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Last year I seemed to have a continuous bad run in terms of sunrise photography outings which has put me off for a long while, so this year I have focused more on sunsets.

However, as the days are getting shorter and sunrise times more manageable, I thought I'd head out the other morning and chance my luck. I'm glad I did as it definitely paid off.

I've walked past this tarn a few times on my Lake District outings, but had never considered it as a photography location. However, over the last few years I've noticed many beautiful pictures online from this spot so thought I'd give it a go myself. I usually like to photograph more off-the-beaten-track locations and find my own perspectives, but every once in a while I like to take inspiration from the many other great photographers out there.

As I was taking some long exposures of the water, the early morning sunshine suddenly and momentarily broke through, illuminating the distant and majestic Langdale Pikes. It was definitely a sight to behold.

Now I'm looking forward to autumn/winter and hopefully more successful sunrise shoots.

This is a picture from last years winter. Looks pretty and was manageable. Now we are preparing for a really big one and nobody really knows how much snow we are going to get in the next two days. Could be up to two feet. If we are not going to lose power, I will try to post a picture from the same spot hopefully by Sunday ;-)

Wish you all a wonderful and safe weekend!!

…be a Green Heron on the bayou EVERYTIME I visit. There really are no rules, but these little characters are always a welcome sight for me and I always enjoy seeing them. I always seek them out, but this one sort of fell in my lap. I was trying to capture a Yellow-crowned Night Heron that flew up in the tree above and was a bit disappointed until I realized that this little character was tucked way back in the shadows behind the Heron and continued to hunt as I drifted closer. The winds were favorable on this particular day even though the sky was overcast and it made the approach more manageable. Green Heron foraging on Armand Bayou.

A7R01178uls

Wild Boar - Sus Scrofa

Forest of Dean

Status in Britain

Wild boars were apparently already becoming rare by the 11th century since a 1087 forestry law enacted by William the Conqueror punishes through blinding the unlawful killing of a boar. Charles I attempted to reintroduce the species into the New Forest, though this population was exterminated during the Civil War.

Between their medieval extinction and the 1980s, when wild boar farming began, only a handful of captive wild boar, imported from the continent, were present in Britain. Occasional escapes of wild boar from wildlife parks have occurred as early as the 1970s, but since the early 1990s significant populations have re-established themselves after escapes from farms, the number of which has increased as the demand for meat from the species has grown. A 1998 MAFF (now DEFRA) study on wild boar living wild in Britain confirmed the presence of two populations of wild boar living in Britain; one in Kent/East Sussex and another in Dorset. Another DEFRA report, in February 2008, confirmed the existence of these two sites as 'established breeding areas' and identified a third in Gloucestershire/Herefordshire; in the Forest of Dean/Ross on Wye area. A 'new breeding population' was also identified in Devon. There is another significant population in Dumfries and Galloway. Populations estimates were as follows:

The largest population, in Kent/East Sussex, was then estimated at approximately 200 animals in the core distribution area.

The second largest, in Gloucestershire/Herefordshire, was first estimated to be in excess of 100 animals. Legally classified as dangerous wild animals, the group is known to be feral descendants of domestic (Tamworth) pigs abandoned nearby. Their numbers grew by 2016 to at least 1500 and the Forestry Commission planned to reduce the total to a manageable 400. "Adult males can reach twenty stone (125 kg), run at thirty miles an hour, and can jump or barge through all but the strongest fences. Also, they are not afraid of humans, so (unlike deer) you can't just shoo them out of your garden."

The smallest, in west Dorset, was estimated to be fewer than 50 animals.

Since winter 2005/6 significant escapes/releases have also resulted in animals colonizing areas around the fringes of Dartmoor, in Devon. These are considered as an additional single 'new breeding population' and currently estimated to be up to 100 animals.

Population estimates for the Forest of Dean are disputed as at the time that the DEFRA population estimate was 100, a photo of a boar sounder in the forest near Staunton with over 33 animals visible was published, and at about the same time over 30 boar were seen in a field near the original escape location of Weston under Penyard many miles away. In early 2010 the Forestry Commission embarked on a cull, with the aim of reducing the boar population from an estimated 150 animals to 100. By August it was stated that efforts were being made to reduce the population from 200 to 90, but that only 25 had been killed.

The failure to meet cull targets was confirmed in February 2011.

Wild boars have crossed the River Wye into Monmouthshire, Wales. Iolo Williams, the BBC Wales wildlife expert, attempted to film Welsh boar in late 2012. Many other sightings, across the UK, have also been reported. The effects of wild boar on the UK's woodlands were discussed with Ralph Harmer of the Forestry Commission on the BBC Radio's Farming Today radio programme in 2011. The programme prompted activist writer George Monbiot to propose a thorough population study, followed by the introduction of permit-controlled culling.

This image is from an ancient Anasazi/Puebloian ruin in southern Utah called Moon House. This is one of many, many ruins in the fairly new Bear's Ears National Monument. This ruin has so many facets, so many nooks and crannies to photograph. This is similar to an image I posted a few weeks ago. The other image shows the larger meeting area in Moon House, this is a smaller grain storage area off to one side of the main area. The other image shows a larger area, this image is showing a branch off that is much smaller. This doorway you see in the image is only about 3 1/2 feet tall. There is a wall that closes off the entire Moon House area from the outside world, that is why this place is so unique. Whomever built this wall left vents along the top for air and light (and probably food prep smoke) to escape. That's where the light is coming from in this image, to the left there and high up. This probably also helped with defense.

