As photographers, do you think we create our own luck? By placing ourselves in the right place at the right time, do we create our own opportunities for success or are we simply ruled by earthly variables like the weather? And most importantly, does my reverse naked raindance actually work?

Sadly, no matter how fun and visually mesmerizing my naked raindance may be, I’m fairly sure it’s not altering the weather. However, I do believe that it’s these uncontrollable variables that have the potential to create the magic in a photograph and give it that special something. And while we can’t control certain variables, we can learn to understand and recognize them.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Venice quite a few times and each time I’m always looking for the perfect amount of variables to line up, especially in places like The Rialto Bridge and views down The Grand Canal. The boat and gondola traffic, the clouds, the light, the turbulence of the water, the restoration projects and scaffolding - getting all these things to work together in harmony can be tricky business but when it all works out, you can come away with something truly unique. This is probably what compels me to visit Venice year after year; that pursuit of that one magic shot. Well, it’s either that or the abundance of amazing (and cheap) pinot grigio.

Technical Mumbo Jumbo | Before and After Comparison

'Lion's head doorknocker by Su_G' in a wallpaper mockup (c/o Roostery)

Detail of a door in old building at Sedan in South Australia captured in a design, story below.

© Su Schaefer 2011

The story behind the picture: Traveling Australia, while my husband tried to get the car exhaust fixed I wandered around taking photographs of some of the old buildings, many deserted. The car was eventually mended with a bush mechanic's "part": a drinks can, both ends removed, "fitted" & wired on over the cracked exhaust (much admired by later mechanics). I feel this design has potential use as a theatre backdrop &/or wallpaper.

See 'Lion's head doorknocker by Su_G' as fabric @ Spoonflower

See 'Lion's head doorknocker by Su_G' as wallpaper (& various soft furnishings, on some of which it looks uncontrollably bizarre!) @ Roostery (Spoonflower's home decor arm).

[Lions head doorknocker_wallpaper_mockup]

China, Beijing, Chinese Ethnic Cultural Park,

👉 ...to prevent that the corn sperm dust due to wind, insects & birds is spreading uncontrollably in the Ethnic Park & result in wild growth, most trusses are covered with weather-resistant but air-permeable special paper bags during this time in the year.

The Chinese Ethnic Cultural Park, sometimes also called Museum, opposite of the Olympic Park & the Olympic stadium, representing the 56 ethnic groups living in the Peoples Republic of China their culture & heritage. Each group is extensively presented in the park in his own area, with folkloric groups & shops, houses or even small villages, their way of living, handicraft production for sale to visitors, or typical dishes for direct consumption & small tea rooms

To visit this area you should count at least for two days, it is worthwhile, the largest area is dedicated to Tibet. The park had been created with focus on detailed regional authenticity & is almost completely unknown by tourists, even little known by the people living in Beijing, therefore the museum park is never really crowded.

👉 One World one Dream,

🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over

16 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments

“A pool is, for many of us in the West, a symbol not of affluence but of order, of control over the uncontrollable. A pool is water, made available and useful, and is, as such, infinitely soothing to the western eye.”

Joan Didion

2/4

Some odd photos again!

The job any camera has to do is to leak light in a controlled and filtered way. When the light leaks in uncontrollably, some surprises are likely to occur. It was no different in case of my FED-5C, that supposedly was letting some light through the counter-resetting feeler (thanks, Ian!).

These are the four images I decided to rescue.

One would expect something different maybe, like visible streaks, marks and such, but it's not the case here. Added some issues with scanning, and, well, tonally the result is really odd, but I think it's still likeable.

"Black. A Color which surreptitiously tingles even the most obliviously dormant crannies of your soul; to realms beyond the wisps of eternal eternity.

Black. A Color which triggers an unsurpassable inferno of hidden fires in your naked skin; indefatigably tantalizing your nimble shadow to forever blend with the celestially enamoring fabric of the night.

Black. A Color which inevitably magnetizes you towards even the most infinitesimal speck of your surrounding environment; irrespective of your indelibly vociferous denial to survive.

Black. A Color which engenders you to timelessly discover your ever-pervadingly unbridled creativity; as you ardently gyrate in the passionately undying fabric of the iridescent night.

Black. A Color which stupefies every conceivable patch of the whites of your eye; transfixes you into a state of timelessly eternal bliss; with nothing else but a cloud of everlasting sensuality as your sole savior.

Black. A Color which insatiably augments your desire to inexhaustibly proliferate; inundate every perceivable filament of earth divine with cloudbursts of your untamed virility; with none but amorphous darkness to discover.

Black. A Color which brings out the truest shades of your eclectically vibrant personality; at times unleashing the unfettered animal within you; as you ecstatically slaver and rollick on virgin mud; without a cloth to engulf your uncontrollably shivering skin.

Black. A Color which renders every pore of your impeccable flesh in unlimited bewilderment of the profound feel of boundless depth; transports you into an unending labyrinth of ebulliently perennial desire.

Black. A Color which forever rectifies even the most inconspicuous trace of inconsolably pulverizing misery; coalescing every form of torturous anguish in vicinity with a singleton shade of amazingly mollifying equanimity.

Black. A Color which indefatigably challenges the devil to appear again and again and again; only so that the spirit of triumphantly Omnipotent righteousness; overtopples it beyond dormitories of feasible recognition; everytime.

Black. A Color which forever annihilates even the most evanescent trace of your dolorously beleaguered shadow; encompassing every ingredient of your crimson blood with the undaunted tenacity to holistically survive.

