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Roan Mountain, straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, rises like a great green fortress in the Southern Appalachian range. This five-mile-long highland ridge is one of the most ecologically diverse and visually striking places in the eastern United States. Towering over 6,200 feet at its highest point, Roan Mountain is not a single peak but a series of summits, grassy balds, and spruce-fir forests that together create a landscape unlike any other in the region.
Most visitors begin their journey at Carver’s Gap, a high mountain pass accessible by car that sits at 5,512 feet. From here, hikers step directly onto the Appalachian Trail, which cuts across the ridgeline and connects the mountain’s main features. Within minutes, the trail climbs above the tree line, revealing sweeping panoramic views from Round Bald, the first of several open summits. These “grassy balds”—including Jane Bald and Grassy Ridge Bald—offer a rare kind of terrain in the southern Appalachians: treeless mountaintops covered in wildflowers, berries, and grasses. The views are endless, stretching across North Carolina’s Blue Ridge to the east and Tennessee’s Holston Mountains to the west.
The origins of these balds remain a mystery. Some scientists believe they are remnants of the last Ice Age, sustained by a combination of grazing animals, fire, and climate. Others suggest human activity kept them clear. Either way, these open meadows are ecologically rich and fragile, requiring careful conservation to prevent trees from reclaiming the space.
To the west of Carver’s Gap, the terrain changes dramatically. The Appalachian Trail climbs into the dense, moss-covered spruce-fir forests of Roan High Knob, the highest point on the ridge at 6,285 feet. These forests feel more like New England or Canada than North Carolina, remnants of colder glacial climates from thousands of years ago. The air is cooler, the light dimmer, and the quiet deeper. Here stands the Roan High Knob Shelter, the highest backcountry shelter on the Appalachian Trail.
Near the summit of Roan High Knob, history lingers. In the late 1800s, General John T. Wilder built the Cloudland Hotel on the mountaintop as a resort for people seeking health benefits from the cool, fresh air. The hotel, which once straddled the state line, is long gone, but its ruins can still be found in the woods. Nearby, a short spur trail leads to Roan High Bluff, one of the best overlooks in the entire range.
Perhaps the most famous feature of Roan Mountain is its extraordinary display of Catawba rhododendrons. Each June, thousands of these flowering shrubs bloom across the highlands in brilliant pink and purple hues, transforming the mountains into a floral spectacle. The Roan Mountain Rhododendron Gardens, located near the old hotel site, include paved walkways and overlooks that make them accessible to all. The display is so iconic that the nearby town of Roan Mountain, Tennessee, hosts an annual Rhododendron Festival to celebrate the bloom and local mountain culture.
But Roan Mountain isn’t only beautiful in summer. In fall, the highlands erupt in gold and crimson, and in winter, the ridge becomes a snowy wonderland. The elevation keeps temperatures cool year-round, and sudden fog, thunderstorms, or wind can make conditions change quickly. Even experienced hikers are advised to carry layers and rain gear, and to check the weather before heading out.
Beyond its scenic appeal, Roan Mountain is also a place of deep ecological importance. It’s home to dozens of rare plant and animal species, including Gray’s lily, Roan Mountain bluets, and various high-elevation birds. Conservation groups work actively to protect these habitats, as overuse and erosion remain concerns, especially during peak visitation months.
Roan Mountain also holds a place in American history. In 1780, during the Revolutionary War, a group of frontiersmen known as the Overmountain Men crossed the Roan Highlands on their way to the Battle of Kings Mountain. This march is now commemorated by the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, which intersects with the Appalachian Trail in the area.
On the Tennessee side, Roan Mountain State Park provides a lower-elevation base with campgrounds, rental cabins, and family-friendly trails. The park complements the high-elevation wilderness above, offering opportunities for fishing, biking, and attending seasonal festivals.
Access to Roan Mountain is relatively easy. From Asheville, North Carolina, it’s about a 1.5-hour drive through winding mountain roads. The main entry point, Carver’s Gap, is open year-round, with parking available for both day hikers and thru-hikers. The Roan Mountain Recreation Area, open in the warmer months, provides picnic areas, paved walking paths, and access to the rhododendron gardens.
