On a cold, cloudy and misty day in the middle of October, the sun likes to tease us, occasionally with breakthroughs, instilling hope, of a clearing to come. These hopes are usually dashed but I love the drama, and would go to the Enchantments again and again to experience it!

We are experiencing a January thaw big time. Everything is muddy, dirty and bland. Therefore, I’m going to venture back to fond July memories.

Camping has become very popular in Ontario which means that it is very difficult to get camping sites in provincial parks last minute during the summer weekends. We found ourselves with a surprise July weekend off (yehhhyyy!) and had the option of going to Algonquin and portaging in about 3 or 4 lakes (in the rain) just to get a site OR we could spend that time breaking in the new car (versus our paddling arms) and listening to tunes (versus me moaning and complaining)! We opted for the second choice and drove 7 ½ hours to a provincial park called Mississagi, which is north of Elliot Lake. This picture was actually taken at a picnic spot on our way to Mississagi P.P. It is located just before Serpent River along the TransCanada highway.

There are supposed to be some small waterfalls along a trail but we were on a mission to get to camping. So, my hopes of photographing waterfalls were dashed! [sigh] Perhaps next time. =^D

Thank you for all of your kind comments, visits, faves and invites. I do appreciate you taking the time to stop by for a wee visit. ♥ =^D

© Copyright

Please respect my copyright. All my photographic images are copyright protected. All rights are reserved. Do not use, copy, manipulate or edit any of my photographs without my written permission. Don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission.

If you want to use my photo for private/commercial use, please contact me.

I have been getting withdrawal symptoms for lack of sunsets lately! I was hoping to get out today and get some sunset shots but the weather has had other ideas yet again and it is now cloudy again - but at least it is not raining! This set of shots was taken when I was in Cornwall back in early October. The first night we were there we dashed over to the cliff top overlooking Godrevy Lighthouse and managed to get a few shots of the sun setting. Well worth the effort - well I think it is anyway!!!

Durdle door has to be one of the most iconic photography locations along the Jurassic coast & this was only my second ever visit.

We were along the coast at Lulworth cove when the sky started to glow with sunset light, so we dashed back to this spot & ran from the car park ... just in time to catch the end of the sunset light on the horizon.

Kase Polariser - 0.9M & 0.6S ND grads

Yesterday, I walked out of the door at work and stood outside in the springlike temps and took a deep breath and enjoyed the sun on my back. It was almost 70 degrees. I knew that it was probably going to be the last warm day. When I went to bed last night, it was thundering and lightning ... and snowing.... hard. When I woke up this morning, we had 3 inches of snow on the ground. So, I got up, got dressed, dashed out of the house and headed to my "go to" place, Waterloo Village, because I wanted to be the first to make footprints in the first snow. Waterloo didn't have nearly as much snow as we did here on the mountain, but I was... the first (and while I was there.... the only.) And then I slid into my desk at work just on time... and announced that the Bogs boots that we sell, that make the claim that they are good to -40 degrees F .... are NOT! I proceeded to ask everyone that came in today what they do to keep their feet warm. So far, the best answer that I got.... was Alpaca socks. I'll be shopping for Alpaca socks (because I really can't afford the battery powered socks that we sell.... at $200!!) Yes, alpaca socks it is!

After fighting low shadows, bad light, and MOW sabotage, we a little uptight after chasing RISI northbound. Luckily, we found that an extra SARE was running back towards Salamanca. We dashed up to Mt Jewett to get the train by the only active B&O bracket left on the BPRR. Unfortunately, within the coming weeks these signals will be placed out of service in favor of a radio controlled switch.

'Da Shed ...

in my Canvassy Series; Pic # 12 ...

Taken Oct 14, 2017

Thanks for your visits, faves, invites and comments ... (c)rebfoto

If anyone saw the Dr. Phil show last week re "how to tell if your man is a cheater," you'll understand why I dashed out to Riis Park looking for nude men. Now, nude sunbathing is permitted on the northern end of this Atlantic Ocean beach, and with the temperature reaching a high of 68 degrees, I figured I find a few hearty men, but all I found was this clock...... sigh.

I changed room today, and got this view from my window. I literally dashed from the bus terminal station to my hotel to catch the sunset.

view my blog

A 4:30am start for this one today as I had to jump on the first train of the day off Carlisle to get to Gretna with ample time to walk to this spot too. I was expecting to get 4S50 here just beforehand but that somehow ended up at Carlisle Upperby for several hours although it was only flats anyway. I managed a half decent shot of 4M27 from the other side of the motorway bridge and then it was time to quickly dash back in to position for this.

I was fully expecting the 47 to be piloting the 5 as has always been common place before, however I was surprised to see it trundling along slowly with 45212 banking on the rear, in steam which is most unusual. I've only seen this happen when more than two locos are involved. Nevertheless it made for an interesting shot and looks rather smart with the 47 on a matching rake of fresh MK2s. After only one hours sleep last night, I quickly dashed back to Gretna station for my train home and was back in bed by 9am!

This is the 5Z44 Steamtown-Tom Na Faire Depot running around 15 early here.

A rare break in the clouds provided golden sunlight which lit up the landscape.

Moments later a hail storm broke and I dashed for the shelter of my nearby car.

Elite runner, Nelson Lebo of Kenya could only sit and watch after pulling up lame with just 12 kilometers remaining in the ING Ottawa marathon.

