LENS ITSELF - PLATINUM (Level 4)
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"Sunset is so marvellous that even the sun itself watches it every day in the reflections of the infinite oceans."
Mehmet Murat ildan
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Lake Gosau and Dachstein mountain, Upper Austria
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See another view of this amazing lake:
www.flickr.com/photos/paradox_m/33677424445
See my new photos in the My Travels album:
www.flickr.com/photos/paradox_m/37130318972
www.flickr.com/photos/paradox_m/33529415036
www.flickr.com/photos/paradox_m/32471946373
www.flickr.com/photos/paradox_m/32859156182
www.flickr.com/photos/paradox_m/32517135910
www.flickr.com/photos/paradox_m/31949925153
www.flickr.com/photos/paradox_m/32590713126
www.flickr.com/photos/paradox_m/31689426653
Осенний эскиз закатного солнца
"Закат настолько прекрасен, что даже само солнце любуется им каждый день в отражении бесконечных океанов."
Мехмет Мурат Илдан
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Ясный день осени иногда завершается желанным мгновением розового заката, когда горы окунают клавиши своих вершин в прохладные воды озера ...
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Озеро Гозау и горы Дахштайн, Верхняя Австрия
Gambia tour 2020.
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JOY OF JOYS, my brother spotted and called HOOPOE, no way I thought !!! But yes it was, our first sighting in the Gambia. Bless its heart, it let us very near, and I have over 100 keeper images, it was completely relaxed, and never stopped grooming itself, a experience I will never forget . Seen in the Kotu area.
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THANK YOU for being a friend and leaving a comment. Will look forward to visiting your photo stream and and doing the same on your latest posting. The weekend is coming on fast, enjoy, say safe, and may God bless you in all you do.
...................................................Tomx
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved Luigi Alesi
Amsterdam - Motorwal
Copyright - All images are copyright © protected. All Rights Reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.
Florence (Firenze) is a city on the Arno River, at the foot of the Apennines, is the capital of Tuscany.
From 1115 the city gained the status of an independent city, and in 1183 Florence declared itself a municipal council. In 1252, the minting of gold coins - florins, which quickly became the main coin of Europe. At the turn of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, it was one of the largest cities in Europe with over 100 000. residents.
From 1434 the city was ruled by the Medici family, who led the city to the greatest economic and cultural power. The city was enriched with a large number of great works of art and numerous buildings. Their rule, with slight interruptions, lasted until 1737.
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Florencja (Firenze) to miasto nadrzeką Arno, u stóp Apeninów, jest stolicą Toskanii.
Od 1115 miasto uzyskało status niezależnego miasta, a w 1183 Florencja ogłosiła się komuną miejską. W 1252 rozpoczęto bicie złotych monet – florenów, które szybko stały się główną monetą Europy. Na przełomie XIII i XIV wieku było to jedno z największych miast Europy z ponad 100 tys. mieszkańców.
Od 1434 miastem zaczął rządzić ród Medyceuszów, który doprowadził miasto do największej potęgi gospodarczej i kulturalnej. Miasto wzbogaciło się o znaczną liczbę wielkich dzieł sztuki oraz liczne budowle. Ich rządy, z niewielkimi przerwami, trwały do 1737 roku.
Porto is the second-largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon, and the name “Porto” itself influenced the name of the country “Portugal”. Established by the Celts on the mouth of the Douro River, it was occupied by the Romans during the fourth century, transforming it into an influential commercial port and renaming it “Portus Cale”. Porto is best known for two things: its river, the Douro, an evermore popular choice for river cruises, and its port. ... One of the oldest cities in Europe, its maze of steep and narrow cobbled streets is home to beautiful plazas, churches and houses with colourfully tiled façades.
Amsterdam - Heemstedestraat
Copyright - All images are copyright © protected. All Rights Reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.
Crupet is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Assesse, located in the province of Namur, Belgium.
Until 1977, it was itself a municipality.
It is a member of the organisation Les Plus Beaux Villages de Wallonie (French; in English: Most Beautiful Villages in Wallonia).
The Castle of Crupet, a 13th Century medieval farm-chateau is situated below the village centre, and a little to the north, next to the river.
Iconic view of Stockholm: Gamla Stan (and beyond) from Södermalm
I was attracted to the variety of horizontals in bridges, trans, etc., mirrored by the clouds. But also, the view itself is great.
ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
Do not use without permission.
The old gate at the bottom of the steps (the steps leads up to a park just outside the Prince Park hotel) is Somon (惣門), built in the early Edo period and once leading to a mausoleum for the second Edo shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada (徳川 秀忠) who died in 1632. The mausoleum itself has not survived.
Bonus for the sharp-eyed: as you can see it has just rained and in the gate a man has taken shelter, fiddling with his phone (Tokyo really is a mixture of history and modernity).
♫ Same Mistakes ♫ - James Blunt
Immortality
by Lindsay Laurie
Mortal are us human kind
seeking peace with baited breath.
Immortality imparts the mind
to believe there is no death.
Immortality is really history …
writings from the then times wealth.
Replayed in a similar mode
as history repeats itself.
Each tiny fraction of the puzzle,
is ancient generations text,
leads the way to consider
what right now is needed next …
Each year reaches new horizons,
the past has been addressed -
and we live our life believing,
our time is the very best.
Tachinni - Avery Dress available @ ✈️ UBER
“Nothing is impossible. The word itself says: ‘I’m possible!'” —Audrey Hepburn
“Zen professes itself to be the spirit of Buddhism, but in fact it is the spirit of all religions and philosophies. When Zen is thoroughly understood, absolute peace of mind is attained, and a man lives as he ought to live.”
Quote ― D.T. Suzuki
This Buddha face is an older origami design. I folded it from a small piece (12x12cm) of gold foil. Final size: 6cm height, 5cm width. Would make a nice brooch too ;-))
Model: origami Buddha
Design: Eric Kenneway
Diagrams in BOS Magazine #100
"To understand water is to understand the cosmos, the marvels of nature, and life itself."...Masaru Emoto
“Form itself, even if completely abstract ... has its own inner sound.”
― Wassily Kandinsky
a bit of sliding on an installation of color glass cubes
at the Portland Art Museum.
hope everyone is doing well, take care my friends,
happy sliderssunday!
♥
It was half a billion years in the making, two ancient continents collide, and the Earth's inner soul, the mantle, shows itself.
We hiked this trail under darks clouds, ran between raindrops, and stood in awe of the barren red landscape as the clouds gently rolled over the mountains. It was an unforgettable experience and watching these two take it all in made my heart happy.
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Gros Morne National Park - The Tablelands
A wonderfully conjured and twisted tree sitting hidden on a hill. The trunk was just fascinating as it seemed to be made up of multiple twisted and warped elements. Almost as-if sometime in the past it was hurt and then protected itself by growing multiple new trunks in all directions entwining the original tree trunk.
A moment full of magic, when the new day is freeing itself from the darkness. After only three hours of sleep I hit the trail, alone through the dark forest of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, to end here on top of mt. Kleiner Winterberg waiting for the sun to rise. And then, when you have focused to the horizon for a felt eternity, watching the play of the colours and than you can see the sun for the first time, that’s smashing. Every single second of this journey was a gift, I'm infinitely grateful for.
Ein Moment voller Magie, wenn sich der neue Tag aus der Dunkelheit befreit. Nach nur drei Stunden Schlaf habe ich mich auf den Weg gemacht, allein durch den dunklen Wald des Elbsandsteingebirges, um dann hier, auf dem kleinen Winterberg auf den Sonnenaufgang zu warten. Und wenn du dann eine gefühlte Ewigkeit den Horizont fixiert und das Farbenspiel beobachtet hast, und dann das erste mal die Sonne zu sehen ist, das ist umwerfend. Jede einzelne Sekunde dieser Tour war ein Geschenk, für das ich unendlich dankbar bin.
The position of Hohenzollern Castle is impressive by itself. All around wide lowlands are reaching out and in the middle the castle is enthroned on its mountain. The builders couldn't have chosen a better place.
Die Lage der Burg Hohenzollern ist an sich schon beeindruckend. Runderherum erstreckt sich eine weite Ebene und in der Mitte thront die Burg auf ihrem Berg. Einen besseren Platz hätten sich die Baumeister nicht suchen können.