What makes Roan Mountain remarkable is how it combines natural beauty, accessibility, and a sense of the wild. It’s a place where the scenery changes with each step—from open balds under the wide sky to misty evergreen forests—each corner hiding its own magic. For many, a visit to Roan becomes a yearly ritual, a seasonal pilgrimage to walk through rhododendrons, listen to wind in the fir trees, and feel, if just for a moment, like they've stepped into another world.
Whether you’re a seasoned backpacker, a family on a scenic drive, or a botanist studying rare plants, Roan Mountain offers something meaningful. It’s not just a hike or a view—it’s an experience that connects people to nature, history, and the enduring power of mountains.
March Point. Padilla Bay/Fidalgo Bay.
"The Washington population of the Black Oystercatcher is estimated to be roughly 400 birds. This number is probably not significantly different from the historical population, as these birds require fairly specialized habitat, which is not evenly distributed. Oystercatchers are highly vulnerable to human disturbance, oil spills, and pollution of the intertidal zone. Numbers of Black Oystercatchers on the outer coast may be higher than in the past, in part due to decreased human disturbance resulting from lighthouse automation. Numbers in inland areas, however, have declined in response to increased human activity. The Northern Pacific Coast Regional Shorebird Management Plan has identified the Black Oystercatcher as a regional species of high concern."
"The Black Oystercatcher is restricted in its range, never straying far from shores, in particular favoring rocky shorelines. It has been suggested that this bird is seen mostly on coastal stretches which have some quieter embayments, such as jetty protected areas. It forages in the intertidal zone, feeding on marine invertebrates, particularly molluscs such as mussels, limpets and chitons. It will also take crabs, isopods and barnacles. It hunts through the intertidal area, searching for food visually, often so close to the water's edge it has to fly up to avoid crashing surf. It uses its strong bill to dislodge food and pry shells open."
A beauty of a sunrise yesterday morning over the Shire. Very lucky to live in Abbots Langley!!
Taken in Hertfordshire.
All rights reserved by Amanda Ramsay.
If you look at this part of this sky visually with a telescope, all you see is the open star cluster at the center. Taking a picture with a hydrogen-alpha filter and a CCD camera reveals a lot more. There is an emission nebula associated with the star cluster, and there are many dark molecular clouds in the foreground. Those are regions where new stars are forming. I think one bears a resemblance to the Loch Ness monster or some long necked dinosaur.
Taken from my backyard in Long Beach, CA with a Celestron Edge HD 925 at 535 mm focal length with Hyperstar. An Atik 414-EX mono CCD camera was used with an Atik H-alpha filter and Optolong RGB filters. Most of the detail comes from the H-alpha filter with the RGB filters helping to get the star colors correct.
Hα filter - 42 240 s exposures
R filter - 72 45 s exposures
G filter - 61 45 s exposures
B filter - 55 45 s exposures
Preprocessing in Nebulosity with dark, bias, and flat frames; stacking, channel combination, and initial processing in PixInsight; final touches in Photoshop. It took a lot of work in PixInsight to get the right color mapped to all the detail in the nebula, but I think I found a combination that works.
North is at the left and west is at the top in this image.
Although little changed visually, the sturdy timber and masonry buildings of the Fort Point neighborhood today house offices and condos rather than the manufacturing and warehousing activities of former maritime industries for which they were originally built in the 1900's. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Aunque visualmente poco ha cambiado, los fuertes edificios de madera y albañilería del barrio Fort Point hoy son oficinas y condominios en lugar de las actividades de fabricación y almacenamiento de las viejas industrias marítimas para las cuales fueron construidos en el siglo XX. Boston, Massachusetts, Estados Unidos.
The Southeast 17th Street bridge is a bascule drawbridge located just north of the Port Everglades cut. The causeway goes from the west side of US1/Federal Highway eastward over the ICW and twists northward, becoming A1A along the Fort Lauderdale beach. The western approach is known as the Commodore Brook Causeway, while the actual bridge is named after former Florida congressman E. Clay Shaw, Jr.
Winner of the 2004 Engineering Excellence Honor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies, the 17th Street Bridge provides a signature entrance to this visually stimulating city of Fort Lauderdale. The new bridge was constructed on the same alignment as the existing bridge in order to maintain the connecting roadway alignment and reduce right-of-way costs. The bridge features the first open bascule piers, which were a result of the community-chosen “timeless/contemporary” theme. Nearly 170’ long, the precast concrete segmental approaches rise above the riverbanks and allow the newly available property to be used for park areas and parking.
