"Sometimes the hardest storms to get through are the ones that your soul needs most. And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive.But survive, you did.

And one thing is certain, when you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.That’s what the storm is all about." - Haruki Murakami.

Pareidolia: Hardest Macro Mondays challenge so far trying to find a "face" less than 3" big. Spent ages wandering around - eventually found this: the top of the hinge of a gate to a children's play area in a local park.

Toronto, Ontario

Hardest part of this picture was getting Kei to lay down and not show his head in the frame...

Hope you're not only have a big fat day aweseome but a big fat awesome weekend!

There have been times when I hurt people. Not because I wanted to, but because so many things went wrong and I pushed those closest to me away.

I know I had my reasons. I know that considering the circumstances, I shouldn't feel bad for not being perfect.

I'm still sorry.

Munich - Moments

“The hardest thing in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which to burn.” - David Russell

Beautiful reflection of Ponte Sisto on the River Tiber in Rome. The bridge connects Via dei Pettinari in the Rione of Regola to Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere and was constructed between 1473 and 1479.

Around here it’s the hardest time of year

Waking up, the days are even gone

Though the color of my coat

Lord help me killing off the cold

Where the raindrops sting my eyes

I keep them closed

I don’t feel a lot of pain only the lonely

And my quietest friend

Ever the moonlight, have I let you in

Say it ain’t so, say I’m happy again

Say it’s over, say I’m dreamin

Say I’m better than you left me

Say you’re sorry, I can take it

Say you’ll wait, say you won’t

Say you love me, say you don’t

I can make my own mistakes

Let it bend before it breaks

I’m all right, don’t I always seem to be?

Am I swinging on the stars

Don’t I wear them on my sleeves

But when you’re looking for a crossroads

It happens every day, and whichever way you turn

I‘m gonna turn the other way

Say it’s over, say I’m dreamin

Say I’m better than you left me

Say you’re sorry, I can take it

Say you’ll wait, say you won’t

Say you love me, say you don’t

I can make my own mistakes

And learn to let it bend before it breaks

... Brandi Carlile

The hardest to reach part of our park. The huge snow hill in front of this path, impossible to overpass with a stroller. I stood there without any chance to go. It was so beautiful under the snow, all those apple trees and dried grass. Most of the park birds also concentrate there, free to fly far from common visitors. It made me look closer at the path, finding it's own white beauty.

The hardest things to grasp are my capabilities in here. I almost immediately get to STAR Labs; to my surprise, it seems Ron isn't here. But by the looks of it, not many living people are here.

I jog up the steps, disregarding the card reader and climbing in through the broken window. Orr is on the floor, bloodied, but miraculously dragging himself across the room.

Orr: "Vic-tor."

I get closer to Orr as he mutters out his last words.

Orr: "You-need to kill-- him."

Orr slides a gun towards me; I pick it up with both hands as Orr slumps down slowly.

I throw the gun across the room, that's not me. I hope it will never be me.

I find the stairs and quickly ascend the metal steps. The gem was most commonly in Dad's office space, wouldn't hurt to check the most obvious place first.

I enter the large laboratories, no life, broken machines, chaotic bouts of smoke erupting from piles of scrapped metal.

Blood covers the wall on the way to dad's lab. I need to remind myself that this isn't real, but it looks like people actually suffered. This was my entire fault from the beginning, wasn't it?

I slow down my pace and contemplate. I could've prevented all of this. Maybe Ron living would be better.

I snap out of my pessimistic thoughts and keep my head high, at worst, a lot of things. But with the best case scenario there lays a new chance.

I find myself at dad's desk. I lower my head in defeat, as it's barren. I rub my eyes with my hands.

I remove my hands from my face to notice a sticky note.

I'll keep trying everything until he comes back, I couldn't live with myself just giving up. -S

S? Silas? Dad?

I rip the note off the desk and put it in my pocket. The gem could be anywhere.

I look back towards the windows; a red gem shines in the moonlight as I flash a smile.

I run over, pick up the gem and kiss it.

