How often? It takes just once...

Here is an example of the benefits of using a program such as Adobe's Lightroom (v2.5 in this instance). I have only used one type of processing within this picture, which is the Local Adjustment filter. This is an excellent tool, as it allows specific editing of points, for example, brightening the forground, whilst still darkening the sky exposure and adding shadow detail to one specific tree.

Originally when I took this photo, I was amazed at the beauty of the view, the colours, the atmopshere, it was almost magical. Yet this was totally lost within the stock output photo. I also happened to be tripod-less at the time, so a quality HDR was going to be out of the picture. I was going to bin this picture finally as I couldn't get the process I needed to bring it back to life..

I have been using lightroom now for multiple versions, and I have only just stumbled on this feature myself whilst perusing Lightroom tutorial videos on a Lightroom group. Anyway, I hope this is informative to people, and can maybe enlighten others as too how some people seem to get such excellent results from almost nothing, or those that don't see how one D40X puts out a picture like the top, and another puts out a picture like the the second... (PS I'm not blowing any trumpets here, I just think the change in picture is somewhat astonishing when some development of the article is actually taken on - after all, photographers for years have been developing in darkrooms, why shouldn't the PC and technological age give us our own "Lightroom"!)...

Please take the time to view large & on black

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Enjoy.. thanks for any comments, always appreciate those of you that take the time to leave comments or suggestions.. ta people :)

Habitat is a “home ground” or an environment in which an organism or group of species normally lives or occurs. In this sense, a habitat is any particular place that supports animal or plant life. From the habitat is where plants or animals get their survival essentialities such as water, food, shelter, and breeding grounds.

Different plant or animal species have different necessities for water, shelter, nesting and food. Thus, each and every plant or animal is adapted to survive in a specific kind of habitat. For instance, some turtles live in the seas while others live on land. Some plants grow in the deserts, some in the seas, and some in swampy areas. This shows different species have different needs. Examples of habitats include oceans, streams, or forests.

When a habitat is dramatically altered due to natural or anthropogenic activities such as earthquakes, agriculture, pollution or oil exploration, these places may no longer be able to provide shelter, food, water, or breeding grounds for the living organisms.

Such kind of events lessens the places where plants or animals such as wildlife can live and threatens the survival of various species. That sort of habitat degradation or fragmentation is what is termed as habitat loss and destruction. Habitat loss and destruction are influenced by several drivers which include:

1. Agriculture

Agricultural production has claimed much space of the natural habitat since settlers began converting forests and grasslands to croplands. In the modern world, the pressure to convert lands into resource areas for producing priced foods and crops has increasingly led to habitat loss.

Runoff of agricultural waste, fertilizers, and pesticides into marine and freshwater environments has also transformed streams and water systems. As a result, there has been a tremendous loss of natural crop species, aquatic life, and wildlife habitat.

2. Animal Waste, Sewage, Fertilizer, and Mining Waste Pollution

Marine and freshwater life forms are the most affected by pollution. Pollutants from animal waste, untreated sewage, fertilizers, pesticides, and heavy metals find way into wetlands and water systems and subsequently end up in the food web.

Animal wastes and fertilizers generate nutrients that cause an outburst in algae growth that depletes dissolved oxygen in aquatic systems. Mining wastes may also contain heavy metals that affect the health and breeding of aquatic organisms. Sewage sediments may destroy dwelling grounds of aquatic animals.

3. Industrial and Automobile Pollution

The majority of animal and plant habitats have been destroyed due to the toxic substances and chemicals emitted from industries and automobiles that pose long-term cumulative impacts on the species health. Seriously polluted regions have become dead zones since the conditions have become very harsh for biotic survival. A prime example is an acidic lake which cannot support aquatic life forms. In some areas, only a few organisms can survive owing to the cumulative effects of industrial and automobile pollution.

4. Water Projects

The development of water projects such as hydropower plants, dam construction, and water diversion frequently disconnect or draw off waters thereby altering water chemistry and hydrology. This is because such water projects limit the amount of water and nutrients running downstream.