We had to wait a little while to get the light beam just right. The light was flooding in and making horrible contrasts in the alcove. I knew that if I waited until there was just one small strand of light that the contract would be manageable and still leave the image of the beam. I still had to do some blending of different exposures to get it all to work, but that helped to preserve the details too.

As a last note, BLM allows people to enter this area of Moon House. We would not enter an area that was not allowed. We are very respectful of these fantastic dwellings and want to be sure we do our part to allow our kids, kids to see these too. Leave only footprints. We were even sure not to leave fingerprints here. We only touches the stone that sits at the base of the main entry, because you kind of can't get in without touching that stone.

Let me know what you think.

Good Friday morning everyone, and as always wishing everyone a very safe and wonderful weekend.

I had mad a change this week in my lens choice folks, I guess I am at the age where I have to do some things I am not very content to do.

I sold my new 180-600-mm zoom lens, and purchased a new 600-mm vr-r and will start to use it this weekend, am very excited, it is half the weight, so it seems, lighter, faster and the I can manage it a lot better, smaller and more nimble and a lot more manageable, I will keep you posted and thank you all.

EXPLORED #88

Eating the bokeh! NOM NOM NOM!!

When I uploaded these photos last night and this one popped up on the screen......I immediately thought of [ r ♥ c e y t ♥ y ] {I br♥ke for bokeh}'s. Hope you like it Tracey! :0)

Bigger is Better

Will be going back through my contact list to thin out the ones that I never hear from or have very little (if any) interaction with. No hard feelings. :0) I've got to keep my list more manageable.

Mast at Saddleworth aka Windy Hill Transmitter at twilight.

There is a sign here saying that its the highest motorway in England. Despite the fact I've driven past the sign hundreds of times, for some reason it always comes as a bit of a surprise as I would think it was somewhere in Cumbria instead of somewhere between Manchester and Huddersfield.

Am I delighted with this? Not particularly but its OK I suppose. With hindsight I got there too early and in the end I was bored and getting cold, so decided to go home.

The vantage point was a bit off the beaten track and the road surface was in places steep, unmade, bumpy and wet. I was absolutely horrified to find that my "dipped" headlamp bulb had blown. This was manageable if there was nothing coming towards me as I could use high beam but if there was oncoming traffic it was a sheer gamble but not much I could do as I was out "in the middle of nowhere".

I had lashed the tripod to my Kawasaki but found that when I pressed the shutter it still came out a bit blurred so luckily I had the remote control with me and even then put a 2 second delay on.

Winter in Germany: tinyurl.com/bdhdr9ur

One of life’s most important lessons is to understand that you do not live it for others. Though there is always someone to tell you what to do is relatively irrelevant whether this is what you wish for yourself. For many, judging the lives of others is more manageable than thinking about their own. In most cases, it is a projection of their ideals and fears onto you.

Hence, daring the impossible offers the chance to face risks and fears you can grow from. It’s a sense of achievement regardless of whether the results correspond to the initial expectations. If you don’t even dare something because others say it is doomed to fail, you’ve given up before you’ve even tried. To a certain extent, this also means giving up your life.

No one said it would be easy to prevail against opposing signs when daring the impossible. Still, it is vital to trust in what you believe is right for you because that’s the only way to grow. Yet, you only know if something works if you’ve tried it. Though there will always be people telling you how to live, it is not them but you who bear the consequences of listening to them in the end.

I live on a island and love to travel to other islands. It's often peaceful and manageable to explore every corner. This is the beauty of Terschelling.

Wow! A triple Explore today! :-)

Here are the other two:

flic.kr/p/ywWyLs

flic.kr/p/yNdw2j

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The Gries Glacier (German: Griesgletscher) is a 5 km long glacier (2005) situated in the Lepontine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 6.23 km2. In 2008 it had an area of 5.26 km2.

History

Griesgletscher as well as the many surrounding Swiss Alpine glaciers have played an important role in the cultural and economic development of the Swiss Alps. During the Second World War owing to its proximity to the Swiss/Italian frontier the Swiss Army constructed a series of look-out posts and foxholes to reinforce this relatively undefined border area and as part of Switzerland hydro-electric building programme. A dam was built in front of the glacier, however the resulting dam contributed to the increased retreat of the glacier thanks to the glacier becoming decoupled from the bedrock as water levels in the dam increased.

Scientific research

Over the years there has been a great deal of scientific research undertaken on Griesgletscher thanks to its accessibility and its unique ability to display a wide range of glaciological features within such a small manageable area. Some of the first studies of Griesgletcher were undertaken by M.J. Hambrey and were published in 1977 and 1980. The first was an investigation into the structures of ice cliffs at the snout of Griesgletscher. Griesgletscher was described as being relatively simple in shape, yet the structures being complex in detail. The 1980 study was on the dynamics and structure in which the velocity, rate of ice deformation with movement, and cumulative strains at various points on the glacier were investigated to determine how the glacier behaved as it moved. Other scientific research has been climate/glacier based in which the amount of glacier melting was correlated to local climatic variables such as sunlight, humidity, wind direction.

