the time being, I will be back.
I've missed so many of you.
...are usually strikes.
A colorful view of a baseball pitcher's curveball grip.
Strobist info:
The scene was illuminated by two Nikon SB900 speedlights placed CL/CR and fired in Manual mode @ ½ (CL) and ½ -0.7EV (CR) power through Neewer 24" gridded soft boxes with red and blue Rogue gels attached.
The SB900s were triggered by PocketWizard Plus Xs.
Lens: Nikkor 35mm/f1.8 DX.
This year's winter had been very disappointing in Minnesota, with a severe lack of snow and above average temps. However, mother nature decided to throw a curveball and give us a late March snowstorm. Here NTWLIN heads through Waverly at the MP 48.8 signal. It was nice to finally get a snow shot... even if it's basically spring now.
After chasing A408 into Champaign, I made it back up to Chicago to intercept L536 rounding the curve at 35th Street with IC #1021 leading a repaint and a GTW. Very underappreciated angle here.
This was not the direction I was originally going in for this image but this hobby tends to throw many curveballs and I had no idea there was another one heading my way.
I started this target back at the beginning of January and was able to get all my h-alpha data then. After that I didn't get another clear night until mid February. I was lucky enough to quickly get two moonless nights to gather my RGB data. Finally, I was able to sit down at the computer and put it all together... or so I thought.
I own two astro cameras and when I chose this target I decided to use the ASI1600MM for the wider field of view. Well apparently this cameras sensor suffers from a little thing called "micro-lensing reflection" and it is a pain in the ass. It pretty much ruined my blue and green data and two nights of shooting. Alnitak, the brightest star in the frame is a definite killer for this problem.
So the only filter that didn't seem to be effected much was my h-alpha. I would have loved the end result to be in color but the h-alpha definitely makes for very nice b&w result. So, lesson learned and I will get my redemption next year!
Telescope: William Optics GT71
Mount: Sky Watcher HEQ5
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro
Filters: Astrodon 5nm Ha
Frames
H-alpha: 81x300"
Total Integration: 6h 45'
Taken at Elysion
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck97CPyiwQU
Sometimes life throws you not just one curve ball, but multiple at the same time. You're left to either try to hit them, duck, or be hit. All options wear one out eventually and so take a moment to find your balance again before that next curve ball flies.
“CN 2032, mind if I put you in at Fairbanks?” Always a treat getting curveballs like that to shake up the day. Conductor Majtyka comes out to give some shit as the northbound empty plows on through Fairbanks.
Let me tell you, Seoul threw me a curveball! I landed in South Korea with fantasies of bulgogi sizzling on street grills and getting lost in the labyrinthine alleys of Bukchon Hanok Village. But bam! Floored by a cascade of cherry blossoms – those same ethereal pink clouds I always pegged for Japan. Turns out, South Korea throws its own epic sakura party, and it's nothing short of amazing.
Deoksugung Palace, with its old-world elegance, became the most picturesque frame for this floral explosion. The way the soft petals danced against the traditional Korean architecture? Pure magic. Sure, Japan might be the first to pop into your head for cherry blossom season, but Seoul adds a whole new layer of awesome to the whole springtime celebration.
This pic I snagged at Deoksugung Palace is a blast from the past, a reminder of that Seoul surprise. Even though it's been a while, the memory of those cherry blossoms blooming alongside the rich Korean culture is still vivid. So, the next time you think sakura season, Seoul deserves a spot on your mental map! It's a place where vibrant flowers intertwine with incredible experiences, making it a true gem for flower fanatics.
It's a widespread belief that to live a meaningful life, we must possess a grand dream, a singular ambition that ignites our passions and guides our every action. But what if we don't have that all-consuming aspiration? What if, instead of burning for something unreachable, we choose to focus on the warmth of the present moment? Believe it or not, it's okay to not have a dream, and it might even hold the key to a profoundly fulfilling existence.
The relentless pursuit of dreams often comes with a heavy side of anxiety. The pressure to achieve some extraordinary feat can create a constant hum of dissatisfaction with the ordinary. We become blind to the small joys found within the everyday, sacrificing the sweetness of the present for a future that may never materialize.
Furthermore, dreams can be blinding. When we fixate on a singular vision, we risk missing the unexpected opportunities that arise along our journey. We become inflexible, unable to adapt when life inevitably throws us curveballs. By releasing ourselves from the imagined perfection of a dream, we open ourselves to the beautiful randomness of life.
This doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for growth or desire a fulfilling life. Instead of a distant, nebulous dream, we can focus on tangible aspirations and passions that enrich our daily experiences. Learning a new skill, nurturing meaningful relationships, exploring the world through travel, or giving back to our community; all of these can give our lives purpose and fill us with satisfaction.