The bridge’s innovative bascule-span superstructure displays structural efficiency, economy, and reduced maintenance requirements. Its configuration incorporates the use of steel-box main girders, floor-beams with moment-resisting connections, and a lightweight Exodermic bridge deck made composite with the floor-beams and main girders.
When open the bridge provides a horizontal clearance of 100’ and a minimum vertical clearance of 26.6’ with the bridge closed.
The bridge consists of approximately 958 tons of steel.
It has two parallel carriageways. Each carries two 12’ traffic lanes, an 8’ inside shoulder, a 10’ outside shoulder/bike lane, and an 8’ sidewalk.
The bridge opens on the half and whole hours with 55′ clearance and greatly reduced openings.
Vertical Clearance: 55′ (at high tide)
Horizontal Clearance: 125′
Depth: ~20 ft
Tide Shift: 2 ft every 6 hours with 2 knot current
Year Built: 1998-2002
Traffic Lanes: 4
Openings: Half and whole hour
Closed: 7:30-9:00 AM and from 4:30 to 6:00 PM, M-F during rush hour traffic
Tender: VHF Channel 9
State maintained: (954) 486-1400
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
These visually striking hoodoos can be found in a remote section of Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. At least that's the case right now. Political bullshit keeps changing the size and borders of this national monument and it's very possible that this particular area may lose its protective status in the near future (if it hasn't already). Fortunately, the area is so remote that I doubt it really matters.
Visually seen and captured at 4:02 AM. Milky Way above the meteor. Mars is to the left of the Saguaro cactus and Saturn and Jupiter to the right of the cactus, all three planets in a straight line.
The meteor last 1-2 seconds and moved very fast. This is a 10 second exposure so the meteor is photographically less bright in appearance than the visual observation.
Back in April and May I started photographing the river from this spot to visually record the leaves turning yellow and then falling off as we entered Autumn. I started with this, which them turned into this, followed by this and then with hardly any leaves. As I was walking to catch my bus home after work last week I thought I should photograph it again since the leaves are now back!
I'm off to Timaru tomorrow for a picnic, a fundraising dinner and then on Sunday (all going well!) I have my shoot with a couple of my good friends which I am looking forward to because I can spend more time behind the camera =)
Visually observed as well. The meteor emerges from the "Y" radiant directly above. Mars (with red color) is above the Saguaro cactus and Saturn and Jupiter to the upper right. These meteors often show nice color as captured in this one. Shortly after this the sky brightened, the coyotes howl to welcome the dawn and meteor observing is over.
The color of this meteor is typical of this shower that shows well against the predawn sky.
A visually charming window display in one of the tourist shops in Le Castellet, a medieval village in the South of France. There are so many entertaining little details to look at here.
Two visually impaired students immerse themselves in a game of tactile chess, fingers feeling every piece and square. Their smiles reflect joy, intelligence, and determination beyond sight, proving that play and strategy have no boundaries.
I'm always looking for interesting things on my daily walks to capture for my Picture-of-the-Day for the 365 Group, and these sidewalk bumps, also known as "warning pavers" that are meant to assist visually impaired people really caught my eye.
These are 2 different pavers that are about a block apart and they're identical in every way, except one seems to be slightly more worn. However, the one on the left clearly looks like raised bumps, whereas the one of the right looks like depressions. It's a trick of the eye due to the angle of the sun and shadows!
See how easily amused I am....
The Blue Lake was created during the Otago gold mining era. It started as a hill and was reduced to a pit from which shafts and then hydraulic elevators brought up gravel for sluicing. In its day it was the deepest mining hole in the Southern Hemisphere. When mining stopped, it flooded full of water. The blue color of the lake is caused by the mineral content of the surrounding, visually striking cliffs.
Sadly not a patch on previous times I've been. Visually less of everything across the board. It's clear reenactors, stall holders, vintage vehicles etc., have given it a miss in advance.
The event organisers [Pike and Shot] say 80% of the groups let them down. Cant blame the groups for the mass exodus. You're the organisers, they have supported this event for over 10 years. The fault is on your doorstep.
I was watching and listening to the fella firing up the Rolls Royce engine. He was furious to put it mildly (as seen in my video). He received a call to start it earlier than scheduled. He had to! He did with reluctance and was subsequently drowning out the singers nearby. When he challenged the staff about it they were not so sympathetic. Awful for him. To his credit he apologised to the small crowd of what happened that he was instructed to start the engine early. So for me, this was a live example of the organisers causing unrest as the event unfolded.
