Pictures Taken By you...

[North Star]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7799/17193640157_b647d2bc33_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sckUcF)

[YesNo]

I have to admit that's a weird looking tree. The mushrooms don't make it look too healthy.

[Pompey Bum]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7799/17193640157_b647d2bc33_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sckUcF)

Interesting picture, North. Are you photographing up into a canopy or down at reflections in water? The ambiguity is a little unsettling.

[North Star]

I have to admit that's a weird looking tree. The mushrooms don't make it look too healthy.

And it's aligned horizontally, unlike most trees that pass their medical. ;)


Interesting picture, North. Are you photographing up into a canopy or down at reflections in water? The ambiguity is a little unsettling.
Reflections on water - I can't see how that shadow and those (reflected) trees could otherwise be there. :)

[Pompey Bum]

That's what I thought, but the pale water gives it a sort of "dismal sky" effect. It's a haunting picture. You expect dark water spirits to rise from the center.

[tonywalt]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7799/17193640157_b647d2bc33_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sckUcF)

Great mood to the photograph!

[Dreamwoven]

It also shows the potential of black and white photography.

[tonywalt]

question: how do you post a photo in the box itself. I'm reducing my photos in size and it's just showing an attached image- annoying.

[YesNo]

In Photobucket they provide code to use to post the image. For example I used this:

open bracket URL=http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/fc20a234-f8e3-4be2-8e10-d2a585ffb43d.jpg.html close bracket open bracket IMG close bracket http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/fc20a234-f8e3-4be2-8e10-d2a585ffb43d.jpg open bracket /IMG close bracket open bracket /URL close bracket

Replace "open bracket" with [ and "close bracket" with ]

I did put the photo on PhotoBucket although most of my camera photos are automatically saved to Flickr in private status.

[North Star]

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5337/17262611688_969dca3c72_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sirp31)

[Iain Sparrow]

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5337/17262611688_969dca3c72_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sirp31)

Nice pic... I know it must be Finland... here in Florida we have swamps that look very similar... but with alligators.:)

[North Star]

Nice pic... I know it must be Finland... here in Florida we have swamps that look very similar... but with alligators.:)

I managed to crop out the alligators. ;)

[North Star]

https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7737/18077662582_917bb8b690_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/txsKgC)

[Dreamwoven]

There is something special about birch trees, nice peak into the dark woods.

[North Star]

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8788/17546501954_870d1995ed_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sJwpHL)

[North Star]

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8877/18014202489_c5a50ec57c_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/trRuN6)

[North Star]

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8892/18222368662_28c5c6eeba_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/tLfpm3)

[North Star]

https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7792/17653843983_3671e7b901_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sU1yLp)

[Lykren]

9579

From the train window just now.

[Pompey Bum]

Nice picture with gorgeous colors. Happy landings! :)

[YesNo]

I like how the sun shines through the leaves, North Star.

[North Star]

Thanks, YesNo. The light certainly helped my notice the 'scenery', even though I was specifically looking for that kind of thing in any case.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8889/18360222431_f77813c91d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/tYqWta)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/499/17684349384_3a102a9c73_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sWGUXA)

[Lykren]

Keep it up North Star! Very enjoyable, lovely photos.

Here is a shōgi board I made:

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[North Star]

Thanks Lykren.

Here are some more - click the photos to see them and others large

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8849/17769765354_41e07fd4c6.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/t5fG9J) https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8895/18228856800_f043d5ee88.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/tLPE3u)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/522/18437063812_27cf30657d.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/u6dLJy)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/291/18500990411_9260fc0746.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ubSpTi)

[Dreamwoven]

This last one of a lake before dawn is particularly atmospheric. Thanks for all these pictures, North Star!

[Dreamwoven]

Keep it up North Star! Very enjoyable, lovely photos.

Here is a shōgi board I made:

9581

That's cleverly done, Lykren, hand made woodwork.