Victor: "THANK YOU!"

I just need to figure out what I'm supposed to do with this now.

Damn.

My heart skips a beat as a metal footstep echoes throughout the room.

--

Apologies for a short issue.

Hardest Day - 18th August 1940. Royal Air Force Fighter Command, in particular 12 Group fight to survive again the German Luftwaffe

Taken on a recent trip to the gili islands , indonesia !

The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn..

(David Russell).

.

(Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL; 04.05.2008; 1/25 at f/3.5; ISO 400; white balance: Auto; focal length: 22 mm).

.

This was taken last may. During these days they are removing the old bridge and building a new one. Lets remember engineers art of former days with this.

[ View Large On Black | See where this picture was taken. ]

Facebook

500px

Getty

Instagram Deadworld

Instagram Rui Almeida Photography

E-Mail

“The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn."

- David Russell

© Rui Almeida 2024 | All rights reserved.

View On Black

David Russell

And as one of my great contact's pointed out to me..which path to take! ; )

Sometimes the hardest wall to break is the one we've built to protect ourselves.

Alex Schaefer is a NYC Fine Art Photographer

Facebook · Twitter · Instagram

Swamps outside of Morgan City.

Meet SL Photographer & Designer: Gwen Aloix

I have had the hardest time deciding which section this interview belongs in. That’s because Gwen Aloix is a jack of all trades! Her clothing line is beautifully made; she creates gorgeous skin; and lastly, but not the least, her photography makes you fall in love with your own avatar. As many of you, I check out Flickr streams often for either finding a new face on the scene to watch their development & growth, or established photographers who inspire us with their art and talent. I stumbled on Gwen’s Flickr about a year ago and was simply mesmerized by all work. I am not a fan of morph pictures - if I want an RL photograph, I will just make one. What I love about Gwen’s photography is that she makes the avatar come to life fully, without tricking us to think we are looking at a photograph from RL.

I was fortunate enough to find Gwen in between projects and with some time to spare so that I could introduce her to our readers. I arrived at Gwen’s studio a bit discombobulated because I was running late. She could not have been sweeter to put me at ease, and also help me prepare for the photo shoot. One reason I like to have a photo shoot as an interview session is that you get to experience the photographers in their element. Gwen was a joy, as you will read. Another reason, and perhaps a more important one, is that to have the same avatar photographed by different photographers makes their style more visible because you will be comparing apples to apples in a way. It also adds an element of fun to see how the deal with my often insane hairs.

Leda Carter: Thank you so much for your time, Gwen. I have told you before that I admire your work. Although, your flickr stream starts around 2012. Tell us about your photography journey.

Gwen Aloix: I have liked photography and drawing forever! I don’t remember when it was that I began to take pictures and edit them. I used to take photos of my Second Life friends, until one day someone recommended that I blog my work, so that everyone could see it. That’s when I created an account on flickr.

Leda: How did you find out about SL?

Gwen: My boyfriend introduced me to SL! I played the sims, but wanted something better, with online users where avatars could meet other people, chat and create a community. To be honest, at first, I was disappointed, because I did not know how it worked. Also, people thought I was an alt of someone, and would not help me. After four months, I decided to try again. I met a girl who was very nice, and introduced me to how I could enjoy SL. Today, I can say it has been better than my expectations.

Leda: Did you face particular challenges in becoming a pro photographer?

Gwen: Well, I really didn’t have challenges. I always did pictures for my friends, and people would ask them who made the picture. So, they started coming to me to do their photos, and along the way I gained more experience too.

When I started on Flickr, I saw many SL photographs. One of my main inspirations came from the work of Graphic-Dix! I was in love with all his pictures. It was what motivated me to want to learn more and more about image editing! I started watching tutorials, searching techniques and practicing, until I discovered my own style.

Leda: Yes, you certainly have your own style. Speaking of style, you have started your own clothing and skin line. How did that come about?