Having been to several 1940s events this year, this was the bottom of the pile. When I spoke with quite a few visitors and stall holders etc., they were expecting so much more, as in the past.
Singer: Miss Trixie Holiday
The other singer, not in this video, was Ricky Hunter. Decided not to include him in my video because he spent way too much time looking at his phone, playlist, drinking water, while singing, rather than entertain the crowd. He was a last minute guest singer anyway. He had not been invited for over 5 years.
Entrance fee was £10! (reduced to £4 very late on into the second day). No concessions. No signposting to the event. No map or itinerary. Limited parking. A bare bones event. Purely the fault of the organisers and Rufford Abbey Estate collectively.
Without Prejudice.
The visually spectacular red-crested cardinal is hard to miss. Also called the Brazilian cardinal, this South American species was introduced to Hawaii in the 1930s. Despite the resemblance and common name, the red-crested cardinal (Paroaria coronate) is not taxonomically classified as a cardinal.
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image presents a visually striking collection of interstellar gas and dust. Named RCW 7, the nebula is located just over 5,300 light-years from Earth in the constellation Puppis.
Nebulae are areas rich in the raw material needed to form new stars. Under the influence of gravity, parts of these molecular clouds collapse until they coalesce into very young, developing stars, called protostars, which are still surrounded by spinning discs of leftover gas and dust. The protostars forming in RCW 7 are particularly massive, giving off strongly ionizing radiation and fierce stellar winds that transformed the nebula into a H II region.
H II regions are filled with hydrogen ions — H I refers to a normal hydrogen atom, while H II is hydrogen that lost its electron making it an ion. Ultraviolet radiation from the massive protostars excites the hydrogen in the nebula, causing it to emit light that gives this nebula its soft pinkish glow.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Tan (Chal
#NASAMarshall #NASA #astrophysics #NASA #nebula #ESA #NASAGoddard
how visually literate are you??? LOL
These are the bottoms of colour felt pens/ colour markers!
Sometimes I just have some fun in the studio and play with some props...
A bit more info here:
Lee Newman patented a felt-tipped marking pen in 1910.
A marker pen, fineliner, marking pen, felt-tip marker, felt-tip pen, flow marker, texta (in Australia), sketch pen (in India) or koki (in South Africa), feutre (in FRANCE),is a pen which has its own ink-source and a tip made of porous, pressed fibers such as felt.
I wish you all a very good day and thanks for all your kind words, time, comments and likes. Very much appreciated. Magda, (*_*)
For more here: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Goliath. visually explores the theme of scale, emphasizing the contrast between the immense size of urban architecture and the relative smallness of individual human experience within these spaces. It is a study in contrasts: solidity and void, opacity and transparency, enormity and minutiae. Goliath. ultimately raises questions about the individual's place in the architectural colossus of the urban landscape.
Visually appealing trees, like anemic broccoli. They speak to me, although I can't tell what they're saying.
A visually stunning, futuristic mall with huge potential, featuring unique attractions like an indoor tram, and a large ice rink.
Sadly not a patch on previous times I've been. Visually less of everything across the board. It's clear reenactors, stall holders, vintage vehicles etc., have given it a miss in advance.
The event organisers [Pike and Shot] say 80% of the groups let them down. Cant blame the groups for the mass exodus. You're the organisers, they have supported this event for over 10 years. The fault is on your doorstep.
I was watching and listening to the fella firing up the Rolls Royce engine. He was furious to put it mildly (as seen in my video). He received a call to start it earlier than scheduled. He had to! He did with reluctance and was subsequently drowning out the singers nearby. When he challenged the staff about it they were not so sympathetic. Awful for him. To his credit he apologised to the small crowd of what happened that he was instructed to start the engine early. So for me, this was a live example of the organisers causing unrest as the event unfolded.
Having been to several 1940s events this year, this was the bottom of the pile. When I spoke with quite a few visitors and stall holders etc., they were expecting so much more, as in the past.
Singer: Miss Trixie Holiday
The other singer, not in this video, was Ricky Hunter. Decided not to include him in my video because he spent way too much time looking at his phone, playlist, drinking water, while singing, rather than entertain the crowd. He was a last minute guest singer anyway. He had not been invited for over 5 years.