#InternationalWomensDay
#March8
Not a ladybird which might have been a slightly more appropriate "supermodel" for International Women's Day because of its name, but an equally pretty Cryptocephalus bipunctatus. The whole supermodel thing is a relic of the past anyway, but unfortunately, we still haven't freed ourselves from questionable beauty "ideals" that often come across as beauty dictates. Social media and "influencers" don't make it any easier, especially not for the younger generation that is exposed (and exposes itself) to what one might call the "daily dose of beauty brainwash", recently taken to the next level with the all-new "beauty filters".
In Berlin (and in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, one of Germany's Northern federal states), March 8 is an official holiday, but not (yet?) in the other 14 of our 16 federal states. So this Wednesday – where all shops, schools, etc. are closed (and the weather is too ghastly to go outside – winter made a snowy-wet, cold reappearance) – feels like a very quiet, lazy Sunday, and I have too much time for writing rants instead of simply letting you enjoy this adorable, brightly orange beetle, a member of the so-called "Fallkäfer" (Cryptocephalinae) subfamily of the leaf beetle family. The name "Fallkäfer" (a beetle that falls or drops) derives from their distinctive habit of dropping abruptly when disturbed. This image also is a true oldie, I've taken it back in June 2017 at the beautiful public park Britzer Garten. The focus is ever so slightly off and more on the plant than on the beetle itself, but I think it's still sharp enough in general.
Wishing all of my female Flickr friends a Happy International Women's Day!
#sliderssunday
My last photo from the Berlin government district (which you can find in the first comment) was taken from the Kronprinzenbrücke (Crown Prince Bridge); in that image, you could only see one of the rusty fenders of that bridge; since I'd also uploaded two other images before where you can only see a small part of the Crown Prince Bridge (please check the album, if you like), I thought it's about time to upload a photo of the bridge itself. I have two different versions, taken from both sides of the Spree, which differ quite considerably in their "look and feel", although the bridge itself looks pretty much the same, of course, so it was difficult to choose which I'd upload first. This photo is the more harmonious version because there isn't so much going on in the background – the buildings you can see here are the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (on the left), and the building of the Bundespressekonferenz (Federal Press Conference; on the right) –, while in the other photo of the Crown Prince Bridge which I'd taken four days before this there are the more well-known governmental buildings plus a "slice" of the berlin cube in the background, and there are also nice drama clouds.
So stay tuned for the "drama version" of the Crown Pince Bridge which is even more of a slider than this one; you will see it on one of the future Slider Sundays :)
This final image is an HDR made from exposure bracketing consisting of three single images which I've combined in HDR Efex, and which I've sliderified in Lightroom with the masking tool, and in Color Efex Pro with various filters.
The Crown Prince Bridge was designed by famous Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava. His style is unique and the design of his buildings is so distinctive that I think you will always easily recognize a Calatrava design once you've seen one of his constructions. To me, his constructions often have a distinctive sci-fi touch, and they also remind me of alien or futuristic exoskeletons, but that's probably just me ;) The origins of the Crown Prince Bridge date back to 1709, when a simple wooden bascule bridge, the "Thiergartenbrücke", was erected across the Spree. Much later, from 1877 to 1879, a new wrought-iron bridge was built in the current location, and that bridge was named "Kronprinzenbrücke" in honour of Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (Frederick III) who later was German Emperor for 99 days until his death in 1888. That bridge was heavily damaged in WWII. Since it connected the Berlin boroughs of Tiergarten (West-Berlin) and Mitte (East-Berlin), it was finally torn down in 1961 after the Berlin Wall had been erected. The new Crown Prince Bridge which was opened in 1996 was the first new bridge construction that (re-)connected the former Western and Eastern sectors after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Happy Sliders Sunday, and have a nice week ahead, dear Flickr friends!
Evil often masks itself and doesn't remain in focus for a long time, as does the entrance to the Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp in the picture. The Nazis didn't murder millions of people immediately and caused tens of millions of victims. They also started as a small organization. It is never too early to take a close look. It is never too late to set the course in the right direction. Only if nobody acts, it's definitely too late.
Häufig maskiert sich das Böse und bleibt lange nicht im Fokus, sowie im Bild die Einfahrt in das KZ Lager Auschwitz-Birkenau. Die Nazis haben auch nicht sofort Milionen von Menschen ermordet und zig Millionen Opfer verursacht. Auch sie haben „klein“ angefangen. Es ist nie zu früh genau hin zu schauen. Es nie zu spät die Weiche in richtige Richtung zu stellen. Nur wenn es keiner macht, ist es definitiv zu spät.
