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📍 Minions❄️
With low temperatures forecast overnight, I headed to Minions in search of wintry scenes... and the location didn't disappoint! I hoped for frost, but found that the village on Bodmin Moor had heavy dusting of snow overnight! (Heavy for Cornwall).
Arriving before sunrise, I first climbed The Cheesewring (Stowes Hill). From there, as the sun came up, I enjoyed views across a misty Lynher Valley. On the way back to the car, I spotted the Stamps Engine House ruin in partial shade cast by Wheal Tor (making the strong midday sunlight more manageable), in front of the mist filled valley. The rust coloured ferns create a striking contrast to the blue sky.
I felt that a panorama would help to compress the scene to bring out the valley beyond. I'm not sure it really worked compared with my single shot test exposure, but at least it's created a large, detailed file...
🔥🔥 My 2023 CORNWALL CALENDAR is now available with FREE POSTAGE! (please be aware of postal strikes). Head over to my website for more info or to place an order 🔥🔥
Canon 6D MkII | 24-105mm lens at 50mm | ƒ/11 | 1/6 sec | ISO 100 | Tripod | soft grad ND & polarising filters | stitched panorama from 7 exposures | Lightroom & Photoshop | Taken at Respryn on 11-12-2022
© Andrew Hocking 2022
**Contact me or head over to my website for prints**
February 2018 at a Glance: my usual monthly bookmark that divides up the seamless flow of the Flickr photostream into manageable chunks.
Looking back over the shots I posted through February I see that all were taken indoors. Yes, that is a true reflection of the month here in the Scottish north-east. It's been a long, hard, cold winter dragging on since October. So every spot in the house has been explored for its photographic potential, and any brief moment of sunshine had me improvising shots before the grey light returned! It's amazing what you can find to shoot when confined by the weather. The collage maybe gives a false impression of a month filled with sunshine and flowers - oh! how the camera (with the aid of supermarket flowers) can mislead one ;o)
At a glance: At a Glance
Jardin Charles Trenet in the Quartier de la Maison Blanche (13e) in the south of Paris
The manageable green space named after the singer Charles Trenet ('Le jardin extraordinaire', 'La mer') is part of an urban development zone 'Eco Quartier de Gare de Rungis' ZAC (Zone d'Aménagement Concerté) specially promoted by the Paris City Council.
Paris, France 01.06.2022
www.paris.fr/pages/gare-de-rungis-13e-2541
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgbW6gGkAuU
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MLzijpQkJI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXS1LMaU7TM
Jardin Charles Trenet im Quartier de la Maison Blanche (13e) im Süden von Paris
Die nach dem Sänger Charles Trenet ('Le jardin extraordinaire', 'La mer') benannte überschaubare Grünfläche ist Teil einer durch den Pariser Stadtrat besonders geförderten städtebaulichen Entwicklungszone 'Eco Quartier de Gare de Rungis' ZAC (Zone d’Aménagement Concerté).
Paris, Frankreich 01.06.2022
www.paris.fr/pages/gare-de-rungis-13e-2541
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgbW6gGkAuU
Kashmir, North India - 1987.
Tech bits -
35mm slide film, x4 different scan exposures blended together to pull up details in the shadows. Infra Red pass to help remove scratches. Original slide was heavily contaminated. Scanner colour profile was created by scanning a calibrated image. This helps in obtaining accurate colours. Output is 3600dpi, scanned to a 48 bit ProPhoto RBG Tiff file for maximum colour range. The file is then reduced by 1/2 size to help sharpening and keep file sizes to a manageable level - around 25Mb.
Colour target - www.targets.coloraid.de
at Bush Park
--
My uploads will probably become less frequent from here on out. I used to be a Flickr Pro member for many years, until Yahoo (and financial troubles, causing me to lose my grandfather account in 2013)... Pro accounts became too expensive for me to afford.
Now that the restrictions will be back, and Explore preference will be given to elite members, I have a difficult time using this service. Pro accounts are still too expensive in contrast to the manageable fee Flickr used to be years ago.
Thank you for all the views, comments and collaborations over the years. This is a wonderful community and I'm sad it has come to this.
The Nature of Minto Group will stay active, but I understand if people stop using it too.
Thanks!