Other geological and scientific features

However, Griesgletscher has been rapidly retreating over the last decade – a retreat that has been monitored through extensive geological and glaciological research. The glacier, despite its size, is one of the most interesting and most widely studied in the Swiss Alps and during the last Ice Age was the source of a large tributary glacier that once fed into the main glacier that once flowed down the valley known today as Goms The glacier has a very well developed supra glacial and sub glacial drainage system, which becomes very evident during the summer months and before the recent rapid glacial retreat the glacier terminated in the man-made dam, with high ice cliffs. Surface features include glacial moraines as the glacier releases debris that has been eroded and then entrained by the glacier. The profile of the glacier is a very convex terminus, which progresses into a very gentle concave mid profile with very crevassed ice field near to the upper accumulation zone - an area which is highly dangerous and difficult to traverse.

source: wikipedia

This Great Blue Heron was searching for sticks to build its nest. We were both surprised, however, when he came up with this huge tangled branch. Although I was hoping to see him try to carry it up to the tree top, he thought better of it and replaced it with something more manageable.

Its about 30-45 min. hike up, some area is single track with a steep incline, you may need a hand from tour guide but manageable. Its a breath taking view at the top outlook, photo don't give it justice.

The Upsala Glacier is a large valley glacier on the eastern side of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Its higher portion lies in a disputed territory between Chile and Argentina. While the glacier flows from north to south it has three lesser eastflowing tributary glacier: Bertacchi, Cono and Murallón.

The glacier terminus is at Upsala channel of Lake Argentino. The Upsala Glacier is well known for its rapid retreat, which many see as evidence for global warming. Its retreat has been ongoing since the glacier was first documented in 1810.

The name comes from the old spelling with one p of Uppsala University, which sponsored the first glaciological studies in the area. The University is located in Uppsala, Sweden.

The glacier showed almost continual recession up until 1999. The acceleration in ice motion during the two decades preceding 1999 may have been augmented by the release of backstress when the glacier retreated beyond the islands in Brazo Upsala. Another period of even faster retreat started in 2008.

As of 2018 Upsala Glacier has retreated to such degree that it no longer constrain its tributary Bertacchi Glacier. Likely this makes Bertacchi Glacier have higher flow rates reflected with a subsequent stretching and thinning out of parts of the glacier as well. At parts the velocity of flow is also thought to have increased in Bertacchi Glacier as result of the near-separation from Upsala Glacier.

I was wondering how to display these rabbits without the use of wires for the running one when I realized late last night that this 'set-up' is a simple solution. Took some quick photos around midnight using bounced flash. And this is more or less how they were displayed at the library this morning ... Hmmm ... should have placed those 2 on the right closer so that they were effectively kissing. Anyway, will change the stand to something better next time.

Paper : Crumpled Paper laminated onto foil paper, 32x32cm. Manageable paper size but will likely use 35cm or bigger squares next time.

Orchids are probably one of the most easily manageable of plants....They take very little looking after., which is probably just as well for them lol. This plant is still looking beautiful.

If you choose to climb Sigiriya (Lion Rock) in Sri Lanka, you will likely find yourself in a huge line of similarly minded tourists, all of whom are ascending the stairs built into the rock for this purpose. Alternatively, you can climb Pidurangala Rock, a few kilometres north. It is a more challenging climb but manageable by anyone of average fitness and it attracts far fewer tourists. When you make it to the top, you will be rewarded with a fine view of Sigiriya and the hint of a lion in profile. It was misty and drizzling around Sigiriya when I climbed Pidurangala but the top of Pidurangala was deserted when I reached it.

A few more quasi-abstract or minimalistic photos of the interplay between winter and nature are in the first comment box.

- Keefer Lake, Ontario, Canada -

The temperature at Keefer Lake has risen above zero for the first time in many months ... although undoubtedly it will be shortlived as there is much winter to endure and enjoy yet. This morning we had a bout of freezing rain which prevented us from driving into town for our - long standing - check-up with our dentist. Much too treacherous to drive and walk in most places.

I rarely post more than one photograph a day but I think I will start to do two for awhile at least. I'm not sure what that will mean to my regular contacts who are kind enough to comment on my photos ... if you have an opinion about how often we should be posting images I would love to hear it. One thing I have noticed is that many people don't even view the image on its own page but rather as a bunch of photos and so they don't even see the comments that others are making or the text that accompanies the image. Most certainly, they are not seeing the other photos that I often include in the first comment box to accompany an image. I suppose we spend too much time online as it is but I try and see the work as it was intended to be viewed by the photographer which is why I try and keep my number of contacts to a manageable level.

Gemasolar is the first commercial solar plant with central tower receiver and molten salt heat storage technology. It consists of a 30.5 hectares (75 acres) solar heliostat aperture area with a power island and 2,650 heliostats, each with a 120 square metres (1,300 sq ft) aperture area and distributed in concentric rings around the 140-metre-high (460 ft) tower receiver. The total land use of the Heliostats is 195 hectares (480 acres)

The most innovative aspects of the plant, which belongs to the company Torresol Energy, are its molten salt receiver, its heliostats aiming system and its control system. In addition, its storage system allows it to produce electricity for 15 hours without sunlight (at night or on cloudy days). This storage capacity makes its solar power manageable so that it can be supplied based on demand.