Black. A Color which makes you fearlessly entwine your fingers with the intrepidly unknown; igniting the bonfire of unstoppable adventure in every conceivable corridor of your innocuously pious soul.

Black. A Color which perpetuates even the most extinguishing part of you to fantasize beyond the definitions of the extraordinary; discover the completeness of existence as the flaming Sun sinks well behind the Omnipresent horizons.

Black. A Color which makes you wholesomely forget every tangible idiosyncrasy of caste; creed; tribe or color; as all appeared symbiotically alike under the most celestially ameliorating carpet of the moonless night.

Black. A Color which knew no blazing victory or ghastly defeat; as even the most ethereal trace of war ceased with the descent of the marvelously royal night.

Black. A Color which metamorphoses even the most monotonously robotic part of you into the most seductively mitigating of poet; as you inevitably started to churn fathomless lines of divinely poetry; with every whisper and kiss of the night.

Black. A Color which makes you synergistically neutral to life and death; misery and effulgent happiness; as all you could see; perceive; implement and imbibe; was just darkness; darkness and just timelessly emancipating darkness.

Black. A Color which foments you to exhale the most fervently fiery of your breath; in order to victoriously blaze a stream of optimistically mitigating light; through the tunnel of unendingly embracing darkness.

Black. A Color which facilitates spectacularly untamed lovemaking to the most unconquerable limits; as countless blessed seeds of fertility timelessly permeated the cradle of the atmosphere; with absolutely no hindrance to grow; at an hour always past passionate midnight". — Nikhil Parekh; 'Collected Poems'.

Lena Horne — Black is ♫ youtu.be/NEG56PrBOqU

Does your loved one suffer from Disco Fever?

Symptoms: having no time to talk, bruises from being kicked around since birth, getting low, getting high, uncontrollable dancing (sometimes in nothing but underwear, apparently), city breaking, shaking

Prognosis: While you may look the other way (advisable), disco fever is not lethal. Most who have it have no problem stayin' alive.

(For those unable to get the video, fear not! It is probably for the best. It's just about a minute of Wilmur dance walking to the BeeGee's song Stayin' Alive. If you feel you really must see it, send him a request. He'll be glad to do it live, in person, I'm sure.)

(Oh the things our bored minds come up with to do.)

The Can-Y-Don, an ex RNLI Lifeboat formally named "ECJR" laid up on Loch Harport, Isle of Skye.

I've been photographing this old wooden boat for many years now ,documenting her gradual decline, and on my last visit I was lucky enough to meet up with a member of the family who own her..

Like many others I was interested in her history ...

Please read the article below..

In the early hours of 8 December 1954, most of the Scarborough fishing fleet was at sea. The weather was calm, with a gentle southeast wind and a slight swell. However, as the morning progressed, the wind suddenly strengthened, and the sea became increasingly rough. At 11:40am, the Scarborough lifeboat The ECJR, a 35-foot self-righting vessel, was called upon to escort the fishing fleet safely back to the harbour.

The lifeboat headed south and found the fishing coble near Cayton Bay, with a single crewman struggling against the worsening conditions. Securing a tow line to the Venture, the lifeboat safely guided her back to the harbour.

By this time, it was known that 10 cobles remained at sea to the north of Scarborough. With the weather escalating to a full south-easterly gale and heavy swells with breaking waves, the lifeboat ventured out again, successfully escorting the six cobles back to safety.

By 3:30pm, only three fishing boats remained unaccounted for.

The lifeboat resumed its search to the north. Soon, a message came via radio telephone that the Whitby lifeboat had escorted two of the boats into Whitby, and the remaining boat had managed to reach Whitby unaided.

At approximately 4:45pm, the lifeboat began its return journey to the harbour. By then, the sea conditions had deteriorated further, with 15-foot breaking waves caused by the ebbing tide, and visibility hampered by driving sleet. Approaching from the northwest, the lifeboat faced the wind and waves on her stern. Despite deploying a drogue to stabilize the vessel, the crew had to abort eight attempts to enter the harbour due to the tumultuous sea state.

On the ninth attempt, while running at half engine speed, an enormous wave overtook the lifeboat approximately 200 yards from the harbour entrance. The wave overwhelmed the vessel, forcing her to run submerged for about 30 yards before she surfaced, veered to port, and became uncontrollable, half-filled with water. A second massive wave struck, capsizing the lifeboat, though she immediately righted herself.

The engines had stalled, and only three crew members Allan Rennard, William Sheader, and Tom Scales remained aboard.

The other five had been thrown into the sea. While the port engine was restarted, the starboard engine failed due to ropes from the drogue entangling the propeller. As the bowman took the wheel, the crew managed to pull Ernest Eves and Jack Crawford back aboard. Tragically, as they attempted to save Second Coxswain John Cammish, another wave swept him away. Despite these challenges, the lifeboat, with its diminished crew, reached the harbour.

Coxswain John Sheader and Second Coxswain John Cammish were washed ashore within minutes. Despite the efforts of those who came to their aid and their swift transfer to St. Thomas’s Hospital on the seafront, both men succumbed to their injuries. The body of Francis Bayes was recovered later.

An investigation by the RNLI revealed that the drogue had gone missing, and its ropes were entangled around the starboard propeller, rendering the engine inoperative. Though the lifeboat itself suffered only superficial damage, the extraordinary weather conditions and operational challenges had proven overwhelming, resulting in a devastating loss.