The downstream section of the river can dry out and the nutrients supporting aquatic life can significantly reduce. As an outcome, gradual habitat loss happens as the water flows downstream.

5. Land Use and Development

The conversion of lands into urban settings, housing developments, office spaces, shopping malls, industrial sites, parking areas, road networks, and so on takes away the naturally occurring land that provided habitat for wildlife and other living organisms. This practice has substantially led to the loss and destruction of millions of acre of natural habitable environments.

6. Global Warming

Global warming is one of the recent leading causes of habitat loss since it changes the physical environmental factors such as temperature and moisture which are essential for a sustainable habitat.

For instance, wildlife that requires cool temperatures of high elevations such as the rock rabbit and mountain gorillas may in the near future run out of habitat due to global warming. Excessive rains, flooding or drought arising out of global warming have also impacted several habitats, contributing to the loss of wildlife and other living organisms.

7. Diversity Loss and Invasive Species

When a certain ecosystem which is home to numerous species collapse, more aggressive species may enter the territory. As the original species struggle to cope in a harsher environment, the invasive species contributes to a further and rapid decline of the habitat and subsequently dominates.

The explosive entry of invasive species into a habitat presents a strong threat to the native species as they struggle to survive in the increasingly changing environment. Invasive species directly competes for food with the native species and can also alter the structure of the habitat.

8. Vegetation Removal and Logging

Vegetation removal and logging destroy the structure of the habitat since it takes away the vital materials and natural systems responsible for replenishing and purifying the habitat. Removal of vegetation cover and logging also creates room for soil erosion and decrease stormwater infiltration which leads to the degradation of water quality, further destroying the habitat.

9. Dredging and Bottom Trawling Fishing

Dredging and bottom trawling fishing gives rise to the physical destruction of the dwelling, feeding and breeding areas for aquatic plants and animals. The displaced sediments may further smother the bottom dwelling organisms. Fish gills can as well become blocked with sediments and plant life activity is reduced due to limited light.

Dredging might also release underground toxic materials into aquatic habitats. Besides, bottom trawling fishing can by-catch unmarketable fish which turns out to be the food for other bigger fish in that particular underwater habitats.

Inframe :

The greater sand plover (Charadrius leschenaultii) is a small wader in the plover family of birds.

It breeds in the semi-deserts of Turkey and eastwards through Central Asia. It nests in a bare ground scrape. This species is strongly migratory, wintering on sandy beaches in East Africa, South Asia and Australasia. It is a rare vagrant in western Europe, where it has been recorded as far west as Great Britain, France and Iceland. It has been spotted twice in North America, the most recent being on May 14, 2009, in Jacksonville, Florida.

This species is fully migratory, and is likely to migrate without stopping on a broad front between breeding and non-breeding areas . Migratory flocks form after the end of breeding between mid-June and early-August, and arrive in the wintering grounds between mid-July and November (adults and immature birds arriving before juveniles. Those birds wintering in South-East Asia start moving northwards to the breeding grounds in late-February (the migration peaking in March to early-April), arriving from mid-March to May; whereas those wintering in East Africa and southern Asia depart for breeding grounds from mid-April to early-May. Most non-adult wintering birds remain in the wintering areas during the breeding season . The species is typically gregarious, feeding in flocks of 2-50, and sometimes congregating in groups of up to 1,000 when roosting (Urban et al. 1986, del Hoyo et al. 1996). Habitat Breeding During the breeding season this species is predominantly found in open, dry, treeless, uncultivated areas up to 3,000 m , including dried mud, silt and clay flats, hard salt-pans overgrown with halophytic plants , and rocky plains near mountains in desert or semi-desert . In Turkey the species frequents heavily grazed saline steppe . The species usually breeds near water but exceptionally it will nest up to 20 km away from it. Non-breeding During the non-breeding season this species shows a preference for littoral habitats with mixed sand and mud substrata . It is found on sheltered sandy, shelly or muddy beaches, large intertidal mudflats, sandbanks, salt-marshes, estuaries, coral reefs, rocky islands, tidal lagoons and dunes near the coast , although it may sometimes feed on coastal grasslands . Whilst on migration the species will occasionally utilise inland habitats such as salt-lakes and brackish swamps, usually roosting on sandbanks and spits . Diet This species is carnivorous: during the breeding season its diet consists mainly of terrestrial insects and their larvae (especially beetles, termites, midges and ants), and occasionally lizards whereas during the non-breeding season its diet contains mainly marine invertebrates such as molluscs (snails), worms and crustaceans (such as shrimps and crabs). Breeding site The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground amongst sand-hills, gravel, or on other barren substrates.

