This classic location looking towards the Millennium Stadium in the heart of Cardiff is well known to us all. I always thought that the parapet on the bridge was too high and covered up to much of the loco / train. With my recent acquisition of a mini drone I thought that a little extra elevation would make the shot a little better, however it had slipped my mind that most football / sports stadiums are geo fenced thus preventing being overlooked by drones. This was as close as I could get and the limited resolution on the DJI Mini 2 means zooming in or overcropping would deteriorate the picture too much.

The train in the Foreground is a 769 on a service from Penarth to Bargoed crossing the River Taff..

Backlit scenarios are the most underrated and avoided ones in bird or wildlife photography...well, at least that's what I heard. So I wanted to give it a try to see what I can get and honestly, I was quite pleased with the results.

Bird: Common Redstart

Click here for large version

As a wildlife photographer we only have very limited influence on our subjects and the circumstances, and for me that is what makes it so addictive - you never know what you're going to get, and you keep wanting to go back for more and better.

For most of the subjects that I shoot, I have the perfect image already inside my head, I just have to try to get it on camera. Knowing your subject and being at the right spot at the right time is part of the work, but unfortunately with wildlife you also have to be incredibly lucky.

And lucky I was when I was flying in a microlight over the giant red sand dunes of Sossusvlei during the Namibia Untamed tour. We were heading back to the lodge when I suddenly saw this small herd of oryx running right in front of us on a giant sand dune. I always have two bodies with a 24-70 and 70-200 when I'm in a microlight, because you simply cannot change lenses in an open airplane. I quickly grabbed the D3 with the 70-200 and shot a short burst before we had passed them. It was over in seconds. When I looked at the images back in our camp, I couldn't believe my eyes - the perfect choreography. I could have never previsualized an image like this, simply because it would seem absurd to think it would be possible.

[Nikon D3, AF-S VR 70-200/2.8, 1/3200 @ f/5.6, ISO 800, handheld]

Check out my website if you would like to join me on one of our photo tours and workshops

IHB 3861 and 4018 are in charge of a relatively short BP4, destined for UP's Proviso Yard, as they initiate a rolling meet with a CSX stacker at Kedzie Ave in Blue Island, Illinois. The 3861 has been of particular interest to me as it's the Harbor's last non-genset six axle motor and is rumored to be retired soon. Bonus points for me is its ex-MILW lineage.

So I wrote up a huge description of all the B.S. leading up to this photo. But it was so long I figured no on would read it...I mean this is already long enough. Basically, I was overly confident, incognizant of developing train movements, and unaware of alternative escape routes. So I nearly got blocked in by trains hanging out at Seeley Ave.

But that wasn't the end of it. After dealing with all the B.S. of almost getting blocked in, I still made it up on Kedzie with plenty of time. However, I noticed a lineup up through BI MT1 and ATCS revealed that EB was rolling through Ridge. Now, obviously I wasn't worried about being blocked in here. Rather, I was worried about the lights being on dim for the meet, which with me being too picky about my own damn photos, is unacceptable.

By some shear luck, the EB CSX stacker was moving right along and completed their rolling meet with BP4 about midway into the widest frame I could get. And of course the last bit of luck being the engineer remembering to turn the lights on. All in all, everyone was able to get the frames they wanted. A good finish to the fight.

This is THE classic shot of the Upper Falls. It's the first thing you see when you walk down the trail and it's invariably the first shot everyone gets.

And no matter how many times I've shot it like this, it still hits me how beautiful this place is.

The aesthetics of this place is simply superb.

Handheld shot taken with the good old DSLR.

This old Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f2.8 G which mirrorless Z-ealots like to pan for not being sharp enough actually renders colors very well but most importantly it seems to impart a degree of depth perception to an image that many newer overcorrected lenses simply can’t. My only personal quibble against this lens was that it’s too heavy and bulky, especially with the rather oversized hood attached.

DSLR users have no reason to suffer any FOMO with regards to mirrorless systems, even now.