[North Star]

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/338/18537871576_8345cf14b5_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/uf8rns)

[Tyrion Cheddar]

Does anyone else have the Samsung Galaxy S6 and have you discovered, as I have, that it has a quite spectacular camera, at least for a phone. I'll dig up some pics I've taken with it, see about posting something.

[North Star]

Does anyone else have the Samsung Galaxy S6 and have you discovered, as I have, that it has a quite spectacular camera, at least for a phone. I'll dig up some pics I've taken with it, see about posting something.

Phone cameras can be very decent cameras indeed these days. See here (http://johnacurso.com/Lotus/Lotus.html#1) for some iPhone work by John Acurso

[YesNo]

I liked the birds on top of that red object against the blue-white clouds, North Star. The black against the red looked nice.

I have a Samsung Note S5, Tyrion Cheddar. I think it has 16 megapixels, and the pictures look fine to me, but I don't know much about photography. Perhaps one doesn't have to know much these days for most purposes.

[Lykren]

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These are some of the sad last remnants of my epic computer disaster that destroyed tens of thousands of photos :(

[Dreamwoven]

Sadly computer are like that, a fact of life we have to live with, at least for me not being "computerate".

I just love your close-ups of individual flowers. And also that amazing shot of what must be the sun and the cat silhouette on the horizon. I guess a filter must have been used for that. Great shots, all of them!

[Lykren]

Thanks Dreamwoven!

[YesNo]

Those were nice photos, Lykren. The colors stood out in the compositions.

As far as losing photos, mine are automatically uploaded to Google and Flickr. Maybe I am over-confident that they are safe there.

[Lykren]

Thank you, YesNo. Either my photos were from a time when such dandy cloud services were not available, or I was young and foolish, even more than I am now.

[Tyrion Cheddar]

9582

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These are some of the sad last remnants of my epic computer disaster that destroyed tens of thousands of photos :(

So sorry to hear that, but these surviving pics are really gorgeous. I, too, know bupkis (that's ancient Sanskrit, in case you're wondering) about photography, but I know what I like.

[North Star]

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/435/18489067559_41740399d0_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/uaPiCT)



https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/535/18005518044_61452941b4_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/tr5Zdh)



https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8121/15640864458_1822f66191_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/pQ8w5S)

[Dreamwoven]

When I was still a child we visited the Lake District, and I took a black and white picture of Lake Derwent like the one in your first picture. My box camera caught a similar moment of sunset behind a lake. Mine was just luck with primitive photography.The ferns catch the intricate detail of the plant with great clarity.

[North Star]

When I was still a child we visited the Lake District, and I took a black and white picture of Lake Derwent like the one in your first picture. My box camera caught a similar moment of sunset behind a lake. Mine was just luck with primitive photography.The ferns catch the intricate detail of the plant with great clarity.
Bah, wet plates are what I call primitive photography ;)
Thanks. That is pretty much what I intended, with the implication that clarity means more than just technical sharpness. (Ansel Adams quote time: Nothing is worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/303/18509603030_38fdb5b5e4_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ucCy7J)

[YesNo]

Bah, wet plates are what I call primitive photography ;)
Thanks. That is pretty much what I intended, with the implication that clarity means more than just technical sharpness. (Ansel Adams quote time: Nothing is worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept)


The "sharp image of a fuzzy concept" idea has got me thinking. It is difficult not to take a sharp image with smart phones so one better make sure the concept behind the photo isn't fuzzy. I liked how the ferns stood out against the forest in the background.

[Tyrion Cheddar]

The "sharp image of a fuzzy concept" idea has got me thinking. It is difficult not to take a sharp image with smart phones so one better make sure the concept behind the photo isn't fuzzy.

The concept behind most smartphone photos is the selfie. :-0

[YesNo]

I wonder how narcissists feel about how easy it is today to take a selfie?

