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Photo of the Day September 2020
- Thread starter Alexander.Of.Oz
- Start date
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Always love the bounce of a suspension bridge.
Are you farming these guys like I'm farming monarchs?? 🙂
Looks like you had similar weather to me. I really need to go back on a clear winters day. Its less than an hour from me.Thanks for reminding me about my trip there.
7 images stitched together in LR. Then filled in some missing detail in PS.
I go for a lot of overlap. Mostly because it was hand held. When I got there I was told there was a film crew filming and we would have to wait to go in. If you zoom in you can see them and their equipment. An iPhone and a gimble. Made me laugh. The way he spoke I thought there would be a full crew with lots of equipment!
You’d think so, but it seems they are the insect du jour around here right now. All the other butterflies have moved on except the monarchs, which are starting to building up before the big migration—I saw 4-5 yesterday. In regard to the mantis, the other day we found one with no head—not alive, obviously. I’m guessing he had his “last hurrah” with a female, who then bit his head off in true mantis fashion. Mrs Darmok did some internet research and found that it’s actually not that common that the female does this after mating, but I still don’t care for the odds!
The other day I was able to get pretty close to Alfred, who was standing at the edge of the water near the footpath that goes around part of the lake. I spent some time with him until he eventually moved on, having found slim pickings in the way of something to eat....
Uncropped, shot with 100-400mm plus 1.4x TC:
Uncropped, shot with 100-400mm plus 1.4x TC:
This is by no means a new problem, but everything COVID has made it much worse.
ISO 320 - 1/1000 - Nikon Z6 + 500mm PF @ f/5.6. Processed in Capture One. I don't usually photograph birds so have nay idea what it is, to me it is a test subject.
Chrysanthemum mono by another scotsman, on Flickr
There’s also a doom-and-gloom media/social media portrayal of the world. Every time I actually go out into the world, I’m reminded that most people aren’t as bad as this all seems. Sure, there are bad apples, but as we walk our neighborhood, or go to a store, it’s refreshing to have just everyday dialog with a real human. It’s as though we aren’t really all at odds with each other after all! The internet can bring out the worst in folks. I’m old enough to remember the marvel of actually being able to talk to someone, near instantaneously, that is in a completely different part of the world (such as yourself). I can remember a time when we weren’t so ”global,” and this conversation would have been much more expensive, or quite frankly, impossible, than it is today.
I'm glad to hear that you are reminded of the bigger (and nicer) picture via your interactions in the real world. The real world is still a kind place, for the most part. When it doesn't seem so, sometimes all it takes is a little reaching out on our part, a small display of our own humanity. I believe this can be done online too - although I haven't looked into what was being discussed that prompted this line of conversation - and yes, it does take more patience and understanding.
It's a strange time we live in, where the rate of change accelerated by technology is degrees more than it has ever been. However, after having travelled to a good few countries across a number of continents, I'm pleased to say that I was struck by this thought: we may look different, talk different, live in huts or skyscrapers, in dense urban sprawls or in remote mountain villages; all our differences, our foods, cultures, manners, dwellings, markets, even landscapes... are all just variations of the same theme under the same big sky. We all work, fight, eat, trade, procreate, celebrate, struggle... hopefully wear masks when required (oh 2020 what a year). We have so much in common, and that is a cheery fact.
So let's see what the future holds as we rush towards it faster than ever before, and let us continue to be kind to each other along the way. Good day/evening to you and yours!
i think this was release 29 but frankly we've lost count. only a few more to go.
My wife and I just returned from a week down in Crestone, Colorado - a very interesting place, to say the least. Colorado has a lot of vast emptiness, which I love, from the Great Plains to some of the central areas, including this location, which is part of a "rift valley", one of I think 4 major continental ones on the planet. This is high desert and is relatively dry and is bordered on both sides by mountain ranges. This one is the Sangre De Cristos, with a lot of "14'er" peaks (over 14k ft). Sunrises are very sudden over the peaks! This image attempts to show the suddenness and intensity of a very short period of time as the sun makes its way over the valley. Vast fields of Rabbitbrush.
San Luis Valley Sunrise by Ray Harrison, on Flickr
San Luis Valley Sunrise by Ray Harrison, on Flickr
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Bird Feet in Sand
Olympus e300 - older image. Bird foot prints in sand with flowing water - Benicia California
Olympus e300 - older image. Bird foot prints in sand with flowing water - Benicia California
My wife and I just returned from a week down in Crestone, Colorado - a very interesting place, to say the least. Colorado has a lot of vast emptiness, which I love, from the Great Plains to some of the central areas, including this location, which is part of a "rift valley", one of I think 4 major continental ones on the planet. This is high desert and is relatively dry and is bordered on both sides by mountain ranges. This one is the Sangre De Cristos, with a lot "14'er" peaks (over 14k ft). Sunrises are very sudden over the peaks! This image attempts to show the suddenness and intensity of a very short period of time as the sun makes its way over the valley. Vast fields of Rabbitbrush.
There we go, storytelling indeed! Doubly nice as it allows an opportunity to vicariously experience a different place in this year of restricted travel.
Scanned test shot with the 90mm f/4 lens...
Lordomat C35, Leidolf Wetzlar Schacht-Travenar 90mm @ f/8
Lordomat C35, Leidolf Wetzlar Schacht-Travenar 90mm @ f/8
Do you flat bed scan or use a digital camera setup?Scanned test shot with the 90mm f/4 lens...
Lordomat C35, Leidolf Wetzlar Schacht-Travenar 90mm @ f/8
Woodpecker watching and waiting for some seeds.
I got hi-res scans DropBoxed to me from the developers, then I did some minimal tweaking and added the EXIF details.
Cheers
Hugh
Continuing on the theme from our visit to Crestone, Colorado, the community is home to retreats for a wide range of world religions, from Zen and Tibetan Buddhism to Hindu to (until recently) a Carmelite Monastery. These retreat facilities draw an interesting and eclectic cross-section of society and their presence offers a strange juxtaposition to the rural landscape and communities that exist in the San Luis Valley where Crestone is located. It's a land of agriculture plus crushing poverty and is a place where people go to "disappear" off the grid. This is mixed with the more privileged folks who can afford to spend time at any one of a half-dozen retreats in the town. This is the Tibetan Buddhist Stupa of Enlightenment, "Big Stupa" as it is known locally, or more formally, Karma Thegsum Tashi Gomang (KTTG). Undergoing a bit of TLC at the time.
Stupa of Enlightenment by Ray Harrison, on Flickr
Stupa of Enlightenment by Ray Harrison, on Flickr
Thanks! ....Spiders usually have eight eyes (some have six or fewer), but few have good eyesight. They rely instead on touch, vibration and taste stimuli to navigate and find their prey. Most are able to detect little more than light-dark intensity changes which stimulate nocturnal web building, hunting or wandering activities and rapid movement to allow quick reactions against daytime predators (e.g. by dropping from webs). Some spiders have median eyes that can detect polarized light and they use this ability to navigate while hunting.
...studies reveal that compound eyes see multifaceted subject/surroundings, some species eye sight is more clear than others, says research.