Lens sharpness is also vastly overrated, exacerbated by clueless hobbyists who are addicted to mindless regurgitation of online lens review results, what good is a sharp image that looks utterly flat? These obsessive compulsive regurgitaters are a big disservice to those starting out in the hobby.

Image sharpness can be both adversely affected by poor shot discipline/technique or enhanced by post-processing, regardless of the sharpness of the lens used.

Finally, a fair bit of the perceived improvements in newer systems (camera+lens) these days are derived from in-camera baked-in software, we can actually bridge this gap with more competent post-processing.

Nikon has also yet to bring out a mirrorless successor to their DSLR D850. Nikon mirrorless Z influencers have been trying to misled users into thinking that Z7/Z7ii was the camera which are not even pro spec unlike the D850 which is pro spec, according to Nikon themselves. Yet as Nikon is now getting ready to launch the much awaited Z8, influencers have suddenly changed tune and finally trumpeting that the Z8 is the D850 successor.

Problem is, by the time Z8 gets launched, used prices for D850 will be going for a song. It might also be nice if the upcoming Z6iii can move up to 33mp (like Sony A7IV), this will be the sweet-spot especially for photographers whose main interest is not wildlife. IMO Z6iii at 33mp will be the Nikon camera to get and not Z8, Z6iii will obviously be launched much later than Z8 to ensure the Z8 sells well.

Fundamentally, IBIS is more important for handheld stills (ie landscapes) than Sports (incl wildlife), D850 (no IBIS) users with lots of DSLR lenses have little need to rush into the Z8. I have the 36mp D800E, a stills oriented DSLR (D810 as well), a Z6iii at 33mp will be a great replacement!

Nikon is falling further and further behind meanwhile in terms of tech and value, Canon’s latest budget EOS R8 has much better AF than Z6ii and obviously Z7ii as well! Many Nikon diehards are finally waking up to the fact that Nikon is not competitive and so very slow in bringing out new cameras, the Nikon Z-ealot influencers will have a hill to climb to hoodwink users going forward unless Nikon gets its act together, fast!

Models- Jenny and Kain:)

Ain't they yummy! ^^

This was a chore doing...I'm usually strait forward..nothing fancy in ways of manipulation...Liquify is as exotic as I get and at times...if I'm feeling saucy I'll paint in a couple eyelids if needed...and I'm sure this here would be an easy task for a more seasoned artist...but man..lol..I was all over the place with this. Personally I'm not thrilled with the blur turnout...maybe burned the mirror a little dark...grrr...or I may just be over thinking it..lol but anyway..YAY for my first commission...I usually refuse money..but they won't let me..haha

43138 approaches Teignmouth leading an ‘up’ service on 19 August, 1995. HSTs provided what most now agree was the ‘high tide’ of modern UK rail comfort, at least before certain operators refitted them with ‘high density’ seating and ripped out most of the tables. It is therefore saddening to reflect that back in those halcyon days all many could do was make hackneyed jokes about BR sandwiches. The truth is, this was as good as it would get. And as I recall, the sandwiches weren’t really that bad, either.

Can't even tell it's covered in graffiti, can you?

We gained some ground on him west of Waverly, so we headed to 84th in hopes of getting a telesmash with the blowing snow. And that's what we got. It's a shame we didn't get any drift busting today as we hoped we would (there was an empty tied down on main 1 west of Ashland with fresh drifts in front of it that never moved). But again, you get what you get.

And honestly, what we got was not too shabby.

BNSF ES44DC 7701 leads a sand train westbound on the Creston Subdivision outside Lincoln, Nebraska, January 13, 2024.

It's mornings like these that make you glad that you took the effort to get out of your cozy bed to photograph the sunrise. You never know what you are going to get and I sure got rewarded this particular morning.

All my images are for sale

www.bethwodephotography.com.au/ or I can be contacted at bethwodephotography@gmail.com

From a mixture of a huge amount of rain we've been getting and a broken lawnmower that I'm waiting on a part to fix, we have a plethora of fungus growing in our yard right now. I happened to notice it this morning on my way to my car to head to work. Stopped for a few photos.

