View allAll Photos Tagged hierarchical
The dominance hierarchy is constantly changing. These are the same two Plains Bison males featured in the current series, engaged in a little testing. The bull on the right was the aggressor; he was slightly taller and heavier, and tried to use this to advantage. The slightly smaller bull on the left seemed happy to engage in a little friendly head shoving. It seemed to be more like playing than fighting, but of course the underlying intent was serious: establishing dominance.
The REALLY serious challenges will happen between mid-July and mid-August, when the annual rut unfolds. This happens in a remote, inaccessible area, and whereas I would love the photo ops, it's probably best that tourists are nowhere near, because it can get dangerous. I've seen serious injuries in the aftermath, including a bull bison that had been badly gored. A sad outcome for him, as he died a few days later. But a protein extravaganza for the local coyotes, magpies, ravens, and other scavengers.
Tomorrow: the prairie wildlife series continues with some different species...
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2025 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
The term corporate hierarchy refers to the arrangement of individuals within a corporation according to power, status and job function.
It was a surprise to see this group of Mergansers hanging out under this bridge. Like in their own world.
How do you like the long exposure look?
Grizzly bears are mainly solitary and territorial. In some special places where food sources are plentiful, they tolerate close proximity. Often, there is clear hierarchy within these congregations. You can imagine how ecstatic I was when a mama bear with her two cubs shared the prime fishing spot with two other bears. And they all held still at the same time for a long exposure. This is especially rare as they are actively moving their heads scanning for fish.
This drone shot of the Big Tree in a Mojave Desert playa shows the very tips of the branches, where water begins to flow into larger and larger channels in self-similar fractal patterns. The light-colored tips are very shallow, almost level with the surface, yet very distinct. The biggest channels downstream can be 1-2 feet deep.
This "Big Tree" is 1.5 miles long and forms a striking example of geological art. Its beauty is enhanced by white salts that have percolated up from below, giving it a flocked appearance.
The fact that the shallow channels follow the edges of the salt boundary seems to suggest a connection. Does the percolation lower the elevation of the surface slightly enough to get water flowing? Does the flow only begin underwater when the lake fills up? Does receding water "pull" water into the edges by capillary action? Suggest a hypothesis.
Red Squirrel - Sciurus Vulgaris
Highlands, Scotland.
The red squirrel is found in both coniferous forest and temperate broadleaf woodlands. The squirrel makes a drey (nest) out of twigs in a branch-fork, forming a domed structure about 25 to 30 cm in diameter. This is lined with moss, leaves, grass and bark. Tree hollows and woodpecker holes are also used. The red squirrel is a solitary animal and is shy and reluctant to share food with others. However, outside the breeding season and particularly in winter, several red squirrels may share a drey to keep warm. Social organization is based on dominance hierarchies within and between sexes; although males are not necessarily dominant to females, the dominant animals tend to be larger and older than subordinate animals, and dominant males tend to have larger home ranges than subordinate males or females.
Red squirrels that survive their first winter have a life expectancy of 3 years. Individuals may reach 7 years of age, and 10 in captivity. Survival is positively related to availability of autumn–winter tree seeds; on average, 75–85% of juveniles die during their first winter, and mortality is approximately 50% for winters following the first.
Although not thought to be under any threat worldwide, the red squirrel has nevertheless drastically reduced in number in the United Kingdom; especially after the grey squirrels were introduced from North America in the 1870s. Fewer than 140,000 individuals are thought to be left in 2013; approximately 85% of which are in Scotland, with the Isle of Wight being the largest haven in England. A local charity, the Wight Squirrel Project,[26] supports red squirrel conservation on the island, and islanders are actively recommended to report any invasive greys. The population decrease in Britain is often ascribed to the introduction of the eastern grey squirrel from North America, but the loss and fragmentation of its native woodland habitat has also played a role.
In January 1998, eradication of the non-native North American grey squirrel began on the North Wales island of Anglesey. This facilitated the natural recovery of the small remnant red squirrel population. It was followed by the successful reintroduction of the red squirrel into the pine stands of Newborough Forest. Subsequent reintroductions into broadleaved woodland followed and today the island has the single largest red squirrel population in Wales. Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour is also populated exclusively by red rather than grey squirrels (approximately 200 individuals).