View the full set of ING Ottawa Marathon photos

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Dati Tecnici

a) Leica M8 + Carl Zeiss Biogon ZM 25 mm f.2,8T* (+ Filtro Leica UV/IR);

b) Tempo Finale 1/30s apertura a f.3,2 (a mano libera);

c) Utilizzato il Magnifier 1,25x per effettuare una messa a fuoco più precisa;

d) Lettura Esposimetrica impostata in M (manuale) esterna effettuata con Sekonic DualSpot F-L-778 Angolo 1° (effettuate 4 misurazioni con metodo del Sistema Zonale di “Ansel Adams”) a luce riflessa e 1 lettura di equiparazione e bilanciamento con Esposimetro esterno Gossen Lunalite lettura a luce riflessa (con calotta inserita);

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e) Esposizioni:

1)......la prima sulla superficie della tenda posta subito dopo il vetro dell’infisso (in particolare quella parte ricamata più chiara in corrispondenza del bordo superiore della sedia) ;

2)......la seconda (doppia) sia sulla guancia destra della ragazza e per equiparazione sulla guancia destra della bambola (il valore era molto simile la variazione era di 1/3 di stop) questa la ho posta sulla Zona V del grigio medio al 18% aumentato di 1/2 del valore;

3)......la terza sul tessuto della spalla desta della ragazza in primo piano. Questa parte di superfice era molto importante per la trama ricca di particolari e di zone chiare e scure;

4)......la quarta sui capelli della ragazza, in particolare il riflesso, ovvero la porzione illuminata della luce proveniente dal balcone che si trova a destra. (In questa porzione, dopo alcune letture di verifica, ho dato un valore n+2,5 rispetto al valore letto in quanto la luminanza della luce era filtrata da una tenda di colore Panna con striature marroni pertanto la luce oltre alla filtratura veniva assorbita e diffusa, il cielo non era particolarmente limpido ma parzialmente nuvoloso e pertanto avevamo una temperatura cromatica di quasi 6000°K);

5)......La media ottenuta dalle letture precedenti è stata confrontata con il valore t/d (tempo/diaframma) ottenuto dalla settima lettura effettuata con misurazione a luce riflessa sulla calotta superiore dell’esposimetro Gossen Lunalite posto parallelamente alla figura e con la calotta rivolta perpendicolarmente verso l’ottica di ripresa (l’esposimetro è stato posto fra il braccio sinistro della ragazza e la guancia della bambola);

La luminanza è stata posta sulla zona V del Grigio Medio al 18% sovraesponendo intenzionalmente di 1+1/3 diaframmi. Ho intenzionalmente imposto e compresso o contratto la scala di n-1,5 per avere una maggiore corposità dei neri cercando di non aumentare il contrasto. Il totale è stato sovraesposto di n+1/3 per evitare che l’esposizione finale impostata non penalizzasse le alte luminanze delle “zone VI/VII” (disegni della stoffa del letto e della sedia nonché della trama della tenda) che sarebbero risultate con poco dettaglio (visto che la luce che arrivava in quelle parti in penombra e pre-penombra aveva una “temperatura cromatica di 2700°k”) o le basse luci (le luci in forte ombra quelle in ombra o parzialmente illuminate erano troppo basse stimate fra 1250°K"/1900°K"/. Poi c’era il fattore “caduta della luce” visto che la stanza non aveva altre fonti di illuminazione ne diretta né per riflessione (non vi erano pareti chiare vicino) tale fattore era proporzionale alla distanza dall’asse ottico di ripresa quindi in quelle zone la caduta variava dal 22% al 45%.

f) Impostazione nel corpo camera Leica M8: ISO/ASA 160, DR (auto), WB (Bilanciamento del Bianco (auto), Saturazione Colore (Stadard), Nitidezza (Medio-Alto), Contrasto (Standard) Riduzione disturbo (0), Qualità Immagine (DNG), Dimensione Immagine compresso (3:2 – 10MB);

g) Tecnica di ripresa esposimetrica con il sistema dell”Esposizione a Destra;

h) Prima Post-Produzione per la correzione del bilanciamento cromatico/tonale delle varie aree e zone di colore per compensare la caduta di luce con Nikon Capture NX 2;

i) Seconda Post-Produzione con Adobe Photoshop CC2015 per il bilanciamento delle zone d’ombra;

l) Post-Produzione di completamento con Nikon Capture NX2 e CorelPhoto-Paint X7 64bit per il completamento e la sistemazione finale del "Sistema Zonale"..

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Mio breve Curriculum Vitae su LinkedIn: - My Brief Curriculum Vitae on LinkedIn:

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 Visualizza il profilo di Luigi Mirto/ArchiMlFotoWord

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Tutti i diritti riservati ©2016 da ArchiMlFotoWord/Luigi Mirto/Photography

Nessuna immagine o parte di essa può essere riprodotta o trasmessa in qualsiasi forma e con qualsiasi mezzo senza preventiva autorizzazione.

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All rights reserved ©2016 by ArchiMlFotoWord/Luigi Mirto/Photography

No images or part thereof may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means

Without prior permission

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Luigi Mirto/ArchiMlFotoWord's most interesting photos on Flickriver

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Dedicata ad un bimba di nome Giada - Dedicated to a girl named Jade

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Questa parole sono dedicate ad una piccola bimba di nome Giada che ha avuto la sfortuna, assieme alla madre inconsapevole, di avere avuto in casa l’uomo “compagno della madre” che in assenza di quest’ultima abusava della bimba. Da i racconti delle suore tutrici e dai neuro psichiatri che attualmente la stanno aiutando a risollevarsi dal tremendo trauma psicologico e fisico. L’uomo è tato condannato.

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This words are devoted to a little girl named Jade who has had the misfortune, together with the unwitting mother to have had in the house man "boyfriend of the mother" that in the absence of the latter abused the child. From the stories of trustees nuns and neuro psychiatrists that currently are helping to recover from the tremendous psychological and physical trauma. Man is drawn condemned.