Ya gotta get to the Dr. Office on time.... but then, when you do, you rarely get to see the doctor for at least a half an hour (or longer). On this instance I was shuffled around to three different rooms while waiting to see my Opthamologist.... one room had this plant in a corner, and our of boredom took some shots with my P&S and then came home and did some photoshopping.

Well, as usual, I screwed up! In this instance I screwed up big time.

First, I did not pay much attention to my wife telling me there will be light. I said not in California and that too in Bay area.

Second, I did not take the tripod ball head and any other lens than a 20mm F1.8. It was a huge struggle to mount my camera on the gimbal head and adjust the tripod legs to get the right angle. So I wasted much precious time.

Third, I did not know anything about how to photograph auroras. So, stupid me used 30s-60s exposure to get the photos. And this last mistake was the absolute blunder. This is unfixable. My stars are long and my Aurora strikes are not that prominent.

But it was worth experiencing what might be once in a while event. I also went to the nearest darkest area that I know too well. Thankfully, most of the Bay area was busy doing what they do.

The naked eye did not see much other than some faint colors. But a 60s exposure did gather a lot of the hue of the Aurora. I am told this hue is not often seen.

Golden hour light made for some terrific colours and shadows in this instance. It was the shadow of the stairs that first caught my eye. I took a number of shots with different compositions shooting fairly wide knowing that I would loose lots when correcting for perspective as I was shooting pointing up.

Taken jsut a few minutes before yesterday's post, this is a contained staircase that goes to the roof of one part of the Hospital here in Lamont. I pass by this staircase every day on a walk to the park but had never really noticed it before. Something a bit different for me perhaps and it was fun to shoot.

Believed to be the first instance of a 5 engine lashup on the SCFE, CSX sending TRRA 3004 (USSC 6327) back and forth through Florida for a week ultimately coincided the delivery of 3004 with the completion of traction motor swaps at Childs for 6322 and 6323, making for a massive power move of 3 SD40s DIT. One of the wackiest consists to date

SCFE SBT-25 w/ USSC 4204, USSC 6325, USSC 6322, TRRA 3004 (USSC 6327), & USSC 6323

A rare instance of level and almost centered framing from a moving car. I was driving, so I only took a fleeting glance as I held the camera out to the side at arm's length. I did crop it some on the right side to put the tree more in the center, but made no other adjustments. The odd sky color must be the result of shooting through a dusty window. I like how opaque the sky looks and that the tree is in focus, also a hit or miss phenomenon in drivebys.

playing with some new techniques....

And I know that for some of you this picture is going to make absolutely no sense....for instance ,what the heck is up with that elephant.....well, They don't ever forget....and If I don't get something good this valentines day....well, I'm sure you can imagine!! ;-)

On June 5, 2012, Hinode captured this stunning view of the transit of Venus -- the last instance of this rare phenomenon until 2117. Hinode is a joint JAXA/NASA mission to study the connections of the sun's surface magnetism, primarily in and around sunspots. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages Hinode science operations and oversaw development of the scientific instrumentation provided for the mission by NASA, and industry. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass., is the lead U.S. investigator for the X-ray Telescope.

Image credit: JAXA/NASA

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NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.

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Thanks to Kim for situating the diptych!