"I want to live simply.
I want to sit by the window when it rains
and read books I'll never be tested on.
I want to paint because I want to,
not because I've got something to prove.
I want to listen to my body,
fall asleep when the moon is high
and wake up slowly,
with no place to rush off to.
I want not to be governed by money or clocks
or any of the artificial restraints that humanity imposes on itself.
I just want to be,
boundless and infinite."
-author unknown
Blog Post
sllorinovo.blogspot.com/2016/08/designer-circle-137th-rou...
Taken from the cog rail of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. This was during fall and there are varied fall colours on the mountains. Mount washington by itself has very little color to display. On a side not, it is officially the worst weather in the world.
When the light reaches the throat of the Brazilian Ruby Hummingbird (male), the green feathers change to golden or to ruby depending on the angle you are looking and the angle the of the light itself.
In these two photos you can see part of the transformation: golden in the first photo and light ruby (something more similar to orange) in the second photo. But I assure to you that the throat really changes to vibrant ruby tone depending of the light and movement of the bird too.
7 fun facts about hummingbirds
1- The indigenous gave very suggestive names to the hummingbirds, which perfectly described these charming birds:
For the "Caraíbas indians", they were the “colibris”, which means “resplendent area”.
The "Tupis" called them “guainumbis”, that is, “sparkling birds”.
For the "Guarani indians", on the other hand, hummingbirds were the “mainumbis”, that is, “those who enchant, next to the flower, with its light and splendor”.
2- Its huge heart, which represents 19 to 22% of the total body weight, facilitates the rapid circulation of blood.
3- In a single day, they are able to ingest nutritious substances up to 8 times their body weight.
4- Some hummingbirds develop average speeds ranging from 30 to 70 km per hour and the vibration of the wings can reach 50 to 70 beats per second.
5- They are the only birds that can literally stand still in the air, take off and land vertically, and even reverse in mid-flight.
6- The spectacular color of hummingbirds originates from the phenomenon of refraction of light, through the microstructure of the feathers. The color changes, observed in the same bird, vary according to the angle of incidence of sunlight or the movement of the body.
7- They say that Igor Sirkorski, who invented the helicopter, based his ideas on the continuous observation of the flight of hummingbirds. However, the helicopter cannot fly upside down. Hummingbirds can.
In the cold of the full moon on this night
Time itself it slips away, now you are mine
Slowly hours pass all through the night
Together we can disappear for a while
Now I am still forever and ever and ever
Now I am still forever and ever and ever
Endless, endless, now I am still
Endless, endless, your body is endless
Watching the hourglass on that night
We touched the stars
And reached the moon for a time
I'm lost in a moment with you, it feels right
We're floating above the stars, you and I
Now I am still forever and ever and ever
Now I am still forever and ever and ever
Endless, endless, now I am still
Endless, endless, your body is endless
I am still forever and ever and ever
Now I am still forever and ever and ever
Endless, endless, now I am still
Endless, endless, your body is endless
I am still, now I am still
Now I am still, now I am still
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUmrrBgHHZo&index=4&list=...
Location: Salmson Isle.
“Use what you have, use what the world gives you. Use the first day of fall: bright flame before winter’s deadness; harvest; orange, gold, amber; cool nights and the smell of fire. Our tree-lined streets are set ablaze, our kitchens filled with the smells of nostalgia: apples bubbling into sauce, roasting squash, cinnamon, nutmeg, cider, warmth itself. The leaves as they spark into wild color just before they die are the world’s oldest performance art, and everything we see is celebrating one last violently hued hurrah before the black and white silence of winter.” — Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way
HaPPY FieLD TueSDaY
This one is at the place where my love lives
Some of you might remember the green field I uploaded a month ago.
Now autumn is coming soon.
The light was special at this day, also the clouds.
It is a HDR work from 3 different exposured shots.
Layered together with 8 different HDR turned versions and one BW turned with Nik´s silver efex.
I am out in the field, looking for the magic donkey.
Hope you all enjoy this summerday, might be the last
LoL
Hiccup all the time, my friends
So……………….