Gwen: With skins, it was something I had to learn, since I always wanted a custom skin, a unique face, but no one really did that. So, I had to learn so that I could have my avatar the way I wanted it. I looked for a tutorial online and started working on it! When my friends started asking me to make skins for them, I decide to open a store. It was basically the same thing with clothes!! *laughs*

Leda: Does that mean your designs reflect your personal taste?

Gwen: When I started to make clothes for my first store (called Lapin Rose), I just made things for me. I didn’t really care if everyone like it or not! *laughs* But, now with lowen, I do try to see what people are looking for, waiting for, and I try to make them but still in my own taste. If I don’t like something, I never make it.

Leda: Who is Gwen’s typist? Does she have fashion or photography experience?

Gwen: I am 22 years old and from Brazil, with Indian, Italian and German heritage. I have always been a curious person, and try to learn and do everything by myself. Oh, and my astrological sign is Cancer! *smiles*

I work as fashion producer & stylist for a local TV station here. I am the one they call to dress up actors and do their makeup when they are making TV commercials. In addition, I started learning to be a graphic designer, and today I do both of those things! I am very lucky to have the work I love to do. Like I said, I always love to draw, paint, do pictures, and all that. So, sometimes, when I have made a drawing, I put in PS and try to paint. In the beginning, I used to use a mouse, but the paint that comes with that is so horrible!

Anyways, I have worked with absolutely everything in the fashion world - from makeup artist to model. So, the life in SL is something I have always been involved with in RL.

Leda: What are some of the other things you enjoy about SL?

Gwen: I am a very shy person, and when I moved from my hometown, I felt a little lonely without my childhood friends. In SL, I have made some very good friends, and have met some of them in RL too! Besides the friendships I have formed, SL gives me the freedom to express myself, to create what I want, and that is really cool.

Leda: It is really cool! What is also cool is that you have shared yourself with us here. Thank you so much for your time. And, I have to tell you that I love seeing Leda through your eyes. That’s a beautiful piece of work! Thank you.

WOW... let me say that this was one of the hardest days to both title and push away the tablet and say I’m done. I could have worked on this for days! I’m so picky and detailed that the smallest thing would drive me crazy. I’ve never created a sky from scratch. I wanted to take the viewer away from the ordinary. I don’t live near mountains. In fact... the highest elevation in my town is the city dump! This was photographed under a bridge on a lonely road parallel to the FL turnpike. Jenna volunteered for Day 46 early on and the theme just formed over several hours.

I’ll continue this on my blog... give me at least 45 min

Lighting: I have a picture!! flic.kr/p/9iCaVm

Want to know more about this project? Want to be a part of it? The Rules? Got an Idea? here

Find the behind the scenes and outtakes of project365 and stay up to date with everything at Facebook Fan page

Follow me on Twitter and get notified as soon as a shot gets uploaded @204studios

"The most important things are the hardest to say.

They are the things you get ashamed of,

because words diminish them --

words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head

to no more than living size when they're brought out.

But it's more than that, isn't it?

The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried,

like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away.

And you may make revelations that cost you dearly

only to have people look at you in a funny way,

not understanding what you've said at all,

or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it.

That's the worst, I think.

When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller

but for want of an understanding ear."

Stephen King (Different Seasons)

The hardest part about shooting with Anastasia is trying to decide my favorite photos to post. She is absolutely gorgeous with a great personality. 2021 pretty much sucked in general; the best thing about it was I had a chance to shoot with Anastasia about 5 times. We did this shoot at the Scentsy campus in October 2021. Excellent shoot with one of my favorite models!!

"The hardest thing in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which to burn." ~David Russell

We tried to find this bridge last week, but the weather didn't cooperate. Finally found a time this evening to try it out and it ended up being a really nice spot… Tried a few poses and this was the winner. Caught the lighting just in time because it got dark quick!!..

Strobists:

SB600 camera front left 5ft from Mer in shoot through umbrella 1/4 @24mm

SB600 camera front right 7ft from Mer bare 1/16 @24mm

1/50@F/6.3

ISO 320

Nikon 80-200mm 1.8

Triggered with Cybersync

See Setup

See Black

texture by joessistah

.