-LA
Shwesandaw Temple is the "sunset temple", where foreign and Burmese tourists alike gather every evening to view the spectacular Bagan sunset. Get here early, as the top levels are small and space is scarce. There are many peddlers around the temple selling T-shirts, drinks and souvenirs. The climb up is a reasonably easy 5 minute walk up a flight of stairs, but the steps get narrower and steeper near the top. Not recommended for those with vertigo, but if you can make the climb, you will be rewarded with a breathtaking sunset as the the temples and landscape are set ablaze in golden sunrays. A good compromise is to climb to the 3rd or 2nd highest level, where the steps are much more manageable than the topmost level, is less crowded, and the view is just as good. It starts getting crowded here as early as 4:30pm, so consider taking a view from the Shwe-Gu-Gyi temple nearby instead (easily passable if on bike).
The "Trapped Nerve" series continues - at last things are starting to feel better, not right but better.
The pain is manageable now without the Diazepam; so at least I am awake. Walking any distance or standing up straight triggers of the pain in my leg specifically in the knee.
At least I can see a light at the end of the tunnel now - I think its the physiotherapist coming the other way with a torch at the end of the week.
I will be glad to be off the painkillers and drink some beer.
The trapped nerve series:
A return to my puffin collection, I've still got over a 1000 images in the album so a little more work is needed to get that number down to a more manageable level.
When I was totally into digital/Photoshop I created this from a blank Photoshop canvas using 3 or 4 photographs, textures and effects covering 30 or so layers, which were finally merged into a manageable file - so it dropped from a massive file to a fairly small file size suitable for upload to internet pages. Probably about 6 hours work.
A return to my puffin collection, I've still got over a 1000 images in the album so a little more work is needed to get that number down to a more manageable level.
While this spot is beautiful and calm, getting here was way more difficult than I'd bargained for. I mentioned the other day that I stopped just before dark near Canyonville, OR off I-5 to take some pictures of Canyon Creek. The creek crosses under I-5 on it's way down the canyon many times. There are large tunnels at each of the spots and the site of the tunnels are where I go to get down into the ravine. On the right side of this picture the ravine connects to the side of a mountain. This was the first time I'd gone down at this location, I've been to this creek several times before, but at different spots. It's always a bit difficult, because the sides of the ravine are pretty steep and footing is not great, but when it's dry it's manageable.
Well, Friday it was wet, the moss, leaves, rocks, and it was all slippery and loose. I proceeded cautiously but my footing kept giving way, finally I slipped, fell on my right side, and slide the last six feet to the bottom. I was fine, my camera got a little dirty, but wasn't damaged.
Oh well, I thought, you're here now, take some pictures and then figure out how to get back out. After taking 6 or 7 long exposure pictures at several spots, decided it was time to get out before it got too dark. I was really having problems getting traction and was worried about getting up and then falling off the narrow ridge I'd come in on. I thought about crossing the stream and going up the other side, it didn't have steep drop offs, but was full of briar's, plus, actually what had me the most worried was how slippery the rocks were, even on the banks, and I worried I fall in the stream, which wasn't' deep, but my camera would likely get soaked and I would probably get hurt if I did fall. Anyway, long story here, so what I ended up doing was going up the side I'd come down on, but further up stream, problem was I had to go up very high, and it was a nightmare. Took me about 45 minutes to get out, only about 10 to get in. I didn't have my phone with me, and sure didn't want to spend the night down there, night temps would be well below freezing and all I had on was my jacket and a vest.
I should have been smarter, no picture is worth risking injury or worst for. Thankfully it all worked out fine, and I did get some pretty cool pictures.
The links below are pictures I took from the top before going down.
www.flickr.com/gp/alvinharp/ht1hE4
Happy SHIPtember! Weighing in at 100 and a bit studs long, this is the flagship of the White/Red Stripes fleet. Or, is this red with white stripes? I leave that distinction to the viewer. All in all, I'm pleased with this. Pay no attention to the bottom half of the build, where I've run out of tiles.
The shaping was the fun part of this, my inspiration was some Homeworld Mobile concept art that has to some extent influenced my entire little fleet. Specifically, the triangular engine array. The build started there and worked backwards, and from there I just made it up as I went along. (In fact, the engine surround is probably my favourite part of the build, along with the panels just behind the nose that nestle perfectly against the red stripe.) Breaking away from the Hiigaran concept art, I settled on a less blocky nose and settled with a more alligator-snout design. I'm particularly pleased with the internal structure which has essentially eliminated any sag, which is more than I can say for the first draft.