Entrance fee was £10! (reduced to £4 very late on into the second day). No concessions. No signposting to the event. No map or itinerary. Limited parking. A bare bones event. Purely the fault of the organisers and Rufford Abbey Estate collectively.
Without Prejudice.
Buller Wines near Rutherglen in Victoria provided a very enjoyable visit. Besides the obvious reason to visit (their wines), they had the bird aviary and a visually pleasing garden, shown here.
Some pics for my Wardrobe post!
I really had a lot of fun putting this looks together. I really find the outfit, the makeup, and the hair to all be super beautiful on their own. Mixing them together makes me feel so sexy!
Full credits and more Wardrobe info at post: digitalregeneration.com/visually-organize-your-second-lif...
The attraction to shiny objects, often referred to as "magpie syndrome," is a psychological phenomenon that has both evolutionary and cognitive explanations:
Novelty and Attention: Humans are naturally drawn to novel and visually stimulating stimuli. Shiny objects stand out because they reflect light in a way that is visually distinct from their surroundings, making them attention-grabbing.
Positive Associations: Shiny objects are often associated with positive experiences or rewards. For example, jewellery, coins, and other shiny items are often used to convey wealth, status, or beauty. This association with positive outcomes can lead to a preference for shiny objects.
Honiton, Devon, UK
The Blue Lake was created during the Otago gold mining era. It started as a hill and was reduced to a pit from which shafts and then hydraulic elevators brought up gravel for sluicing. In its day it was the deepest mining hole in the Southern Hemisphere. When mining stopped, it flooded full of water. The blue color of the lake is caused by the mineral content of the surrounding, visually striking cliffs.
Marsh tit (Poecile palustris).
Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Visually impaired. Monocular vision.
Animal in wildlife.
This image is probably one of the most personal, and visually meaningful, images I've ever posted.
A perfect storm of stress, depression, illness and a severe lack of sleep over a period of several weeks culminated in putting my head into one of the scariest places it's ever been in, and appropriately enough whilst on a 3 day holiday sabbatical in the mountains of Snowdonia last week. They were 3 days I hope I never have to experience the like of which again. The sense of isolation, of disjointedness from the world around me, of not even being sure who I was anymore was emotionally and mentally excruciating. The nights were the worst, unable to sleep I experienced the full depth of myself while at the same time feeling so terrifyingly distant from everything in existence. Identity and reality fractured, insanity beckoned…
Strangely enough, as much as it scared me, it was finding my depth that was my saviour, that and the love of a woman who reached down into my personal hell, gently pulled me out and helped me see the light again, inner and outer. If she hadn't been there to listen to my ramblings, my fears, and to comfort me in the darkest moments, I dread to think what the consequences for my mental health would have been.
I've thought long and hard about revealing such a personal experience here on flickr, but ultimately I'm willingly to do so if it helps just one person going through something similar to take a risk and reach out and talk to someone they trust implicitly, and maybe you who read this with a sound mind could extend a hand to someone who you know is going through their own personal hell and be the spar they cling onto in their storm tossed ocean, and slowly but surely carry them back to the safety of the shore. Don't worry, you don't have to come up with answers to their issues, it's enough to lend an ear to their fears. I tried to deal it with by myself but badly crashed and burned. I kept quiet because of pride, fear and the belief that no one could help me. They can. Find that person you trust, and talk, talk like there's no tomorrow, don't leave it until you're hanging on by your fingernails like I did.
Another shot from last years trip to Paris. We're back in La Defense for this shot which features the Hotel Pullman in the foreground and towering behind it Tour T1 - or GOF EDF. T1 is an incredible building really it's curved and its got a crown - many have, what makes this different is shots taken form each side are all completely different, so much so for those who didn't know I suspect they'd be convinced the shots were from different buildings - we'll see as I have a few from here :)
AnywayI stumbled across this view and instantly loved the way the two building interacted visually.
Actually its been a difficult shot to process - I have two almost identical versions - one light (this one) and one very much darker. I've perhaps gone against convention here and gone with the lighter one - but for me it shows of the shapes better and its less about the sky - I could be wrong though.
Anyway once again I'd like to thank every for taking the time to look at my shots recently - very much appreciate it. And if you want to see more shots from La Defense - head over to my web site (see below)
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Visually and aurally, it's a shame the two EMD locos weren't leading, but one shouldn't complain even when the Train Gods provide a subawesome foursome.