It is often hard if not downright difficult to identify fritillary butterflies from their upperwings. In this instance it is possible. The butterfly to your right, as you look at the screen, is a male Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) photographed at a small RSPB reserve on the Dosret / Wiltshire border. Note the four dark thick veins on each forewing.

The butterfly to the left is a Dark Green Fritillary (Speyeria aglaja), probably a female. It was photographed on the chalk grasslands of the Purbeck Ridge, Dorset. This is much more difficult to identify from the upperwings because there are several other similar species in the UK. However, the key here is local knowledge as none of the other UK possibilities can be found anywhere near where this was photographed at this or any other time of the year.

These two fritillaries are the UK's most common. The Silver-washed Fritillary largely uses broad-leaved woodland and is more than holding its own in suitable habitat in the southern half of England and Wales and also in northern Ireland. The Dark Green Fritillary, although declining, can still be found in suitable habitats throughout Britain.

(I've geotagged the photo to Garston Wood which is where the Silver-washed Fritillary was photographed.)

more instances of our lovely Highland cow gang :) Happy Fringed Furry Friday!!

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My technique is alway the same:

Three exposures -2EV, 0, +2EV and then temperature adjustement using Lightroom and layering with luminosity mask using photoshop. Removal of distracting stuff with the stamp tool or patch tool. High pass filter to enhance details. Then saturation, contrast selectively control, dodge and burn where need...

DRI stand for Dynamic Range Increase. Three RAW files are used to achieve this. Rather than using a software like Photomatix for instance, I simply use mask to blend, my own way, the light, dark and normal shot with Photoshop and Lightroom.. To me, It looks more natural than the usual HDR treatment that I would normally applied.

Merci pour les visites, commentaires, récompenses, invitations et favoris. S.V.P. n'utilisez pas mes images sur des sites web, blogs ou autres médias sans ma permission.

Merci!

© Tous droits réservés

Ma technique est toujours la même:

Trois prises de vue -2EV, 0, +2EV. Ensuite ajustement de la température de couleur avec Lightroom et usage de calques et masques de luminosités avec Photoshop. Retrait d'éléments de distraction avec l'outil tampon. Filtre High pass pour le rehaussement des détails. Ensuite saturation et contraste ajustés de façon sélectives et locales. Dodge and burn là où requis...

DRI vient de l'anglais Dynmic Range Increase, qui pourrait se traduire par étendue dynamique améliorée. Les même 3 fichiers RAW entrent dans la composition d'un DRI. Plutôt que de se servir d'un logiciel comme Photomatix qui fait tout le travail, je me sers plutôt de masques pour filtrer l'éclairage dans photoshop et Lightroom. De mon point de vue, cette façon de faire donne une image plus naturel que le traitement HDR que j'employais auparavant.

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The Baron von Münchhausen reaches and boards the Galleon of the Flying Dutchman. By following Pegasus they are about to start together a journey towards the Moon.

Baron von Munchausen is a fictional German nobleman created by the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe in his 1785 book "Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels". The character is loosely based on a real baron, Hieronymus Karl Friedrich, Freiherr von Münchhausen (1720-1797).

After hearing some of Münchhausen's stories, Raspe adapted them anonymously into literary form, first in German as ephemeral magazine pieces and then in English as the book, which was first published in Oxford.. The book was soon translated into other European languages, including a German version.

The fictional Baron's exploits, narrated in the first person, focus on his impossible achievements as a sportsman, soldier, and traveller, for instance riding on a cannonball, fighting a forty-foot crocodile, and travelling to the Moon. Intentionally comedic, the stories play on the absurdity and inconsistency of Munchausen's claims, and contain an undercurrent of social satire.

The Flying Dutchman (Dutch: De Vliegende Hollander) is a legendary ghost ship that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century golden age of the Dutch East India Company. The oldest extant version has been dated to the late 18th century. Sightings in the 19th and 20th centuries reported the ship to be glowing with ghostly light. In ocean lore, the sight of this phantom ship is a portent of doom.

