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“Part of the urge to explore is a desire to become lost.” ~Tracy Johnston
Bryce Canyon National Park
We almost didn't make it to this one. As I explained on my second chance Monday post, a big winter storm hit the area on the day we were going to drive to Bryce. The park even closed. So we headed to Zion where the weather wasn't as bad. On our last day the storm suddenly ended, so we decided to get up early and head out to Bryce, then come back to Zion and hike Angel's Landing before driving back to Vegas that night. It was a big day, but completely worth it. Bryce looked amazing covered in a pristine blanket of fresh white powder. It brought out the beauty, color, and details of the amazing rock formations.
And once again, no crowds. :)
He looked good when we saw him first, later we were informed, that he was sincerely wounded by a Buffalo.
The next day we went there, we saw the horn-wound in his belly as he walked a bit to get back in the shadow... unlikely that he made it.
There are people who labour under the misapprehension that YouTube has only been created for people who want to look at videos of skateboarding cats or people miming Bohemian Rhapsody into a pretend microphone - usually in the form of a hairbrush. I have a friend who likes to share clips of small children talking away about My Little Pony or some such entertainment, who innocently drop in an unfortunate Anglo-Saxon profanity that they've overheard at home more than once before. "I can't think where she gets it from....." the parents giggle nervously into the camera.
So while it can't be denied that YouTube has released a torrent of mind numbing mediocrity designed to further rot our crumbling brains, it also comes with enormous benefits. Thanks to YouTube I managed to plan a very successful hiking adventure in Scotland a few years ago, and a cycling expedition in France too. I learned how to put my tent up in eight minutes single handed (so much easier than reading the instructions), and I discovered that you can make an emergency stove with an empty beer can and a small supply of methylated spirits. I even found out how to change the light bulbs on my car - which used to be easy, but manufacturers like to build cars that can't be attended to without a laptop and a bloke with a pencil behind his ear these days.
What has made YouTube especially helpful in recent years is its landscape photography contributors. I'll wager I'm not the only one among us who's never been on a photography course or attended a Photoshop lesson. Why would you do that when you can sit in front of Nigel Danson or Mads Peter-Iversen on a Sunday morning and watch them impart their wisdom while you dose yourself up on coffee? Why would you spend money to sit in a draughty classroom when people like this so evidently love the exact same type of subject that you do and produce output that both enlightens and entertains to well?
I took this shot on the Saturday before Christmas Day. That very morning I'd watched Nick Page explain to me why I needed a very expensive pair of knee length rubber socks and Nigel Danson had reminded me to wrap up warm on cold days with a merino wool base layer (although hiking had already taught me this). As I stood on the clifftop above Chapel Porth I thanked Henry Turner for leading me to the camera bag I've been looking for ever since I started - you can use the waist straps to open it without having to dump it on wet ground, and I swear there are still undiscovered compartments in mine. It's Henry, a youngster no older than my own children, who has taught me to embrace the weather whatever it brings. His enthusiasm for our rotten British climate is surprisingly persuasive you know. This Christmas I've been out with the camera in heavy rain no less than six times, and I only started to get fed up on the fifth occasion. Without Henry's good cheer I'd have probably stayed indoors.
If it hadn't been for Mads Peter-Iversen it might not have occurred to me what a difference is made to an image by having a human presence to give it scale. Fortunately my patience paid off when this wonderful couple got that bit closer to the edge of the incoming tide than anyone else was prepared to. I do wish one of my mentors could teach me to take a decent picture on Chapel Porth Beach though. Visit after visit over the years has found me forever scratching my head in confusion. I've only ever got one image down there that I'm happy with and I seem to have inadvertently deleted it from my Flickr stream.
I was at Chapel Porth again today - without the camera - and I've got another idea, but it will have to wait for now. Tomorrow morning's return to work after an eleven day Christmas break hangs over me like the Sword of Damacles and I haven't yet found a YouTuber who can persuade me on the positive aspects of being chained to a desk all week. It's probably nearly bedtime already........
photomanm.com/personal-photography-project-sky-mountain-16/
sky mountain #16
Hong Kong, 2021
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works by photomanm
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Not much in life is certain. Death and taxes are the oft quoted things that will surely befall us all according to Benjamin Franklin. Although I wonder whether he anticipated the arrival of the global giants that would one day place their registered offices on a conveniently obscure atoll somewhere near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and render the second half of his assertion rather less assured as well. I'm pretty sure I know one or two individuals whom I should have reported to HM Revenue and Customs years ago for forgetting to fill in their tax returns as completely as they might have done, but then again I like my car to still have all four wheels on it when I leave for work each day.