Just days later, on 11 December, the ECJR returned to service with a newly formed crew that included the five survivors of the accident. On 13 December, a funeral service was held in this very church, attended by the widows, families, and a large congregation. The Archbishop of York delivered a heartfelt sermon.

The lifeboatmen who lost their lives were:

Coxswain John Nicholas Sheader, also known as (Jack) aged 63, who had served for 42 years and been coxswain for 10 years. He was awarded a Bronze Medal by the RNLI in 1952 for his role in aiding the Dutch motor vessel Westkust.

Second Coxswain John Cammish, aged 55, who had served with both the Filey and Scarborough lifeboats for 37 years and been second coxswain for 10 years.

Signalman Francis Bayes, aged 29, who had served as a crew member for many years.

Since that tragic day, the station has gathered annually at St Mary's church on the Sunday nearest to 8 December to honor the memory of the ECJR disaster and all other lifeboat tragedies.

Roger Buxton, Scarborough RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager commented: 'Every year since this tragedy has been commemorated by a church service remembering their ultimate sacrifice and final act of selflessness on the first Sunday after its anniversary.

'During Scarborough RNLI’s 223-year history, the number of people rescued is in substantial but untold numbers. For all that, sixteen men have given their lives in the service of Scarborough lifeboat. They include Frank Dalton, who died in an accident three years before the ECJR in tumultuous seas on 9 December 1951. All 16 men who made the ultimate sacrifice in the history of our station are remembered during the service.

'We remember with deep respect the brave lifeboatmen and shore crew who sacrificed their lives. For some, these events may now seem like a distant memory, but to the families of the fallen, they remain ever-present. It is our duty to ensure their courage and sacrifice are never forgotten by the people of Scarborough.'

Courtesy of the RNLI..

After her service with the RNLI she was re named "Can-Y-Don" and used as a pleasure craft at Aberystwyth on the Welsh coast. Then later used for fishing of the Isle of Skye..

There is talk of having her returned to Scarborough and being restored as a memorial to the lives lost, but there is some mixed feelings about this...

No work. No hassle. No maintenance. No cost.

Nature's sheer infinite strength, beauty, might and uncontrollable power.

13/365

"How many years have you gone through the house, shutting the windows, while the rain was still five miles away?

You were glad those clouds were sweeping on elsewhere,

violent and electric and uncontrollable.

And what then, when you find yourself finally wanting to forget all enclosures, including the enclosure of yourself?

Will you dash finally, frantically, to the windows

and haul them open

and lean out to the dark, silvered sky,

to everything that is beyond capture,

shouting

'I'm here, I'm here! Now, now, now, now, now!'" - Mary Oliver

Perhaps my favourite poem in all the world.

On the moors, barefoot, spinning and dancing and feeling alive. See, this is why I need to live in a van, so I can follow the mist wherever it goes, and make myself a soft, hazy space to live in away from 'reality' :-) Yes, please.

The Society was never officially present on Ra’un. Forces were dispatched from sympathetic imperial remnants, or as ex-imperial mercenaries. Society leaders saw this campaign as an opportunity to get rid of uncontrollable experimental forces.

Unofficially however, the Society had sent a handful of elite agents. Rumors of a several force sensitive children in the local population, warranted sending in agents to secure and “evacuate” these individuals. The participation in the battle, and the heaps of expendable forces, was just a cover for the real operation. Operation Harvester.

///

The AT-ST was inspired by the concept art by Shane Molina (www.artstation.com/artwork/bzywv), and the head of the AT-ST is based on GolPlaysWithLego's AT-ST. Not a super stable build, but I'm happy with the result.

Today is the last day of March, MS Awareness month.

So I wanna share about a project I decided to do.

I'll (try) express photographically my MS symptoms.

I'll try to express how uncomfortable, annoying and suffocating is to deal with this disease that looking through the eyes on the outside you can't see anything but on the inside feels like an

uncontrollable roller coaster.

It'll probably take a year to finish this project because I'll need time, imagination and the help of the elements to accomplish the way I already see it in my mind.

I intend to share the photos once everything is done.

It'll be quite a challenge to me but I feel like I need this as a form of expression, redemption and freedom.

Maybe in a year or less from now I hope I'll come here to share and maybe somehow make you feel the way I feel for a moment.

Homily062021_QuiettheStormu

“Let Us Cross to the Other Side”

One phrase in our Gospel reading quickened my heart, because I instantly related to its meaning. It speaks to the big and small decisions we make everyday in our lives. “Let Us Cross to the Other Side” is a statement that we should all relate with. With each event that occurs in our lives we make decisions (big or small)…and a new journey begins. Yes, our lives, are but a series of decisions and events with many endings but ultimately concludes with our death.

In this rich and deep Gospel story, Jesus is inviting each of his disciples to travel with him “to the other side.” Each of them freely makes the decision to enter the boat. From the disciples view, they soon discover that they are on rough water. It should be easy for us to relate to their predicament. However, Jesus we are told is asleep on a cushion. In their panic, they wake Jesus up, and state “don’t you care that we are perishing?” With the words from his mouth, Jesus simply says “quiet, peace be still.” All the storms are calmed now…the one they see and the one they feel on the inside. One can imagine Jesus calming saying “what are you afraid of…where is your faith?”

How often have we felt this way in the middle of a journey? The storms within our own hearts! How often do we feel the squalls, the uncontrollable emotions that snatches away our peace and clouds our judgement. I have and so have you.