HFF! The Autumn colours were glorious in the park today. One of three photos taken today when I met my Flickr contact, who lives in New Zealand and is visiting Toronto. Link to her photo stream is here: flic.kr/ps/JYiSp

It was a steady drizzle but at least it was not pouring rain so we did have a short walkabout.

Thanks for visiting, enjoy your weekend.

www.danielvg.es

🇪🇸 Hoy os subo otra fotografía del reciente viaje a Estados Unidos 🇺🇸.

🇬🇧 It was the first sunrise of two that we spent in White Pocket (Utah). At first it was quite cloudy but suddenly many colors began to come out, the case that I was in a low point of the area with high walls and I could hardly get those colors with my camera, plus I could not find interesting points of interest to them. So I made a 180 degree turn and decided to fly the drone without planning anything, to gain altitude and see what I could get and finally I made this great 360 degree panoramic.

Era el primer amanecer de dos que pasábamos en White Pocket (Utah). A primera hora estaba bastante nublado pero de repente empezaron a salir bastantes colores, el caso que estaba en un punto bajo de la zona con paredes altas y a penas podía sacar esos colores con mi cámara, además que no encontraba puntos de interés interesantes hacia ellos. Asi que di un giro de 180 grados y decidí volar el drone sin planificar nada, ganar altura y ver que se podía sacar y finalmente realicé esta gran panorámica de 360 grados

There’s been times over the past few years when I have had a photo I simply HAD to get and when the opportunity to shoot it came along I took it with both hands.

This is one of them.

Many years ago I watched a documentary on traditional cormorant fishing in the Li River of China and thought “wow – what a window into the past that is” and decided that if ever the opportunity came along I WOULD photograph a traditional cormorant fisherman.

Myself and 20 others from the University of Sydney are spending a few months working in China for a subject in International Strategy,

So I started the research, and I researched more, and more. It was NOT going to be easy.

Eventually I stumbled upon Jack from Yangshuo – Jack is a terrific English speaking tour guide in the Guilin area and once I explained what it was I wanted to do he was able to help me make it happen.

So I arrived in Guilin late at night, raining and extremely hot after almost 24hours of travelling from Sydney. My driver was waiting for me at the airport and drove me to the XingPing area where we would meet the fisherman the next morning.

4am came and Jack and I were on a Bamboo raft going downstream on the Li river, incredible karst peaks all around me were slowly showing their silhouettes against the night sky.

Jack asks “where is your tripod?”

Leading up to this shot I had been thinking how I would go about shooting it – how would I make sure, in a small amount of time, that I could nail this once in a lifetime opportunity. My flaw when it comes to photography is that I often give myself too many options and I waste time experimenting so I decided I would eliminate the variables and focus on the shot. I took with me a light stand, a small Profoto RFi 1 ,3x2” softbox, 1 speed light, 2 pocket wizards, 1 camera and 1 lens.

Should I have bought my tripod? It was very dark – now I was worried.

We got to our location on the river bank and everything started to happen pretty quickly – before I knew it, in front of me, in this amazing wilderness was a traditional cormorant fisherman. Luckily my plan worked and I didn’t need a tripod. The morning light was illuminating the sky exactly as I had planned for and the softbox was throwing out the beautiful fill light just as intended. I reeled off shot after shot after shot and than it was over.

This is a single frame taken just after sunrise.

I’m sitting in my hotel room in Beijing and just going through my bag of shots from the past 2 weeks of trekking through rural China. From fisherman to remote villages to the Great Wall – it’s been an incredible journey and one I won’t forget in a long time.

I’ll be meeting up with the rest of the crew in Shanghai tomorrow and won’t have a chance to post many more shots until I arrive back in Australia but stay tuned. –there’s a lot to come ;)

this is the lowest value of our money which still easy to get and accepted in mostly market. another coin such as 50 idr, 25 idr, has disappear. i can't find them anymore. have no idea tonight, so i try to shoot it. i hope you enjoy it, my flickr friends. another experiment.