Complex simplification

Man I’ve struggled to write this text. It’s felt like digging a hole from England to Australia. The first few spades full were effortless as I enthusiastically threw them over my shoulder, but the hole quickly became very deep and then I hit ROCK. Now the task of finishing the job has become very daunting and if I’m to continue, it’s going to be slow and arduous. So…I’m going to start this with a paradoxical conclusion, then offer some alternative perspectives on digging …but first the conclusion, “simplicity turns out to be rather bloody complex!”

My messy mind

When photographing in a location, I’ve often observed how my ‘state of mind’ influences the way I see world and engage with it. Now this is a massive topic and I’d be foolish to attempt to cover it here, (man it looks very dark in the bottom of that hole). But more recently, I have observed whilst in the most peaceful locations, ‘self imposed artistic ideals’ creep into and distort my particular view of that reality. These thoughts can be very productive when wanted, but sometimes have become irritants when not, placing unattainable expectations of ‘perfection’ of light subject and composition over what is essentially reality.

To experience a ‘beautiful’ location in ‘perfect’ light is indeed, very special but, ‘the very act of photographing’ the location is further introducing complications on how one engage with any given scene. Often, (even without the camera), instead of enjoying the view, I have a sometimes (self diagnosed), irritating tendency to scout for locations, attempt to second-guess the weather, seek out detail, light and foreground interest. When I do have the camera (if I’m honest most of the time when in these locations) and feel inspired to take the tripod off my back, I’m often racing the fast moving conditions, setting up equipment and looking at the world through the viewfinder.

So why is this a problem you ask? Isn’t it your intention to seek out these locations and try to convey some of the feelings you have in a photographic representation? Well yes, but it’s those very ‘feelings’, that are being distorted by the process, that I want to experience as ‘pure’ in order to attempt to convey. I’ve noticed that often I actually ‘see’ and ‘feel’ more for a location when viewing the ‘image’ some time after its making, when I’ve have had time to reflect, things have slowed down and I’ve allowed my mind to dig deeper into the image and location. Unusually I see and feel things that I didn’t when I was making the image, which is bizarre, as you would think that being there in the flesh enables you to see more, but the opposite seems to be true. I would speculate that on location, our senses can become overloaded and the previously mentioned reasons, all influence the unique filtrated perception of the location.

I do believe that we in fact absorbed the overlooked information, somewhere deep in the subconscious mind, but it is only when reflecting on the imagery later that we begin to process the mechanical representations disentangling the thoughts, laden them with significance, and produce feelings. The photograph then seems not only to be historical record of the place we were. But actively catalyzing the emotions surrounding the experience, digging not only into the very place we were making the image, but deep into the recesses of our memory and dragging out past seemingly tenuously connected feelings.

Now all this mental clutter isn’t necessarily a problem, I suppose it depends on how you choose to look at why you were there in the first place. I do however wonder why we naturally filter out that information? I wonder if we simplify it because we cannot possibly process it all to satisfactory levels whilst there (it that just me?) maybe I need a few more slots of ram, or a better fan on my processor.

But seriously I feel analysis of the seemingly natural way our brains simplify any given experience into manageable chunks, offers us some incite as to a method of improving the ‘power’ in our photography.

A compositional tool that distills meaningful elements

The world is a complex place and the act of photographing it has a tendency to simplify our view on it. By choosing to narrow down the subjects, condensing the third and fourth dimension into two and directing the viewers attention onto a particular representation, is offering us an illusion on reality. A distorted view that has been manipulated by the photographer’s actions and thoughts, in a vague representation on a perceived, often overlooked reality. There is a common misinformed perception that photography is truth, but I digress.

If you use landscape painting as a convenient comparison and I’m thinking of artist such as (turner), the simplification of any given perception on reality, enables the artist an ability to distil the multitude of sensory data coming into the mind and focus on presenting only the ones that communicate the desired message/feelings they want to convey. The very act of rejecting elements is in fact paradoxically focusing deeper ones attention on the remaining.

When a shot is simplified, to clear compositional elements, the smallest details can possess greater power. A simple curve can become an overriding factor in the way your eye moves around the presented landscape. The shape and flow of that line, then has to be of impeccable clarity to retain its power. We as viewers linger longer on smaller elements, expecting and actually extracting more from them. The accomplished photographer, then, has primed the work for the viewer, without them even noticing. The ability for a photographer to expose us to the simplified view is then showing us that they are able to creatively distil the elements; it revels to us that we are looking at a skilled practitioner.

When looking at a successfully simplified photograph, I often get some sense of my eye moving over the scene in a controlled manor. It’s almost slowing the viewing process down and highlighting subtle nuances. The experience forces me to really LOOK at the image and draws my attention to normally overlooked elements. Playing with the juxtaposition of these simplified elements has in it hints of ambiguous purity, and when successfully accomplished it’s a powerful viewing experience.