Cinderella is with out a doubt one of the hardest Disney Princesses for me to photograph during any parade. Maybe it's just me but every time she goes by, she turns the other way and waves to the crowd on the other side of Main Street. Coincidence, maybe so but have you ever run into this problem before? Have a magical day!

Visit Disney Photo Tour on Facebook and Instagram</a

Hardest thing I had to do was get close to them to take the picture but they were walking really fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had the hardest time deciding between this and the black and white version- which I uploaded over on my Facebook page.

When I was in Georgia visiting Alex a few weeks ago, these butterflies were fluttering around everywhere, and his mom found a dead one lying on the ground that she gave to us to use for photos. I was really excited about it, because I had had this concept floating around in the back of my head for a while but couldn't figure out how I could get my hands on some real butterflies.

I'll be posting an alternate version of Alex that I'm fond of in the next couple of days.

And the hardest part

Was letting go not taking part

You really broke my heart

And I tried to sing

But I couldn't think of anything

And that was the hardest part

These autumn leaves, all these autumn leaves, all these autumn leaves are yours tonight.

Sigh... I collected these after my run. It felt good to be out in the crisp autumn air with a crazy blue sky above enjoying a good weekend.

It also felt good to take one of these again. I missed these shots, its been a while.

And in case anyone's wondering. I had a kick ass weekend :D I think I'm still beaming from all I crammed into it! (I even got my homework done!)

Yeah... I abuse exclamation marks, and am quite aware of it.

the hardest thing on earth is

choosing what matters...

Sue Monk Kidd -

The Secret Life of Bees

Unquestionably the hardest I've worked to get photos of a bird. This sapsucker (a lifer for me) circled a Tamarisk trunk in roughly the same general area for hours. Unfortunately, the small grove of trees was so dense that I couldn't get in a position to have a clear view without branches and other trees obstructing me. I left the site numerous times to look for other subjects. Finally, just before I headed for home I decided to check on him one more time. I thought the bird had moved on, so I started to do so as well. Suddenly he appeared from the back side of the tree in a partially illuminated opening. It's the only decent photo I got of him all day.

Hardest part of this whole build was making the motorcycle small enough

Hardest insect to sneak up on? Grasshoppers are tough too.

.... and we're back!

And with a bang... this has definitely been the weirdest, hardest, Brickworld ever: the first since the Pandemic (or as Casey's pastor put it, the 'blip'), family issues, and a lot of LEGO quality issues, it was a bit of a struggle... but the People. The builds. The food ... made it all worthwhile.

I always struggle with these posts, how do I properly convey the feelings from the past week ? the fun, generosity and caring that people showed? ... there's so much ... but a few things will really touched my heart:

Casey - spent a few days with my BrotherBley/AccountaBuildaBuddy helping him finish his beautiful monastery.

Cube Games - thank you InnovaLUG, OrphanLUG, Bricknerd, RebelLUG, EuroBricks for spending some time hanging out and doing some fun challenges (post to follow) and of course Markus - my partner in crime, I have no words on the impact you've had and the mischief achieved

That concert was GARBAGE (and Tears for Fears) - Nick - that was so great thank you for kidnapping me :)

RebelLUG - Absitonia was ... utterly insane. It's been awhile since I've been so impressed with a collaborative build with that amount of detail

Orphanage - Dan nailed it and such sweet and personal builds form us all.

Micah - the father's day card. You're going to make me cry man.

Dave - #BeTheDave - the true Spirit of Brickworld.

Absconding with Jonah's Best vignette trophy, getting a judges award for ... something? we're not really sure what it was for.

.... I could go on and on about all the new people I meet, the old friends reconnected, the builds, so many builds, and may builds I didn't get a good chance to dissect, Tim finally getting his due .... ack.

I'll just leave it off here - and see you next year everyone.

(I missed a few goodies, I can't find them >.>)

fabfree.wordpress.com/2017/09/12/the-waiting-is-the-harde...

The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn...