The foundation of this approach is gratitude. Thankfulness for the gift of being alive, for the simple pleasures that surround us, has the power to transform our perspective. Through it, we realize that a dream is not what gives life meaning; meaning is found in the unfolding of each and every day.
So, if the idea of a big, unattainable dream leaves you feeling uninspired or even anxious, know that it's okay. It's okay to walk rather than sprint, to marvel at the present rather than fixate on the future. Find your joy within the ordinary, in the actions you take day by day, and create a beautiful life defined solely by your own intentions and experiences.
Life's transitions, my friends, they're like the seasons. Just when you've gotten used to one, it changes its tune. One moment, you're basking in the warmth of summer, thinking you've got it all figured out. But guess what? Winter's just around the corner, ready to toss snowballs of reality right in your face. And isn't that just how life works? We sail along, making plans, chasing dreams, only to be hit by an unexpected curveball – a twist in the plot, if you will. It's like the universe saying, "Hey, remember, you're not really in control." So, just as you swap out your shorts for sweaters, remember to embrace life's transitions, because they're the rhythm of existence, the ever-changing dance that keeps us guessing, stumbling, and sometimes even finding our groove.
Sometimes a project just throws you a curveball. What you see before you is only the smaller part of a much larger project unfortunately left unfinished. Envisioned as a japanese steampunk mountain village, this sand green observatory was to stand beside a dark orange pagoda twice as tall and a smaller one with a sand green roof in the back.
Unfortunately a tumble off my desk and pressing deadlines led me to abandon the project - many of the parts here were repurposed for my Ragnarok build. What you see here was salvaged and edited from a WIP pic and thus lacks the crispness of a deliberately taken shot.
One day I'll revisit this concept, a sort of sequel to Rebellug's KAW series. Who knows, it might even be under the banner of the third instalment...
Thank you so much for reading and looking! As the final quarter of the year draws in I'm rushing to complete my last major project, with a couple smaller ones already ready for publishing. Cheers!
...The word "Still" was totally inspiring me this go around for the One Little Word challenge....=) And I know, i know...I already used this picture...but I cut out the paper camera and it just fit so..so...perfectly...lol...I couldn't resist. =) And I was dying to use the pink Elsie paper..so fun!
The journalling is stapled into a pad of paper, notebook-style. I just started writing and just went with it: it's like the "stills" of my life today. =)
It says: I am still content with myself and the choices I have made as of now. I still have no regrets. I still know that life will throw me a few curveballs and still think I can handle whatever comes my way. I still learn something new everyday. I find out things about myself and Z everyday and I still yearn to know more. i still put all & everything i have into what I love and do it all to the best of my abilities. I still do this for myself, put my best in it, even though I know I'm a tad detail-oriented and crazy for it. I still give art my all. I still make lists though i rarely follow them. I still feel organized without following the lists because I have them. I still can't bring myself to workout on a regular basis. I still want to pick more than one career. I still have a lot of 'kid' left in me, I think. I still need to write things down to get them off my chest. I still want more tattoos. I still believe I am a Capricorn through and through. I still have strong opinions on issues like marriage and religion, etc., but still find them hard to explain. In fact, I still find it hard to explain anything - I'm much better on paper! I am still horrible at returning phone calls. I still take on too much but love every minute of my tired-busyness. I still am thankful that I continually understand more about myself everyday. I still want to go to Italy. I still hate dishes and I'm sure I always will. I still love scrapping the most. I still have so many books and projects that I've started that need to be finished. I still hope always for a happy and fortunate life. I still believe that everything happens for a reason. And still, above all, I need art in my life everyday. It will always be there, I know.
Whew! Sorry for the essay, there. Thanks for peeking!
This image represents a significant amount of discovery, experimenting, planning, and happy accidents. In the end, you’re looking at a collection of tiny Gooseneck Loosestrife flowers, plucked from their stem and placed inside a crystal geode, and illuminated with ultraviolet light.
The full details made it into my new book as the last example in the “MasterClass” section, and you can find that here: skycrystals.ca/product/pre-order-macro-photography-the-un... . The quick version still provides plenty of details, if you’d like to read on!
It turns out that Gooseneck Loosestrife is quite a fluorescent flower, giving off the look of floral fireworks. I often walk around my gardens at night with a UV flashlight to see what new flowers will glow / fluoresce that I haven’t explored, and to say these flower stalks got my attention is an understatement. After waking up the next morning, I knew what puzzle pieces to fit together.