It is also catalyzing a meditative state

We all seem to lead busy lives these days, attempting to squeeze multitudes of tasks and experiences in. Don’t get me wrong I’m the first to admit cramming my free time full of the things I want to do, places I want to photograph, (doesn’t the weekend wiz by), but are we not missing something along the way? It seems to me trying to reach out to wider and wider locations doesn’t necessarily mean greater rewards, as the essence of each place is being overpowered by its very complexity. Slowing down, concentrating on the elemental, gives the experience more depth. Letting your senses see, taste, smell, feel what it is that you’re doing enriches the experience. (For me that is).

Please don’t make the assumption that I’m arrogantly stating this is the only way to enjoy photography, because extracting pleasure in whatever form, is a respectable goal. But it is my intention, no, ‘need’ to dig deep, push my mind into new and uncharted territory, because I thrive on the unpredictable, and looking into oneself through the implementation and reflection of my photography, it’s definitely not simple but incredibly rewarding.

A need was found for a new powerful sidearm to be issued to officers, and quickly the technology used in 'Assurance' was scaled down to a manageable size.

----------------------------------------------------

Feeling abit ill so made this to cheer me up.

First of all.. no, that's not Darth Vader driving my ATV. I just put my helmet (with visor down) tilted down on the console. : )

This was where we left the main trail and took the one to the lake, that we never got to. This was a water stop.

You can see that my ATV is smaller than Bob's but it is more manageable for me to drive. The disadvantage is that it has a narrower wheel base... so not as stable and has a lower clearance. Still, we aren't going crazy when we drive so it works pretty well.

Another shot from my office window, to be honest I thought I was looking at a wren at first. I was surprised to see that my DIY perch had attracted another type of bird. I posted three together to try to show its distinguishing features. I am bad enough at IDing sparrows, but am totally perplexed when it comes to Warblers. I am quite sure it is a Warbler and my guess is a Tennessee Warbler. If you know better, please let me know.It is certainty a cute little thing.

These were all severely cropped so as to show decent detail in all three at a manageable size. Certainly the resulting compositions have suffered a bunch.It is not even close to how I would have cropped each individual shot.

I certainly do not know a lot about thte movement of Warblers, but to me anyways it seems quite early to be seeing them pass through moving south I would suppose, as I do not believe they stay here all throughout the summer, thought I could be wrong.

Taken while raining. Canon R6, 100-400 ISii, ISO 1600, 1/500th sec at f 5.6 on July 27 around 9:42 AM

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.

Gral Guido

Después de la Independencia, Juan Manuel de Rosas, prominente hacendado, decidió impulsar la colonización y el poblamiento de la cuenca del Salado, y encomendó a su topógrafo, el agrimensor Senillosa, el relevamiento de la zona, con el objeto de fundar nuevos pueblos. Por decreto del 25 de diciembre de 1839, y tras la Revolución de los Libres del Sur, el gobernador Rodas decidió dividir el territorio al sur del Salado en nuevos partidos, más manejables, y nació entre ellos, el “partido del Vecino”, separado del partido de Tandil, sobre tierras de Don Cornelio Pizarro, quien fue su primera autoridad. No obstante, la riqueza de sus tierras, el partido careció de cabecera y de urbanización durante varias décadas, hasta que empezó el tendido del ferrocarril del Sur, hacia 1860. En 1887, se inaugura la estación Velázquez del ramal Dolores-Ayacucho, alrededor de la cual se empiezan a asentar trabajadores del ferrocarril y pobladores rurales de partido, y así en 1888 se funda el primer poblado del partido. En 1890, ante elcrecimiento experimentado por la población, los vecinos peticionan la autonomía municipal, la cual les es concedida en febrero de 1891. Ese mismo año, se impone al pueblo y a la estación ferroviaria el nombre de General Guido, en recuerdo del militar, político y diplomáticoTomas Guido, amigo y colaborador del general San Martin.

TRASLATOR

Gral Guido

After Independence, Juan Manuel de Rosas, a prominent landowner, decided to promote the colonization and settlement of the Salado basin, and entrusted his surveyor, the surveyor Senillosa, the survey of the area, in order to found new towns. By decree of December 25, 1839, and after the Revolution of the Free South, Governor Rhodes decided to divide the territory south of the Salado into new parties, more manageable, and was born among them, the "party of the Neighbor", separated of the party of Tandil, on lands of Don Cornelio Pizarro, who was his first authority. However, the wealth of their lands, the party lacked head and urbanization for several decades, until the laying of the Southern Railway began, around 1860. In 1887, the Velázquez station of the Dolores-Ayacucho branch was inaugurated, around which began to settle railroad workers and rural people of the party, and so in 1888 the first town of the party was founded. In 1890, before the growth experienced by the population, the neighbors petition for municipal autonomy, which is granted to them in February 1891. That same year, the name of General Guido is imposed on the town and the railway station, in memory of the military, political and diplomaticTomas Guido, friend and collaborator of General San Martin.

Larry did this hike solo, as Ben had a soar knee from our last cross-country ski outing. In order to get to Mt Loder, you cross Doorjamb Mountain summit en route. The wind was up today, as it often is on this route. Thankfully it was just manageable, and Larry completed this double summit scramble in under 4 hours roundtrip.

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.

These litter-mate polar bears (Ursus maritimus) were orphaned on the north slope of Alaska. Tatqiq (left) and her brother Kalluk (right) have lived at the San Diego Zoo since March 2001 when they were only a few months old.