I am excited and humbled to tell you that my photo "Sac" has won the "highly commended" prize in the Digital Camera Photographer of the Year competition. If anyone will be in London from December 9-13, my image will be exhibited at the Mall Galleries. Someone take a picture for me, I can't make it!
Thats my cat Nyah, she is missing a paw, as you can see she is standing on three legs hehe :)
It's taking Cider a bit to adjust to his new brother, Charlie, who arrived on Friday. Cider has been tolerant, but is not showing to much brotherly love at this point. He is, however, making it perfectly clear where Charlie is in the pecking order.
Holy Relic of St. Michael the Archangel, Prince of the Heavenly Host.
Ex Crypta Apparitionis or Piece of Stone from the Cave of Mount Gargano in Italy, where St. Michael the Archangel appeared. The Cave is now a Sanctuary dedicated to the Prince of the Heavenly Host and is one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in Italy and Europe.
Feast Day: September 29
The Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano, sometimes called simply Monte Gargano, is a Catholic sanctuary on Mount Gargano, Italy, part of the commune of Monte Sant'Angelo, in the province of Foggia, northern Apulia.
It is the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the archangel Michael and has been an important pilgrimage site since the middle ages. The historic site and its environs are protected by the Parco Nazionale del Gargano.
The legend of the Archangel's apparition at Gargano is related in the Roman Breviary for May 8, as well as in the Golden Legend (Legenda Aurea), the compendium of Christian mythology compiled by Jacobus de Voragine between 1260-1275.
According to this legend, around the year 490 the Archangel Michael appeared several times to the Bishop of Sipontum near a cave, asking that the cave be dedicated to Christian worship and promising protection of the nearby town of Sipontum from pagan invaders. These were the first apparitions of Michael in Western Europe.
Pope Gelasius I (reigned 492-496) directed that a basilica be erected enclosing the space. The Basilica di San Giovanni in Tumba is the final resting-place of the Lombard king Rothari (died 652); the designation "tumba" is now applied to the cupola on squinches.
To Michael's dramatic later intercession, appearing with flaming sword atop the mountain, in the midst of a storm on the eve of the battle, the Lombards of Sipontum attributed their victory (May 8, 663) over the Greeks loyal to the Byzantine emperor, and so, in commemoration of this victory, the church of Sipontum instituted a special feast honoring the Archangel, on May 8, which then spread throughout the Catholic Church. Since the time of Pius V it has been formalized as Apparitio S. Michaelis although it originally did not commemorate the apparition, but the victory of the barbarian Lombards over the Orthodox Greeks.
The complex of buildings consists of the Battistero di San Giovanni in Tumba, damaged in 1942, and the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The baptistery presents a rectangular storey on which rests an octagon supporting an elliptical section and a high drum that supports the cupola. The church erected in the eleventh century by Archbishop Leone stands upon the remains of an ancient necropolis. A few remnants attest to its once-rich fresco decoration.
The Castello was enlarged by the Normans upon an episcopal residence of Orso, Bishop of Benevento, to provide a suitable seat for the Honor Montis Sancti Angeli, further modified by Frederick II. The massive, octagonal campanile was built in the late 13th century by Frederick II as a watchtower. It was turned into a bell tower by Charles I of Anjou.
Behind a forecourt the sanctuary presents a portico of two Gothic arches, the right one of 1395 by the local architect Simone, the left one a reconstruction of 1865. From the portico steps lead down to the low arched nave. The cavern can be accessed from a Romanesque portal, called the Portale del Toro ("Gate of the Bull"): the doors, in bronze, were made in Constantinople in 1076, the donation of an Amalfitan noble. They are divided in 24 panels portraying episodes of angels from the Old and New Testaments.
The archaic cavern opening to the left, with its holy well, is full of votive offerings, especially the 12th century marble bishop's throne supported on crouching lions. Among the ex voto objects is a statue of the Archangel by Andrea Sansovino.