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Enya - So I Could Find My Way - Così ho trovato la mia strada

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Così ho trovato la mia strada

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….nei falsi silenzi

delle cupe ombre,

un pallido visino,

nel muto pianto

avvolto… nasconde

una piccola anima

dolorante,

….si sentono, sparsi

nel profondo vuoto,

eterni lamenti

che implorano….

aiuto struggenti

… in frammenti.

Non è un bel giorno

come tant’altri,

c’è il mostro che

mi cerca,..…”vuole”…

a dir di lui giocare,

nervosamente attende.

Della mamma…

premuroso compagno

….agli occhi della gente.

La mia bambola,

è lei che m’aiuta,

muta compagnia di

orrende disavventure,

a volte di pochi momenti,

ma spesso

di molte ore.

Grida...occultate da

quella mano invadente

bagnata dal pianto,

lacrime d'odio e dolore

irrompono le mie tenebre,

imploro a Lui negazione

di quei terribili giochi,

osceni momenti,

ma al ricordo

di pacate e sue dolci parole

seguivano gravi voci,

minacce e

suadenti menzogne.

Convulsi spasmi di pianto

e dolore conducono

implacabili l'anima a

vani pensieri.

E’ Il gridare d'una sola notte?

no!….è un lamento costante

…..perenne.

False dolci parole..

…di conforto

rantolano morenti

tra crudele realtà, vivono

sofferenti e contorti

tormenti, dell'anima

mia affranta

deluse speranze,

illuse e tradite.

Senti il cuore impigliato e

squarciato da acuminati rovi

di false promesse...

Così…ho trovato la mia strada

apro d’un tratto

quell’uscio senza freni

vado via nell’immenso vuoto

chiudo gli occhi e nell’abbraccio

futuro della mamma mia

volo libera nell’aria

per andar a giocar con gli angeli.

……………………….…Luigi Mirto

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So I Could Find My Way

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... .in false silences

of dark shadows,

a pale little face,

weep silent

wrapped hides ...

a little soul

sore,

.... feel, scattered

in the deep void,

eternal lamentations

begging ....

help poignant

... Into fragments.

Not a good day

like so many others,

there is the monster that

I look, ... "he wants" ...

to tell him to play

nervously awaits.

Mother's ...

caring companion

.... in the eyes of the people.

My doll,

it is she who helps me,

company wetsuit

hideous misadventures,

in times of a few moments,

but often

of many hours.

Cries hidden by

that hand intrusive

wet with tears,

hate and pain tears

break my darkness,

implore Him denial

of those terrible games

obscene moments,

but to remember

of calm and his sweet words

they followed serious voices,

threats and

persuasive lies.

Convulsive spasms of crying

and pain, lead

implacable, the soul

vain thoughts.

And 'the shout of a single night?

No! ... it is a constant lament

…..perennial.

False sweet words ..

... comfort

rantolano dying

between cruel reality, live

sick and twisted

torments of the soul

my heartbroken

dashed hopes,

deceived and betrayed.

Feel the entangled heart and

torn by sharp thorns

of false promises ...

So ... I found my way

I open at once

that door without brakes

I go away empty immense

I close my eyes and embrace

future of my mom

free air flight

to go and play lo with the angels.

……………………….…Luigi Mirto

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Enya - If I Could Be Where You Are - Se potessi essere dove sei tu

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Non potendo esporre la foto dell’adolescente ho inserito un’altra immagine di un’altra bimba che per scena e costumi si avvicina molto alle parole scritte……..

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Not being able to expose the adolescent photos I put another picture of another girl who for a scene and costume is very close to written words .....

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Bohemian Waxwing taken in St.John's, NL

My morning began with heavy snow falling over Quidi Vidi lake ruining any plans I had in photographing waterfowl as the winds blew the large flakes right in my direction. The moment I would raise my lens it would get covered in snow. Looking like things would not let up I decided to pack it in and call the morning a bust.

As I pulled away from the lake to turn on the main road a flutter of hope dashed across the road in front of me.."Could it be I thought"..had my luck changed? As I peered over my shoulder to see a fiery red bush of Dogberries being mobbed by a flock of Bohemian Waxwings....

my heart began to race...I needed to get this vehicle turned around asap as I couldn't stop on this busy road. A left turn here, a right turn there and finally I was heading back to the scene of the crime...BANG..my heart sunk...as a large moving truck nailed one of Newfoundland's raw sightings..a pot hole..(huge sarcasm by the way)..there goes the flock...so I thought; as I turned back on the road towards the lake. To my surprise there they sat..only 6 feet off the ground and feeding on the remaining dogberries on an adjacent tree...I sprung from my vehicle (I dont even remember putting it in pack) and with cat like moves I made my way between two parked cars (I wish I could say I hiked miles into the woods to find them but hey you take what you can get) and stood there with the biggest smile on my face as I released the trigger of my camera capturing images of one of my all time favourite winter birds. It had been two years since I got one in front of my camera and even though it only lasted 3 minutes it was all I needed.

**Feel free to comment, like and share with all your nature loving friends**

I don't know who was more surprised, me or the fox as I turned into the lane; wasn't long before he dashed away though!!

This lovely colourful balloon drifted past my garden in Bristol tonight, I dashed inside for my camera and snapped it way up in the blue sky.

We often see balloons wafting across the sky, they usually come from the Ashton area where the Balloon Festival is held.

Door and window on an abandoned building in monochrome.