Since Kalluk (now >1200 lbs) is twice the size of Tatqiq (~600 lbs), she sets rules for play. Kalluk has to remain seated so his size advantage is manageable. If Kalluk stands up, his sister quits the play. She's the boss.

13Z crosses Dry Run on a very long and tall bridge. These bridges are all over the N&W between Roanoke and Hagerstown to keep the gradient at a manageable level.

Lake Glendale Trail

Shawnee National Forest Illinois.

What do you get when you mix a perfect sky, with a perfect reflection, with trees in autumn foliage? 99 out of 100 photos I take in the middle of the afternoon, on a bright sunny day do not turn out so well. I don't know what happened here, I was not expecting this gorgeous of an image when I clicked it, but upon processing I was pleasantly delighted.

The sun may have ducked behind a cloud when I snapped this, that would help decrease the contrast to a manageable level.

These clouds are perfect for this scene. They transpose a good feeling, and the perfect reflection amplifies this feeling, like an echo.

I hope that when you look at this, it makes you smile, The earth has survived industrialization, and still looks great. Ready for the next bombardment from mankind.

Both times I headed to the beach side of Point Mugu, I was treated with cloudy skies, varying winds and different sunsets. When I use the 10 stop filter during the day at the ocean, I seem to slightly underexpose the shot, regardless of exposure time. This isn't always intentional but helps me keep details in the sky I might otherwise lose.

I still play around with the 10 stop using both a circular polarizer on the end or without and while it's tougher to color correct when I use both (actually, I have trouble with color correction on a lot of the longer exposure water shots), I think the results are often interesting.

On this trip, the waves were smaller and the tide a bit lower so I shot much closer to the sea than I originally intended. When I returned the second time, this rock was getting battered by waves and I most likely would've been washed off it along with my gear had a lifeguard not told me to stay a bit farther back than I was when she first found me.

There is still one area I haven't climbed down to yet and perhaps next time I'll finally make my way there. The cove that's visible in a few previous posts is the area and as long as the tide level is manageable, I intend to do it.

Point Mugu Beach

Malibu, California

June 6th, 2016

SETTINGS:

Canon T4i

EF-S18-135mm IS STM

@18mm

ISO 100

f/14

47 seconds

ND1000

CPL

This was one of a few experimental shots I took yesterday to compare a Haida and Lee 10 stop filter - I originally decided to save quite a bit of money and went with a Haida filter holder and big stopper but i've always wondered if i should have gone for the more expensive Lee setup - The lack of sunlight made the tests very limited but all in all i'm more than happy with Haida.

While the Haida ND 10 is no where near as dark as the Lee filter I was still able to get the effect I wanted. At this stage in the evening the Lee filter was effectively unusable wheres I could still get a manageable 5 minute exposure form the Haida... although in broad daylight i can see why i'd be better off with the darker Lee - bah time for some new filters i reckon!

Many thanks to Jane for the loan of her filters to play with...

This ocean is fierce in a way I've never known. I grew up along the Atlantic where the waters were forever 85 degrees and still manageable on their roughest days. This ocean, this painfully cold and intimidating force, I've watched from a distance over the past 7 years with minimal physical interaction. Even on the hottest summer days I haven't been able to find the strength to let her take me from the shore. Instead, I let the salt from the air linger for days on my lips and in my hair, the familiar necessity of every coastal endeavor.

Otter Rock, Oregon. February, 2021.

Polaroid 600 with the Polaroid Now.

Tucked against the lush green of a Minnesota grove, this small red barn and diminutive silo stand as silent testimonies to a different kind of dream that once motivated many farmers—a dream aimed at raising families, not fortunes.

Last century, like many of my country schoolmates, I grew up on a common-sized, 160-acre farm. The terminology used by many farmers in our area was that they farmed “a quarter.” A quarter referred to one-fourth of a section of land consisting of 640 acres.

We had a few cows, a hundred or so pigs, and a small flock of unruly sheep. Though all 8 of us urchins worked hard at our chores, in retrospect, they were modest chores carried out by a family with modest needs. We weren’t into new cars every year or two, expensive vacations, or following the latest fashion in clothes.

My parents raised 8 kids on that small farm, each of us eventually making our own way in the world with successful careers and equally successful marriages. Our roots grew deep through chores done before dawn and again as the sun was setting. Often, as a family, we ate supper after dark, seated in a circle around an inexpensive, steel-legged kitchen table.

Under a single ceiling light, the penetrating aroma from platters of freshly fried chicken mingled freely with the laughter, teasing, and quiet conversations of a growing family.

On our farm, the barn was our center, where calves and kittens were born, where pitchforks and aluminum shovels hung on long nails pounded into fly-stained barn studs awaiting the next cleaning session.

Back in the 1950s-60s, a farm family could dream in manageable ways, perhaps buying a newer tractor every decade, slapping on a fresh coat of barn and house paint long after they first showed need. At the end of most years, there might be enough money left to have a modest Christmas, but one lavishly wrapped in family love.

But those dreams began to fall short economically. Economic needs forced farmers to choose between growing big or quitting. On many farms, animals began to disappear as farmers instead bought more land in an unending pursuit of making enough money to keep things going. Fields got larger, barns got lonelier, as there was very little profit in maintaining milk cows or raising a few feeder calves.