Pegasus (Greek: Πήγασος, Latin: Pegasus, Pegasos) is a famous pterippus, a mythical winged divine stallion who is one of the most recognized creatures in Greek mythology. Pegasus is usually depicted as pure white in color. Pegasus is a child of the Olympian god Poseidon. He sprang from the blood issuing from the Gorgon Medusa's neck as Perseus was beheading her, similar to the manner in which Athena was born from the head of Zeus.

Since the Middle Ages the mythical winged horse has inspired many works of fantasy to poets and artists.

Galleon : Sarel Theron

Texture and background : my own

Pegasus : photomanipulated from an old print.

Created for : MIXMASTER CHALLENGE #30 Chef : studiodobs www.flickr.com/groups/artisticmanipulation/discuss/721577...

Artistic Manipulation Group : www.flickr.com/groups/1000750@N24/

This was one of those rare instance in which I liked the way my camera’s LCD looked better than the view out in front of me. The long exposure, which was made well after sunset, brought out the subtle colors and smoothed the rough water. While not my typical shot, I like the way it turned out and realized once again it pays to experiment.

Large on black is nice for this one

As always, thanks for your input!

Barrett

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Photo of Icicle Creek captured via Minolta MD Zoom Rokkor-X 24-50mm F/4 lens. On the Snow Lakes Trail and on the way to the Core Enchantments. Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Stuart Mountain Range. Central Cascades Range. Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Chelan County, Washington. Late October 2017.

Exposure Time: 1/100 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-200 * Aperture: F/5.6 * Bracketing: None * Color Temperature: 9000 K * Plug-In: Vibrant Fall Minimal - Lou & Marks

Halation: The scattering of light. To surround, as if with a halo. The instance where light disperses while hitting film emulsions, especially around highlights.

I try to keep my geeky, technical side in check with photography. I am a bit wary of it, truth be told. I try to make my photography less technical and more creatively by chance. But I do enjoy geeking out now and again while learning the technical nuts and bolts of how film emulsions work and why certain films do certain things that other films don't. When pursued properly, such technical information can inform the less formal creative exploration of film photography. As long as I don't get too fixated on it, or too narrow-visioned, I find it can open possible avenues of exploration.

Anyhow, I was reminded of this general philosophy recently while researching the characteristics of Fomapan 400, which is kind of a unique film among black and white negative films. There are two things it does kind of strangely. The first is that it has a very uncharacteristic spectral sensitivity chart. While most black and white films kind of balance out in their sensitivity to the visible spectrum, Fomapan 400 starts out with relatively low blue sensitivity and progressively gains sensitivity as it moves to the red end of the spectrum. It makes the film behave almost as if it has a built-in red filter in terms of how it renders tonality and translates color into shades of gray. The other thing it does is exhibit frequent halation, especially in 120. I am guessing this is because the 120 format is coated onto a polyester base instead of the more usual triacetate base, and polyester bases are prone to "light piping". Fomapan 400 has an anti-halation layer added to it to help prevent this but apparently it is not super effective, as evidenced by this and other images I have made.

Anyhow, I dig this kind of thing and just wanted to share a little bit of it. I don't think I was aware of all these qualities while making this image, so they were a bit of a surprise... but a good one.

Hasselblad 500C

Fomapan 400

Stieglitz would never say that certain objects of the world were more or less beautiful than others...telegraph poles, for instance, compared with oak trees. He would accept them for what they are, and use the most appropriate objects to express his thoughts and convey his vision. -- Ansel Adams

I picked up this vintage chair at a garage sale, several years ago, and it's been rusting away in the back corner of the yard ever since. My intentions were to remove the rust and repaint it as no one wants to sit in it as it is. Well, along came flickr and now who's got time to de-rust an old patio chair. Oh well, I've gotten some great texture shots off the seat so it's still functional for something and maybe I'll take a day off from flickr someday soon, grease my elbows, and get this old timer cleaned up.

I will be driving to our mountain cabin today and won't be back on the computer until later this even. Yippee...fall color coming up...I hope!

yet another instance of this magnificent urban plaza in Granada, Andalucia.