In the fall of 2016 I made a journey to Maroon Bells with hopes of a wonderful sunrise and calm winds. Well, my hopes were dashed . . . I was greeted with low clouds obscuring the sunrise and the mountains. Throw intermittent showers and a steady wind into the mix and all I could say was, “Well, there’s always next year!’

One year later . . .

The alarm was set for 4:45 AM as it was over an hour drive to my morning location at Maroon Bells just outside of Aspen, Colorado. Upon entering the park with many vehicles in front of me, I began to question if I had left early enough. It didn’t get any better as I approached the parking area where park rangers and volunteers were directing where to park. The primary lot was already full and I was directed to a parking space a quarter mile farther down the road. Fortunately, I was early enough that the skies were just beginning to lighten so I had sufficient time to reach Maroon Lake.

Once Maroon Lake came into view I was CERTAIN I should have left earlier . . . the shoreline was lined with tripods and photographers. There were well over 50 togs lining the shore waiting for the light. Fortunately, I found a section of the shoreline with no one occupying it . . . primarily because the shoreline angled back so other photographers would be centered in any composition. As the water level appeared quite shallow I came upon the solution to the problem . . . I slowly waded out into the lake and set up just off shore . . . thank goodness for Gore-Tex lined boots! I had a clear view in front of me and I wasn’t in anyone else’s way.

This view is looking over Maroon Lake with the lower northern slope of Pyramid Peak (14,018 ft) on the far left, in center, on the left, with its cloud covered summit is South Maroon Peak (14,156 ft) and on the right is North Maroon Peak (14,014 ft). The golden sunrise light is striking the eastern face of the Sleeping Sexton and a small piece of the North Maroon Peak. On the far right is the lower Aspen lined slope of Sievers Mountain. In the foreground, beneath the surface of the water,rocks and logs are visible.

‘The Maroon Bells are two peaks, South Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak, separated by about a third of a mile. A US Forest Service sign on the access trail refers to these mountains as "The Deadly Bells" and warns would-be climbers of "downsloping, loose, rotten and unstable" rock that "kills without warning". Unlike other mountains in the Rockies that are composed of granite and limestone, the Bells are composed of metamorphic sedimentary mudstone that has hardened into rock over millions of years. Mudstone is weak and fractures readily, giving rise to dangerously loose rock along almost any route. The mudstone is responsible for the Bells' distinctive maroon color.’ Source: Wikipedia

It took a year to get the image I wanted . . . it was worth it!

© All rights reserved.

A low-res, flatbed scan of a 6x7 (2 1/4 x 2 3/4 inch) transparency.

With this one, do not view in "Original" size. Haha. (Processed for medium/large)

I thought I would lump these last three images from this Potrero Hill mini-series together, for a change. The first two were made during excursions with MattyD90 last year. You can see his images by following the link after clicking his icon to the right. We always have a good time and challenge ourselves as photographers. I hope that comes through in the imagery.

The first one was quite an adventure to pull-off and please don't try this at home.

The one with the "Atari" symbol was the first test of a plate I made for ground-level shots. It was a good test, but you can barely make out San Francisco in the background. No biggie, the image posted awhile ago, called Down-Low on the Hill, took care of that problem, I guess.

The last image is a composition I have shot several times and is a bit scrappy to me. Haha. The funny thing about this shot is that, while making it, I heard some rustling in the bushes right next to me. Well, it turns out some man speaking in broken English was waking up from a nap or something. He asked me for a cigarette and, after being told I didn't smoke, started to ask about what I was doing. I gave him the condensed version of what I do with my camera and he thought about it for a moment and then replied, "Yeah, but what are you going to do with the pictures when the tsunami hits?" I tried to suppress the laughter that naturally came from such a comment, but I wasn't very successful. He laughed, too and dashed across the freeway exit to some other bushes. I say screw the light trails and just start videotaping these encounters!

Thanks for having a look. Feel free to tell me what you think.

The boy had just made his way up the stairs on his roller blades very skilfully, then dashed off from the top.

Happy Saturday for Stairs!

At 10.55am on July22nd 1966, 39 pleasure trippers looking forward to a day out left Barmouth on a five shilling boat ride.

But the day turned into disaster when The Price of Wales sank and 15 people including 4 children died.

The tragedy unfurled at 11.45 am as the ferry, carrying six more people than was allowed, neared the end of its eight-mile trip to Penmaenpool's George 111 hotel on the first day of the school holidays.

As skipper Edward Llewellyn Jones tried to manoeuvre his vessel to the hotel jetty, it was dashed against a wooden toll bridge at Penmaenpool and went under.

Men, women an children were

thrown into the fast flowing water. Others were reported to have gone down in the boat.

As other vessels and RAF helicopters joined in the rescue one eye witness dubbed the scene a miniature Dunkirk.

A fidgety Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) takes a split-second rest atop the spikes of a cholla cactus. Darting from one spiny cactus to the next while shouting all about it, this wren and his/her buddies made their presence well known to those of us on the hiking trail. While this bird paused for a quick jittery moment, I snapped about a dozen shots and then he dashed off into his needled playground. Found throughout the American SW and Mexico, and shown here among a Sonoran desert scene in Arizona, where the Cactus Wren also happens to be the state bird. 🌵

Phoenix Sonoran Desert Preserve, AZ.

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my hopes for a nice sunrise were dashed

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

.:: Albert Camus ::.

We woke up to misty morning, but we were so happy to see a bright sunlight later on. We immediately dashed out for a short walk. We really like the warm bright red that the sunlight brought out and the texture of those leaves.

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Copyright © Kia & Zeno. All rights reserved.

No usage allowed in any form without our written explicit permission.