The flowers were small enough to fit inside a “tunnel” geode I had bought a few years prior. I had always thought it would be a neat photographic subject, but never found the right theme. The same is true for the Laowa 24mm F/14 2x Macro Probe lens. Really neat concept, but not useful in every scenario. I started putting all these pieces together: the probe lens has a small enough barrel that it could actually fit inside the crystal tunnel.
With an intense and narrow UV LED flashlight, the Convoy C8, positioned on the other side of the geode filling the tunnel with UV radiation, I’d be able to make the flowers glow and appear as beacons inside the darkness. The flashlight is positioned on a Platypod Max with a gooseneck arm, which gives a lot more flexibility than a tabletop tripod when you need a precise trajectory of light to hit your subject. The idea was coming together, but there’s a curveball in play: the front of the 24mm probe lens contains a ring of LED lights. You wouldn’t think that should be a problem, but…
“White” LEDs don’t properly exist. In order to generate white light from an LED, we use an ultraviolet LED surrounded by various phosphors which fluoresce into the visible spectrum, a way of translating a narrow band of UV radiation into white visible light. A win for science! However, these phosphors are activated by UV light, even if it’s coming from an outside source. This means that the ring of LEDs, even when off, fluoresces orange. At first I was contemplating ways to cover these up, but no – the true gift here was to work with this “happy accident”. The orange glow you see in the front of the image is from the LED lights in the probe lens.
Focus stacked a few frames for a bit of added depth, but not much. This image works well when things fall out of focus. Plenty of fine tuning in post-production, but the “magic” is a natural in-camera fabric woven with equal parts art and science. Again, if you’re curious what steps go into constructing images like this from initial idea through completed results, check out the book in the above link!
Captured in: Smithtown, NY
For the subject of this macro, I decided to turn to an item that holds a fond memory from my childhood... In the early part of the summer of '86, I attended a ball game at Shea Stadium between the NY Mets and San Diego Padres... I remember being in the stands with some of my friends on a picture perfect day, watching one of my favorite pitchers at the time - Dwight Gooden. He was known as Dr. K back then, as he possessed a killer curveball that easily struck-out most hitters.
Late in the game, right fielder Tony Gwynn of the Padres came to the plate, and was struggling in his at-bat against the Doc. In an attempt to avoid being struck out, he proceeded to foul a ball down the third base line... Right in my direction. It was popped up ever so high, and I remember thinking how it might never come down.
Funny thing when it finally made its descent, it made a bee line right for my seat. In a moment that (for a kid) actually felt like several minutes, I managed to stretch out and snag the ball out of mid-air -- over the other outstretched hands of my friends and many others around me. My efforts were promptly rewarded with a souvenir from what later became a championship season for the Mets, not to mention a very nice ovation from the nearby Shea faithful as well.
It's funny how I can still remember both the pitcher, hitter, and all the little details from that one at-bat, but now often forget something I'll need to pick up at the store. Anyway this ball may be a bit older, a bit scuffed, and a tad faded now... It has a number of #imperfections, but that hand stitched gem will always be perfect to me just as is.
Hopefully my wife feels the same way about me, even after all these years.
HMM!
* * * * * * * * * *
"Hand Stitched Memories" is a non-HDR image that was processed using a combination of ACR, Photoshop, and Topaz Labs plugins (Adjust, Clean, Denoise, Glow, and Impression).
I've been away for a while...
I'm looking forward to catching up with all your beautiful work.
Have a wonderful week ahead! xx
© All rights reserved.
Even though this is summer, Iceland's notoriously changeable Iceland summer weather can still throw many a curveball. Days can feel cold if the wind blows from the north and there may well be plenty of rainy days.
The weather totally threw a curveball this evening and after being rainy and gray all day, the skies cleared and the sun came out. I headed for sunset territory with camera in hand!
"I was told when I get older all my fears would shrink,
But now I’m insecure and I care what people think.
My name's 'Blurryface' and I care what you think.
My name's 'Blurryface' and I care what you think.
Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol’ days,
When our momma sang us to sleep but now we’re stressed out.
Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol’ days,
When our momma sang us to sleep but now we’re stressed out.
We're stressed out."
Inspired by the new Twenty One Pilots song "Stressed Out"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXRviuL6vMY
I love everything about this song. It describes how I felt going from childhood into adult hood. You think that it's all rainbows and butterflies when you're a kid, but when you become an adult, its an entirely different ball game. Right when you think you understand how to be an adult and how to grow up, life throws you a curveball and you have to adapt all over again.
Cape Liptrap, Victoria.
-------------------------------------------
Another Christmas, another curveball. I hope you can see your loved ones soon, even if it hasn't been this year. Let's hope for more togetherness and continued empathy that has seen us ride this wave so far.
Here's to more light in 2022. Stay safe.