This Celosia reverted itself and others from that Curly velvety Cockscomb, Please see the link bellow.
www.flickr.com/photos/komotini49/4013966511/in/photolist-...
Celosia argentea ‘Spicata’, aka Wheat Celosia’, is a showy annual (will not overwinter outside on Long Island) that dazzles in the summer through fall garden. Its long lasting spikes of colorful magenta flowers provide lots of visual interest wherever it’s planted and enjoyed.
collecting the seeds its very easy for next season,
Did you ever experience that surreal sensation when time itself pauses a moment to let you know that something is about to change for you?
When you decide to step into the spotlight, you surrender to the fickle nature of public opinion and chance. How much attention will you get? Will it be the kind of attention that you were seeking? Sometimes it might turn out best to have remained anonymous in the shadows.
🎵 Trance & Dance 🎶 Martha & The Muffins, Trance & Dance (1980), Martha Johnson
Abandon all your cares and woes
And come with us to a place we know
Just close your eyes and let your body sway
Hypnotic rhythm takes you far away
Trance, trance and dance
Don't resist, just let it flow
And a calm inside will start to grow
Time stands still and a darkness falls
No future, no past, now serenity calls
On and on incantations drone
Echoing still, that eerie tone
You are not aware of your body or mind
But this trance and dance you must leave behind
But this trance and dance you must leave behind
A very odd and daring choice of karaoke tunes to try out at Burrow's Whiskey Bar
By Paul Craig Roberts, a Top-tier Officer of the Reagan Administration,who concludes, " More than the empire is dead. The country itself is dead. " And like it or not, it is laced with Obvious Overtones :
thesaker.is/the-empire-has-collapsed/
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Elegy : Feodor Chaliapin
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt3YUreCJl4&list=RDvt3YUreCJl...
Vladimir Shushlin蘇石林- The Islet (小鳥) Rachmaninov
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwlydp439cI
Nadezhda Obukhova : Glinka Romance
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE32wTArmMM
Nadezhda Obukhova : Plaisir d'Amour
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCH0DvFxUgk
Elena Obraztsova :
Tosca - Vissi d'arte
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUzXt6EbDJM
Why Is The Heart Beating So Loud
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPU8TuFRiNA
Joan Brull : 30 Portraits
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Juajk3aNNmA&list=RDCMUCWjLl5T...
Russian and Ukrainian Impressionism
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1psufJxM0t0
Lev Sibiryakov (Leopoldo Spivacchini) (Bass from Ukraine)
forgottenoperasingers.blogspot.com/2012/03/lev-sibiryakov...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhZVn7pxkUY
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xvo8K9qddg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yL4K1ifkJs&list=PL77374B4E58...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8QNikFJYs&list=RD7i8QNikFJY...
Opera Diva, Renata Tebaldi : "Un bel di vedremo"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1woH96ROG-c
Verdi's Requiem: Confutatis by Nikolai Ghiaurov
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xD6H7mYNp4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHQhY-NjIZ0
A Persian Song by Rubinstein, Boris Shtokolov, 1955
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcgodcP4N_g
Борис Гмиря - Зоре моя вечірняя
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPdER4zWQ-Q
袁晨野 :
《三套车》 / Troika
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDRx1XE1N9U&list=RDlDRx1XE1N9...
BEYOND【海闊天空】
In Greek mythology, Phoebe is one of the original Titans, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia. The word itself means bright and radiant, qualities pretty much the opposite of the eastern phoebe. So what does any of this have to do with how the eastern phoebe got its name? Absolutely nothing.
Instead, the name comes from the call these birds make: FEE-BEE. Unromantic, but descriptively accurate. Sort of like the killdeer, which couldn't harm Bambi even if it wanted to, but does make the sound KILL-DEER. Scientifically, the eastern phoebe is known as Sayornis phoebe, and is a member of Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatcher family. It's the largest and most diverse bird families in the world, with members found in almost all of the Western Hemisphere.
Eastern phoebes are mostly migratory birds, breeding during the summer in Canada's far north and most of the eastern United States, traveling south into Florida, Mexico and parts of the Caribbean to spend the winter. Generally, they are found year-round in the Southeast but north of Florida; in recent decades, however, there have been a few eastern phoebes found nesting ias far south as Everglades National Park. Most, however, arrive here in September and October, and return north in March and April.
I found this one along Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, Florida.