It feels like I've built this ship at least twice, and in some areas more. The initial framework was solid, to the extent that going back to make adjustments necessitated an almost from-scratch rebuild of that section. However, I've built it to be totally modular, which will help with the transport to STEAM.* The panels along either side all detach, the nose can split along the top and bottom, and even the frame itself can separate into much more manageable 30ish stud long sections. I shall take internal pictures if I remember during the teardown, perhaps.
So there we are, space! Hope you like it, click through the rest of the photostream for more pictures.
*In just under 2 weeks, for the weekend of the 11-12 October, this, along with the rest of the fleet, and my ADU vs Alien invaders, will be on display at the Railway Museum in Swindon. Come say hello if you're in the area.
SIA Renaissance 7.62 Ex
New from SIA, the REx is chambered in an experimental round based on the 7.62mm platform. The new round features high stopping power, medium to near-long range effectiveness and manageable recoil.
The REx is a skeletal platform; the version seen here includes a digital scoping module, but other accessories will soon be presented to market.
Scottish Industrial Armaments – Fac et Spera ©
Credit to Miko for the lettering. View in lightbox for full details.
I expected the single-coated lens to have problems with flare (some halation is expected with Cinestill films), but it's manageable. The real problem is seeing the frame lines in the dark - this is intuitive at best. Looks like I need a Pentax 67 after all.
Working with highlights again to achieve a balance with shadow.
Contrast got a little out of hand but manageable. Unfortunately I cannot achieve what the eye see's with the camera. If anyone has any ideas feel free to comment.
Audley End House is a largely early 17th century country house just outside the town of Saffron Walden in Essex.
The site was originally Walden Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in 1139. In 1538, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Henry VIII granted the abbey and lands to his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas Audley.
Sir Thomas Audley converted the abbey buildings into a mansion. His great-grandson, Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, demolished most of the earlier house and built the current magnificent mansion between 1605 and 1614. It was intended to be grand enough to host King James I, a feat it achieved, but its immense cost led to the Earl's financial ruin and conviction for embezzlement.
Throughout the 18th century, successive owners, including the Countess of Portsmouth, reduced the house to a more manageable size by demolishing large sections, saving it from total dereliction.
In the 1820s, the 3rd Lord Braybrooke remodelled the house to recover its original Jacobean character, a style that largely prevails in the house's interiors today.
After the second world war, due to heavy death duties, the 9th Lord Braybrooke sold the house to the Ministry of Works (the predecessor of English Heritage) in 1948. The house and gardens are now open to the public, offering a glimpse into centuries of English history.
Snake House or called River House
This was a quick setup for another view from the parking area for Snake House, I hand painted this with my 1,000 lumen flashlight. I have learned a valuable lesson about night shooting; you need at least a lens that is as fast as a f/2.8 and still sharp. ISO’s get up there but are still manageable with the faster lens at an exposure of 15 seconds.
This was taken in February 2023. We had never been to Crater Lake in winter. The road getting up there was icy but manageable. However, when we drove into the parking lot to view the lake, there was no lake. Years before we recalled you could see the lake from the parking area. We got out of the car and finally realized we would have to climb on the snow bank and hope the lake was visible from up there. This is what we saw.
These days my garden is small and quite manageable, having moved last year from a much larger property. The winter months have been spent working on landscaping and planting and now that spring has arrived, I’m starting to see the fruits of my labour. Brings joy to my heart. It’s the simple things…
The Kruger National Park lies in the north-east of South Africa and runs along the border of Mozambique in the east, Zimbabwe in the north, and the southern border is the Crocodile River. The park covers 20,000 square kilometers and is divided in 14 different ecozones, each supporting different wildlife. It is one of the main attractions of South Africa and it is considered the flagship of South African National Parks (SANParks).
The infrastructure of the park is outstanding by African standards and roads inside the park are of very good quality and potholes on the main roads are rare. Smaller sidetracks are close to the originals landscape, but manageable with a normal car, although a 4x4 offers probably a better comfort on this type of terrain. KNP roads have speed limits range from 20 to 50 km/h and it is not wise to go much faster, because game tends to cross the roads out of nowhere.
„A few are still standing there, have survived the long dry phase, and the subsequent rainy days with quite manageable amounts of water seem to have helped them a little.
They still nourish the already significantly fewer bees, wasps and bumblebees before hibernation returns to them..."
(Photo 2/2 - the big one)
„Ein paar wenige stehen da noch, haben die lange Trockenphase überlebt, und die darauffolgenden Regentage mit durchaus überschaubaren Wassermengen scheinen ihnen dann doch etwas geholfen zu haben.
