View allAll Photos Tagged subtle
This bird is nearing its full breeding plumage colors, but I believe it to be still immature based on its streaky head pattern. It is one of our LBJs (little brown jobs) most easy to ID. The several Spizella sparrows can be more difficult to ID when in non-breeding plumage. It is especially challenging when there are mixed flocks that include advanced juveniles. During such periods I find that photography is the surest method of later IDing individual sparrows in this family... you don't have to commit all the subtle field marks to memory for later recall when comparing with the field guide images.
IMG_6406; Chipping Sparrow
Mari Holden was a bike racer with national titles, a World Championship and an Olympic medal, and is now a television announcer and coach. She's lovely and apparently decided to dispense with the subtle approach in Solvang...
While in the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park last weekend (4-30-2023), it wasn't long before this band of wild/feral horses was found near the Cottonwood Campground. We counted eleven in this band, including the dark-colored stallion and mare having a "discussion" while the others grazed.
It was a beautiful early spring day (spring arrives late here in North Dakota) and the horses were in evidence in many parts of the park, though this band and a solitary stallion were the only ones we saw out of the approximately 180 that reside within the south unit of TRNP.
Beneath a shifting ceiling of ashen clouds, the Valley of Trolls unfurled in solemn grandeur, a wilderness carved by time’s relentless hand. Ocean Peak rose above the far horizon, its serrated heights stark against the gloom, like an ancient banner frayed by millennia of winds. At its feet, Lake Harris lay brooding, its dark waters restless and inscrutable, stirred by winds that whispered of distant seas and forgotten storms.
In the foreground, a serpentine stream spilled forth from the hidden cradle of Lake Wilson, threading its way through a chaotic tumble of stone. Its waters shimmered, not merely clear but luminous, catching elusive glints of light that seemed to flicker and fade as if stolen from the stars. Pools gathered in quiet hollows, their surfaces dappled with ripples that moved like silver veins through emerald and cobalt. The stream hummed with life, its song subtle yet persistent, like a half-remembered melody from a world long past.
Clinging to the fractured rocks, alpine daisies stretched defiantly, their white blooms trembling as faint sunbeams broke through the clouds, only to vanish again as swiftly as they had come. These hardy flowers, so fragile in appearance yet stubborn in their survival, seemed to hold council with the mosses and lichens that crept across the crags in slow, deliberate conquest. Each blade of grass, each cluster of growth, seemed to hold its place not by chance, but by some secret decree of the land itself.
The valley walls were a mosaic of raw geology, where layers of stone thrust forward, tilted and scarred as though shaped by a craftsman’s fury. Deep fissures cleaved their surfaces, shadows pooling within them like ink spilled from some unseen hand. This was no land of soft beauty or gentle welcomes—it was a place that commanded respect, its silence carrying the weight of long-buried stories.
Farther still, Lake Harris mirrored the sky’s shifting moods in its dark expanse, its waters holding a curious stillness at odds with the restless air around it. The peak above seemed almost watchful, its sharp contours suggesting not just a mountain, but an ancient presence—a witness to events that even the loremasters of Rivendell might struggle to recall.
Here, one might imagine a weary Frodo pausing, his hand brushing the cool stones, as Sam’s voice broke through the quiet with some small encouragement. Or perhaps Aragorn, his gaze far away, scanning the rugged horizon as though searching for echoes of a time before his own. It was a land where footsteps felt heavier, where the air seemed dense with unspoken warnings, and yet where beauty—wild and unbroken—shone like a pale flame in the gathering dusk.
The Valley of Trolls held no welcome for travelers, nor did it turn them away. It simply was, a fragment of Middle-earth unbent by the passing ages, its mysteries untouched by the dominion of Men. There was a stillness here, but not a peace. Beneath the green and stone, beneath the streams and shadows, there was a waiting, a presence that seemed to hum just below the edge of perception. Not malevolent, not benevolent—simply there, as if the valley itself watched and remembered long after all others had forgotten.