~ David Russell ~

Loopbrug in het modemuseum van Hasselt

This is the third and the hardest challenge of the Finale, so look carefully at the picture before doing it. You'd never imagine what this is about, so I'll tell you.

You have to recreate with your model this scene. The person who posts the closest picture to this one will recieve higher scores. Got it?

Requirements

1. Recreate this picture with your own supplies; model, petals, etc.

2. Edit it the very same way I did. (I used Picnik mainly and Photoshop, if you don't have Photoshop is okay)

3. Your model's hair, outfit, make up and pose must be very similar to Lela's ones. You may use Taaz for her lip color and/or eye color.

4. It doesn't matter you don't own all the things I used for this picture. Use your creativity and see how you can make it as closest as this.

5. As told, editing is necessary.

6. You might not include the 'Bratz P4F TM', 'BratzLuv' and 'Final 3' logos in your picture.

7. Deadline: August 31st

NOTE: You model does not need to change her skintone or hair color for this shot. Other than that, everything needs to look exactly like this.

GOOOD LUCK!!!

This wasn't necessarily the hardest spot to get to (actually it was quite easy if you knew where to pull off), but it was a bit hidden from the direction on I-80 you would need to be traveling to get to it. I found quite a few places along this part of the highway to shoot from, but I usually spotted them from the opposite direction, so lots of doubling back for me on this day.

I hope your week got off on the right track :)

Prints: smu.gs/QTkPeV

Thank you for your visits and comments. Please feel free to add notes to any of my images.

I do a lot of HDR processing. All of my HDR photos can be found here.

facebook | google+ | twitter | youtube | tumblr | 500px | pinterest | www.elmofoto.com

The hardest email is one I write today

I guess it’s not much to think about, because I’m not here to stay

It’s one of stress and all the things that became to much

I hope I'll even be missed, I know ill hurt a few whose lives I’ve touched

I love you all more then you could even know

but now the time has come and you cant say no

the times we had were the greatest memories of all

I’m sorry for all the pain I’ve caused but its ok now...... heheheh kidding ;-)

by chrisburkard ift.tt/1Nu3Jux

.sola me ne vò per la città.

pronti a VIVERE... mondo meravigliaMI e portami nell'incredibile vita.

a quanto ne so solo una percentuale bassissima sopravvive.

tutti i loro viaggi, spostamenti e ritorni hanno del MAGICO che FORTUNATAMENTE NESSUNO RIESCE A SPIEGARE.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tp0r9197uo

365 - the ending of one chapter, the beginning of a new.

This isn't the best edit but it's the concept I was trying hardest to achieve and I know the left bubble looks funny ): [you probably didn't notice until I pointed it out, hey? damn.]

First of all, I just want to apologizes about how late I have left this photo. Hah, shows how unorganized my 365 project was. But I am honestly proud that I've completed it! I failed the first time but I know I wanted to complete it the second time around and I really think it was life changing!

After several attempts at this I have finally pulled my idea out of my head and have created my 365th photo. The bubble that is around my entire head in the background represents how restricted I was in the beginning because of the lack of knowledge I had and that when I first started photography, I didn't know where exactly I wanted to go with my future. The front portrait with me popping the restricted bubble represents that after this long journey, I now know what I want to do with my future and what I want to achieve. And it all involves photography.

Photography is my life now and I feel free when I'm taking photos. I'm in love with the shutter button, the sound of capturing life at a specific moment and being able to hold on to it forever... it's just magical.

I am so thankful to everyone who has liked/favorite/viewed my photos and added me as their contact. Your support really has helped me through the tough times when I just wanted to give up on it all, but all your kind words made me continue and achieve my goals.

This isn't the ending though, this is just the beginning. I have so many goals I want to achieve in the future and I will continue to upload photos even if it's not everyday, and when I'm feeling down and UN-inspired, I will come onto Flickr and look at all of your photos which inspire me continuously!

365 - the ending of one chapter, the beginning of a new.

portfolio | tumblr | photography blog | facebook | twitter

For my first trekking trip ever, I coincidently went on one of the hardest treks in all of Southeast Asia...