Recently, I was traveling to see one of our parishioners. I was stopped at a red light, when the light turned green, I proceeded forward…suddenly I was in the middle of a sudden storm…my car spun around…and my peace was gone. After my daze, I quickly realized how blessed I was…in the spinning of my car…the deadly force of the other car had been swallowed up. A few feet more…and I would have been crushed. I made it to the other side of this event…and I am steal learning things about myself. What did the disciples learn about themselves, as they completed their journey to the other side of the lake? I suspect they had a deeper understanding and a “healthier fear” of the one called Jesus; their constant traveling companion.

Like the disciples on the boat, some storms we experience collectively-that would be together. Our Psalm reading, in the context of our shared experience of the pandemic, seems very timely. Is life not like sailing on deep waters where we experience wonder, mystery and fear. Sometimes larger then life events carry us to heaven (rain during a drought or the miracle of a as a vaccine that is available to us all) and sometimes we get carried to the depths-pandemics, droughts, earthquakes and war. What should our collective response be? I quote our Psalm reading…

They cried to the LORD in their distress;

from their straits he rescued them,

He hushed the storm to a gentle breeze,

and the billows of the sea were stilled.

They rejoiced that they were calmed,

and he brought them to their desired haven.

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his kindness

and his wondrous deeds to the children of men.

It appears that we are starting to see the other side of this event we call Covid. It has been a very long journey. As we arrive on this new chore together…we are wondering what the new normal is going to look like. We know that this journey has changed us…it has changed our Church community.

Every week we come to church where we are reminded that we do not journey alone. We receive an outward reminder of an inward reality that our God would never abandon us. I am reminded what Jesus said in John 14:27:

“Peace- I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

Jesus always resides with us and in us. In a moment we will physically receive Jesus in the bread…we will consume this bread of life. The sign has been given, Jesus is literally with us. The question now is where will we take Him?

-rc

A strange feeling floods over me when he looks into my eyes.

An uncontrollable smile invades my lips.

I look away because I’m afraid he’s looking into my soul,

reading my mind and judging my mistakes.

He holds my chin and gently makes me look into his eyes.

His face becomes concentrated.

I stare into his eyes and wait.

…

He smiles and kisses me lightly with his soft lips.

I smiles and continue to stare into his beautiful eyes.

He lays back and I snuggle up next to him as he puts his arms around me.

He pulls me close and whispers

“I Love You…”

©

Fire is a persistent, almost uncontrollable element. Humans believe we have mastered the danger, but massive forest fires say otherwise. Do we try to prevent and worsen natural fires or let them burn without stopping them?

Size: 20 x 24 inches

paintings for sale: www.shawnshawn.co

Newsletter: www.shawnshawn.co/contact.html

Code: MM06188

Art of the Real

Love

Has a way of wilting

Or blossoming

At the strangest,

Most unpredictable hour.

This is how love is,

An uncontrollable beast

In the form of a flower.

The sun does not always shine on it.

Nor does the rain always pour on it

Nor should it always get beaten by a storm.

Love does not always emit the sweetest scents,

And sometimes it can sting with its thorns.

Water it.

Give it plenty of sunlight.

Nurture it,

And the flower of love will

Outlive you.

Neglect it or keep dissecting it,

And its petals will quickly curl up and die.

This is how love is,

Perfection is a delusional vision.

So love the person who loves you

Unconditionally,

And abandon the one

Who only loves you

Under favorable

Conditions.

________Suzy Kassem_________

15/54.

Inspired by uncontrollable things and losing yourself.

It feels good to create something really meaningful again. I feel like for awhile I wasn't creating with much emotional input as I did in the past, so it feels great to feel familiar and connected with my work again. I hope I can really start improving on this as an artist, and that it will start to translate through my work more clearly.

Honestly, this is best viewed large :)

Please "like" my photography page if you enjoy my work! Jake Hegel Photography

Deviantart

Tumblr

Formspring

The Rua da Gloria Funicular Terminal was the site of a horrific accident

A deadly accident occurred 03 September, 2025, when the Elevador da Glória (Glória funicular) derailed and crashed into a building on Rua da Glória.

The descending car sped uncontrollably down the hill after its cable snapped and emergency brakes failed.

The tragedy resulted in 16 confirmed deaths and more than 20 injuries, making it one of Portugal's worst public transit accidents.

A preliminary report by Portugal's Air and Rail Accident Investigations Bureau found a "litany of failings" leading to the crash.

Bailey Longcloth looks at her confused, "Why is everyone calling me Bails? I'm Dazy, Elise tied me to a fucking bed!" she'd look at the cat, "Wait... your..." she'd sniff the cat's hair and next "Your... not... pink"

Bailey Dazy shakes her head "N-no... I'm Dazy... You-you're Bails." She shakes her head again as she pulls away from the hug. "No... I'm not pink... I don't know what happened... and my hands... I bandaged them but they're bleeding." Her whole body begins to shake uncontrollably.

Bailey Longcloth pulls her back into a hug, "I don't care if your not pink" she'd let her go gently "Let me see your hands" she'd ask holding hers out

Bailey Dazy holds out her hands, theyre bandaged then gloved. "I don't want to unwrap them...." her hands still shaking. Instead she reaches for her belt. "Th-there is something I need you to have."

Bailey Longcloth lets go of her hands, "Dazy you need those looked at" she'd look up at her Sis "I'm Bails..." she'd look down at herself, "I'm I'm pink!" she'd almost laugh if she wasn't crying

The best way to end a day of shooting is to go on yet another calf-burning hike. This was exactly what Aaron and I decided to do for our last shoot of the day. After a grueling morning to Eagle Creek, Mossy Grotto, and Oneonta Gorge, we took a much needed lunch break consisting of famous giant ice cream cones of Cascade Locks. Once recharged, we headed across the border over to Washington for Spirit Falls.