Today, across our state, hundreds of empty farm sites sing from the same hymnbook. Barns testify to the loss as their roofs rot, doors sag, and steel rusts.

If they could remember, they would think of every pitchfork lifted, every boyish laugh carried across the early morning fog that symbolized a way of life that was modest, but enough.

(Photographed near Cambridge, MN)

So Scoobie's biopsy results show a very mild case of Hepatitis, which should be manageable and is not life-threatening, so we are quite relieved.

Clearly, Scoobie is not concerned about his condition at all.

Titled "How long had I been gone? How long had I been back? Did it matter?", this series is made up of ten sets of image and text. Each set expresses the 'moment' in which I explore a place in a photograph and then two written descriptions: one by me, considering my mental health, thoughts and feelings, and one by (best friend and accompanying adventurer) Michael with his version of events. The series tracks how photography has changed my interactions with the world, from being isolated to being able to get out and explore.

You can see a few examples of how it was presented here:

Tim van Zundert - How long had I been gone?

I found most urban areas to be manageable late at night on a weekday. Streets and buildings being empty mean I can go about without the anxiety of people and judgement. Here in Manchester I could stand in the middle of a road and no one would care. That's freeing.

MORE POPE PICS FROM THE MASS????

I have lots more Pictures of the Pope's Mass @ National Park in DC. I generally prefer my photostream to stay small and manageable so that a visitor isn' overwhelmed by hundreds of pictures of the same thing. Thus I have set the Mass pictures to family only. However, If you want to see them, then this link is for a guest pass to see that set:

www.flickr.com/gp/82404489@N00/85xiot

Many of the pictures are of folks from my parish, and the best I could do from the way uppper deck.

pax,

Pater JPM

Des nouvelles de Figaro qui est allée chez la vétérinaire ce matin. On réajuste son traitement, mais c'est pratiquement la dernière ligne droite, les vétérinaires n'étaient pas très optimistes. Il ne tient pratiquement plus debout malgré un vrai cocktail de médicaments. Le moment arrivera où ce ne sera plus gérable. Je l'ai déjà relevé une dizaine de fois ce matin.

Tant qu'il manifeste de la joie de vivre on va se battre, mais ça peut très vite dégénérer, je ne pense pas qu'il fêtera ses 15 ans en juin....

News from Figaro, who went to the vet this morning. We're readjusting his treatment, but it's practically the final stretch; the vets weren't very optimistic. He's barely able to stand despite a real cocktail of medications. The time will come when it will no longer be manageable. This morning I've already helped him to get up about ten times.

As long as he shows joy in life, we'll fight, but things can get out of hand very quickly. I don't think he'll turn 15 in June...

Brilliant smooth yet almost crinkled textures, and some of the coolest blue hues imaginable, make a passage through centuries-old glacial ice an unbelievably wondrous and grand experience--in an ice cave beneath the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, near Jokulsarlon, Iceland.

A couple of days after Sky Matthews and I got to witness the astounding night-long aurora shared in previous posts, we met our excellent guide from Blue Iceland, put on our crampons and struck out across the glacier toward the more distant ice caves and our other primary photographic goal in heading to Iceland during the winter. Once again, nature did not disappoint!

I took a fair bit of time working this long, darker section of the first cave we went into until I found this spot where the curves in the cave's form, the convergence of multiple passages, and the distant moulin openings above created the illusion of almost a nautilus form when looking deeper into the image. I always like these little plays of perspective, and this one was particularly pleasing to find.

The varying forms and lighting conditions founds in these caves is absolutely amazing. There are times it almost feels like hiking in a tunnel of blue, brown or black bubble wrap (depending on how much light is reaching that part of the cave and how much dust and dirt is embedded in the visible surface of the exposed ice). And the lighting is something else entirely in some places--the way the light seems to flow through the cave from distant moulins, brushing the complex ridges in the ice forms with harder glow then seeming to scatter and diffuse softly throughout.

I made this image in a very dark stretch of the ice cave, and this image is a fair bit lighter than it appeared to the naked eye. I have a darker, moodier image taken only a few steps away that I also like (and which I'll share sometime later) that's closer to what I recall my perception and feeling being at the time, but everyone--including me--loves the ethereal blues in ice caves so I exposed this one a bit longer and brightened it a little further in post to better reveal the dynamic colors and textures in this unique and wonderful environment.

I still have my addiction to single exposures, and I must say this one was quite a challenge--had to use the dark cloth technique to achieve a manageable balance of light and shadow. Anyway, I plan to work on processing this a little better at some point soon, but I really enjoy this composition and thought I'd go ahead and share.

Thanks for viewing!

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.

September 27, 2015

"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have." - Vince Lombardi

------

I woke up with a massive headache this morning so I figured pancakes and Advil (not pictured) were probably the best idea for breakfast today.

It sort of worked and the headache came down to a manageable level, so I can't complain too much.

Otherwise a productive day around the house which is good, as always there was bunch of things to get done on the ol' to-do list. So a productive day was a good thing.

Anyway, hope everyone has had a good Sunday.

Click "L" for a larger view.