I think we each have a few things in life that are pretty certain. For example you can guarantee that every time I pour myself a gin and tonic at home, I will get the respective proportions completely wrong, and unlike the ones you may have sampled in the pub, it will taste of gin - overwhelmingly in fact. Possibly linked to this I am certain that despite my best intentions I will not get up two hours before dawn tomorrow to capture a misty sunrise image. There's only one each of 5, 6 and 7 o clock in every day in my life and unless I start experimenting with products that are best left avoided for my own safety, that's not going to change. I'm also pretty sure that I will not finish reading "One Hundred Years of Solitude" before this time next year, despite having started it several months ago. It's one of those books we're apparently "supposed" to read. I just haven't quite got into the rhythm of it yet. Let me know if I should continue with it won't you? I normally read about six books during the annual fortnight on the beach, and one more during the remaining fifty weeks. I suspect that's not an uncommon phenomenon.
There's one other thing I feel quite certain of, and it's that for as long as I'm able, I'll keep returning to this place. I'm not enormously well travelled in truth. I've only been out of Europe once in my life and that was just for one week, and only just out of Europe too for that matter. There are places in the world that I'd quite like to visit, but it doesn't burn inside me like it did when I was a young man. I've been to Iceland and I'd like to go again, and I'm really keen on going to the island groups of the Hebrides, the Faroes and Lofoten in the next few years, all with the camera bag of course, But those ambitions aside, I'm very content with my lot. I live ten miles from here, my favourite place in the world. I love watching how the sea, the land and the light change here throughout the seasons. This is the shot I was looking for when I came here three weeks earlier in a storm and got something completely different, albeit in exhilarating conditions. This is my happy place where I come to stand and gaze and dream and plan. The place where the seals watch me watching them. The place where I'm still finding new compositions each time I visit. This weekend I finished up here on Saturday and Sunday, watching happily as the colours changed in the sky.
There are some places that we like to photograph once or twice and then move on because we think our business is done there. For me at least, Godrevy isn't one of them. Happy almost midweek everybody!
Some beautiful light to start the day at Machu Picchu! Machu Picchu really lived up to its beauty and was an amazing place to explore!
Xakanaxa Lagoon | Moremi
I was looking especially for him on this boat-trip and put all my trust in the guide, who was fantastic and found one, that unfortunately flew away.
This one is special, as I found it and this little beauty was so nice to hop around from spot to spot, so we could follow him for quite a while through the channel.
The horizon exhales its last breath of color,
a shoreline caught between memory and forgetting.
Tourists and locals pause together at the edge of light,
witnesses to the day’s surrender.
What remains is not the day itself,
but the echo of its passing.
Meet the photographer : youtu.be/-iMIpSY85K4?si=49HeBYGjZCfI1pcX
A double rainbow arches over lush green and golden rice fields in Laos, creating a surreal scene of tranquility. This moment showcases the harmony between nature, light, and land. The soft mist in the air adds a beautiful glow to the landscape. I felt very fortunate to be able to withness and photograph it.
Located in Darjeeling at around 2,100 meters (≈7,000 ft) above sea level
Established in 1958 and named after Padmaja Naidu
Known for specializing in Himalayan and alpine wildlife conservation
What makes it special?
This isn’t a typical zoo—it focuses on breeding and conserving endangered mountain species that struggle to survive in low-altitude climates.
Some iconic animals you can see here:
🐆 Snow Leopard (flagship species; globally recognized breeding program)
🐼 Red Panda (very popular and rare)
🐺 Himalayan Wolf
🐻 Himalayan Black Bear
🐐 Blue Sheep (Bharal)
Conservation & Research
The zoo is internationally respected for its success in:
Captive breeding of snow leopards and red pandas
Supporting reintroduction programs in the wild
Working with global conservation organizations
Unique Experience
Built on a steep hillside, so walking through it feels like trekking in a forest
Enclosures are designed to mimic natural Himalayan habitats
Often surrounded by mist and clouds, just like your photo—adds to the magical vibe
📍 Bonus: Nearby Attraction
Right next door is the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, founded after Tenzing Norgay’s historic climb. Many visitors explore both together.
🌿✨ Atemberaubende Aussicht über den Walensee und die Churfirsten – Natur pur, wie sie schöner nicht sein könnte. Ein Moment voller Ruhe und Weite. ️🌄
Welches ist euer Lieblingsplatz zum Abschalten? 🌍💬
One of the best sunrise experience I have encountered. Pacific Northwest West is the best location to bond with nature..
A serene autumn trail with golden leaves and filtered sunlight. Rota das Faias in Serra da Estrela, Portugal.
As the day draws to a close in Santa Cruz das Flores, the sky is bathed in gold and pink, and the horizon is coloured with the softness of the last rays of light. An ephemeral spectacle that reminds us that beauty is in the details and in the moments we know how to appreciate. Who else has lost themselves in these magical colours?