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Four half decent days in the Lakes but no outings with the pinhole until last night. The sunset was cooking nicely so I dashed to the Langdales, parked on a verge and legged it down a steep forest slope to get to the lake. Sadly the sunset didn't really ignite, unlike the midges who were voracious and the attached is the best I could manage. Good refections, I'll be back! 2-stop nd grad (s)

We dashed to Geelong Station (my home town Geelong) to watch two Vintage Steam Trains run parallel from Melbourne to Geelong.

took a quick trip outside on sunday to see the snow. it was warmish and beautiful!! and my hair was soaked to the bone by the time i got back to work. they all looked at me like i was nuts ;) had to get a hair tie and pull it back... and then nobody knew who i was :) but i enjoyed my 40 minute lunch break...

(EN) Orange-dashed Goby - (FR) Gobie tacheté d'orange

Valenciennea puellaris, Bohol, Philippines

Muskrat with a mouthful of foiliage on his way to the burrow.. This little guy was so busy going back and forth gathering a variety of vegetation that he nearly stepped on my foot as he dashed across the trail.. Wildwood Park, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Taking a break from its lunch, I watched as a young moose calf, bursting with energy, joyfully dashed around and playfully attempted to head-butt its mother, who responded with gentle nudges. This heartwarming scene showcased the tender nature of these majestic creatures—a sight that inspires awe despite their size.

Now, as they meandered down the trail, I can only assume that, with the rain pouring, they've sought shelter. The return of the moose, especially with their adorable calves, brings a delightful surprise and a sense of anticipation. Observing their playful interactions fills me with gratitude for nature's beauty and the unique joy these gentle giants bring to our lives.

I had just settled in to photograph the aurora when three young people showed up on the beach and parked themselves not very far from me - not a problem until they turned on some music. Normally I would have found this disturbance of the peace very annoying - but soon the sounds of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen came to my ears, and I found myself singing along, photographing the aurora, quite surreal!

This was quite a strong aurora, due to an interplanetary shock wave of solar particles that had just struck the earth - got a red alert from Glendale Skye Auroras for a strong geomagnetic storm, so I dashed out the door. Didn't see much for the first little while, then quite suddenly, a bright patch appeared on the horizon visible to the naked eye (this comes out as bright yellow on the camera which can capture the colours with a long exposure) so I knew the aurora was getting going. It was also possible to see the rays of the aurora at their brightest. Sadly, the young people on the shore would not have noticed anything at all except for a strange person waving a headtorch around and singing Bohemian Rhapsody.

The photo was taken standing over a tidal pool on the shore of Broadford Bay, Isle of Skye.

This image was recently selected for the feature 'Your Pictures of Scotland' on the BBC Scotland webpage.

Explored (Number 11) September 9, 2022.

While spending time at the resort gym with the weather bucketing down outside, suddenly some light started breaking through so I dashed off and drove to Maui Jetty where this rainbow was perfectly positioned at the end of the jetty. And then I got wet as the rain came back lol.

© M J Turner Photography

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Can't believe how lucky I was today to get the chance to photograph these beautiful birds. I've been in search of them for weeks and weeks with no luck. A few wildlife photo friends have been tipping me off about their whereabouts and previous sightings, but every time I visited these locations they were nowhere to be seen or heard. After all this previous effort, as I was walking my dog this morning about 10 minutes away from my house, all of a sudden I heard a flock of Waxwings in a nearby fruit bush. Of course this one time I bumped into them by chance I didn't have my camera with me, so I dashed home, expecting them to be gone when I returned. Luckily when I got back they were still there, where I spent just under an hour photographing them eating berries and fruit in the lovely sunshine. I was able to get close and they didn't seem threatened by my presence at all. Also, I finally had a chance to use my new 600mm zoom lens camera to it's full potential....very pleased with these results.

It has been snowing (and sticking) the last few days in Olympia. Usually that's a good time for backyard bird photography, as the refracted light from the snow means that it's bright enough in the shade-covered yard for good photographs. Unfortunately, however, I've been buried in work lately, so there was little on that front until this morning when, during the sublime weekend ritual of coffee in bed, Mrs. Orca looked out the window and spotted this redtail in the maple behind our house. I rolled out of bed and dashed out the back in the snow to snap a few photos, at first barefoot, then (when my feet got too cold) in the ridiculous Muck boots and underwear uniform.

Red-tailed hawks, along with bald eagles, kestrels, and the more occasional harrier are common raptor fly-overs (not to mention owls, which we often hear but never see). But our yard is small and confined enough that unlike cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks, they do not seem to land in it, and since I don't count flyovers I've never been able to add them to the yardbird list. This redtail must have been lured in by a rat, which I presume it caught among my neighbor's sprawling patch of ivy, where I know them to live. Both of our yards are pretty much fully canopied, so it must have caught it while hunting from a perch in the big maple, as seen above. Fortunately for me (and unfortunately for the rat) this means I can add it to the yardbird list. This is the sixty-third photographed yardbird species, not counting flyovers, and the third new species of 2022, following the wholly unexpected appearance of the calliope hummingbird and Nashville warblers:

