Photo Of The Day July 2020

[iAssimilated]

The flower on bear grass (xerophyllum tenax) on Horse Mountain, WA (it was growing all over the place up there).

Resized in Luminar 4.

 

[Clix Pix]

It's neat to see "bear grass" closer up....on another site someone posted an image with these things that looked kind of like Q-tips on the end of stalks and I wondered what the heck they were....she explained that they were "Bear grass." THIS image more clearly shows me what exactly "Bear Grass" actually is! Thanks!
[automerge]1595988141[/automerge]

Sounds like every fisherman I’ve ever met.


Oh no! Have I become a one-trick pony?

Regardless of the smiley face, actually, in shooting and submitting images, this is something which I am always concerned about, as I don't want to bore people, and why I usually don't post similar images or images of the same subject (no matter how different) several days in a row.... The last three photos of Alfred are an exception to my personal rule, and at that each is a little different from the other, but not to worry, folks, tomorrow's image will indeed be something quite different, not involving Alfred at all. No need for everybody here to be treated to the....um....600 or so other images I've got of Alfred, or the 200 or so I've got of Smaug!! LOL!

IMHO variety is the spice of life and the spice of photographic images as well.... My philosophy and approach is to keep myself and viewers interested with unexpected surprises each day, if that's possible, while at the same time I realize that sometimes it just isn't...

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

It's neat to see "bear grass" closer up....on another site someone posted an image with these things that looked kind of like Q-tips on the end of stalks and I wondered what the heck they were....she explained that they were "Bear grass." THIS image more clearly shows me what exactly "Bear Grass" actually is! Thanks!
[automerge]1595988141[/automerge]


Regardless of the smiley face, actually, in shooting and submitting images, this is something which I am always concerned about, as I don't want to bore people, and why I usually don't post similar images or images of the same subject (no matter how different) several days in a row.... The last three photos of Alfred are an exception to my personal rule, and at that each is a little different from the other, but not to worry, folks, tomorrow's image will indeed be something quite different, not involving Alfred at all. No need for everybody here to be treated to the....um....600 or so other images I've got of Alfred, or the 200 or so I've got of Smaug!! LOL!

IMHO variety is the spice of life and the spice of photographic images as well.... My philosophy and approach is to keep myself and viewers interested with unexpected surprises each day, if that's possible, while at the same time I realize that sometimes it just isn't...

My content is largely from the limitations of what I can currently shoot. I go out with the kids, I take the camera, and I find the zinnia patch and look for bugs. I also take pictures of the kids, but I don’t post those online. The birds are less active now, so I don’t get as many of those now.

 

[Clix Pix]

My content is largely from the limitations of what I can currently shoot. I go out with the kids, I take the camera, and I find the zinnia patch and look for bugs. I also take pictures of the kids, but I don’t post those online. The birds are less active now, so I don’t get as many of those now.

Definitely a wise decision for many reasons not to post photos of your children online...... Good move to protect them and their privacy.

As for posting / shooting opportunities limitations, I hear you on that! For almost two weeks now due to extreme heat and humidity here I haven't ventured very far beyond my own condo unit, my deck or the front entrance of my building.... I've just been lucky that I've been able to get shots nonetheless. Smaug and the birdies who join him on my deck for goodies have been great as far as providing opportunities for shooting images!

This morning, when I was out on the boardwalk enroute to another couple of buildings in our complex to deliver some newsletters to each unit, on the way back I spotted some flowers growing from plants that are actually in the water, near the boardwalk adjacent to my building. Still haven't figured out exactly what they are, even though I've looked online to try and find photos of the darned things! Anyway, back in my place again, I quickly grabbed the camera and the macro lens and walked back downstairs to the boardwalk and spent a little time shooting these mysterious flowers. I was delighted when a bug of some sort came along and flew into the flower in search of pollen..... Usually I miss shots when a bee or some bug lands on a flower, but this time I managed to get the timing right! You guys will be seeing that shot tomorrow....

Yes, a lot of times in life it is just not all that possible to shoot a big variety of images....and I realize that -- it's just that for me, because I am less restricted in how I can spend my time than others, I probably have more flexibility than many others in how often and how much time I can spend shooting in any given time period, have more options for shooting varied scenes, etc., that I tend to set particular standards for myself which may not at all be applicable or work for other people.....and that's fine -- we are all here to share our delight in photography!

 

[cbautis2]

Finally got my first weekend getaway from home this year to visit Joshua Tree on 7/25. Got on time to snap this Milky Way with my 35mm travel lens. Moon was about to set on the horizon had to take the shot before the Milky Way goes vertical completely

 

[Susurs]

 

[Hughmac]

This sculpture was made to commemorate all the local industries that no longer exist, but to my wife and I it reminds us of when we moved into our house nearly 10 years ago.
We bought some built in wardrobes and started to put them together - somebody (me) thought they didn't need the instructions and neglected to put the back on at the right moment - the whole lot collapsed like a pack of dominoes and we collapsed into a pile of giggles.
It's great that Lyn still remembers things like this on good days, and we once again had a giggle about it.



Taken with an iPhone SE (old version).