Still feeling the aftermath burning sensation from all the uphill climbing in the morning, dropping down and climbing up a steep 500ft was the perfect medicine. Terence informed us about the “butt-sliding” portion at the beginning of the hike. To avoid sliding down uncontrollably Aaron unleased his secret weapon: a professional climbing rope consisting of thin rope tied in the middle. Despite using this sketchy rope we managed to make it down the slide portion with no troubles. A short while later we made it down to the viewing platform.

Aaron and I began staring at each other wondering where the ideal shooting spot was located. Going back and forth we couldn’t seem to get any lower before we finally figured out where we needed to climb down. From up above it looked difficult but in actuality it was rather benign. Of all the waterfalls we visited this weekend, Spirit was clearly the most impressive in terms of sheer power and water flow. The rare Pacific Northwest blue skies also helped enhance the naturally blue colored water.

Sony A7r

EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II

Website | Facebook | 500px | Google+

It could be a room full of people, you still on my side

Look at how the whole world is searching, but I got mine

It's emotional, uncontrollable, all I think about is you

So if the tears wanna flood in my gates

Let the water flow

Just let it fall out, out from my face

I never thought I'd ever hear me say

I just can't breathe without my baby

View On Black

Erik is 6. Can I get a boo and a hoo now? He's got attitude that's for sure. Well, of course, because of his disorder, diagnosed as lisaDNA, he's got AN attitude. Symptoms of this disorder is uncontrollable talking, stubborness, incredible intelligence (hahaha) and ultimately being right 99% of the time. If you find a cure for this let me know. I'll use it on him..for me, it's a hopeless case. LOL

Oh..and I've missed all of you these past few weeks!

Window shopping in Park Royal South Mall. The ROLEX window at LUGARO was too close for my wallets comfort zone, it began weeping uncontrollably.

LUGARO is part of the worldwide network of Official Rolex Retailers.

At LUGARO one can browse the Rolex collection or simply contact them to book an appointment with the dedicated staff, who can help you make the choice that will last a lifetime.

Not gonna happen.

Forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that makes you smile.

1/4

Some odd photos again!

The job any camera has to do is to leak light in a controlled and filtered way. When the light leaks in uncontrollably, some surprises are likely to occur. It was no different in case of my FED-5C, that supposedly was letting some light through the counter-resetting feeler (thanks, Ian!).

These are the four images I decided to rescue.

One would expect something different maybe, like visible streaks, marks and such, but it's not the case here. Added some issues with scanning, and, well, tonally the result is really odd, but I think it's still likeable.

I've been obsessed with drawing this character with these uncontrollable snakes for hands.

In Iceland, if there's something you should know about road conditions, it's that if the road is open, you should be able to drive through it, no matter what car you're driving, unless noticed otherwise.

Personnaly, I was driving a Nissan Micra, the smallest, cheapest car I could find, and the first time I was driving a manual car since getting my license back in 2000.

I took the Micra anywhere I could. Most roads were open except for the mountain roads going to the middle of the island, so I could go anywhere a 4x4 would also be allowed too.

So I wasn't tense getting onto road 917. That changed.

From the distance, at some point, I could see it was going uphill. That wasn't my first time.

This time, though, the road was so steep that even in 1st gear, I had a hard time climbing.

On top on that, there was tons of gravels on the gravel road so my wheels would sometimes spin uncontrollably.

On top of that, the road was so narrow and so without barriers that eveytime the spinning happened, there was a chance I would practice car diving.

On top of that, if I stopped, I was never going to start again.

So it was a true relief when I could find an area somehow flat to take a break, a shot, and a cigarette, so I could focus, astounded, on all the sorts of terrain I had in front of my eyes.

If you find yourself standing atop the Fire Wave in Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park during an explosive sunset like this one, you might just be filled with the uncontrollable urge to yell out "Hallelujah!"

Only an hour away from Las Vegas, this park is terribly underrated by many but after a recent visit, I think it has an incredible amount of potential...kind of like Antelope Canyon was 20 years ago.

This is a 7 stop HDR processed in NIK. There was no way to control the dynamic range with a single image...and seven stops barely did it!

Enjoy it before it gets really famous and the place is packed with busloads of tourists!

Jeff

My Website ¦ My Blog ¦ Google+¦ Facebook

Horse-shoe bend, Colorado River, Page, AZ

This was my second time to this breathtaking, yet easily accessible spot. The first time I went, I was still shooting with cropped sensor, and the wide-angle lens I had then produced uncontrollable flare, and the season being early winter the sun was setting further to the south (left extreme in the picture) . So I was hoping to do a better job this time, and also was hoping the conditions would be better. Although the latter didn't happen with mostly bland sky, I was able to control the flare better this time. Hope you like it, and thanks a lot for looking.

Facebook | Home | Twitter

So now it's time to say goodbye to Alaska for a while, but not to the memories of an enormous land of cinematic proportion. It was an adventure of a life time colored by uncontrollable events with unforeseen consequences. It was a perfect and magical experience.

Many thanks to all of my Flickr contacts for joining me on my journey through this magnificent land of enchantment.

Fairbanks, Alaska

A tale of two skies.

One as nature intended the other as the bush fire dictated.

The street light is on Liz Kernohan Drive, Spring Farm.