This is a common ritual among ducks after mating! It is extremely fascinating watching the whole mating routine among them! The male will court the female and she of course will play hard to get and he will chase her all over the water, both of them skimming it. She will slow down teasing him and speed up as he gets closer and then she will finally let him catch her! He will pin her down grabbing the ruff of her neck holding her under water while mating. Once they have finished mating both will spend about 15 - 20 minutes ducking under the water and shaking off the water like this! It's as though they are bathing themselves! It is truly a wonderful experience to witness! No I am not some pervert that goes around watching animal mating rituals, I just enjoy witnessing and capturing normal animal behaviors that are not always seen! ;D

View On Black

I'm ever after the perfect rainbow image....they're kinda hard to get and change very fast!! But one day I will get the full rainbow!! lol...have a wonderful evening everyone. I've had quite the day with the dog at the vets...and bushed...going to bed! :)

The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending we lay waste our powers;

Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,

The winds that will be howling at all hours,

And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,

For this, for everything, we are out of tune;

It moves us not. —Great God! I'd rather be

A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;

So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;

Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;

Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

~ William Wordsworth

circa 1802

This spot is about as far as I can get and back without dropping a lung. Climbed out onto the rocks and spent a bit of time recording the things in front of me. Very pleasant way to spend what was supposed to be a rainy day.

The days of being greedy on the Southern loops are long gone. These days you take what you can get and make it work the best you can. P60, the five a day a week road local is the only move you can count on M-F and it's seen here at the famous Bruners Cut heading east for Hickory with 28 cars in tow.

The other day I was looking at some of Tom Blandfords PhotoStream.

Tom had a very nice closeup of a Mountain Goat and mentioned that he had taken it with his first digital camera.

That got me to thinking about my first digital camera and some of the shots I got with it.

It was a lot lighter then my "Big Canon" and it fit in my fanny pack.

I was doing a lot of climbing back then.

I had been working with a band of Dall Sheep Rams for several years and had gained their trust.

Here is that story as I posted it with the shot I have linked to this shot a number of years ago.

Oh! Yeah! The Hiking Boot!

Well, I had been telling friends about how close I could work to all these Rams and I kept seeing raised eye brows and disbelief.

So, after getting the shot I wanted I slowly slid forward till I figured I was as Close as they would permit to get and took this shot with my Hiking Boot in it for reference.

Please Read:

This is an old shot I came across the other day. There are 11 Dall Sheep Rams in the shot. Actually, there were 12 rams there that day. I was so close, I couldn't get the 12th one in the shot even though I was shooting at extreme wide angle. I was using my first digital camera a Fuji FinePix S602. I had been thinking about switching to digital and wanted to try it before jumping all in.

The setting was: ISO 200 - F/4.5 - 1/350 - 7.8mm. I was shooting very, very wide at 7.8mm still couldn't get the 12th ram in the shot.

I had moved in very slowly over about an hour. These were rams that I had been working with for many months. They knew me, trusted me and knew that I wasn't a threat. I spent 26 weeks that year starting in early February climbing up to those rams at least twice a week and sometimes 3 times a week. During the winter months I always started climbing in the dark. Never needed a flashlight, the snow cast enough light to see. Always wore the same clothes. I definitely believe that animals notice things like that. So, a change in clothing can make a difference on how close they allow you to get. While not the greatest shot, it still shows what patience can accomplish.

Here is a link to the shot I posted earlier.

www.flickr.com/photos/alaskafreezeframe/11103515635/in/al...

Camera Settings: f/3.6 - 1/180 - 7.8mm - ISO 200

Who needs sleep??

Well you're never gonna get it.

Who needs sleep??

Tell me, what's that for?

Who need sleep??

You happy with what you get and there's a guy that's been awake since

the 2nd world war.