Always a balance. Each instance is only one moment, one idea, one event. At the same time, each instance is a reflection of and part of the overall.

May your Friday be full of peace and reflection.

another instance of York's impressive Victorian railway station. You can tell that I am a convert ;)

Here is the prompt:

Show us any type of colored liquid and photograph it through clear glass. Think about different angles and lighting, for instance, shooting from down low with a light behind the liquid so it glows.

Be artistic and have fun!

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So, this is a bottle of wine I shot at a low angle...

Happy Friday, everyone!

A very different approach to the crocus shot from yesterday. In that instance, I isolated two on a hillside, shooting upslope and trying for as clean a look as possible. Here, in contrast, a beautiful cluster buried in a tangle of old and new grasses. I did think of doing some grooming, ie. removal of dead material, but two things stopped me: 1. the grasses provided some insulation - protection from wind and cold - and removing them would expose the plant and maybe damage it; 2. this is how we often see wildflowers, in context, as part of their habitat, not neat and clean, not calendar-worthy... so why not show them like this? Perhaps the pattern of blue splashes is enough to cut through the chaos of criss-crossing lines.

The two photos were made minutes apart. Are they equally successful? I don't know; probably not. But there's no point in endlessly repeating what I know will work.

Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2019 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Other than the stray cats and trees, the other living thing in significant numbers at Dakota Crescent happen to be the pigeons, which can be seen hanging in the most unusual places sometimes. Like for in this instance, hanging on a clothes drying pole.

Chandeshvara Nayanar

The South Indian legend, narrated, for instance, in the Periyapuranam, states that he was born into a Brahmin family and was called Visarasarman. When he was a young boy, he found that cows remain uncared for, and hence he himself commenced tendering and caring for the cows. While doing so, he would pour some milk on a lingam, which he made of sand. The news of this wastage of milk reached the ear of his father, Datta; and he himself came to the field to scold his son. Chandesha was deep in meditation in front of the sand lingam, and he did not see his father. The enraged father kicked the sand lingam. At this Chnadesha’s meditation was interrupted, and he struck his father’s leg with a staff. The staff turned into an axe and his father’s leg was severed. At this point, Shiva manifested himself, and blessed Chandesha, declared that he would become a father to Chandesha; and restored the severed leg of Datta to normal state.

First manned fligh.The first clearly recorded instance of a balloon carrying passengers used hot air to generate buoyancy and was built by the brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier in Annonay, France. After experimenting with unmanned balloons and flights with animals, the first tethered balloon flight with humans on board took place on October 19, 1783 with the scientist Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, the manufacture manager, Jean-Baptiste Réveillon and Giroud de Villette, at the Folie Titon in Paris. The first free flight with human passengers was on November 21, 1783. King Louis XVI had originally decreed that condemned criminals would be the first pilots, but de Rozier, along with Marquis Francois d'Arlandes, successfully petitioned for the honor. - Wikipedia

A pair of tornadoes north of Dodge City, Kansas—24 May 2016. A satellite tornado is reaching down from the periphery of a larger circulation beneath a conical updraft. These were the seventh and eighth tornadoes we observed on this cyclical supercell — one of several instances where two were down at once.

One of the reason's I haven't been doing anything SL wise is in part due to this game I've been sucked into -- here is one of the things you can do, its an instance set to 400% difficulty - but this character I have is somewhat "broken" and just melts everything (so fun) - plus trying a new video capture that gives no lag when recording. The game is also free if anyone is interested and I can help you with whatever you need.

My take on a local land mark. In this instance we have eclipsed our neighbours I think.

eclipse

ɪˈklɪps/Submit

verb

past tense: eclipsed; past participle: eclipsed

(of a celestial body) obscure the light from or to (another celestial body).

"Jupiter was eclipsed by the Moon"

deprive (someone or something) of significance or power.

"the economy has eclipsed the environment as the main issue"

synonyms:outshine, overshadow, put in the shade, surpass, exceed, excel, be superior to, outclass, outstrip, outdistance, outdo, top, cap, trump, transcend, tower above/over, dwarf, upstage, shame, put to shame; More

literary

obscure or block out (light).

