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I finally replaced the kit lens the police broke during the G20 protests. This was my first night with the new one and snapped this shot at the Gardiner Expressway on ramp at Jarvis and Lakeshore.
Photographing smoke art is one of the most rewarding aspects of home photography. We've all seen the wispy strands that float and glide through the air, but it's not until these trails are frozen in time do we see the true beauty and elegance of their construction.
In many images it's possible to see a subject within the smoke.
The advantage of smoke art photography is that - compared to water droplets - the patterns take longer to form so it's easier to judge when to take the shot. It's when the scene is viewed on the screen that the true diversity and uniqueness of the patterns is realised.
This was processed in Photoshop to highlight the patterns that exist within the formations.
The smoke was created by burning an incense stick against a black background. The light was a flashgun behind and below at an angle of 45° upwards with black card between the flash unit and the subject so that the light hits the smoke, but not the camera lens. The result was processed in Photoshop.
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This is the last set of smoke art to be produced using this method. With so many uploads, it's difficult to create original ideas. So now I will be concentrating on a different and more creative method which I plan to have ready within a few months.
Watch this space.
The end of 2023 saw one of the more surprising news that Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines agreeing to merge together, the latter carrier having struggled financially since COVID-19 with rumours surrounding an acquisition with Alaska Airlines being the most plausible.
Unlike many mergers and acquisitions, Alaska Airlines acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines was mutually agreed upon as both carriers released press releases detailing the benefits of a potential merger. Hawaiian Airlines would be absorbed into Alaska Air Group, and unlike Alaska Airlines acquisition of Virgin America whereby the latter airline ceased to exist as its own entity, Hawaiian Airlines would continue as a separate brand within the group.
Shareholders approved the merger, meaning government approval was required from both the Department of Justice and Department of Transportation. Under the Biden administration, airline consolidation had been seen negatively especially as JetBlue faced hurdles with their acquisition of Spirit Airlines and the Northeast Alliance with American Airlines.
Department of Justice did not file any objections to the merger after the antitrust review period has lapsed in late-August 2024, meaning it was left to the Department of Transportation to make their decision. On 18th September 2024, the merger was completed after Department of Transportation approved the deal with conditions which included maintaining key existing services, protecting the value of the joined up loyalty programme, and to maintain competitive access to Honolulu.
The merger sees Honolulu becoming the second largest hub within the Alaska Air Group, with Seattle-Tacoma being the largest... The group will once again inherit Airbus A321neos after withdrawn the type in late-2023, as well as acquiring Airbus A330-200/300s, Boeing 717s and Boeing 787-9s. Hawaiian Airlines will become part of Oneworld and whilst the merger is complete, there is now the task of integrating both airlines into a single air operating certificate which is usually the last step to a merger being officially completed.
Wishing both Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines the best of luck with this merger.
Currently, Alaska Airlines operates 240 Boeing 737s, which includes 11 Boeing 737-700s, 3 Boeing 737-700BDSFs, 59 Boeing 737-800s, 2 Boeing 737-800BCFs, 10 Boeing 737-900s, 79 Boeing 737-900ERs, 5 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and 71 Boeing 737 MAX 9s. Alaska Airlines have 15 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, 9 Boeing 737 MAX 9s and 103 Boeing 737 MAX 10s on-order.
November Nine Four Three Alpha Kilo is one of 71 Boeing 737 MAX 9s operated by Alaska Airlines, delivered new to the carrier on 22nd August 2022 and she is powered by 2 CFM International LEAP-1B28 engines.
Boeing 737-9 MAX N943AK taxis from Runway 24L at Los Angeles (LAX), California after working AS1292 from Seattle-Tacoma (SEA), Washington.
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“The Cross is not a Roman pole, but the wood on which God wrote his gospel”.
“La Croce non è un palo dei romani, ma il legno su cui Dio ha scritto il suo vangelo.
(Alda Merini)
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click to activate the icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream;
or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;
clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;
oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;
www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...