Uncontrollable bush fires near Nattai have spread destroying thousands of hectares of bush land and destroying property.

Spring Farm 3.20pm 6 December, 2019.

Spring Farm, near Camden, New South Wales, Australia.

we learn how to make a daisy chain and dance uncontrollably on the sand.

"A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor." Unknown.

Coast photography is fraught with difficulties. The sand that sneaks through each slit of the gear and can scratch our precious lenses, the wind that threatens to fall the tripod, the waves that uncontrollably break against the rocks where we stand, water in suspension that dirties filters and lenses, and so on. But it still offers such magical possibilities that it is difficult to resist.

In the province of Cádiz we have the wonderful "Costa de la Luz". When I returned here a few months ago to dedicate myself to photography, I did it with the idea of ​​immortalizing the most incredible places of our mountains as well as our coast. Normally I go alone to photograph, but this day I was fortunate to be accompanied by the nature photographer Reklu Fernández. I could not imagine that in the best moment of the sunset we would be surrounded by a group of about ten "guys" who looked us defiantly. At first we thought we were going to suffer an assault, but after deciding to leave the place with relative ease and check that they were not following us, we came to the conclusion that their intentions were different. It is really sad to know that our coast is dangerous during the winter because the drug traffic is not controlled enough. I would like my photos to attract visitors to our province, but I am obliged to warn that at twilight it is better to avoid parts of the coast where you can find yourself alone. We left quickly and nothing happened. We will return in summer when the coast will be full of tourists and there will be more security. We will not give up taking more photos on the coast.

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

"Ningún mar en calma hizo experto a un marinero." Anónimo.

La fotografía de costa está plagada de dificultades. La arena que se cuela por cada rendija del equipo y puede rayar nuestros preciados objetivos, el viento que amenaza con caer el trípode, las olas que rompen incontrolablemente contra las rocas donde nos situamos, el agua en suspensión que ensucia filtros y lentes, etc. Pero aún así ofrece posibilidades tan mágicas que es difícil resistirse.

En la provincia de Cádiz contamos con la maravillosa Costa de la Luz. Cuando volví hace unos meses aquí para dedicarme a la fotografía, lo hice con la idea de inmortalizar los lugares más increíbles tanto de nuestra sierra como de nuestra costa. Normalmente voy solo a fotografiar, pero este día tuve la suerte de ir acompañado del fotógrafo de naturaleza Reklu Fernández. No me podía imaginar que en el mejor momento del atardecer íbamos a ser rodeados por un grupo de unos diez individuos que nos miraban desafiantes. Al principio pensamos que íbamos a sufrir un robo, pero después de decidir abandonar el lugar con relativa tranquilidad y comprobar que no nos seguían, llegamos a la conclusión de que sus intenciones eran otras. Es muy triste saber que nuestra costa es peligrosa durante el invierno porque no se vigila lo suficiente el tráfico de drogas. Me gustaría que mis fotos atrajeran visitantes a nuestra provincia, pero me veo en la obligación de avisar que a la hora del crepúsculo mejor evitar partes de la costa donde os podáis encontrar solos. Nosotros nos fuimos rápido y no pasó nada. Volveremos en verano cuando la costa esté llena de turistas y haya más seguridad. No vamos a renunciar a hacer más fotos de nuestra costa.

Life is short, break rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably & never regret anything that makes u smile!

♥ ♥ ♥

the state park near us does periodic controlled burns of hundreds of acres of pine barrens. This is done during dry periods to prevent uncontrollable wildfires which can occur with a lightning strike. I guess I understand the need for this destruction in an effort to prevent larger destruction. Still, many animals lose their homes when the burns take place and the sky gets filled with smog for a few days.

Occasionally these fires have gotten out of control with unexpected shifts in the winds and spread to threaten nearby neighborhoods. Though it might look like the grasses are on fire, the bright part is the sun setting through the smoggy area. The actual fires are about 15 miles away.

for ODC - pollution

Nikon D7000 ~ Nikkor 50mm 1.8G ~ Exposure 1/1000 ~ Aperture f/2.5 ~ ISO Speed 100

© Image by Laurarama - All rights reserved. My Images may not be used on websites, blogs or other media. Do not copy or alter in any way without my written permission.

Seeing as yesterday was St Leonards Day, which isn't noted in any Gregorian calendar that you'll find, I thought I'd do my bit to honour this most illusory of Saints through the medium of Railway Photography.

My initial thoughts this morning were trading towards disappointment, as in my eagerness to see this train run, the fifteen minutes extra it spent at Derby, pre-departure getting later, might as well have been an hour, cursor again and again hitting the 'refresh' widget, thoughts uncontrollably flapping, teeth grinding in an impatient manner, and with much pursing of lips in a side to side type motion. Then, one quarter of an hour later, I see progress through wizened eyes. It was time to unbox my car, and hit the road, Leonard.

I arrived early at Nether Whitacre, something I was fairly proud of, which gave me chance to consider my shot.

37175, happens on the rear at Whitacre Junction, a hill away from Coleshill Parkway, and roughly one third through it's run to Landore T.M.D.

Happy St Blenarps Day.

Many thanks as always for the 'explore', sir :-)

True happiness is an acceptance of life as it is given to us, with it's diminishments,

mystery, uncontrollability and all.

