View allAll Photos Tagged heavenly...
Disclaimer these pics were taken by bestie Brenda Valmont. Please show her some love: www.flickr.com/photos/bvalmont/
Taken a few weeks ago - I've not managed to get out with the camera much since - mostly due to all the storms we've been having - but I'm always ready in case a spectacular sunrise decides to make an appearence!!
The incredible conditions on Sunday continued as we reached the top. Brilliant rime formations on the rocks on the summit of Cruach Ardrain in Stirlingshire, Scotland and incredible "god rays" striking the hills to the south made it hard to put the camera away despite the strong, cold winds. It's days like this in the Scottish hills that make up for all the other, less enjoyable ones when Scotland's weather doesn't play ball.
By this time, only Lee and I were still here, in the company of our new friend Brian, who for avoidance of doubt among regular readers was not the same Brian who accompanied us on our previous visit to Iceland. This Brian was a human being rather than a yellow VW campervan, touring the area on a five night visit from Chicago. Somehow, and despite having a young family at home, he’d been given clearance by mission control to fly to Iceland and spend a few days alone taking photographs. When my children were the same age as his were now, I could barely make it down to the shop at the end of the road to pick up a pint of milk without company, never mind climb aboard a plane bound for somewhere across the Atlantic Ocean. And here he was, sitting alongside us on this far flung Icelandic beach. The crowds had long since departed - not that you really get crowds at Hvalnes, hidden away from the madding hordes as it is. Last time we’d been here, three years earlier on that gloomy grey morning, we hadn’t seen a single soul as the rain endlessly coated our cameras and foiled our intentions, whilst hiding the landscape in featureless clouds.
Now as autumn kicked in, things were rather different. We’d been here since the middle of the afternoon, absorbing the views, wandering over the beach and the headland by the squat, square orange lighthouse, planning compositions. The shot I’d come for three summers earlier was hopefully somewhere on the SD card, and there was a general feeling of contentment. Despite the increased number of visitors in comparison to last time, it was still very peaceful here. Eystrahorn had put right the wrongs of 2019 when moodily I’d perched on the slippery rocks, barely removing the protective plastic sandwich bag from the camera as it sat unused on the tripod. Everything was visible, from the emphatic bulk of Eystrahorn rising at our side, a symphony of bumps, crags and ridges adorned with heavy skirts of scree, to the distant Brunnhorn that sits back to back against its neighbour Vestrahorn. In between lay a hinterland of forbidding mountains that cloaked the monstrous Vatnajokull glacier, and before them, volleys of white surf danced across a narrow spit of black sand that stretched away beside the huge tidal lagoon into the distance and out of sight. Elemental joy, in whichever direction you chose to look.
There are no cities, towns, nor even villages here - you’d need to drive more than thirty miles in one direction before finding yourself at Djúpivogur, nestling among the south eastern fjords, home to five hundred hardy Icelanders. If instead you decide to head west, you’d travel pretty much the same distance to arrive at Höfn, a veritable metropolis in these parts with almost two and a half thousand inhabitants. Apart from that, there are farms, the odd shepherd’s hut, and an ever increasing number of cabins and bunkhouses to accommodate us tourists. All other compass points lead into the vast ocean or the mostly impenetrable mountains at the edge of the largest glacier in Europe. It’s a long way to go if you forgot to pick up that pint of milk, that’s for sure. You’d have to go and knock on a farmhouse door carrying an empty jug, unless you like your coffee black.
With all of that grand vista spreading away in front of us, the long lens offered possibilities beyond the capabilities of its companions in the bag, and in the golden hour it came into its own, especially in these unforgettable minutes when the pinks began to fill the sky, while the golds continued to linger. On the darkening sand, maybe half a mile away, a small group of visitors roamed the shore, taking selfies, playing beach games, gazing out towards the sea, totally oblivious to the three photographers lurking on those distant rocks. A rare moment when the colours of the golden and blue hours seemed to overlap one another and produce a sky that glowed with heavenly fire, drawing a frenzy of shutters rapidly opening and closing. These are the moments that stay with you, a timeless reminder of why you fell in love with landscape photography. A reminder of why a place like this gets inside of your senses and never leaves.
Our first full day in the southeastern corner had been a good one. We said farewell as Brian headed east to Djúpivogur, while we went the opposite way towards our rented chalet at Stafafell. And little did we know that just a few hours later we’d be out of bed, taking photographs of the Northern Lights. But that’s another story. And another unforgettable one at that too. Iceland keeps on making the stories write themselves.
Quite a contrast from my other shot. Which was exactly the idea, I already got an imposing shot and with the few daylight shots I had I wanted to see how positive I could make the Tokyo met building look. Bright, vibrant, and generally looking like a force for good. This is way more accurate to Japan's picture then the other one and provided a nice challenge considering I don't often do very positive shots.
Now believe it or not, the sky is NOT fake. The rain/fog has been going off and on all day, so after a quick clarity adjustment in editing I found I actually had a beautiful sky to work with in this photo then a first glance suggested. The metropolitan's courtyard is a large circular area that could be exploited perfectly with both a wide angle and a fisheye (me using the former). In editing I also gave the tower(s) two different gradients for shadows and stronger light at the top. It's really stretching towards the Heavens (I didn't even distort the image at all). I can't believe I was unknowingly sitting on this for so long cause for once that sky could not have behaved better.