During centuries, millions of pilgrims went to Monte Sant'Angelo in order to visit the “Celestial Basilica”. Among the pilgrims who visited the Saint Michael Archangel Sanctuary were many popes (Gelasius I, Leo IX, Urban II, Alexander III, Gregory X, Celestine V, John XXIII as Cardinal, John Paul II), saints (Bridget of Sweden, Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas) emperors, kings and princes (Louis II of Italy, Otto III, Henry II, Matilda of Tuscany, Charles I of Naples, Ferdinand II of Aragon).
Also Francis of Assisi went to visit the Sanctuary, but feeling himself unworthy to enter the grotto, he stopped in prayer and meditation at the entrance, kissed and carved on a stone the sign of the cross in the form of “T” (tau).
Since 13 July 1996, the pastoral care of Saint Michael Archangel Sanctuary has been given to the Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel.
ACT OF CONSECRATION
Oh, most Noble Prince
of the Angelic Hierarchies,
valorous warrior of Almighty God,
and zealous lover of His glory,
terror of the rebellious angels,
and love and delight of all the just,
my beloved Archangel Saint Michael,
desiring to be numbered among your
devoted servants,
I, today offer and consecrate myself to you,
and place myself, my family and all I possess
under your most powerful protection.
I entreat you not to look at how little I,
as your servant have to offer,
being only a wretched sinner,
but to gaze rather with favourable
eye at the heartfelt affection
with which this offering is made,
and remember that it from this day
onward I am under your patronage,
you must during all my life assist me,
and procure for me
the pardon of my many grievous
offences and sins,
the grace to love with all my heart my God,
my dear Saviour Jesus,
and my Sweet Mother Mary,
and obtain for me all the help necessary
to arrive to my crown of glory.
Defend me always
from my spiritual enemies,
particularly in the last moments of my life.
Come then oh glorious Prince
and succour me in my last struggle,
and with your powerful weapon
cast far from me
into the infernal abysses that prevaricator
and proud angel that one day you prostrated
in the celestial battle.
Accompany me then to the throne of God
to sing with you, Archangel Saint Michael
and all the Angels, praise, honour and glory
to the One who reigns for all eternity.
Amen.
The dome, entirely covered with mosaic showing the
Angelic Hierarchies, Scenes from Genesis, Scenes from the life of Joseph the Patriarch,
Scenes from the life of Christ, Scenes from the life of St. John the Baptist, and the Last Judgement
La cúpula, enteramente recubierta de mosaicos que muestran la
Jerarquías angélicas, Escenas del Génesis, Escenas de la vida de José el Patriarca,
Escenas de la vida de Cristo, Escenas de la vida de San Juan Bautista y el Juicio Final
The oldest religious site in all of Florence
Its origins are unknown although it is believed that it was built over the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Mars dating back to the 4th-5th century A.D. It was first described in 897 as a minor basilica. In 1128, it was consacrated as the Baptistery of Florence and as such is the oldest religious monument in Florence. Up until the end of the 19th century, all catholics in Florence were baptized within its doors. Today, young children can still be baptized here on the first Sunday of the month, but as they only have space and time for 4, you have to make the request with ample time.
The Baptistery, dedicated to Florence's patron saint, has an octagonal plan and an octagonal lantern with a cupola. Outside it is clad in geometrically patterned colored marble, white Carrara marble and green Prato marble that is typical of Florentine Romanesque architecture.
El lugar religioso más antiguo de toda Florencia
Se desconoce su origen aunque se cree que fue construida sobre las ruinas de un templo romano dedicado a Marte que data del siglo IV-V d.C. Fue descrita por primera vez en el año 897 como una basílica menor. En 1128, fue consagrado como el baptisterio de Florencia y, como tal, es el monumento religioso más antiguo de Florencia. Hasta finales del siglo XIX, todos los católicos de Florencia eran bautizados dentro de sus puertas. Hoy en día, los niños pequeños todavía pueden ser bautizados aquí el primer domingo de mes, pero como solo tienen espacio y tiempo para 4, hay que hacer la solicitud con tiempo suficiente.