"a sea of blue sky violently eclipsed by showers"

synonyms:blot out, block, cover, obscure, veil, shroud, hide, conceal, obliterate, darken, dim;

Crail... is a former royal burgh, parish and community council area (Royal Burgh of Crail and District) in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. The civil parish has a population of 1,812 (in 2011). The name Crail was recorded in 1148 as Cherel and in 1153 as Karel. The first element is the Pictish *cair (c.f. Welsh caer) meaning "fort", though this word seems to have been borrowed into Gaelic. The second element may be either Gaelic ail, "rocks", or more problematically Pictish *al; no certain instance of this word exists in P-Celtic. However, if the generic element were Pictish, then this is likely of the specific. Quoted from Wikipedia

The Museum provides an insight into the past life of this ancient Royal Burgh, its kirk, seafaring tradition, Crail Golfing Society (founded in 1786 - the 7th oldest in the world) and airfield history from the First World War until its closure in 1960 (HMS Jackdaw, Fleet Air Arm Station, HMS Bruce Boys Training School and Joint Services School for Linguists). Quoted from the Crail Museum website

A rare surviving instance of a steam locomotive running on petroleum (liquid) fuel...

Jubilee 50th International Railway Salon "PRO//Movement. Expo". Moscow 2021.

The male's testicles grow very large during the mating season and in this instance they make a nice chair, LOL! They do reduce in size after the spring time.

Tuttle Creek Campground, Lone Pine, Ca.

These class 68's have added a degree of interest to the UK rail scene. In this instance 68018 and 68021 head south over Beattock with a Tesco Express with what I guess will be empty containers. Tomorrow they will no doubt be filled once again for the long trip to Inverness. I am unsure how many large vehicles this will take off our roads but it is most welcome.

I believe the adult is a hen. Males and females have similar appearance except for their bill, but even that is not easy to discern in this instance. "A close relative of the Mallard, the Mottled Duck is the only dabbling duck specialized for nesting in southern marshes, far to the south of most of its relatives. Unlike most waterfowl, Mottled Ducks are almost never seen in large flocks, generally traveling in pairs or small groups. A major threat to their survival is the release of numerous pet Mallards in Florida and elsewhere in southeast; these feral birds interbreed with Mottled Ducks, diluting the wild population of the latter." Source: audubon.org "There are two distinct populations of mottled ducks. One population, A. fulvigula maculosa (mottled duck), lives on the Gulf of Mexico coast between Alabama and Tamaulipas (Mexico); outside the breeding season individual birds may venture as far south as to Veracruz. The other, A. fulvigula fulvigula (Florida duck), is resident in central and south Florida and occasionally strays north to Georgia." Source: wikipedia.org

“Nobody of any real culture, for instance, ever talks nowadays about the beauty of sunset. Sunsets are quite old fashioned. To admire them is a distinct sign of provincialism of temperament. Upon the other hand they go on.”

Oscar Wilde

SOOC

I'm sure most people would not associate Shropshire with lead-mining, but some of the hills around the Stiperstones in the south-west of the county have volcanic origins, dating back some 480 million years, and lead ore is associated with these rocks. Lead-mining in this small area of Shropshire dates back to Roman times, when outcrops of lead ore on hillsides were crushed and smelted.

Lead mining is even mentioned in some medieval chronicles. In 1179, for instance, the Sheriff of Shropshire accounted for the sum of £55 received for the King's lead from the mine at Shelve. The industry was at its height in the 19th century when steam-powered pumping engines became available to pump the water out of the shafts, allowing mines to go deeper. (Unlike coal, which tends to be in horizontal seams, most usable lead ore is found in narrow veins which can run extremely deep.) Most of the remnants of the industry have disappeared apart from the walls of the occasional engine house, such as this one which was part of the Ladywell Lead Mine near Shelve.