Possibly the most photographed tree on the planet. In the running at least, and rightfully so, it is a glorious tree on screen. I had the good fortune of a trip out to Portland during fall season so this was an absolutely *mandatory* stop. It was not quite peak fall color, was about a week early for this particular tree, though some of the other japanese maples in the gardens were in the deep rich red stage. In my previous post I talked about not having done much image modification with Photoshop yet. However, I sometimes do quite a lot of tweaking in Lightroom, so In FULL disclosure, I have shifted the colors in this image some to bring out a little more orange and red. In my initial take I shifted it dramatically but then realized that the near rainbow of colors here was quite compelling in its own right and decided to pull back to a more delicate shift in the 5-10% range. Clearly a lot of vibrancy used in this too, though I went pretty light on the saturation (+5). It's one of those images that depending on my mood and the lighting in the room, etc., I will either be very happy with it or want to continue tweaking it.

Met up with fellow photographer Kevin Benedict on this trip. There was a major downpour for multiple days in Portland but we managed to catch a small window where the rain lightened up enough for us to hit the famed Japanese Gardens for this epic tree. The tree is surprisingly small, and even after reading very specific descriptions of its location and warnings that you can easily walk right by it, I did in fact walk right by it. To shoot it, one needs to set up very low to the ground and so it was a bit of a challenge shooting upwards through the dripping canopy in rather dreary light (although that ultimately helped make the dynamic range more manageable). It took multiple attempts with the drying towel handy before getting a clean shot. Fortunately the poor weather kept most people away and so we were able to shoot in peace for quite a while. There was almost no breeze at all so the "Pixel Shift" feature on the K-1 together with the terrific Tamron 15-30 lens grabbed some nice detail.

For those who have the opportunity, the Gardens are well worth the effort and time, they are gorgeous, especially in fall, and recognized as one of the finest public Gardens in all of the USA. An absolute treat for fall color photographers.

Best viewed in full screen.

Out with the crew from Focus for the first time in a while. Good to explore the southern side of it with Jay Evans where there is another small cove. High tide but a low swell made it manageable there but a larger swell could be very tricky. We were all cognizant that a photographer did die here not so long ago but we don't have any more information about it. Rain was predicted but held off except for a bit to keep the filter cleaners going. The clouds really popped which is what I was looking for!

Cokin 3 stop grad ND

focusphotographers.org/

Approaching the Hawse End landing with hang glider overhead.

The launches have been taking people around Derwentwater since 1935 starting with just one boat. Today six boats carry the tourists around the most beautiful lake in the Lake District.

The trip around the lake is without doubt the best value for money experience in the Lakes especially if you use the launch as part of a walk around the lake cutting a ten mile walk into manageable lengths for the less fit.

Ardea pacifica. Western Lagoon. I felt so bad for that frog.... it took forever to get it into a manageable gulp. I don't know if it was trying to drown the frog, or washing it, but it must have dunked it a dozen times. Bit of heartbreak for the photographer, not enough exposure compensation.... burnt out whites. So I'm going to follow my flickr friend Steve Don's example and take a magnifying glass.

Paddling along the edge of a windy lake, we were able to find a cut that was manageable. At this time of the year, many of the swampy passages I tend to paddle down are completely clogged by invasive plants. Usually it's either salvinia or water hyacinth, and in this case, it was the hyacinth. Luckily, we were able to paddle through a huge clog and it was clear and smooth paddling after that for a little while.

The trees are heavy with apples and pears. There's a cold snap to the wind in the evening. It's autumn and although it reminds me of the coming winter I can't help but admire how beautiful the world looks in red and orange.

Tempted to start another project.. not a 365.. but maybe just a 30?

A photo a day for a month. That's manageable I think.. I'll be starting it on the 1st of October and finishing it on halloween night. I'm already excited!

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Dytiscus marginalis is a large beetle that lives in ponds where it is a ferocious predator of tadpoles, newtpoles, froglets and little fish, among other things. The larva is transparent, up to three inches long and can bite through a human thumb drawing blood, as I discovered on a previous occasion. The beetles are altogether more manageable, but they often crash land on cars on dewy mornings, mistaking the metal for the surface of a pond. This one can't seem to figure out why swimming is so difficult.

While walking my dog in the fall an impressive number of gulls sunning themselves would take flight simultaneously only to quickly return to the same place. This went on several times, each flush sending my bird-dog into a small but manageable conniption. I looked for an explanation for these synchronized eruptions but left with more questions than answers.

Not the best of light but manageable

- another part of the §“Gardens of the Wird“ in Berlin-Marzehn, opened end of May 2008, size: 3000 m².

The Renaissance garden bears the name “Giardino della Bobolina” and refers to a 1.30 meter high marble figure in the Boboli Gardens in Florence, one of the Italian gardens of the 16th century. Characteristic are the limitation of the stylistic devices, its manageable size and clear forms. It is intended to give the impression of the villa gardens of Tuscany with stone fountains, terracottas and ancient sculptures. Boxwood hedges form the parterres, flower and ornamental plantings complement the garden with orange trees, rose trunks in tubs, topiary trees made of boxwood and herbaceous and lawn plantings. In the "Giardino segreto" gravel paths convey the "private" ambience with slabs, pavement and steps made of light gray sandstone, a wall fountain in an alcove with tufa and recessed water jets is reminiscent of a grotto.

© this photo is the property of Helga Bruchmann. Please do not use my photos for sharing, printing or for any other purpose without my written permission. Thank you!