1. dark-eyed juncos

2. chestnut-backed chickadees

3. black-capped chickadees

4. red-breasted nuthatches

5. spotted towhees

6. red-breasted robins

7. varied thrushes

8. hermit thrushes

9. bushtits

10. golden-crowned kinglets

11. ruby-crowned kinglets

12. brown creepers

13. common crows

14. stellar's jays

15. california/scrub jays

16. flickers

17. downy woodpeckers

18. red-breasted sapsuckers

19. starlings

20. mourning doves

21. eurasian collard doves

22. rufous hummingbirds

23. anna's hummingbirds

24. house finches

25. gold finches

26. purple finches

27. lesser goldfinches

28. pine-siskins

29. black-headed grosbeaks

30. evening grosbeaks

31. fox-sparrows

32. golden-crowned sparrows

33. song-sparrows

34. house sparrows

35. white-crowned sparrows

36. chipping sparrows

37. white-throated sparrows

38. lincoln's sparrows

39. orange-crowned warblers

40. yellow-rumped warblers

41. wilson's warblers

42. townsend's warblers

43. MacGillivray's warblers

44. black-throated gray warblers

45. bewick's wrens

46. pacific wrens

47. cedar waxwings

48. western wood pewees

49. cooper's hawks

50. sharp-shinned hawks

51. lazuli buntings

52. hutton's vireos

53. warbling vireos

54. pacific slope flycatchers

55. brown-headed cowbirds

56. western tanagers

57. red crossbills

58. townsend solitaires

59. band-tailed pigeons

60. swainson's thrushes

61. calliope hummingbirds

62. Nashville warblers

63. red-tailed hawk

Red-tailed hawk, backyard Olympia.

The clouds were looking rather interesting late on Tuesday afternoon... so I grabbed my camera and dashed down to Melkbos beach to see if I could find an interesting foreground to accompany them.

I got stuck in the traffic along the way... grrrrr... damn minibus taxis... they're always pushing in and causing mayhem... I only just made it to the beach before the sunset! Fortunately the tide was out and the rocks were all exposed... and there were loads of rockpools and other cool foregrounds to choose from! I kicked off my shoes, rolled up my jeans... and waded out towards the pools. That was when I noticed all these spongy-coral-type-things growing all over the rocks... they would make an interesting foreground... quick... the sun is setting... put down the tripod and shoot this now... click, click, click... phew... gotcha! :)

Unfortunately the amazing clouds had mostly drifted off by that stage... so the sunset wasn't as awesome as I thought it would be. But I still managed to catch the tail-end of the clouds... so hey... I was quite stoked... and I'd completely forgotten about my traffic frustrations from a few minutes back.

Nikon D300, Sigma 10-20mm at 14mm, aperture of f16, with a 1/40th second exposure.

Click here to check out my Vertorama tutorial.

I am so thrilled when I wake up in a hotel room and get a view worth photographing. This was one such morning. I was staying at the delightful Pension Edelweiss in Heiligenblut. The owner had noticed my photography hobby and whilst we were eating breakfast she hurriedly entered and told me to "stop eating NOW", the Grossglockner (Austria's Highest Mountain) had just emerged from the clouds and needed to be photographed. So I dashed up to my room and took this shot from the little balcony. The Grossglockner is the small white topped peak on the left side of the valley.

Last night I'd dashed out late on with the idea of spinning an orb in a particular derelict city centre building. Sadly when I got there it had been secured shut since my last visit. So I quickly headed for this derelict church in Clydebank instead. I snuck in, set up the camera, took a test shot and... no memory card! Doh. So I returned home empty handed. Tonight I ensured I had everything. It's been a while since I spun an orb but I still find them rather cool. The roosting pigeons were rather alarmed by my presence and flapped and fluttered out of various windows. The projected lights from passing vehicles on Glasgow Road travelled along the walls and the flight path for planes landing at Glasgow airport passed overhead.

With setting off to go to the Lakes first thing Monday morning I had no time to look at the snaps I took of the Auroa on Sunday night. As soon as I saw the red alert I dashed out with Carla, the traffic was terrible with the alert being at 6pm when everybody was travelling to bonfire night displays. So lacking imagination and needing connivence I headed to Souter. Being a popular spot for the aurora anywhere the lighthouse carpark was full, and the area was very busy. Bonfire night also added the problem of smoke pollution as well as having the light pollution of a blazing South Tyneside to contend with. Still at the edge of the cliffs we got a bit of space to see the aurora, STEVE, Skylab and Elon Musks skytrain off satellites. Carla is into all this space stuff and it was a great hours spectacle for her and I got to take a few snaps.

Reminder: beauty can be found in unexpected places... ❤️

Exhibit A 💁‍♀️📷: In a seemingly not-so-photogenic setting, a vivid crimson bird darted into the scene like a firecracker shooting to the sky, creating a bright beautiful display in a space that only moments earlier was bare and bland. 💥

I captured this image while out wildflower stalking this past spring, after complaining about the broken tree and noxious weeds in the background of what was otherwise a beautiful Firewheel field scene. Suddenly, a male Vermillion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) flashed across the landscape, then perched atop the aforementioned tree remains. I held my breath in disbelief — for many years I had fancied the opportunity to see this bird with my own eyes! And here he was, twenty yards in front of me, perched atop the splintery remains of an old dead tree. ‍♀️ In an excited panic, I pressed the shutter button anyway. He dashed and flittered, dove and bolted, back and forth from his newfound perch and the insect lunch-buffet over the field. A less-flamboyant brownish-gray female also joined in on the feeding frenzy for about ten minutes before they both raced away, disappearing up into the twisted branches of a Southern Live Oak tree. 🌳

And just like that, what I had previously judged harshly as a boring, worthless scene unexpectedly became the setting for quite an exhilarating spectacle! 💫

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Consonance and dissonance.

I the body would be sharing certain events cached in its data files.

I shall remove the text if anybody feels hurt, offended or humiliated by its contents.

Did you ever see a laddie go this way and that? :

The child gradually grew disconcerted with his experiences at the 'nursery'. He was annoyed and often shocked by the world that unwrapped and what that he deciphered in the fourth year of his life.