Bare Naked Ladies

Almost midnight....another night with less than 5 hours sleep. I am going to be pumping the diet Dew tomorrow.

Magee Marsh, OH

Now here is a warbler that doesn't like to show itself! This is one of the few relatively unobstructed images I managed to get...and even then I was on my knees shooting through a 'window' in the undergrowth.

The church building was built from 1829 to 1832 in the Federal architectural style. It was built with red bricks, "rounded archives, "a stepped gable" and "an octagonal bell tower.

The church played a specific role during the American Civil War of 1861-1865. On Sunday, September 13, 1863, Reverend Baker invited crew members of the Union USS Rattler gunboat to attend his service. However, Confederates burst into the church to arrest them. When other Union crew members found out about the Confederate violation of Sunday truce, they fired a cannonball at the church, which damaged its front wall. The damage is still visible to this day.

The front facade of the church displays the cannonball above the upper middle window. Though this is not the original cannonball that hit the building in 1863, it is an authentic ball of the period, placed during restoration, at the spot where the church was originally hit.

They say the more that you shoot the better you'll get and stopping off at a local nature spot on the way to work certainly paid off for me the other day. This is a lovely pair of Chalkhill Blue (Polyommatus icarus), sleeping in the long grass - they are relatively common chalk butterflies.

To get shots like this it's really worthwhile getting up early in the morning, because they're on their sleeping plant and unlikely to fly away in a hurry. Blues in particular sleep at the top of stems so getting nice low aperture shots is very doable. Anyone else have any butterfly photography tips to share?

........

This was a blurry blob, of a mess, before I fiddle with it ...

I have slid it this a way ,and that a,way ...

and the more I fiddle with it, this was as good as it gets, and that is not good ..

So what you see is not black and white ..

it a very sleepy bird, and me from my window

I think I scared him silly , cause after 2 flashes, he flitted away ......

HFF all Ya'll .....

and have a dandy week end too ~

Finally picked up my camera after a good solid few months, autumn is getting closer so I went back to the spring equinox.

Approaching/after the Spring Equinox the number 1 weather situation I look for is a closed core upper low to pass directly over my area or as close as possible. The very cold air combined with the increasing temperatures and moisture as the grasses start reaching out can create an unstable atmosphere. This usually leads to interesting optical phenomena; rainbows, thunderstorms, or if nothing else dappled light from the clouds and clarity from the cold dry air. (sometimes if the low is strong enough it brings snow to the highest peaks).

The hills were as green as they're going to get and an upper low was going to be passing over the E Bay late in the day. It was weak and the timing was off; but clouds, vibrant green hills, and exceptional visibility demanded attention. I went to one of my favorite places, one that Ive been hiking for almost 3 decades, but instead of taking the same trail I took the one to the left and found this 'hidden valley.'

With a maximum working distance of just 10.1 cm the Canon MP-E65mm isn't the best tool for chasing damselflies like this variable bluet (Coenagrion pulchellum) as it is both difficult to fit the entire damsel in frame as well as not scaring them away as you have to get so close.

This was taken at 1:1 magnification which is a s far away as you can get and only by framing it with the body diagonally, I was able to fit it in frame. As for why it didnn't fly away this particular time, I have no idea - but I am not complaining!

Also, don't you think the wings seriously look like they were made out of plastic on this one?

This is a tough hummingbird to get and I was lucky to be able to photograph it. This species uses their sharply decurved bill to obtain nectar from the flowers of the Heliconia and Centropogon plants. This one was found in the lowland tropical forest of Costa Rica.

Photographed on a photo tour led by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

February 2020

Happy to hear that the chicks (there were 3 in there!) from the nest in Lady Dixon Park, Belfast, have now fledged successfully. I can restore this photo now! (I hadn't realised just how much attention they were getting and took my photo down until I knew that they had left the nest.) FZ1000 at 400mm equivalent.

This is a tough hummingbird to get and I was lucky to be able to photograph it. This species uses their sharply decurved bill to obtain nectar from the flowers of the Heliconia and Centropogon plants. This one was found in the lowland tropical forest of Costa Rica.