DXC 5454 DXC 5241 DFB 7241 DC 4012, train 925, Deborah, SIMT 23 Jan 2017
Yamchun Fort is the most visually prominent historic site in the Wakhan Valley in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province, Tajikistan. The Panj River, running in the valley below, serves as the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan (the mountains in the distance are in Afghanistan). Photo taken on March 26, 2014 in the village Vichkut in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province, Tajikistan.
This image showcases one of the most visually distinctive locomotives ever to ride the American rails: the Pennsylvania Railroad Class T1. Designed during the peak of the Art Deco movement, its "Sharknose" styling remains an icon of industrial design.
Description
An imposing view of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) Class T1 duplex-drive steam locomotive. Captured in its signature "Brunswick Green" livery, the T1 was the PRR's final bold attempt to maintain steam supremacy against the rising tide of diesel power.
This specific engine, numbered 5534, displays the unmistakable Raymond Loewy-inspired "Sharknose" streamlining. The design wasn't just for show; these locomotives were built for high-speed passenger service, capable of whisking heavy express trains across the "Broad Way of Commerce" at speeds exceeding 100 mph.
The image highlights the unique 4-4-4-4 wheel arrangement, featuring two sets of cylinders driving two pairs of coupled driving wheels, all housed within a single rigid frame. While technically sophisticated, their power often led to "wheel slip," making them a challenge for even the most experienced engineers.
The Designer:
While the sleek external casing is often credited to famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy, it was a collaborative effort to reduce air resistance and give the PRR a "modern" look.
The Build:
A total of 52 T1s were produced between 1942 and 1946 (two prototypes by Baldwin Locomotive Works and 50 production units split between Baldwin and the PRR's own Altoona Works).
The Performance:
On paper, the T1 was a masterpiece, delivering massive horsepower. However, they were maintenance-heavy and arrived just as the railroad industry began a rapid transition to diesel-electric locomotives.
The Legacy:
Sadly, despite their futuristic looks and raw power, none of the original T1s were preserved; all were scrapped by 1956. Today, a non-profit group (The T1 Trust) is currently working to build a brand-new T1, No. 5550, from scratch.
This image is a historical reenactment made using AI and is based on the original advertising at the time.i made it as a tribute to the train and to become better at making these images, Some things in the image may have spelling mistakes or mechanical defects. AI programmes are evolving at quite a speed so i hope you enjoy it for what it is..
I wanted to travel to Morocco by boat in order to experiment visually the continent change from Europa to Africa. Only on land travelling make the passenger really feel the distance and the cultural evolution all along the way. Since I had previously visited Sevilla, Malaga was for me an obvious starting point for a short Morocco trip. Then I would go to gibraltar, Tarifa and take the boat for Tangier, my first Morocco city. The trip lasted 3 weeks until I reach south of Atlas Mountain Range, just before the desert.
The conclusion of my travel is that I could not recognize any Moroccan people anymore since I could realize that from north to south, and depending of the mountain side landscape, geography and people are totally different.
The Blue Lake was created during the Otago gold mining era. It started as a hill and was reduced to a pit from which shafts and then hydraulic elevators brought up gravel for sluicing. In its day it was the deepest mining hole in the Southern Hemisphere. When mining stopped, it flooded full of water. The blue color of the lake is caused by the mineral content of the surrounding, visually striking cliffs.
Waiting for an eclipse.
One of the most popular and visually rewarding megalithic sites in Wales, Pentre Ifan is a splendid dolmen with a huge capstone delicately poised on three uprights. Once known as Arthurs' Quoit, 'Pentre Ifan' means 'Ivan's Village'.
Description -This monument dates from around 4,000 - 3,500 BC and was unusually oriented opening to the south, standing on the slope of a ridge commanding extensive views over the Nevern Valley and Fishguard Bay. What we see today is but a fragment of the original structure,
The capstone weighs over 16 tons; it is 5m (16ft 6in) long and 2.4m (8ft) off the ground. The stones of the chamber are all of local igneous rock; on the portal stone there is a faint decorative cup-mark.
