Lieber Alfred,

zu deinem Geburtstag wünsche ich dir von ganzem Herzen

alles Gute, Gesundheit, Glück, Zufriedenheit,

reichlich schöne und lustige Motive vor den vielen, alten Linsen,

dass du deinen göttlichen Humor behältst,

immer eine Zigarre griffbereit, ein gutes Buch und dazu

ein gutes Glas Wein vor dir hast - wenn dir danach ist - ,

deine Wünsche in Erfüllung gehen mögen

und du dich nun auf der Insel richtig wohl fühlst und verwöhnen lässt!

Ich hoffe, ich kann dir mit dem Bild ein Lächeln entlocken.

(Zu gern wüsste ich, was dir für dieses Bild wieder für ein fetziger Titel eingefallen wäre. Da bist du unschlagbar!)

Ich danke dir für deine Bilder und deine witzigen, humorvollen, geistreichen Kommentare, die mich immer sehr erfreuen, lieber Alfred! :-)

Lass dich feiern und erhole dich gut!

Herzliche Grüße

von Gaby

This beautiful blue bee nests in snail shells. I am not sure if there are other species in the East that nest in snail shells, there could be...we know so very little about most species. Collected in Maryland somewhere (probably western Maryland) and Photographed by Wayne Boo.

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All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200

Beauty is truth, truth beauty - that is all

Ye know on earth and all ye need to know

" Ode on a Grecian Urn"

John Keats

You can also follow us on Instagram account USGSBIML Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World

www.qbookshop.com/products/216627/9780760347386/Bees.html...

Basic USGSBIML set up:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY

USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo

or

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

www.photomacrography.net/

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

To make these hair clips, like this Christmas Androsia Fabric Flower Hair Barrette, I cut out a flower pattern in Androsia Fabric Scraps. Androsia is a hand batik fabric that the Bahamians make, and the only factory is located here on Androsia Island. After they sew clothes, they bag up their scraps and set them out for sale so they don't waste anything. I like to buy these scraps and use them for my projects, like these hair clips.

I pick a sea shell or sea glass that I have taken right of the shores here in the Bahamas, and glue it to the center of the flower to give it a nice tropical touch.

A little part of the other world for those, who love to dream...

Tiny Flower Gnome with his Cottage is one-of-a-kind handmade Waldorf inspired toy intended for all the forever-young fairytale lovers.

Woolen parts are hand-felted combinating wett and needle felting of plant dyed natural woolfell.

Set consists of:

* cottage with a straw roof and felt flower - diameter 3,35" (8,5cm), hight 4" (10cm) /flower-included hight is 5,5" (14cm)/

* Gnome: 1,6" (4cm) tall with two removable hats: Acorn one for everyday use and crochet one for a bed time

If You are missing some magic spell in Your life, or need a tender gift for Your little friend, please, don't tarry anymore :-)

The spiral staircase of the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo in Venice.

The Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is a small Venetian palace best known for its spectacular spiral staircase, decorated with a number of arches and visible from outside.

The palace and its staircase were built by the architect Giovanni Candi in 1499 for the noble Contarini family. The small steps used are known as snail stairs, hence the name of the palace (bovolo is Venetian for snail).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKq2_Mz6HMA

Bright Eyes

Found the teeth in the woods. Anybody know what animal they used to belong to?

Woolen cottage just for Your household - gnomes or garden - fairies...

Snail family may be welcomed subtenant as well as the best fiend :-)

Waldorf inspired one-of-a-kind handmade toy intended for all the forever-young fairytale lovers.

Woolen parts are hand-felted combinating wett and needle felting of plant dyed natural woolfell.

One-roomed house of 4,75" (12cm) diameter and 6" (15cm) hight, antenna included 9" (23cm).

Added on May 7, 2009

Glück gehabt Bürschchen. Fast bin ich auf meinem Heimweg auf dich draufgestiegen.

Lucky guy. Nearly stepped on him on my way home.

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Camera: Canon 5D Mark II

Lens: Canon 100mm/f2.8L Macro IS

Focal Length: 100mm

ISO: 1600

Exposure: 1/125 sec at f / 7.1

Exposure Bias: 0EV

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☛☛☛ F L A T T R   T H I S !

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Nutzungbedingungen für dieses Bild / Terms of use for this picture

The lake shore at Olana was encompassed with snail shells…

basic cleaning before handover

A snail shell that I found while walking down the boardwalk and put on the weatherbeaten railing. To me, it did look like spun gold in the early morning light!

An empty snail shell that I found in our side yard. I had noticed it there a day or two before, and I was happy that it was still in the same spot when I made the time to take a picture of it.

I had collected a few snail shells and decided to use them in a couple of photos...

Collection of snail shells from Puerto Rico, sent by Brandy (USA).

Life size is approx. 2cm. Photo taken using an M42 mount Pentax 100mm/f4.

Summer in Echallens, Switzerland

EXPLORED #413

I really annoyed the snail, I kept him from whatever he was doing just to take several shots of him, my reluctant model.

Detail of a portion of a miniature Japanese Fairy garden with a sedum, elfin Thyme, Hot and Spicy Oregano, String of Pearls, a rock, some lichen and some driftwood.

Baby snail after the rain.

Early fall I made my first terrarium. I decided to use moss as the only plant. I love moss. I don't know why I love moss, I just do.* I have never made a terrarium before. I collect rocks and bits of nature so this is one view. There are 2 miniature Chinese pottery pieces that I bought in Chicago's China Town, a bridge and a Temple. The rocks are supposed to represent mountains.

Sadly a flood somehow occured and the whole garden became mush. I was terribly busy and couldn't fix it for weeks. I lost lots of the moss (I got it from our back yard). It gave me an opportunity to re-landscape it and the Temple that had originally ended up to high is now in a better spot. However I lost a lot of the moss... Time, I hope, will help it to become pretty*...

Finally found a use for some of the empty snail shells that I have found down the back.

No snails were killed to obtain the shells :-)

An interestingly named area of Carrock Fell catching some sunlight as the rain clouds quickly drifted by.

$230/ea

In Scotland, the word "whelk" is also used to mean the periwinkle.

"I have lived so long among people who do not understand me or sympathise with me, been so long accustomed to refrain and disguise myself for fear of being laughed at, that I have grown as difficult to come at as a snail in a shell; and what is worse, I cannot come out of my shell when I wish it."

Jane Welsh Carlyle

Read more about this image on my Blog.

© Julian Köpke