Noch nähren sie die bereits deutlich weniger gewordenen Bienen, Wespen und Hummeln, bevor auch bei ihnen die Winterruhe einkehrt…“
(Foto 2/2 - die Große)
„I would like to take this opportunity to thank all followers, all new followers, and all those who just stop by. I say thank you for all previous and for all the new fav's and comments. 🙏“
„Ich danke an dieser Stelle allen Followern, allen neuen Followern, und all jenen die einfach so mal vorbeischauen. Ich sage Danke für alle bisherigen und für Sie all die neu hinzukommenden Fav‘s und Kommentare. 🙏“
My personal challenge for 2022 - I'll try - and do my very best...
Meine persönliche Herausforderung für 2022 - ich werd's versuchen - und mein Bestes geben…
Zoals meestal pakken wij de heen- en terugreis naar onze vakantiebestemming rustig aan. We verdelen de rit in hapklare stukken van 400 tot maximaal 500 kilometer. Op weg naar Spanje hielden we dus halt in Dijon en Avignon, en tijdens de terugreis stopten we in Narbonne, Vienne en Troyes — allemaal strategisch gekozen plekken met mogelijke fotomomenten in de buurt :-)
Voor de omgeving van Dijon, Avignon en Narbonne had ik vooraf wat voorbereiding gedaan. Vienne bleek iets moeilijker, en in Troyes had ik een locatie gevonden, maar door werkzaamheden was er tijdens ons bezoek geen treinverkeer.
Ondanks het perfecte weer in Dijon voelde ik me te moe om op pad te gaan — het was tenslotte vakantie, en mijn nachtrust had voorrang. Ons hotel in Avignon lag op wandelafstand van station Avignon Centre — vanuit de gang bij onze kamer kon ik zelfs de treinen door het station zien denderen :-D
Ik herinnerde me een mooie foto van Wouter van jaren geleden van een trein in de mooie stationshal. Zoiets wilde ik ook graag proberen te maken.
De perfecte gelegenheid deed zich voor toen een TER-trein van Avignon TGV naar Carpentras binnenreed op spoor A, terwijl twee Regiolisstellen klaarstonden op spoor C voor vertrek naar Marseille. Een leuke bijkomstigheid was dat ik zo zowel een stel in de oude PACA-bestickering (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, de vroegere naam van de regio) als een in de nieuwe LIO-kleuren — de huidige merknaam voor regionaal vervoer in Occitanie — op de foto kreeg.
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As usual, we break up our journey to our holiday destination into manageable stages of 400 to 500 km. On the way out to Spain, we stopped in Dijon and Avignon; on the return trip, we stayed in Narbonne, Vienne, and Troyes — all strategically chosen spots with potential photo opportunities nearby :-)
I had done some prep for the areas around Dijon, Avignon, and Narbonne. Vienne was a bit harder to figure out, and in Troyes I found a location — but due to track works, no trains passed there during our visit.
Although the weather in Dijon was perfect, I felt too tired to go out — it was vacation, and sleep took priority. Our hotel in Avignon was just a short walk from Avignon Centre station — from the corridor near our room, I could even see trains rushing through the station :-D
I remembered a great photo my brother Wouter had taken years ago of a train inside the station’s beautiful hall. I hoped to take a similar shot.
The perfect opportunity came when a TER train from Avignon TGV to Carpentras passed through on track A, while two Regiolis sets were waiting on track C to depart for Marseille. A nice bonus: one unit in the old PACA livery (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the region’s former name) and one in the new LIO branding — the current name for regional transport in Occitanie — made for a great photo.
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Avignon, 05/07/2025
SNCF 84605/606
TER 879318 Avignon TGV - Carpentras
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Our trip to Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa in 2014 was absolutely perfect. Wat I loved most, is the absolute freedom you have while travelling these countries. It was perfectly safe and manageable, especially in Namibia, to drive around in your own car.
Depicted here is a pack of zebras drinking at a waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia. What I loved most about this park, is the fact that you can enjoy going from one waterhole to the next, again in your own car. No hordes of tourists nor sharing a vehicle with a guide or other tourists. Just you and your buddy the camera :D.
Just sit in the car nearby a waterhole and enjoy watching animals coming and going for a drink!