www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
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Good Friday is an anniversary which in Sicily acquires a cathartic meaning for those who are searching, not only photographically, for popular traditions (we find them widespread throughout Sicily), which are nothing other than a social, cultural event, which merge into a single past and present; from the web "popular traditions are a historical memory linked to customs and rituals that have given shape to the values and beliefs of that culture". Easter in Sicily can be a source of research, it can appear not without contradictions, citing the thoughts of that great Sicilian thinker Leonardo Sciascia, for him Sicily cannot be called Christian referring to the Sicilian festivals, at most it is only in appearance, in those properly pagan explosions tolerated by the Church; Sciascia addresses the topic as an introductory essay in the book "Religious celebrations in Sicily", illustrated with photographs of a young and still unknown Ferdinando Scianna, a book that did not fail to raise some controversy due to the Sicilian thinker's introductory note, thus being in open controversy with the sacredness of that popular Sicilian devotion (the book was criticized by the Holy See newspaper, the Osservatore Romano), Sciascia writes: “what is a religious festival in Sicily? It would be easy to answer that it is anything but a religious holiday. It is, first of all, an existential explosion; the explosion of the collective id, where the collectivity exists only at the level of the id. Since it is only during the celebration that the Sicilian emerges from his condition of a single man, which is the condition of his vigilant and painful superego, to find himself part of a class, of a class, of a city". Another Sicilian thinker, writer and poet, Gesualdo Bufalino, provides interesting indications on the meaning that Sicilians give to these traditional popular events, he says "during Easter every Sicilian feels not only a spectator, but an actor, first sorrowful and then exultant , for a Mystery that is its very existence. The time of the event is that of Spring, the season of metamorphosis, just as the very nature of the rite is metamorphic in which, as in a story from the Puppet Opera, the battle of Good against Evil is fought. Deception, Pain and Triumph, Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ are present."
In short, Easter in Sicily is a deeply felt anniversary throughout the island since ancient times, it has always had as its fulcrum the emotional participation of the people, with representations and processions which have become rites and traditions which unequivocally characterize numerous Sicilian centres, which they recall the most salient moments narrated in the Gospels and which recall the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, with processions formed by the various brotherhoods (sometimes with theatrical re-enactments) which have within them contents and symbols often coming from the Spanish domination, which took place in Sicily between the 16th and 17th centuries. This year, on the occasion of Good Friday I went to the pretty town of Licodia Eubea (in the province of Catania), I'll start by saying that in this procession a unique character comes to life in statue form that cannot be found anywhere else place in Sicily, it is called "Ciurciddu" (translated "Circello"), he pulls Christ with a rope tied around his neck while he carries the Cross, this bad character has a profound symbolic-allegorical meaning, he represents "the Evil that exists in the world, the refusal towards the Truth announced by Christ", causing him suffering by pulling him with the rope tied around his neck. The boys and men "carriers of the floats" gather together, preparing for the moment when, once the procession has begun, the "'a Giunta" will take place around 10:00 a.m., or rather the very painful "encounter" between Christ ( who carries the Cross, linked to Ciurciddu) and His Mother of Sorrows (with her heart pierced by a sword, an iconic image of Spanish origin), during the meeting "the bow or greeting takes place" between the two floats, it is the Greeting that Mother and Son do in one of the most characteristic moments of this procession. While the two vares are brought to an ancient church, another event takes place which strongly characterizes this tradition, the "auction of the Cross" takes place, the ability to carry the Cross, weighing 70 kg, on one's shoulder, up to Churc of Calvary (a long uphill journey to reach the upper part of the town), is put up for auction, the highest bidder wins this possibility, after which an extraordinary event occurs: the devotee who wins the auction is embraced by numerous villagers, with great transport and affection, this is because those who participate in the auction certainly do so out of devotion but also possibly because they have had someone in their family with more or less serious health problems, and this is why people hug them and encourage them by showing their closeness . In the afternoon the procession resumes, now the Christ is dead, he is in the vara with the Urn, and is called "'u Signuri' a cascia" (by which term means "the Lord in the coffin"), the two vare (the dead Christ and His Mother of Sorrows) are carried in procession up to the Church of Calvary, where the heavy and ancient Cross carried on the shoulder by the devotee was hoisted; here, even if Christ is dead, the Crucifixion takes place , the mystical moment is accompanied by ancient songs-lamentations by the singers of the SS association. Crucifix; subsequently Christ is placed from the Cross in the urn, and descends back into the center of the town, where in the church of the Capuchin Fathers the devout people "make peace with the Lord", an act of reconciliation and request for forgiveness before the figure of Christ Died. Subsequently, late in the evening, Christ and his Mother are led into the Mother Church.