Photographed on a photo tour led by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

February 2020

I had a long chat with the owner of this, and several other people came and went too.

It turned out he lives quite close to me and I was surprised I hadn't seen the car before, given that it's his daily driver.

It's not immaculate and has a non standard colour and wheels, but as the owner said, it's as much for transport as for show.

It's got the standard and original six cylinder engine, but a modified stainless exhaust means you can hear it coming.

It's pretty reliable in everyday use; much as the car would have been in the 1960's. Odd bits are hard to get and/or expensive. He's got a few bits of trim from Australia and even little badges and bits of brightwork are $100+.

It's always a treat to come across a nice car and a friendly owner. Even the Easter weather was cooperating!

This isn't the shot I wanted. Not the one I saw in my mind. It is the shot before that one. But like many things in life, we don't always get to see all our dreams realized. Sometimes they get cut short. In those cases, we have to learn to be happy with the shots we did get. Enjoy the moments we do get and let go of those that we never make it to.

This is the Subway in Zion National Park. It is an 6.5 mile hike (or longer if your GPS goes crazy and it will). This is also the last photo I ever took with my Nikon D600 and 20mm lens. The camera has been replaced and the 20mm has returned from repairs just today. Time to make some new memories.

Secret, Maroon 5:

Watch the sunrise

Say your goodbyes, off we go

Some conversation

No contemplation, hit the road

Car overheats, jump out of my seat

On the side of the highway, baby

Our road is long, your hold is strong

Please don't ever let go, oh no

I know I don't know you

But I want you so bad

Everyone has a secret

Oh, can they keep it?

Oh no, they can't

I'm driving fast now

Don't think I know how to go slow

Oh, where you at now?

I feel around, there you are

Cool these engines, calm these jets

I ask you how hot can it get

And as you wipe off beads of sweat

Slowly you say, I'm not there yet

I know I don't know you

But I want you so bad

Everyone has a secret

Oh, can they keep it?

Oh no, they can't

I know I don't know you

But I want you so bad

Everyone has a secret

Oh, but can they keep it?

Oh no, they can't

One of one. Not sure if I'm doing any more these, they're a pain in the ass to get and a pain in the ass to do...

SOLD! To one lucky dude...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6jxxagVEO4

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Elegant Tern

Thalasseus elegans

Member of the Nature’s Spirit

Good Stewards of Nature

© 2013 Patricia Ware - All Rights Reserved

If you want good things to happen in your life you need to focus on the positive

I believe it’s not good for you to think that a nuclear bomb will fall into your head tomorrow and do preparations for that to happen, when you are feeling that fear in your body

Creating fear like that really creeps into your bone marrow and infects you from within

And if you are spreading your fear, whatever it is, I think at least that is even worse than getting a bomb in my head

You can control people with fear

Just look at human history

Life is easier to deal with when you can see the humour in things, laughing even tho you are having a shitty time

It will get over

It always will

Deal with the negative you get your attention on, stuff that needs being done will keep on coming as long as you don’t deal with it

It’s like waves

Coming over and over again

Until you really deal with it, the proper way, not with a half mind

But always have the focus on what is good in life

The power we have in our way of thinking is probably just a few ones that really can comprehend

I can't

But what I know is that negative thinking can make you sick

Been there

Done that

Isn’t that weird that we take so easily the negative stuff in, how bad we behave, how awful we look, what lousy work we do

We easily adapt and flow into fear if we are not in balance

Changing the way of thinking will show yourself in another light, both for you and for others

You will get a new respect for yourself, you will think that you are decent looking and having a decent behaviour

And others will think the same

It all starts with you

You can use lots of money on health products that often are doing nothing else than emptying your pocket