As I think its wise not to stand out in a crowd I always go for the slightly understated look. something that enables me to blend in. I like to be un-noticed hence the reason why I always choose a very subtle outfit something that wont ruffle feathers or draw attention to myself. So that's why I chose the rather dowdy outfit above to walk the densely populated brick lane!
With a few yards of my walking away from my car two lads mentioned how good I looked. my reply in a not so girlie voice came as a shock to them I think lol,
I carried on my journey to my destination at one point a well dressed woman in her 30s with a mobile phone to her ear walked towards me, I moved to the side to let her pass. As she did she turned and said " I love your look very nice" or something similar.
As you would expect I was on cloud nine by this point two comments both good and not a single bad look from anywhere,
Looks like my subtle outfit was working a dream.
As I drew closer to the venue I was heading for, a bunch of smartly dressed lads from I suspect the city walked past me and I heard a couple say "I would" while they looked back at me. yeah I smiled in that knowing way and walked on lol.
A few more comments happened one " Nice hat" and another " like your style" Were directed at this dowdily ( is that spelt right?) dressed T girl.
OK I admit I wore what I wore to make an impression but I never thought for a second total strangers in the street would walk upto me and say such nice things.
People can be nice after all :-)
Part three the exhibition to follow.
I captured this image back in May after discovering this scene during a walk the evening before in my neighborhood. Hence the title, I had seen this cactus before, but never like this. I hope you enjoy it. I am considering this one for a series of notecards I am hoping to produce and market later this year.
...
well, even further behind that I was... yikes!
But I will be trying the catching up thing here again.
And an upload! Some fall color in the mix too :)
This was taken 5 years ago and I posted it 5 years ago. But over the years I have taken many shots over the 20 or so visits, many are more spectacular with huge starbursts and yellow glowing canyon walls. But this is one of my favorites because of the more subtle look to where you can see better some of the things that makes this one of my favorite waterfalls to visit. I am posting it now because finally things are opening up and I hope to go see it in the next couple of days
Subtle colours a while after the sun has set. Same tree as 'Storm Approaching' and 'Cusp'...bit to photogenic to avoid! West Sommerton, Norfolk.
Gear: Canon 5D Mk II | Canon 17-40 f/4 L | Lee 0.9 and Lee 0.6 graduated filters | ND400
Settings: ISO 200 | f14 | 30.0 | 17mm
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[The Best Camera: iPhone Photos]
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A bit of a sunrise this morning at Burleigh Heads to break things up a little.
This is after sunrise and with a rain cloud coming in to the right.
It eventually caught up and I got a good soaking just after I packed up, phew.
Processing
Curves, Clarity, landscape calibration, soft light in CS5, brightness.
When exploring the area around Neist Point Lighthouse together with Ross, I was lucky to catch this moment of subtle sunlight on the rocks I picked as a foreground.
Mamiya M645 1000s
Sekor C 45mm f/2.8
Kodak Tri-X 400. Expired 2011
Shot as iso 250. Developed in Rodinal/R09 1+25 7 min.
The last night of my Iceland trips is often a tough one, and this time was no different. I stood in this place for two and a half hours under a stable green aurora arc. At first it was quite inconspicuous. Occasionally a second arc formed, but there was not much change to be seen. Later the arc became brighter and more intense, I think they were the brightest northern lights I have ever seen. I was already thinking about putting the camera away and driving back to my accommodation (it was now 11 p.m., I still had half an hour to drive, had to fill up the rental car and pack my suitcase before the alarm would ring at half past four) when the arc dissolved and the northern lights began to dance wildly. They may not have been the most beautiful northern lights I have ever seen, but they were among the most spectacular. The rapid finale lasted only about five minutes, then it was all over, only an afterglow remained in the sky and I could pack up.
A very subtle difference can make the picture or not.
Annie Leibovitz
I think what I am trying to approach here is the photograph doesn't have to be a great waterfall , a great landscape sunset or other..Beauty is everywhere you look...Don't get the wrong idea folks , sunsets and all I love and the broader scenes, just saying there are smaller scenes as well