As noted above, lead had been mined at Shelve for hundreds of years. This particular mine is believed to have been worked in the early 19th century but the engine house and a new engine shaft were not constructed until the 1870s. The mine, however, was never a large producer of ore, failing to make a profit, and closed around 1882. With large quantities of coal being used, it probably cost more to pump the water out than was received for the ore.

Details of mining in Shropshire can be found at shropshirehistory.com/mining/sshropsof.htm

i miss fresh time-zero. here's an old shot that i have never scanned until now for polaroid week.

time-zero

polaroid sx-70

A rare instance of a Sea Otter attacking and eating a bird. Normally Sea Otters feast on shellfish not birds. More on this encounter can be found on my blog entry Sea Otter Attacking a Western Grebe

©2008 Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.

This picture is a reproduction of one I first saw in the Athleta catalog (for instance athleta.gap.com/browse/outfit.do?cid=1047782&oid=OUT-...), which seems to arrive at our house once a week. The landscape in the Athleta photo looked at lot like Utah and the signs on the trailhead board offered some clues for a location but it took using a magnifying glass to make out the words. I discovered this is Faux Falls right outside of Moab, Utah. Coincidentally, we were going to be traveling through Moab on our way back from New Mexico and so I got the directions on the internet and we made the slight detour and then the hike to the falls. It was extremely hot. Jessica complained about hiking from the car being the worst experience of her life. When it came to recreating the Athleta picture, as you can see, only one of my models, Kellie, was cooperative while the other one was only looking for shade. Faux Falls got its name because although the water looks like it is coming right out of the desert rock, this is actually a man-made waterfall build by diverting a water source with pipes. Still beautiful!

For more of my creative projects, visit my short stories website: 500ironicstories.com

Another instance of the 7 Tilden drags loads on the appraoch to Eagle Mills.

This was an instance where I just wanted to satisfy the image that had popped into my brain...

Texture by SkeletalMess

Birds by Shadowhouse Creations

Trees by MidnightsTouch

Not perfect, but a big improvement on other attempts to catch a White-Faced Heron in flight. In this instance, the bird was swooping across the upper reaches of the Pauatahanui Estuary on "Finals" for a fast-approaching sandbar!

My apologies for Absence; I've been "down" with a "Dreaded Lurgy" but hope to be back up and running tomorrow!

My kids saw snow for the first time recently. My eldest soon discovered that diving head first into deep snow isn't necessarily the best idea. For instance, it can help if you can breathe! Nonetheless, it didn't stop him from trying again.

A rare instance of a Sea Otter attacking and eating a bird. Normally Sea Otters feast on shellfish not birds. More on this encounter can be found on my blog entry Sea Otter Attacking a Western Grebe

©2008 Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.

This is a common sight when one takes a boat in Yamuna, Allahabad. One such instance during ardh kumbh on Mauni Amavasya day.

Ethereal has become enthralled with literature-- most recently, nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Perhaps this new fascination is due to her past and present experiences. Wherever she goes, she seems to come across the most unique and curious characters. This little scene, for instance, captures Ethereal's peaceful walk in the forest just this morning. Stumbling upon a pink pig on top of two very sweet mushrooms was the last thing she planned to see today. She is, in fact, trying to capture the moment with a rhyme of her own. Maybe she'll share it with me someday...

I'm thinking that Ethereal's true reason for existing is to bring out the nursery rhymes in everyday life-- or at least, her everyday life.

yesterday we passed through many flower meadows with lots of wildflowers. So that made it worth to get the macro lenses out :) The flower depicted is a tiny blue wildflower, not larger than than a thumbnail and I still don't know the name of this bewitchingly beautiful wildflower but I had to showcase it in proper manner in a triptych.

In this instance, the title is factual as what appears to be a misty day at the reservoir was in fact somebody burning a lot of stuff nearby and the smoke was drifting over the water at Trenchford reservoir.

A night shot that I thought looked better in black and white; I gave up battling with the strangely coloured streetlights! Actually, this one isn't quite black and white - I took the saturation way down, but left just a hint of the colour. I thought in this instance that worked better than pure black and white.