Excavations in 1936-7 and 1958-9 showed that the dolmen originally lay within a shallow oval pit, and that the trapezoidal mound of earth covering it was up to 36m (120ft) long. The semi-circular façade, as in the Irish passage mounds/court-tombs, was marked by two upright stones on either side of the south-facing portal. The forecourt was blocked with rows of tightly wedged stones; some of the original kerbstones around the barrow can still be seen. Within the cairn were a number of enigmatic features: a slumped stone, deliberately felled before the cairn was built, an irregular line of small stone-holes and a pit with signs of burning.
I’ve always enjoyed how waterfalls become transformed with slower shutter speeds, with blurring water showing smooth lines and a visually beautiful appeal that we can’t see with our own eyes. I put these images in the same category of “the unseen world” that most of my work fits into, and the equipment to do this doesn’t need to be extreme!
I was lucky that this small portion of the Krushuna Waterfall in Bulgaria was in shadow, since I wasn’t properly prepared for waterfall photography. I’d normally carry a neutral density filter with me to get this effect more easily, but this was shot with only a Lumix GX9 and the 12-32mm compact kit lens. ISO 200, F/18, and the resulting shutter speed was 1/4th of a second. I normally like to get a little closer to a full second-long exposure, but the water was quite calm and cooperative at longer exposures. I’m scratching my head to figure out why I didn’t shoot at ISO 100 though!
A neutral density filter would block some of the light from entering the lens without me having to resort to such a small aperture. This can be useful for video when you want a wide aperture, but a shutter speed around 1/25 or 1/50 sec to match your framerate. For stills, ND filters allow for you to more effectively blur things like water or clouds without compromising on other camera settings. An aperture of F/18 might begin to introduce diffraction and limit my resolution for an image such as this, but you work with what’s in your bag, and I was traveling light!
Any issues with diffraction would be negated by the fact that this is a three-shot vertical panorama. The increase in resolution by shooting it as a panorama would more than make up for any shortcomings elsewhere. Knowing that a certain amount of post-processing would be required, I sat down with the image for a couple of hours and really fine-tuned the look and feel.
Images like this can feel flat right out of the camera. Spending some time with classic dodge and burn tools in Photoshop can help add a little extra depth and contrast to the image, and the more localized you make the adjustments the better the end results. The water textures were enhanced using the Structure slider in ON1 Photo RAW which I am MUCH preferring to the clarity adjustment in Lightroom / Camera Raw. Subtle details pop without feeling overdone, especially in shadow areas. Dial this structure enhancement over just the areas that need it, and you’re on your way to a better image.
On a tripod at these slower shutter speeds, but the rest of the equipment was as minimal as could be. Just a small travel camera and one of the least expensive lenses I could pair with it. Even a more expensive lens would not have avoided the time in post-processing to make this image sing, and I’m pretty happy with the results!
I need to go through more of these Bulgaria photos before they fall off my radar and winter subjects grab all my attention! :)
► █░▓ ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈ MILK POWDER FACTORY here visually partly blocked by the inland cruiser 'Viking Magni'. This passenger ship, ferry and cruise ship is sailing under the flag of Switzerland and is now in Germany, under way to Budapest. Her draught is 1,7 m. I noticed few passengers here, in spite of a warm day.
Most ships here use the other side (closer to me) when going upstream, but my hunch is that she's going to pick up her passengers in Arkelstad harbour and therefore getting ready on that side of the river. This stretch of the northern shore which she'a here blocking belongs to "Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods" (Nestlé) milk powder factory, with many a container ready for shipping. I would love to see it so close by from the river. Here it looks as if the factory stands on the upper deck of the cruiser.
The passengers on this cruiser belong to the generation that hardly knew about the milk powder. Now at the turn of XXI's century second quarter it has become a real quest to find a product without it in grocery stores. I do my best.
Lumix G90 / Lumix 12-35 mm f/2.8. —At 26mm (52mm full frame equivalent) and f/4.0 aperture priority. Shutter speed of 1/1300 sec. This is a sooc jpeg edited in Apple Photos 10.0, uncropped (4×3 format) and exported as 16-bit tiff. 'Green Gap' Smooth filter (~10%) in Flickr's online photo editor
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File name: P1033440.tiff
Shot through the glass of a working salon in Davao City. The illustration on the window visually mirrors the subject’s face, creating a layered street portrait without intervention.
3:33 am December 14 2020
Also visually observed, with the bright terminal flash also seen visually. Nikon D850 and 810 used for photos, with 14 mm and 8 mm Sigma lenses.