Michael Gellert

Stockholm Arlanda 1982-04-03

DC-10-30CF c/n 46962

Registrations used by this airframe: N1034F, EC-DEG

Note: This aircraft was written off on September 13, 1982

50 killed, RIP

"Spantax flight 995, a DC-10-30, crashed during a runway excursion after an aborted takeoff from Málaga Airport, Spain, killing 50 occupants; 344 survived the accident.

Flight BX995 departed Madrid-Barajas at 09:36 on a charter flight to Málaga and New York. The DC-10 arrived at Málaga at 10:20 where 251 passengers embarked. The crew then taxied to the threshold of runway 14. Takeoff clearance was received at 11:58. During takeoff the copilot called out the 80 knots and 100 knots speeds. A short time before reaching V1 (162 kts), pieces of tread of a nose wheel tire started to detach. At or close to V1 a vibration was felt. The airplane continued to accelerate through VR. As the captain tried to rotate by applying up elevator, the vibration was of such magnitude that he feared that the plane might become uncontrollable after takeoff. He decided to abort the takeoff. At that point, with a maximum speed attained of 184 kts, there was 1295 m (4,250 feet) of runway left. The captain retarded the throttles and tried to select reverse thrust. The no. 3 throttle slipped from his hands, causing a power asymmetry. The airplane veered slightly to the left. The Dc-10 overshot the runway at a speed of 110 kts, colliding with an ILS building, causing engine number 3 to separate. The airplane went through a fence and crossed a highway were it damaged three vehicles. It then collided with a farming construction, causing three quarters of the right wing to break off, as well as the right horizontal stabilizer. The aircraft stopped 450 m (1,475 feet) past the end of runway 14. A fire erupted in the rear of the fuselage.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The Commission determines the cause of the accident to be the fractional detachment of the retread of the right wheel of the nose gear, originating a strong vibration which could not be identified by the captain, leading him into the belief that the aircraft would become uncontrollable in flight, and thus deciding to abandon the take-off over VR.

The decision of aborting the take-off, though not in accordance with the standard operation procedure, is in this case considered reasonable, on the base of the irregular circumstances that the crew had to face, the short period of time available to take the decision, the lack of training in case of wheel failure and the absence of take-off procedures when failure other than that of the engines occurs."

asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/327789

Tucked far, far away from society, is a class of skilled musicians known only through folklore and legend. A people with a penchant for controlling the uncontrollable... taming the untamable... and mastery of a device thought not to be masterable. Armed with the most unexpected and simple of bathroom paraphernalia, they unleash a hypnotic flurry of tones capable of enticing unthinkable yards of TP from what most of us would consider to be certain demise. They are, The Toilet Bowl Charmers of Sri Lanka...

(Setup shot.)

Lighting/Setup Info

- SB600 at 24mm zoom and 1/4 power level in a 15-inch Lastolite Ezybox. Positioned slightly camera-left about 5.5-feet high and about 4-feet from subject. (Key Light)

- SB80DX at 14mm zoom and 1/16 +0.7 power level, with diffusion dome and bounced. Positioned on-axis directly below camera, about 2.5-feet from bounce surface, bounce surface is about 7-feet from subject. (Fill Light)

- Cybersyncs.

Impressie van de Flickr-meet in Kinderdijk:

-verlichte molens in Kinderdijk

-lekkere temperatuur

-shirt en korte broek

-hmpf…. onweer

-paar drupjes regen

-heftig onweer

-hoosbui

-schuilen onder een boom

-vuilniszakken over het hoofd getrokken als regenjas

-onbedaarlijke lachbui

-15 minuten lopen door de stromende regen

-nat tot op….., ja zelfs tot daar

Het was geweldig, we hebben vreselijk gelachen! Dave www.flickr.com/photos/nldazuu/ en Wim www.flickr.com/photos/16209124@N00/ bedankt voor de onvergetelijke avond!

Impression of the Flickr meet in Kinderdijk:

-lighted windmills at Kinderdijk

-nice temperature

-shirt and shorts

-hmpf .... storm

-little rain

-heavy thunderstorm

-raining cats and dogs

-shelter under a tree

-bags pulled over our heads as a raincoat

-uncontrollable laughter

-15 inutes walk through the pouring rain

-wet, very wet ... yes even there

It was great, we had so much fun! Dave www.flickr.com/photos/nldazuu/ and Wim www.flickr.com/photos/16209124@N00/ thanks for the unforgettable evening!

It looked so close. Helmut really had an urge for chocolate. He could walk or he could swim. Helmut opted for swimming. Well, guess what? Looks are deceiving. By the time Helmut reached the shore, the store was closed and he had uncontrollable shivers. There were a few people out who witnessed Helmut thrashing around on the ground and thought he was giving a street performance. Some kind of shiver dancing. He collected enough money to get a hot shower at the YMCA and spend the night.

San Francisco, California 2013

Happy hearts and happy faces,

Happy play in grassy places—

The 2 little brothers had tumbled in glee on the gently rolling lawns, flown around the flower beds, giggling uncontrollably until exhausted, (but only for minutes!) they caught up with each other on the steps. And the adults' day glowed more brightly because of them.

Ce weekend, dans les environs de Tournon-sur-Rhône et Tain l'Hermitage, la guerre était déclarée !!

Une bataille sans merci semblait être à l'oeuvre entre les pétarades des canons à grêles tentant une percée misérable dans le territoire des dieux, face à un orage qui scintillait d'éclairs de toute part. La nature démontre sa toute puissance dans un coup de grâce contre les petits êtres qui pensent contrôler l'incontrôlable... Gulliver ça restera dans les livres ! :)

--------

This weekend, around Tournon-sur-Rhône and Tain l'Hermitage, the war was declared !!