Other than Sister Atlee, there's a teacher and a nursemaid in the nursery. Sister Atlee makes an occasional visit, and though she appears aloof and austere, the child liked her because he recognized that she is loving and harmless. So is Maggie, the nursemaid, who is probably a teenage orphan living in the convent. She wears floral frocks and has bobbed hair. Maggie serves the kids with the milk and cookies brought from their homes and cleaned the rooms. The teachers in the school have to be unmarried, and if they marry, they have to leave their job. In that case, the teacher in the nursery is a young lady.

The children are assigned 'homework', and every morning they are supposed to place the homework book, one on top of the other, on the teacher's table. Most kids didn't know the purpose of the ritual. As a routine, they often place the book on the table, even if they have not done their 'homework'. The teacher goes through each book, and the kids have to go and get their book when she calls their name. She called "Anuj", and the kid gleefully approached her. He was startled that unexpectedly she threw the book at his face and yelled, "Why you didn't do your homework?". The book came flying with its pages spread and hit him right at his face. It didn't scare him, but he walked back with a heavy heart as the brown paper covering of the book got unwrapped, and he remembered how attentively his dad encased it late at night. While he sat appalled and downhearted, he could hear her calling the names of other kids in the class. He soon saw her throw the book at the face of another boy and saw the poor child pee right where he stood.

The kid was puzzled why he is continually getting instilled with sad and obnoxious negative notions. He wondered what's funny if "Jack fell down and broke his head, and if Jill came tumbling after", and what's joyful about Humpty Dumpty's great fall. He felt sad for Little Red Riding Hood's poor grandma, who the wolf ate. He wondered why he's taught that Golliwog doesn't bathe or brush his teeth and is ugly; and portrayed as black, with big eyes, thick lips and curly hair.

The kid didn't understand why Vikraman while playing in the sandbox, hit the back of his right hand with the pail when he approached him with a smile. It hurt him badly, and he withdrew, perplexed by the unexplained motivation for such behaviour.

The kid didn't understand why and how could Deepti, who accosted him crying for help, romp away tittering with the same child who hurt her while the teacher was terrorizing her saviour for helping her. Sobbing, she approached him as her best friend and neighbour Pravin threw out her umbrella through the window. He consoled her and assured her that he would get it for her and instantly dashed back with the umbrella, flashing a victorious smile. As he gladly handed it over to her, the fuming teacher who appeared from nowhere asked, "You two went out?". Pointing at him, Deepti replied, "No, I didn't. It's him", and joyously left, giggling along with Pravin, holding his hand. While fiercely reprimanded by the teacher for venturing out, he could see her blissfully playing in the sandbox with her best friend.

The kid didn't understand why the cutely chubby Daffene was cruelly jeered at by most kids when she accidentally lost her bowel control and defecated in the class. While he sat beside her to console her, bewildered, he watched the dramatically cheerful commotion with the kids running around helter-skelter, covering their noses, bawling "Chakka thoori"(Jackfruit defecated). Chakka is Jackfruit, and plump people often get taunted with that term. Though poor Daffene put up a brave face, he knew she would burst out crying any moment.

He realized that traits are just inherent, and it has nothing to do with upbringing. He didn't believe that the parents of those kids taught them to behave that way. He felt that his world of ladybirds, butterflies, bugs and beetles is a far better place. He never felt hurt by an ant bite or a bee sting, but though he's known at his home and the whole neighbourhood as 'the child who never cries', all the incidents left scars in his heart.

Anyway, with all the bitter experiences, he slowly developed a dislike for the place. Finally, he told his mom that he no longer wish to go to that place. She informed dad, and they both came to his bed at night. Lifting the mosquito net, they both sat on the bed, and mindful of a child's apprehensions and worries, they asked," Is there anything that troubles you in the class?". The kid couldn't provide an immediate explanation, so he just repeated that he doesn't like the place. Desperate to solve the issue, they dissected and particularized the question. "Is someone troubling or misbehaving with you? ". The answer, "Yes", led to the questions, "Who?, How?". The kid couldn't find any immediate answer, so he lied, " The teacher called me a pig". "WHAT?! How dare she?!". Dad sprung up, fuming. He assured him he'll take care of the issue and asked the child not to worry before they tucked the net inside the mattress and left. The child remained sleepless for a while as the teacher never called him any such names, and he lied to his parents. His innocent intention was the simple expectation that his parents would stop sending him to such a nasty place.

The following day he was taken to the nursery, and Sister Atlee was ready to teach a new song. The girls held either side of the bottom edge of their half skirts and swayed their hips left and right to sing:

"Did you ever see a lassie, a lassie, a lassie? ,

Did you ever see a lassie Go this way and that?

Go this way and that way, go this way and that way,

Did you ever see a lassie Go this way and that? "

The boys held either side of the bottom edge of their shorts and, swaying the same way sang,

"Did you ever see a laddie, a laddie, a laddie? ,

Did you ever see a laddie Go this way and that?

Go this way and that way, go this way and that way,

Did you ever see a laddie Go this way and that? "

Abruptly, the swaying laddie felt a lightning bolt through his heart when he saw his dad at the door with a group of nuns and the teacher. After talking to him, the teacher came running towards the kids with an alarmed face. He wished he could go this way or that way as the teacher took him to his dad. On the verge of tears, she asked, "Anuj, did I call you a pig?". The kid replied, " Er, ahem, well ...No". "My child won't lie. Maybe someone else", said his dad. "Then, who? Is it Maggie?" asked the teacher. The kid looked around, and he didn't find Maggie anywhere nearby. His head bent downwards, he nodded and thought the issue is solved, and the matter would be closed. Oh no! There comes Maggie! Another face on the verge of tears, the same question and a lengthy " Yo, um, uh, er, ahem, well..No" as the answer. Thankfully, his dad thought of leaving it there, and he left after advising the teacher to be more careful with kids.