Details
Nikon D90 / Tamron 70-300 DI VC USD / ISO 100 / f/5.6 / 70.0-300.0mm @ 300mm
First post from the ICELAND trip. There are many iconic places in Iceland and I had pleasure shooting them. But what is more unique about Iceland is that it has thousands and thousand of places that are equally beautiful and amazing. Also the weather here, that changes at anytime and everytime - making the same place look completely different by altering the mood.
I was driving on the Road 1 and (I think) just before Djupivogur I saw this mountain with relatively calm water-body in front. I was so amazed looking at this beauty, the wind was very strong, it was drizzling and dark clouds were approaching and I wanted to capture this mood. Somehow, I managed to take the off-road (not a big deal as it was short and very approachable) and drove my car down to this place. Spent some time understanding the location and enjoy it a little bit before I get busy with the shooting. The rain started to get more aggressive, but still manageable at this point.
I setup the tripod and took a few shots, but I knew that only a long-exposure will do justice to this shot and the mood I wanted to capture. But the drizzling became more prominent and I thought it is better to take exposure that is less than 30 seconds and not more or I will end-up with images that will be of no use due to drops that might get captured in the process. So I used Haida Nano PRO 6-Stops ND filter, giving me about 30 seconds exposure in that situation. I took at least 15 Shots (so I have more chances of getting image that has no or less drops) and now, while opening the files I found out that all of them have rain drops in it except for two images - What a relief! This place was unknown and I could find the name for it on the Maps, so this whole time this place was printed on my mind as "The Unknown"
EXIF: Nikon D850, Tamron SP 15-30 2.8 Di VC USD, 15mm, F/8, 30 Sec, ISO-64
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Eine der großartigsten Erfahrungen war der Besuch des North Rims des Grand Canyons. Anders als die südliche Seite ist der Tourismus überschaubar. Auf der nördlichen Seite gibt es innerhalb des Nationalparks nur einen kleinen Camground und ein paar Cabins - und alles ist schnell belegt. Also muss man als ganz normaler Mensch jeden Morgen und jeden Abend 40 Meilenfahren, um zum Rim zu kommen und abends wieder vor die Tore des NP. Und dort gibt es nur eine kleine Tankstelle und eine Herberge mit wenigen Zimmern. Gegenüber liegt der Campground Lake Jacob. Ein großartiger Platz, wenn man es spartanisch liebt. Für alle hygienischen Bedürfnisse steht dem Camper ein Plumpsklo und ein Wasserschlauch zur Verfügung. Natürlich nur fließend kaltes Wasser. Und selbst damit ist Haarewaschen nicht erlaubt. Aber ein ganz natürlicher Reflex in so einer großartigen Natur ist es, dass man irgendwie mit sich selbst großzügiger wird, das Deo entbehrlich und der Fleck auf der Hose interessiert auch nicht mehr.
One of the greatest experiences was visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Unlike the southern side, tourism is manageable. On the northern side there is only a small campground and a few cabins within the national park - and everything fills up quickly. So as a normal person you have to drive 40 miles every morning and every evening to get to the Rim and back to the gates of the NP. And there is only a small gas station and a hostel with a few rooms. Opposite is the Lake Jacob campground. A great place if you like spartan. For all hygienic needs, the camper has an outhouse and a water hose at his disposal. Only cold running water, of course. And even with that, washing your hair isn't allowed. But a very natural reflex in such a great nature is that you somehow become more generous with yourself, the deodorant is unnecessary and the stain on your pants is no longer of interest.
There's nothing else quite like it. Seeing these amazing galaxies in the night sky, and while they may be visible to the naked eye, only the most patient of individuals could get color like this.
This is Secret Beach near the California border, this was the last night of this weekend getaway, and the only night I got this beautiful night sky. The marine layer (or ocean fog) was fully over the bay the previous night (so I got consolation shots) and it's still on the edge of the horizon in this shot. Even for a wide shot I'm surprised by how much the center is in focus compared to the edges, it almost looks unnatural, like I used a mesh warp tool.
I sat there for a bit getting 30 second long shots, I went across the entire temperature spectrum looking for the ideal composition. The higher the temp, the more it would've looked like I dealt with light pollution (with the nearest town being Gold Beach, that would feel wrong). And in the end, I chose a purple sky over a blue one, feel as if it matches the aesthetic of the milky way itself better then a blue sky. There was a star tracker on site, but there were trees directly behind me, so I couldn't find Polaris, that's why some of the stars have a SLIGHT motion blur (this is only my 2nd time shooting a milky way as well)
It's not as chilly as you may think, I mean sure, it was midnight, and there was slight ocean breeze but it was entirely manageable. The problem was sitting there for a long while and just taking it. To get to this position you have to take a descent of a trail that is often grueling to get back up, so again don't worry about the weather you will warm yourself up at some point.