El baptisterio, dedicado al santo patrón de Florencia, tiene planta octogonal y linterna octogonal con cúpula. El exterior está revestido de mármol de colores con dibujos geométricos, mármol blanco de Carrara y mármol verde de Prato, típico de la arquitectura románica florentina.
The Baptistery of San Giovanni is one of the oldest astronomical places in the city of Florence.
Already around the 1000 was placed a marble inlay at the north door which is one of the oldest astronomical Florentine documents.
This is a gnomon which demonstrates the interest for the apparent motion of the sun: through a hole in the dome, solar radiation affecting the signs of the zodiac engraved on marble, thus allowing it to control the path of the sun during the year.
Author of the work may have been the leader and medieval astrologer Strozzo Strozzi. During the thirteenth century, following a remake of the floor, the marble was moved in the eastern part of the Baptistery, so today is no longer possible to assess its accuracy.
"any system of persons or things ranked one above another".
Marina Bay is a place for people from all walks of life to explore, exchange and entertain.
The unique Supergrove trees seems to be bridging the gap between skyscrapers and the natural surroundings. On the top this hierarchy is the Marina bay sands, renowned as one of the most expensive buildings in the world.
Gull hierarchy in action at Strathclyde Loch. The small one does all the hard work, then the big one steals it.
Originally it was "Troilia", in memory of the city of Asia Minor, Troy, while its acropolis-fortress "Obelanon", Uggiano, as the name of its castle recalls.
Both important centers in Roman times, with the fall of the Greek, Lombard and Norman dominions took possession of the city.
The current name "Ferrandina" comes from Federico d'Aragona, in his honor and his father, King Ferrante (or Ferrantino). Among the relevant historical moments that have affected the city we must remember its participation in the revolts of 1820-21 and 1860, while in 1862 Ferrandina was the scene of the actions of the brigands led by Carmine Crocco. In September 1943 Ferrandina rebelled against the fascist hierarchy.
I guess the guy on top must be the alpha male of the flock of Scaly-breasted Munia regularly seen near the Meadowbrook Section of the Los Angeles County Arboretum !
The photo is dark and not too good, but I love the action. Sibling rivalry is serious business in the fox world and is very important in establishing hierarchy. These two male kits were going at it for a long time and it was amazing to witness, they rarely if ever injure each other. Now I know why the dance is called the "Fox Trot" and foxes do it best!!
www.thephotoargus.com/amazing-photos-of-foxes-by-mary-lee...
Red Fox kits are always fighting. Although these fights are rarely serious they are important in establishing hierarchy. Both of these fox kits, became badly infected with mange. I was able to medicate and cure them both, and they went on to become beautiful healthy adult male foxes.
As our 1+ year old cats venture out into the neighborhood, like Sufjan here, they must negotiate where they fall in the neighborhood cat hierarchy of dozens of other cats.
When many shark species such as these Galapagos Sharks (Carcharhinus galapagensis) school up, the most dominant animals are up at the top of the school. Here, the large dominant female swims way above the rest of her school.
These sharks congregate off the north shore of Oahu every winter to mate.
Oahu, Hawaii
Europe, Netherlands, Noord-Brabant, Breda, Chassé park, Chassé theatre, Youngsters (sligthly cut fom all sides)
The Chassé theater is designed by Herman Hertzberger (1995). The building consists of three theaters and three cinemas with a total capacity of some 2500 people.
The graphically pleasing backside of the buildings is shown here. The building lacks the structuralist form language, the edgy 'humanist rhythm' and the non-hierarchical logic of Herzberger earlier work (like the Vredenbug theater (Utrecht) and the Centaal Beheer office building (Amersfoort).
The Chassé area is a redevelopment of a former military compound (barracks and parade grounds used until 1993) in the inner city of Breda. The urban plan was conceived by Rem Koolhaas / OMA (Office of Metropolitan Architecture) . The public spaces and landscaping was designed by West8. The area consists of a park, terraced housing, apartments, the city office, the Chassé theatre and the Mezz pop music temple.
Oh, his one is shot with my new mobile phone, a Motorola G5S Plus. I normally would never buy a camera that has auto-HDR and a dual lens configuration that handles fake DoF. But when it's a feature of a phone cam, it can come in handy. And the cam unit is of surprising quality. This shot was captured in HDR mode.
it's number 173 of the 'Urban Frontiers' album about urban growth and redevelopment in highly urbanized Holland here.