Though the kid regretted having lied, he was glad that the teacher became more amicable and mature than the kids after that incident.

Along with 'education' and experiences, though all kids slowly get acclimatized and move along with the flow, some kids merely grow up, some kids learn and remain immature, some kids mature but never learn, and the story goes on.

Did You Ever See a Laddie? : Did You Ever See a Laddie?

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© 2020 Anuj Nair. All rights reserved.

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Anuj Nair's Official Blog

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© 2020 Anuj Nair. All rights reserved.

All images are the property of Anuj Nair. Using these images without permission is in violation of international copyright laws (633/41 DPR19/78-Disg 154/97-L.248/2000).All materials may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed,posted or transmitted in any forms or by any means,including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording without written permission of Anuj Nair. Every violation will be pursued penally.

You have to want it. Yesterday was my birthday, and my wife and I had a full day of hiking in Camden Hills and then walked across the Rockland Breakwater to the lighthouse there. We were both tired when we got home, but I had been begging her to let me go out and capture the full moon all day. So, instead having a nice dinner at home and relaxing, we got back in the car and drove to Portland to dine at our favorite restaurant, Boda. We met my best friend from high school there and had a wonderful dinner, which conveniently wrapped up around 8 o'clock, giving me just enough time to get to Back Cove to try and capture the moon coming up over Portland. When we got there, my hopes were dashed, the Portland Observatory didn't seem to have the normal bright spotlights shining on the exterior, so you could barely make it out among the skyline. I asked Kim to drive further down Baxter Boulevard to try and line it up behind the large church, but after standing and waiting there for a while, I got discouraged. I really wanted to get it coming up behind the observatory. I walked around a bit more, and then I saw it the blood red moon was starting to show right in the saddle of Portland between Munjoy Hill and Congress Square. I grabbed my gear and ran back to the north, hoping that I could capture some of the magic I was seeing. The observatory still wasn't lit, but the streetlights below seemed to be casting some glow on the building, at least enough to discern the iconic windows that go up the structure. The moon rose, and I followed it to the north, moving with it, and stopping every few feet to fire off a frame. A lot of them came out blurry, because I was moving so fast to keep up with the moon, I wasn't giving the camera and long lens enough time to settle down. But, in the end, I got a few frames that were just what I had in mind, the moon rising perfectly behind the Observatory, casting a dramatic silhouette.

On my way home, I saw a roadside scene I wanted to photograph. By the time I reached home, got my camera and drove back, the light had vanished. I was determined to get some sort of shot before the sun set completely, so I dashed over to a playground in the neighborhood, where I shot this park bench in haste.

My father used to say, "He who hesitates is lost," and I've learned that she who hesitates is also lost, at least with respect to the Golden Hour. These days, the Golden Hour is from 3pm to 4pm.

Taken for SSC 01/12/2018 - Shot through a hole .

Bad weather and still issues go on so one chance this week ( so long as the internet holds out , it still needs a fair bit of TLC - another engineer coming out Monday ) . Had to go down to the postal sorting office and it is near these bridges and the shot I saw going over the road bridge previously . Trouble is it was quite late in the afternoon and the weather was very rainy and light levels getting on for twilight . Even though it was Black Friday last week and I updated my dslr ( but still to push the shutter button yet ) I took the little pocket camera , dashed to the bridge looking down through the two railway viaducts over the River Mole . Took 7 or 8 shots each with a different creative filter settings and this one came out the best to compensate for the awful weather conditions .

The Leatherhead to Dorking line crosses the River Mole three times. The first viaduct, just south of the junction at Leatherhead, is quite ornate. It is in red brick and has four round-headed arches. Decorations include stone imposts and a string course, arch bands and a roundel of raised brick in each spandrel. The brick balustrade is an attractive feature.

A five-arch viaduct takes the Leatherhead to Effingham Junction line over the river on a curve. Three arches are over the river, with one either side.

I must say there has to be an awful lot of bricks in these viaducts - a ha ,

a tune ----

youtu.be/GTWQv8RsI6s

Trouble with internet connections dashed any hopes of getting this on last night, but it was taken yesterday, so in my eyes it still counts.

Oh, and I seem to be in the pic...again.

(062/365)

Flower in the garden of the Samten Choling Buddhist Monastery, in Ghoom.

I had mistakenly changed export settings from lightroom for a week around this time, resulting in metadata being wiped from exports. From memory this was shot with my Sony 90mm macro lens, but I would need to go back and find the original RAW image to know all the settings.

After a pre-dawn visit to Batasia Loop to see the sunrise light hit MtKanchenzonga, I spent the rest of the morning walking the road up to Ghoom before walking back to Darjeeling. I had already visited another monastery before the day's crowds reached the area, but as I arrived at this monastery, there was quite a few car/bus loads of tourists making a stop as they did the morning loop of all the local tourist sites. That dashed any chance of some quiet reflection and meant all the dreaded requests to be in selfies would begin. To try and avoid that I made myself try to look busy taking shots of flowers away from the main crowds (a common go-to tactic when I am not in the mood to be on the selfie production line). Sometimes I don't even bother taking pics, but I soon realised the lighting in this corner of the garden was actually quite good at this time of the morning. I ended spending a good amount of time closely observing the various blooms and getting different shots. Once the crowds thinned I could go and sit in the monastery courtyard with a cup of chai and truly enjoy the morning.

I spotted these along the road as we dashed madly around the countryside this week....HMBT