A merciless battle seemed to be at work between the shots of hail cannons attempting a miserable breakthrough in the territory of the gods, facing a storm that glittered lightning from all sides. Nature shows its all-power in a fatal shot against little beings who think they control the uncontrollable ... Gulliver it will stay in the books! :)

If you take the time to read this, I promise this photo will mean more.

How did it even get this way? I ask myself that day in and day out. What we had was an experience to say the least. We built a kingdom of memories. And no matter how many times things got tough, we still managed to add another brick and keep on building. For three years we did this until our kingdom crumbled before us.

You know that you will always love me just like I will always love you. There’s no other way around that. But for my sake and my hearts sake, I have to turn my back now. And if it were meant to be, you’ll come to turn me in the right direction.

I can't remember the last time I really truly opened my heart up on Flickr. But I knew I wanted to. I had to. It's been eating at me for some time now. This is the last picture I'm going to upload for awhile because tomorrow I'm leaving for vacation. Don't worry, I will upload lots of photos when I return.

Be sure to check out my Facebook page for constant updates and pictures from my trip via celliephonzie :)

Week 6, Wednesday

Most of my days are spent with Aura as I'm babysitting her home while Sari goes to work. This might sound like I have loads of time to use on photography, but it's actually other way around. I need to take care of routines like eating, playing, going outdoors etc. When Aura is taking her afternoon naps, I get two hours of free time, which I usually use for my freelance work if there is any to be done at the moment. When Sari comes from work, I get couple hours of free time which I usually put working on my thesis. Finally when Aura goes to sleep, usually at nine o'clock at evening, it's time for photography. So because of these daily routines I don't get much free time for photography and it makes me very satisfied if I can squeeze some pictures while doing every day routines, like taking care of dishes.

Every day routines might sound like a boring subject for photography, but it doesn't have to be. One of my early meeting with a anthropologic knowledge was a little book called 'Purity and Danger – An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo' (1966) written by influential anthropologist Mary Douglas. It addresses different ways how we give cultural ways meanings to dirt. In (very) short, dirt isn't just dirt, but any matter that is considered to be out of its place, a categorical mix-up which endangers our cultural order. Food on a plate is in its right place, but when we have eaten it, it suddenly becomes dirt. Meal which once was delicious becomes something so disgusting that we don't even want to touch it anymore. My example is of course simple and perhaps not even a very good one regarding what Mary Douglas is actually trying to say. To put it in other words, she claims that by maintaining boundaries between purity and impurity societies also try to maintain their symbolic and cultural order. Therefore cultural concepts of impurity, pollution and dirt are not just health regulations or medical knowledge (as often interpreted), but something that endanger cultural order deep within us. Normative cultural and social order is then maintained and restored by different kind of rituals which we learn by socialization – the act of cleaning in its simplicity, but also other things like rules regarding roles, behavior and appearance, just to name few. Following Douglas one might say that taking care of dishes is actually important work because it, in its own way, restores a cultural order.

As this might sound an idea that only has a function in so-called 'primitive' societies, and while many things are rationalized pretty far in modern societies, purity and danger lives in modern world too. It's just disguised and being part of normal cultural order, we don't acknowledge it so easily. I'm just going to give one example which tells something about how broad subject Douglas is speaking about. While in contemporary world there are detailed laws and regulations regarding refugees and asylum seekers, they are still often presented something dangerous in nation-states politics. And while there are many different political views about this subject, the anthropologic explanation is simple: being out of their place refugees and asylum seekers endanger the national order of things which organizes our perception of world. They are anomalies in our categories and because of that it's difficult to categorize them same way as we tend to categorize foreigners ('good' and 'bad' based on their national origin and stereotypes). Because of that they often transform to 'dirt' or something uncontrollable in political speech, with a very sad outcome. Like Mary Douglas said, purity and danger.

Year of the Alpha – 52 Weeks of Sony Alpha Photography: www.yearofthealpha.com

All of a sudden it started snowing. Not the gentle whirling down of magical fairytale snowflakes, but rather a tempest of harsh, razor sharp ice flakes…

As the few people were withdrawing from the silent Veluwe I just had to stay for some more moments.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, this horseman emerged, confronting the storm with an outspoken frenzy, as heading back into another dimension, like one of the musketeers or so …

Anyway the entire scenery ignited an uncontrollable process of reminiscence within me.

And ever since that day, I have been thinking a lot about fate, destiny and dreams.

(Not in the fairytale, romantic sense though).

Are some events inevitable indeed? Is it just the sum of events leading up to a specific outcome?

And what about the result of collision of wills, personal ambitions and expectations we have of ourselves.

Aren’t we wrong to over-rationalize all we do or don’t, always on the outlook of meanings and explanations? Perhaps tying ourselves up in knots with our “cleverness” …?

Why do we let second thoughts in? Too often, killing silently big bold dreams even before the true obstacles arise.

And as I stood there, with frozen hands as of the winter shutter-play, I had to think about a slice of dialogue out of a favorite old (1945) film noir”‘Detour”:

“That's life. Whichever way you turn, Fate sticks out a foot to trip you."

The film features Tom Neal who is best remembered for his off-screen exploits which involved scandal, mayhem and a charge of murder.

If you fancy old films noirs, NYC and jazzy moods try this movie, as it starts out in NYC, with Tom Neal as the piano player in a lounge combo with a beautiful blond singer (Claudia Drake)… You won't be deceived...

more ice flakes