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Il Venerdì Santo è una ricorrenza che in Sicilia acquista un significato catartico per chi è alla ricerca, non solo fotografica, delle tradizioni popolari (le troviamo diffuse in tutta la Sicilia), che altro non sono che un evento sociale, culturale, che fondono in un tutt’uno passato e presente; dal web “le tradizioni popolari sono una memoria storica legata ad usanze e ritualità che hanno dato forma ai valori e alle credenze di quella cultura”. La Pasqua in Sicilia può essere fonte di ricerca, essa può apparire non priva di contraddizioni, citando il pensiero di quel grande pensatore Siciliano che fu Leonardo Sciascia, per lui la Sicilia non può dirsi cristiana riferendosi alle feste Siciliane, al massimo lo è solo in apparenza, in quelle esplosioni propriamente pagane, tollerate dalla Chiesa; Sciascia affronta l’argomento come saggio introduttivo nel libro “Feste religiose in Sicilia”, illustrato con fotografie di un giovane ed ancora sconosciuto Ferdinando Scianna, libro che non mancò di sollevare qualche polemica per la nota introduttiva del pensatore Siciliano, essendo così in aperta polemica con la sacralità di quella devozione popolare Siciliana (il libro fu oggetto di una stroncatura da parte del quotidiano della Santa Sede, l’Osservatore Romano), Sciascia scrive: “che cos’ è una festa religiosa in Sicilia? Sarebbe facile rispondere che è tutto, tranne che una festa religiosa. E’, innanzi tutto, un’esplosione esistenziale; l’esplosione dell’es collettivo, dove la collettività esiste soltanto a livello dell’es. Poiché e soltanto nella festa che il siciliano esce dalla sua condizione di uomo solo, che è poi la condizione del suo vigile e doloroso super io, per ritrovarsi parte di un ceto, di una classe, di una città ”. Altro pensatore, scrittore e poeta Siciliano, Gesualdo Bufalino, fornisce indicazioni interessanti sul senso che i Siciliani danno a questi eventi popolari tradizionali, egli dice “durante la Pasqua ogni siciliano si sente non solo uno spettatore, ma un attore, prima dolente e poi esultante, per un Mistero che è la sua stessa esistenza. Il tempo dell’evento è quello della Primavera, la stagione della metamorfosi, così come metamorfica è la natura stessa del rito nel quale, come in un racconto dell’Opera dei Pupi, si combatte la lotta del Bene contro il Male. Sono presenti l’Inganno, il Dolore e il Trionfo, la Passione, la Morte e la Resurrezione di Cristo”.
In breve, la Pasqua in Sicilia è una ricorrenza profondamente sentita in tutta l’isola fin dall’antichità, essa ha sempre avuto come fulcro la commossa partecipazione del popolo, con rappresentazioni e processioni divenuti riti e tradizioni che caratterizzano inequivocabilmente numerosissimi centri Siciliani, che rievocano i momenti più salienti narrati nei Vangeli e che ricordano la Passione, la Morte e la Resurrezione di Gesù Cristo, con cortei formati dalle varie confraternite (a volte con rievocazioni teatrali) che hanno in se contenuti e simbologie spesso provenienti dalla dominazione Spagnola, avvenuta in Sicilia tra il XVI ed il XVII secolo.
Quest’anno, in occasione del Venerdì Santo mi sono recato nel grazioso paese di Licodia Eubea (in provincia di Catania), inizio col dire che in questa processione prende vita, in forma statuaria, un personaggio unico che non si trova in nessun’altro luogo della Sicilia, si chiama “Ciurciddu” (tradotto “Circello”), egli tira con una corda legata al collo il Cristo mentre porta la Croce, questo tristo personaggio ha un profondo significato simbolico-allegorico, egli rappresenta “il Male che c’è nel mondo, il rifuto verso al Verità annunciata dal Cristo”, creandogli sofferenza tirandolo con la corda legata al collo. I ragazzi e gli uomini “portatori delle vare” si riuniscono tra loro, preparandosi al momento in cui, iniziata la processione, si realizzerà attorno alle ore 10:00 “ ‘a Giunta”, ovvero “l’incontro” dolorosissimo tra il Cristo (che porta la Croce, legato a Ciurciddu) e Sua Madre l’Addolorata (col cuore trafitto da una spada, immagine iconica di origine spagnola), durante l’incontro “avviene l’inchino o saluto” tra le due vare, è il Saluto che Madre e Figlio si fanno in uno dei momenti più caratteristici di questa processione. Mentre le due vare vengono portate in una antica chiesa, avviene un altro evento che caratterizza fortemente questa tradizione, ha luogo “l’asta della Croce”, il poter portare in spalla la Croce, del peso di 70 kg, fino alla Chiesa del Calvario (un lungo percorso in salita a raggiungere la parte alta del paese), viene messo all’asta, il maggiore offerente si aggiudica questa possibilità, dopodiché avviene un fatto straordinario: il devoto che si è aggiudicato l’asta viene abbracciato da numerosissimi paesani, con grande trasporto ed affetto, questo perché chi partecipa all’asta lo fa certamente per devozione ma anche possibilmente perché in famiglia ha avuto qualcuno con problemi più o meno gravi di salute, ed è per questo che le persone lo abbracciano e lo incoraggiano mostrandogli la loro vicinanza. Nel pomeriggio riprende la processione, adesso il Cristo è morto, si trova nella vara con l’Urna, ed è chiamato “ ‘ u Signuri ‘ a cascia” (col quale termine si intende “il Signore nella cassa da morto”), le due vare (il Cristo morto e Sua Madre l’Addolorata) vengono portate in processione fin sopra la Chiesa del Calvario, dove la pesante ed antica Croce portata in spalla dal devoto è stata issata, qui, anche se il Cristo è morto, avviene la Crocifissione, il mistico momento è accompagnato da antichi canti-lamentazioni ad opera dei cantori dell’associazione SS. Crocifisso; successivamente il Cristo viene deposto dalla Croce nell’urna, e ridiscende nel centro del paese, ove nella chiesa dei Padri Cappuccini il popolo dei devoti “ fa ‘ a Paci co’ Signuri”, atto di riconciliazione e richiesta di perdono innanzi la figura del Cristo Morto. Successivamente, in tarda serata, il Cristo e Sua Madre vengono condotti nella Chiesa Madre.