It was nice to get on a good ole Weevil on a school run bus. If I recall correctly at the time 401 had PM extras to cope with demand, and indeed the first one to turn up was too full to get on (and was an Enviro or something anyway). This was still busy but manageably so.
I've kept this photo hanging on my phone for stupidity long so it's nice to finally get it uploaded. Time flies too……
T321 appears to be the 229 lurking in the background
The Kruger National Park lies in the north-east of South Africa and runs along the border of Mozambique in the east, Zimbabwe in the north, and the southern border is the Crocodile River. The park covers 20,000 square kilometers and is divided in 14 different ecozones, each supporting different wildlife. It is one of the main attractions of South Africa and it is considered the flagship of South African National Parks (SANParks).
The infrastructure of the park is outstanding by African standards and roads inside the park are of very good quality and potholes on the main roads are rare. Smaller sidetracks are close to the originals landscape, but manageable with a normal car, although a 4x4 offers probably a better comfort on this type of terrain. KNP roads have speed limits range from 20 to 50 km/h and it is not wise to go much faster, because game tends to cross the roads out of nowhere.
Low Gap Creek has many slide cascades similar to this, but the slide pictured here, just above Low Gap Creek Falls, is stunning in both its length and magnitude. In fact, this is one of the longest slides I've ever seen with at least another 1/4 of the length further downstream out of the frame. No downfall or large trees across is just another bonus - what a beauty to photograph. My path to Crescendo Falls, posted earlier in the week, led me directly up this cascade section as there was no walkable land on either side to maneuver - slippery but manageable. Onward and upward.
I put together a video of the adventure if you would like to see this epic cascade and the other sights along Low Gap Creek in action:
As always, thanks so much for visiting! -H3
Let me tell you a story.......
The Ringed Teal (Callonetta leucophrys) is a small, attractive duck native to South America. It is particularly known for its striking plumage, with males displaying a rich chestnut back, pale grey sides, and a distinctive white ring around the eye. Females are more subdued in colour, featuring mainly brownish tones with mottled patterns. Both sexes have a characteristic vertical white stripe on the wing, visible in flight.
This species is one of the smallest in the duck family, distinct from larger waterfowl. Ringed Teals prefer slow-moving or still waters, often found in marshes, ponds, and slow rivers. They are notable for their gentle temperament and are often seen in pairs or small groups. Ringed Teals are known for perching in trees, unlike many other duck species, utilizing their sharp claws.
In the wild, these birds are fairly adaptable but are sensitive to habitat destruction and pollution. They have become popular in aviculture due to their manageable size and striking appearance. Efforts to conserve their natural habitats are crucial for their continued survival in the wild, as they play an important role in their ecosystems.
Details best viewed in Original Size.
According to Wikipedia, the enclosed Bridge of Sighs bridge is made of white limestone and has windows with stone bars. It passes over the Rio di Palazzo (officially there are only three canals in Venice, the rest are "rios") and connects the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace (here on the left) to the New Prison. The bridge was designed by Antoni Contino, whose uncle Antonio da Ponte had designed the Rialto Bridge, and was built in 1602. The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge name, given by Lord Byron in the 19th century, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice through the window before being taken down to their cells. In reality, the days of inquisitions and summary executions were over by the time the bridge was built and the cells under the palace roof were occupied mostly by small-time criminals. In addition, little could be seen from inside the bridge due to the stone grills covering the windows.
This image was captured from a bridge on the Riva degli Schiavoni shortly after 11 PM (after the day trippers have left) and Venice has become manageable again. During the day the bridge from where this image was captured is packed with street merchants selling most anything and with tourists on the way to and from St. Mark's square.
Explored Aug 17, 2020.
A very early start to get over to Findhorn to meet Steve (Stoates-Findhorn) before heading for Portknockie and this intriguing rock formation.
Our calculations told us the sun will rise in the gap over the coming week or so and thankfully there was a low tide that allowed us to get far enough over for the shot (next weekend will probably be more manageable from the beach – weather permitting).
The light caused more than a few problems with flare and under exposure of the rock.