The purple emperor is very rare and does not feed from flowers but instead on the honeydew secreted by aphids, sap oozing from oak trees, and on dung, urine, and animal carcasses.
Grote weerschijnvlinder - Purple emperor (Apatura iris)
A great distraction today.... picked up my dslr to shoot something anything as its my mother's birthday day today she will be forever young.
Had another wonderful trip to Martha's Vineyard. Tropical Storm Hermine spent time off the coast for while we were there...providing wonderful clouds and light at South Beach nearly every night. Hard to capture what it really looked like...we spent hours on the beach every night, mesmerized by the light and waves.
Disclaimer these pics were taken by bestie Brenda Valmont. Please show her some love: www.flickr.com/photos/bvalmont/
Saint Nicholas Church (Bucharest Russian Church) / Bucharest / Wallachia / Romania
Album of Romania: www.flickr.com/photos/tabliniumcarlson/albums/72157711998...
All these latest skies shots are taken from my window ... God is great and and so are HIS creations , just look at this sky ...
"Faith is different from proof; the latter is human, the former is a gift from God".
Keep believing in Him , keep praying ...keep the faith ..
This venture was extra special as I was able to go out with my mom and other family members. I hung out with them for a while near the base but then noticed that my wife had a head start to be the first to conquer the alluring peak straight above. I quickly hurried up the steep slope in order to catch up with her to no avail. The higher I climbed, the better the heavenly view. As the sun started to set I abandoned my quest for the the top and set up for a shot that was truly dreamlike. The sunset never really took off but the surroundings more than made up for it. After the light show was over, I continued up to the top where a beautiful 360 degree view of the San Juan Mountains greeted me. I stayed until darkness set in which required an extra careful descent down the steep slope back to my awaiting party.
Thank you for viewing my site and wish you all the best while out in the field!
For more pictures of this venture see my blog at patrickdillonphoto.com/?page_id=16
Canon 6d, EF-16-35 F/4L, .4 sec, 16 mm, f/16, ISO 200,
Dolica professional tripod, Adobe Lightroom 6 to stitch pano and edit
Since hummingbirds are my favorite birds, I am going to post another one.
It is late in the year, so this little one will be a holdover. He decided not to migrate south like a lot of his other fellow "hummers". I often wonder how they decide who stays and who goes? :-)
I took a day off yesterday, and did a road trip in the Swiss Alps and nearby Südtirol in Italy. On the way back I passed by the small village of Valchava in Val Müstair (Muestair valley) in the canton of Graubünden. It was drizzling, the main road was steaming in the backlight of the sun. I jumped out of the car to take a few shots in the rain. Then I turned around, just because. The sight was stunning - the village center with church, some buildings and a heavenly double rainbow.
I processed a balanced, a paintery, and a photographic HDR photo from three RAW exposures, blended them selectively, and carefully adjusted the color balance and curves. I welcome and appreciate constructive comments.
Thank you for visiting - ♡ with gratitude! Fave if you like it, add comments below, like the Facebook page, order beautiful HDR prints at qualityHDR.com.
-- Æ’/6.3, 16 mm, 1/100, 1/400, 1/1600 sec, ISO 200, Sony A6000, SEL-P1650, HDR, 3 RAW exposures, _DSC2245_6_7_hdr3bal1pai5pho1i.jpg
-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © Peter Thoeny, Quality HDR Photography
The alpacas usually wander and graze at dusk. Maybe they like the cooler temperatures. Hazel can be a picky eater, though.
Hydrangeas are gorgeous at peak bloom -- big, lush plumes of blue, pink, and purple. But this period post-peak-bloom entrances me more. There's something about the fading colors and brown mottling that reminds me of some types of late 90s/early 2000s graphic design/textiles....and also, at risk of sounding ~freaky~, the palette of the human body; the greens, blues, and purples of veins & skin undertones, the creams, tans, and browns of skin and some hair colors, the pinks of mucus membranes & some skin undertones....love me a good Human Color Palette.
::: Falling for you - Devin Kennedy :::
Davinci couldn’t paint you in this light
I think you’re a masterpiece
Classic like a melody
And maybe it’s the way you look tonight
You’re perfect and I can’t believe
You would give your time to me
Never change the way you are
You’re rarer than a shooting star
A work of art; you’re one of kind
I’m fall
Falling for you
Seasons they change
But I never do
We’ll dance in the rain
And summertime too
Every little thing you do’s
Got me falling for you
I feel like I could fly ten thousand feet (high)
Future never seemed so sweet
Darlin you’re just heavenly
Never change the way you are
You’re rarer than a shooting star (shooting star)
A work of art; you’re one of kind
I’m fall
Falling for you
Seasons they change
But I never do
We’ll dance in the rain
And summertime too
Every little thing you do’s
Got me falling (for you)
A view of Rutland Water from the Normanton side at dawn and dusk can't leave anyone indifferent. Before visitors arrive or when they are gone, it presents itself in it's full glory. A few regular walkers will tell you that too, sometimes with words but more often with a uniquely calming smile as you pass them by at some off peak hour.