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Playing at merging images in Lightroom using the Perfect Layers Plugin. Idea is for new video in T189 as we switch to use lightroom
Taken using a tripod and timer on camera then imported to lightroom, the opened in Perfect Layers to merge them.
Lightroom - Adobe
Perfect Layers - onOne Software
This is the colour version of the preceding photo "Fusion" in black & white. I find it interesting that it is not just the intensity of the light but also the colour hue of the part of the tree hugging the rock that is so similar to the colour of the rock. If I go back to the park, I'll take a few steps back (while being careful not to fall over the edge of the cliff) and try to get a better framing of the tree/rock spectacle, decades in the making.
Nikon D90 - Tokina 11-16mm F2.8
Gorilla pod attached to overpass railing - Straight out of Camera
What's interesting about the shot is you will usually get 1 red and one white stream of traffic but in this case 2 red.
Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago is the first science and engineering research national laboratory in the United States, receiving this designation on July 1, 1946.[1] It is the largest national laboratory by size and scope in the Midwest. A multipurpose laboratory led since 2009 by director Eric Isaacs, Argonne maintains a broad portfolio in basic science research, energy storage and renewable energy, environmental sustainability, and national security. It is managed for the United States Department of Energy by UChicago Argonne, LLC, which is composed of the University of Chicago and Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.[3] Argonne is a part of the expanding Illinois Technology and Research Corridor.
The laboratory is located on 1,700 acres (6.9 km2) in DuPage County, 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Chicago, Illinois, on Interstate 55, completely encircled by Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve. When it was first established it was known as the University of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory (Met Lab), and it was previously located within Red Gate Woods. Early in its history, the laboratory was part of the Manhattan Project, which built the first atomic bomb.
Argonne National Laboratory had a smaller facility called Argonne National Laboratory-West (or simply Argonne-West) in Idaho next to the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. In 2005, the two Idaho-based laboratories merged to become the Idaho National Laboratory.
Picture taken my Michael Kappel at the Energy Showcase at Argonne National Laboratory
View the High Resolution photo on the my Photography Website
Beach near Limbe in Cameroon's Southwest Province. December 2005.
larger is better: View On White
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ah, summer.. and finally some time to go strolling in those almost forgotten archives, mess around in the photoshop.. :)
These shots are actually taken around 10am in the morning, from where I was usually having breakfast during my trip to Cameroon some (already!) 1-half years ago.
Merge was in the new Adobe just a bit harder finding. Adobe has gone though a few changes that take some dedication to master. ;o)
Another series of backgrounds/textures for any one to use. Please let me know and give me a credit if you use this.
OH WOW it actually uploaded using the Flickr Desktop uploadr... I'll have to remember to try that more often...
What this is all about: wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Xstreet
Mythical Creatures was the 2016 theme for the 4th annual student fundraiser fashion show known as MERGE. Our team consisted of staff at D+B, VSP Global, Shaw Carpet, and Patcraft, and we had four hours to create a costume from raw materials given to us at the beginning.
The mythical creature we chose was a vampire and the entire costume was made from commercial interior material samples: carpet backing for the cape, decorative wall covering for the bodice, glass tile for the belt, and wall protection for the skirts.
It was held in the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria at the Sacramento Central Branch and was attended by approximately 200 people. Each year the costumes are more elaborate and technical, and we couldn't be more proud of the talented people we have here in Sacramento.