Cheers

Hugh

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

Adhering to @Clix Pix ethos by diversity of presented subject matter, here's some more decrepitude for you all. Same but different! This time in a flooded basement chill-room at an old abattoirs that is being converted to different purpose.

I don't have the exif data for this, but remember it was a High resolution capture on my Olympus E-M5 Mk II and most probably would have been using the wonderful piece of glass that is the Laowa 7mm f/2, with it's zero distortion characteristic. It must have been a long shutter speed, I can clearly make out the movement of the water with the trails of flotsam visible throughout the scene. I was mesmerised with the quality of the light down here!

 

[stillcrazyman]

Mr. Cardinal wondering if I’ll offer some seeds for him.

 

[tizeye]

Escorting wife and her sister out the harbor.

 

[chengengaun]

Quite pleased that I finally managed to line the iPhone up, only to find that my fingers were in no position to trigger the shutter...

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

 

[Clix Pix]

These big pink (and some white) flowers are blooming now at the edge of the lake, from emergent aquatic plants in the water. They're pretty, but they have an odd odor -- wouldn't want a bouquet of them in my house! As I was getting ready to take the shot, a bug came flying in to check out the possibilities of food....

 

[mollyc]

These big pink (and some white) flowers are blooming now at the edge of the lake, from emergent aquatic plants in the water. They're pretty, but they have an odd odor -- wouldn't want a bouquet of them in my house! As I was getting ready to take the shot, a bug came flying in to check out the possibilities of food....

View attachment 938507

Probably a swamp hibiscus

Swamp Hibiscus Plant Info: How To Grow Rose Mallow Hibiscus

Swamp mallow, also known as rose mallow hibiscus or swamp hibiscus, is a shrubby, moisture loving plant that provides big, showy flowers from mid-summer to autumn. Learn how to grow and care for this plant in the article that follows.

www.gardeningknowhow.com

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

These big pink (and some white) flowers are blooming now at the edge of the lake, from emergent aquatic plants in the water. They're pretty, but they have an odd odor -- wouldn't want a bouquet of them in my house! As I was getting ready to take the shot, a bug came flying in to check out the possibilities of food....

View attachment 938507

My dad always calls them hardy hibiscus. They aren’t very hard to grow, even in colder climates. They freeze to the ground every winter but come back up every spring. Some of the flowers get as big as pie plates! Maybe that’s a different variety, as the ones I’ve seen don’t seem to have much of a smell.

 

[Clix Pix]

Probably a swamp hibiscus

Swamp Hibiscus Plant Info: How To Grow Rose Mallow Hibiscus

Swamp mallow, also known as rose mallow hibiscus or swamp hibiscus, is a shrubby, moisture loving plant that provides big, showy flowers from mid-summer to autumn. Learn how to grow and care for this plant in the article that follows.

www.gardeningknowhow.com

Thank you, Molly!! And Darmok, too! I had run a couple of searches in Google images, trying to pull up something that would look like my flower and failed to find anything. This definitely is it -- a Swamp Hibiscus! I'd thought it kind of reminded me of a hibiscus, with the large size of it.... Our "lake," which is actually a storm water retention pond, definitely fits the bill for the kind of location in which these would grow, too -- they are on both sides of the lake and start blooming in late July, lasting pretty well throughout August and into September.

I really should get some sort of plant/flower identification book, too, as I have the tendency to shoot flowers and then not have a clue as to what they're called!

 

[MacRy]

Some unimaginative graffiti on a shed in a local park.

Fuji XT3 with XF18-55 @F2.8 18mm, 1/2900, ISO 640

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Thank you, Molly!! And Darmok, too! I had run a couple of searches in Google images, trying to pull up something that would look like my flower and failed to find anything. This definitely is it -- a Swamp Hibiscus! I'd thought it kind of reminded me of a hibiscus, with the large size of it.... Our "lake," which is actually a storm water retention pond, definitely fits the bill for the kind of location in which these would grow, too -- they are on both sides of the lake and start blooming in late July, lasting pretty well throughout August and into September.

I really should get some sort of plant/flower identification book, too, as I have the tendency to shoot flowers and then not have a clue as to what they're called!

I find that knowing my subject a little better helps with photographing it. Either knowing when and where to find it, or understanding what is going on. Plants aren’t often as interesting as creatures, but it can be fun to spot a very rare plant in your environment.

Some unimaginative graffiti on a shed in a local park.

Fuji XT3 with XF18-55 @F2.8 18mm, 1/2900, ISO 640

Looks like it might be gang signs?

 

[MacRy]

Looks like it might be gang signs?

Yeah wannabe gangbangers. It's really not in an area for gang activity so it's teenagers thinking they are from da hood....when in fact they are living in a pretty affluent, middle class village ?

 

[jazz1]

Reminds of stained glass widows! Fujifilm XPro-3, 50-140mm.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Not a zebra?

 

[JamesMike]

This little deer in Tanzania needed some OFF spray to keep the bugs away.

 

[oblomow]

Evening at the Waddenzee, the Netherlands

 

[Hughmac]

Another shot of the seed eating goldfinch...



Cheers

Hugh

 

[stillcrazyman]

And another....