This is the start of a Chassé Park mini series.
There is no hierarchy to this series. The order has more to do with when I see something that makes me think of a certain photographer, and getting a picture that might serve as an homage to their work (as opposed to an insult). Thus, the fifth entry in the series is dedicated to my favourite photographer, Fred Herzog (1930-2019).
Fred Herzog must be counted among the great street photographers and pioneers in colour photography as art. You can see his work here: www.equinoxgallery.com/our-artists/fred-herzog/ and here: pier24.org/artist/fred-herzog/
For decades Fred Herzog walked around Vancouver in his spare time and documented what he saw. Although he was active in the local art community, his work only became widely known when he was in his seventies. He was not photographing to become famous; he was pursuing a hobby and a passion. I think many of us can relate.
The saturated Kodachrome colours in Fred Herzog’s images are certainly part of the reason I love his work, but it is his eye for framing a scene that consistently impresses and simultaneously inspires and intimidates me. He worked quickly and trusted his eye and his instincts. He incorporated colour so beautifully and the lines in his work are so precise that the images look like the framing was laboured over and locked off on a tripod.
Perhaps one can read too much into photographs, but I also gravitate to Herzog’s work because there is a feeling of love for his subject matter, rather than distance or disdain. There is a sense of affection for the people and the things he photographed. Even scenes of what might be called urban decay are framed so we see beauty in the dilapidation. He captured scenes of a city that people were living their lives in. I’ll stop before I start to sound like a curator.
Ted Forbes mentioned Edward Hopper and Norman Rockwell as possible inspirations for Herzog and that sounds plausible to me. Ted Forbes was a curator so probably knows what he is talking about.
Here are some thoughts from Fred Herzog himself:
“I enjoy doing it. I took pictures whether I thought I could sell them or not. The pictures were my hobby. I had a job…”
“I’m an eclectic photographer. And that has to do with the breadth of my being, my interests, my intellect, my friends, the things I find worthwhile in life.”
“What you bring to the picture is everything you are, everything you have learned, everything you have intellectualized. You have to have ideas of what the world is like, and looks like, and should be like. That all has to be brought to that picture. So I have the authority of having [premeditated] these things for years, not just at this moment, but what I am I am seeing here today and photographing, that has all my experience and learning in it.”
“This is the wonderful thing about photography, every person is his own style. There is no such thing as style. You don’t acquire style by going to night school. You don’t acquire style by reading a book that’s published by one of the film manufacturers and it’s called ‘all the cheap tricks in one volume’. That’s not how you acquire style. Style is you.”
“Photography does not work well with new things. It works well with used things, it works well with slightly messy things, it works well with original things.”
“I found photography, and then perhaps photography found me, but that came in the last ten years, you know. Until I was seventy-five I was unknown. It’s only now that, all of a sudden, my stuff is the right stuff.”
All quotes are from the Fred Herzog episode of the documentary series Snapshot. You can find it on YouTube.
It has taken me until entry number five to get around to Fred Herzog because I admire his photographs so much, and I find it intimidating to even try to pay homage to him. I ended up going back into my archives and finding an image taken in 2017 while walking in East Vancouver. It is certainly not in Fred Herzog’s league, but it shows a scene that I think may have caught his eye in a place where he might have wandered during his decades of documenting Vancouver. I posted another image of this building at that time (also an homage as its title indicates): www.flickr.com/photos/james_d_images/24498698867/in/photo... I got an email some time later from someone who saw that post and was a fan of Fred Herzog. They told me they had lived in that building and that it had since been torn down. That makes these pictures more appropriate tributes because Fred Herzog recorded so much that is now gone.
I highly recommend the book ‘Fred Herzog: Modern Color.’
If you are in or around Vancouver, there is a ticketed exhibit of Fred Herzog’s Chinatown photographs at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre until December 31, 2025.
As always, thanks for reading these ramblings. Happy photographing, friends. May you always be filled with inspiration.