Maybe changing your course in life and way of thinking could do the trick

It's free too

Positive thinking as a foundation is what brings you in balance

It brings laughter

It brings love

It starts with love for yourself

And goes on to loving others

Love is the greatest gift you can both give and get

And this must be in balance

This is of course only my belief and what I am living after

I'm done living in fear

I want love in my life

And that is of course what I will have

Both giving and receiving

Have a wonderful Weekend

I know I will

💖💖💖 😍😍 💖💖💖

Again, last year was as busy as it gets, and then some more, I even had almost no will to take any of the cameras for a spin. So, naturally, I bought another camera! :D

This time, I stumbled upon this panoramic plastic fantastic - Cypréa 2-way camera. It has literally fewer controls than Holga, with a fixed aperture, one shutter speed and no provision for focusing, and this panoramic mode is actually just a plastic baffle covering the top and bottom of a film, but hey, it's genuinely fun!

Here, I went for a walk around the office neighbourhood.

Taken with "simple", plastic Cypréa 2-way camera, with its built-in 27mm F8 plastic lens, on a roll of AgfaPhoto APX 400 film. Developed in Adonal, 1+50 dilution, 21°C.

Scanned with Plustek OpticFilm 8100 dedicated film scanner, using VueScan 9.5.

All frames were shot with "panoramic" baffles extended. I've cropped out the remnants of the frame, straightened it, and fixed the levels. Film latitude is an 11th-world wonder!

Comet NEOWISE under the big dipper.

Having checked this comet out the night before near home, I noticed how dim the comet was getting, and amidst my light pollution, and even with the camera sensor picking up the comet, the image was not worth it. The following night, I drove about 25 miles to darker skies, and that made a world of a difference. This may be my last view of NEOWISE, and when it returns in over 6000 years, who knows, I may ride with it!

So just a quickie because it's late and I'm pumped up on sugar...

First the good: this film is damn near perfect. It's as perfectly paced as a film can get, and all the characters are great. I also think they pretty much nailed Spider Man.

Bad: I did find the focus to be too much on Cap and Iron man, and the ending was a bit eh. I also wish the was more Spider man, but these are all problems I can live with.

Definitely one of the best MCU movies, 9.9/10

Credit for the image goes to punmagneto on Deviantart.

This image is obviously not the best from a technical standpoint, but it was overcast and late in the day and my equipment was pushed to the limits of what it can do in those conditions. Sometimes you have to take what you get and make the best of it. I liked the mood and the pose, so I salvaged the shot the best I could.

Taken in Leicestershire.

Return visit, has I heard on the local grape vine that she had returned.

I last photographed it on 16th December 2022, and it moved on shortly afterwards.

We were in South Derbyshire when we heard and as there was little doing we decided to go for it, although we had seconds thoughts on the way as the cloud was closing in, but the closer we got the light improved and was very good on arrival and the bird was soon located in great light and we were the only ones there hoping to photograph it.

We moved into position slowly and managed to sneak up on her and got the best shots we have managed to get, and she's certainly changed.

These two shots were taken after she drifted further up the water into more direct sunlight

Washington County Sheriff's Office. Hillsboro, Oregon. Demonstration Car. Check out the new homepage for the AJM STUDIOS Northwest Police Department! The old homepage is here. It does not get updated as often as the first link. 2010.

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Ok I don't often go out looking for sparrows, but when the sexier birds aren't cooperating, you take what you get and appreciate their subtle beauty. Savannah sparrow

I've just had a very interesting weekend.

Firstly... I managed to get some nice photos in an amazing new location filled with infinite photographic possibilities... a location that has basically been right here on my doorstep staring me in the face for years already... namely the "Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve".

The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve is an area of such natural beauty and floral diversity... that it has been recognised as perhaps the greatest biodiversity hot-spot in the world!! This UNESCO designated reserve is roughly 100,000 hectares (245,000 acres) in size... yet is home to the most complex species-biodiversity on our planet... with more than 1,880 different plant species... 77 of which are completely endemic to the region! Yes... you read that correctly... SEVENTY-SEVEN plant species grow ONLY in the Kogelberg reserve... and NOWHERE else on earth!! To put that into perspective... the entire United Kingdom has only 22 endemic species!