This image is available printed, framed or on a canvas here
Explore 23/08/2015 No. 426
With the sun rapidly approaching I made my way from Dill Falls on the short trek to Upper Dill Falls. A rather steep but manageable scramble path leads down to the upper falls, and while the water level was somewhat low the setting was nevertheless fantastic. I found myself in a wonderful fall setting with the down leaves and the opportunity to get in the creek and make some captures. Lower Dill Falls is obviously the more picturesque of the two, but this upper falls undoubtedly has its own charm as well. Thanks for visiting! :) -H3
I am enjoying the unusually warm December in the NY area. The warmth is causing heavy mist and fog in the mornings. This area would normally be difficult to get to due to the heavy thorny bushes in the summer. This time of the year however, it is manageable and I got to it with only few scratches on my hand. Very little processing was needed with this photo as the natural colors and mood was perfect this morning.
C O R N I S H - W H I T E - X M A S
📍 Minions❄️
Here's a single frame version of a panorama I previously posted. And here's an extract from original description...
"With low temperatures forecast overnight, I headed to Minions in search of wintry scenes... and the location didn't disappoint! I hoped for frost, but found that the village on Bodmin Moor had heavy dusting of snow overnight! (Heavy for Cornwall).
Arriving before sunrise, I first climbed The Cheesewring (Stowes Hill). From there, as the sun came up, I enjoyed views across a misty Lynher Valley. On the way back to the car, I spotted the Stamps Engine House ruin in partial shade cast by Wheal Tor (making the strong midday sunlight more manageable), in front of the mist filled valley. The rust coloured ferns create a striking contrast to the blue sky."
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Canon 6D MkII | 24-105mm lens at 29mm | ƒ/11 | 1/8 sec | ISO 100 | Tripod | soft grad ND & polarising filters | Lightroom & Photoshop | Taken at Minions on 11-12-2022
© Andrew Hocking 2022
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Now that I'm a septuagenarian I can report that there are a number of positive things about aging. Number one, is that I finally got my supply of brain cells down to a manageable size. Another benefit is being held to a lower standard by friends and loved ones. Instead of having to always be on point, now it's acceptable to be "still with it," or merely "coping." Which reminds me of a story that I better tell before I forget:
A 60-year-old man went to the doctor for a check-up.
The doctor said, “You are in great health! All your tests are good. And for our records, may I ask, at what age did your father die?”
The 60-year-old patient said, “I didn’t say my father died! My father is 80. He skis, runs marathons and is in excellent health!”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Well then, for our records, at what age did your grandfather die?”
“I didn’t say my grandfather died! My grandfather is 100, teaches dance lessons and plays golf four days a week. In fact, he’s getting married next month!”
“Why would your 100 year old grandfather want to get married?”
“I didn’t say he WANTED to get married!”
Ba--dump.
Location: old gray matter in my brain.
Image imagined in MidJourney AI and finished with Topaz Studio 2.0 and Lightroom Classic.
Happy Fence Friday! We are have been overwhelmed with garden work in our own backyard due to the heat and drought for weeks. The main problem lately is staying ahead of invasive insects. Everyday, I check for the Japanese Beetles in my flowers. I flick them into a container of soapy water. So far that has been manageable. But our province has a newcomer called the Boxwood Tree Moth that turns a Boxwood bush into a dead bush within a week. We had to dig up 5 small bushes in our backyard but with a special spray I have managed to salvage our tall tree in the front (I hope). Yesterday, we took a break to visit the local Sunflower farm. We walked the 1.4 km maze through the tall flowers that were at their peak. It was uplifting and put us in a good mood again about gardens. Enjoy a great weekend.
I took this shot at Tate Britain a couple of years ago.
Happy New Year! Let's hope 2022 sees the back of Covid (or at least a manageable side) so life can get back to whatever normal looks like these days.
A beaver lodge sits surrounded by a banquet of Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) with East Beckwith Mountain (12,375 ft; 3,772 m) towering above swells of golden trees in the distance, Gunnison National Forest, Colorado.
As we approached the pond, it became clear that the beaver had created quite a fine situation for themselves. The views, of course, are unparalleled, should they care to stop and observe them. It’s a difficult question for humans to answer: Do our animal relatives appreciate the scenery? The place where they dammed the seeping creek to create the pond was also expertly chosen, as the shore of the pond reaches right near the leading edge of the aspen grove where the youngest, most easily manageable trees sprout from the clone. All around the pond is an effectively regenerating larder. There was ample evidence of beaver industriousness as well, with several large aspen stumps expertly gnawed and felled. Aspen are not particularly large trees, as far as trees go, but I still find it impressive that a knee-high rodent can bite one down, control where it falls, limb it, and then move the trunk in sections to where the dam needs reinforcement.