We arrived in Lombok late at night and left early morning at 4:00am to meet with our guide and 2 porters in the Senaru village. The trek started slowly up through some banana groves, but after about 1 hour we reached the forest gate, and this is where things got crazy...

From the forest gate to position 1 is 1.3km and very steep. After reaching position 1 and taking a short 10 min break, we continued up to position extra about 1km and it started raining very hard. The trail became a small creek, and very hard to navigate. From this point on, the trail mainly consisted of large stairs made from the roots of the trees.

From position extra to position 2 was another 1.3km, and it got steeper at this stage. It took nearly 2 hours to reach position 2, and my legs started to cramp up quite badly. After reaching position 2, we had lunch with about 20 other trekkers and only 1 other girl...

We then continued another 2 hours to position 3 where the porters setup the camp for the evening. My tent was setup directly in front of Jesse's tent, and he was snoring loudly (LOL) when I woke up at 3:00am to start the final 2 hours up to the crater rim. This last stretch was the most challenging, and I had tears in my eyes, and ready to give up. My guide was very patient and very encouraging. Without his help, I would have never made it up to the top....

When we reached the rim, it was a little discouraging that we couldn't even see the lake due to the cloud cover. We decided to hang out for an hour or so, and even though the mountain never appeared, we were still able to make some nice images of the lake and the new smaller volcano that has formed...

Although it was the most challenging thing I have ever done, it was really a great experience... Even though the mountain never emerged from the clouds, this image has a lot of special meaning for me, as it's by far the hardest I have ever worked for a photo... Next year, I hope to go to the summit!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rinjani

Mount Rinjani or Gunung Rinjani is an active volcano in Indonesia on the island of Lombok, Administratively the mountain is in the Regency of North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (Indonesian: Nusa Tenggara Barat, NTB). It rises to 3,726 metres (12,224 ft), making it the second highest volcano in Indonesia, and similar in height to Mount Fuji, the third highest mountain of the Indonesian archipelago and the thirty ninth most prominent peak in the world[2][3][4].

The 6 km by 8.5 km oval-shaped caldera is filled partially by the crater lake known as Segara Anak (Child of the Sea) This lake is approximately 2000 metres above sea level and estimated at being around 200 metres deep;[5] the caldera also contains hot springs.

Exposure1.6

Aperturef/14.0

Focal Length16 mm

ISO Speed50

Singh ray 3 stops Rev

Hoya HD Polarizer

To Jesse Estes Thank You,it was great trekking,lol:)

To Mark Thank You for all the support :)

A bee is one of the hardest creatures to capture on the camera but gladly this one was shot about to crawl into the amazing flower of the foxglove.

© 2019 Millettarian Photographic Institute

A good piece of writing acts like a key to unlock the doors that keep us apart. It helps to see that underneath it all we are connected - you to me and me to you. Blood flows through our veins and air rises through our chests. We are like a packet of crayons - some are different colours but all are important in painting the world. And though some may get used and appreciated more, they are all crayons and made of the same stuff. I know its hard out there. I know you feel lost and lonely and afraid. We all feel like that sometimes. But you have to just keep going and keep trying and one day you will get there. You have to believe that, because once you make a decision the universe will go about trying to make it happen for you. As long as you take the first steps. The hardest part is making the decision.

Leaving Paxos

March 10, 2015

"The hardest thing is to take less when you can get more." - Kin Hubbard

------

Another gorgeous day and I wasn't cooped up in the office; so of course out I ventured for a walk. Veered in a different direction today and came across three or four downy woodpeckers searching the trees for a good find.

The temperature is supposed to be just as ideal, if not better tomorrow and unfortunately I have to go back to reality and the office tomorrow. I took a peek at my inbox this evening and it seems pretty obvious that I've been away for five days. Looks like I'm in for a busy three days for the rest of this work week, but it was worth having the extended weekend!

Hope everyone has had a good day.

Click "L" for a larger view.