One of the species endemic to the Kogelberg Reserve is the Nivenia Stokoei. This small shrub-like plant (with its clusters of dazzling blue flowers) is easily the most striking plant in the area... particularly since it only flowers in late summer... at a time when little else is in flower.

Late on Friday afternoon I discovered a small jeep-track leading into the reserve that I hadn't noticed before. Right at the start of the jeep-track was a small Nivenia bush... bursting with purple/blue flowers... and basically begging me to investigate further. After driving along the track as far as I could go (without 4-wheel drive)... and walking as far as I was prepared to walk (to the top of a small (but seriously steep) hill)... I discovered that the entire East-facing slope of the hill was covered in flowering Nivenia plants... as far as my eyes could see!! WOW... NIVENIA NIRVANA!!

Unfortunately my eyes were also able to see the approaching rainstorm... which engulfed me just as I managed to find a nice strong composition among the fields of blue. DARN!! I took a few photos of the rain... but when it started falling harder and harder... I grabbed my tripod and camera... and ran (slipping and sliding) back down the hill to my car. I decided to hang around for another hour to see if the rain stopped in time for sunset... but promised myself that I would return the next morning if the rain didn't stop within 60 minutes.

Needless to say... the rain/storm continued unabated for the rest of the night... and I did return (as promised) to my composition the next morning... and the light was amazing... and I got the shot that I was hoping to get... and more!!

So that was pretty cool... definitely a hum-worthy experience!

The other hum-worthy experience happened while I was sitting next to my camera watching the approaching rainstorm on Friday afternoon. While I was sitting there... a pair of honey-badgers walked past me (about 20 meters away) without even noticing me!! I'm very glad that they didn't notice me... since they have a reputation of being the "fiercest (and most fearless) animal on the planet"... so fierce that they think nothing of chasing a pride of lions from their kill... to snack on the remains. If you haven't seen a honey-badger before (in reality or in a photo)... then do yourself a favour... ask Google to show (and tell) you more about these fascinating (if somewhat terrifying) animals. When I heard this pair of honey-badgers approaching me (from behind)... my first thought was "oh shit... a leopard"! When I saw that the leopard was in fact a pair of honey-badgers... my next thought was "OH SHIT... cover my balls... these are honey-badgers"!! Guys... if you don't know why it's best to protect your balls when you encounter a honey-badger... ask Google for the full explanation.

So I now have a nice photo of some purple flowers at sunrise... but I was too busy protecting my balls to even think about pressing the shutter and getting a photo of the badgers!!

Nikon D800, Nikkor 14 - 24 mm at 16 mm, ISO of 100, aperture of f/14 with a 1/6th second exposure.

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Farantros narrative:

I shouldn't be home. The government of Devaron is cruel and oppressive. All who supported the empire face execution by the Quarra and I promised myself that I wouldn't meet the same end as my father had. That changed when I received a holo-transmission from a friend. Kunlo is a Melitto ronin and Triumvirate informant on Devaron. Turns out that a resistance was being organised on the planet - a group named Core Devaron who were loosely imperial and eager to overthrow the government. It was a risk to come home but I knew they needed all the help they could get and so a meeting was arranged. Turns out they wanted me to pass a trial - if I could beat one of their agents in a swoop race then I could win their trust. Well no true Devaronian backs down from a challenge...

Posted this a while back on my instagram but never over here. Realised that I never really include the story for my builds over here on flickr but hopefully I can change that. As ever, feedback is appreciated

Urumqi Grand Bazaar, Urumqi, China.

The Grand Bazaar (also called Erdaoqiao in Chinese or the International Bazaar) is a place to get and look at regional products, and there are also imported products from nearby Russia and Mongolia and the new states to the west. It is a popular tourist destination and somewhat of a tourist trap. It is in the city’s Uighur district on the southern side of the city. That makes the place interesting. There is a big mosque there.