Beaver populations were decimated in the late 18th century, and throughout the 19th century, in order to feed the lucrative fur trade. The markets of London and New York were insatiable when it came to beaver felt. Losing the beaver from ecosystems in Colorado had a profound effect on hydrology, and I suspect the same is true elsewhere. I learned from a friend who is a scientist working for the USGS that beaver ponds created along every stream in the Front Range used to ensure constant, perennial flows of water into a system of wetlands on the plains that nourished countless waterfowl. Without beaver, many of these streams are prone to more episodic, less dependable flows. However, the human relationship with beaver is changing in at least some places. High Country News reported several years ago that the million-acre Winecup Gamble Ranch in Nevada no longer shoots beaver on sight, and has instead opted to leave the beaver to their own devices. A rising water table is one result of the numerous dams now found on the ranch, along with increased production of grass forage for the ranch’s cattle.
Upper Bell Falls
Unnamed Stream
Red River Gorge Geological Area
Clifty Wilderness
Powell County
Kentucky
Just before the earth stopped I had made my last day out on a trip down to the Red River Gorge with my good friend Adam Thompson visiting some new to us waterfalls and arches. Having not enough time to do any exploring we decided to hit Bell Falls and Upper Bell Falls along the RRG Scenic Drive. Here is Upper Bell Falls, a 7 or so foot tall waterfall that requires a steep but manageable ascent. Perfect flow and great light made this little side trip from our main objectives of the day well worth it! This was my last photograph for two months due to Covid-19.
Only a two mile walk to get to the city from here.
Union Pacific 4869 and 8191 continue to drop downhill, as the train reaches Garnet, here the grade levels off a bit going from a stiff 1.95 percent to a much more manageable 1.13 percent. The lush green palm and mesquite trees belong to Amtrak's Palm Springs Station, which doesn't see a lot of action par the six weekly stops Amtrak actually makes here and the shifting sand that blows across the entire station as the wind changes direction.
(011/366) HGGT! My polytunnel looks a total mess at the moment but believe it or not I've actually cleared 3 wheelbarrowfulls of dead tomato & squash plants out already. I'll see if I have a "before" shot I can upload to show how much better this is 😄
The top right corner is covered in dead nasturtium plants, that's the next section I'm going to attack. Then the potting bench needs decluttering, the back door needs new hinges & the plastic needs the algae washing off the outside.
It's all a bit overwhelming but I'm trying to clear one bed at a time, break the task down into manageable chunks. I'm still harvesting carrots, kale, lettuce, kohl rabi & chard.
Trying to survive through the battle of the freezing cold, harmful, incredibly damaging storm. I am broken and somehow still holding on. God sustains me though I feel mostly dead. Trying to do my part, working, and waiting to thaw. He is faithful.
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This photo was taken on a cold afternoon when I was struggling with high levels of anxiety. This is one of the things I saw that captured my attention, drew me in. I felt I could relate to the story of this scene in a very personal way. I noticed that being outside for at least an hour on that frigid afternoon helped to reset and neutralize how I was feeling. It didn’t erase the struggle but did help it feel more manageable.
I deployed my Mavic 3 drone in stiff but manageable wind to document this incoming shelf cloud over Aransas Bay on the middle Texas coast. Alas - this promising system produced almost no rain for our area...but, it did put on a show!
A return to my puffin collection, I've still got over a 1000 images in the album so a little more work is needed to get that number down to a more manageable level.
A shot taken back in June at my favourite location locally. Sunrises back then were brutal to get up for. It always seemed I was waking in the middle of the night! Fortunately they are becoming a little bit more manageable as the year moves on.
Railways of Great Britain
This start of another one of my collections although I have posted a few in the past
I have taken quite a few images over the years of Old Steam, Diesel and Electric engines and after sorting out probably 3,000 plus, I’ve now got it down to a more manageable number.
I’m starting with English Engines. Some of these images could be 25 years old. Many were transferred from negatives via a scanner so the quality will not be as good I would like. I have put them all through Photoshop to get rid of the most glaring issues
Apologies to those enthusiasts if I don’t get the right engine with the right Railway, they were taken a long time ago, some of them have moved on and my memory is not as good as it was.
Happy viewing.