[YesNo]

Here's a picture of something we found amazing. There is a pond near where we live that has swans in it to keep the geese away. Here is a picture of that swan near some fish. The swan is picking food out of the box and giving it to those fish.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/Swan%20and%20Fish.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/Swan%20and%20Fish.jpg.html)

It looks like I am not the first to notice such things. Here are two videos of the process with larger fish:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkWOse70Oyk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIviEsVyz8M

[YesNo]

Here is how I think a pigeon might view the street scene:

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/pigeon-perspective-old-street-small.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/pigeon-perspective-old-street-small.jpg.html)

[North Star]

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/307/18181544713_7c6b120b32_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/tGDaNR)

[Dreamwoven]

The image of a swan feeding fish and keeping away geese is very interesting. I had no idea they did that!

[Calidore]

Didn't know about feeding fish either, but I do know that swans will attack geese on sight and kill them if possible. Many companies with ornamental ponds buy swans to keep the geese away.

[Iain Sparrow]

Here's a picture of something we found amazing. There is a pond near where we live that has swans in it to keep the geese away. Here is a picture of that swan near some fish. The swan is picking food out of the box and giving it to those fish.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/Swan%20and%20Fish.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/Swan%20and%20Fish.jpg.html)

It looks like I am not the first to notice such things. Here are two videos of the process with larger fish

I wonder what benefit or mutual reward the swans receive for feeding the fish?
I can't imagine it's out of sheer kindheartedness...

[Clopin]

Wait, how come swans kill geese?

[Pompey Bum]

I wonder what benefit or mutual reward the swans receive for feeding the fish?
I can't imagine it's out of sheer kindheartedness...

You want to fatten those fish up, Iain. :)

[Iain Sparrow]

You want to fatten those fish up, Iain. :)

I wasn't aware swans were carnivorous... perhaps there have been rare incidents of a swan devouring a small child holding a bag of two-week-old bread. I'm *ok* with that.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

A lot of catching up to do, wonderful photos by all spanning the last several pages.
I enjoyed the tour of the gallery.

[Calidore]

Wait, how come swans kill geese?

I think swans are kind of the bird equivalent of buffaloes--big and mean. I've read that swans will attack other animals and humans also. A swan can break a man's leg, and can drag a dog, for example, into the water and drown it.

[Pompey Bum]

Aw the only ones buffalo bother are the dummies who walk up, put a hand on their humps, and say, "Okay Margey, take the picture!"

My theory about the swan is that the box used to contain something it liked to eat--pieces of bread or something--but now has only fragments or crumbs. The swan is greedily trying to gobble these up, but can't manage the job well because of its bill. So bits spill out and the fish chow down. Sorry to rain on the parade, but whatever's going on, it's not sharing. Nature's a cruel gal.

[Pompey Bum]

P.S. Here's a comment from one of the videos that YN posted:

"They actually aren't feeding them. Swans drop their food in the water before they eat it so that they can consume it mixed with water which keeps it from getting stuck in their throats. The koi have just learned this and in this case are parasitic to the swans. The more you know!"

Oh well, so I was close.

[Dreamwoven]

This is a very interesting subject, like Clopin I had no idea swans were so hostile to geese.

[North Star]

Swans are indeed very hostile to all other birds, but they can't break your limb - other than by making you fall over while being chased.

But, back to the topic. . .

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5455/18202761223_1c89f4f78b_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/tJvUJK)

[YesNo]

I like the closeups of the blossoms, North Star, on your last two photos.

Regarding the swans, I suspect the fish are to swans as pigeons are to people picking up what drops to them as Pompey Bum explains.

[Pompey Bum]

Actually I think I've gone over to the "softening up the food by dropping it in the water" explanation. Imagine doing the Heimlich maneuver on a swan! :)

[YesNo]

However it gets in the water is likely irrelevant to the fish, but those swans must know once they drop the food in the water it doesn't stay there long. I'm surprised they don't try to scare the fish away like they do the geese.

There may even be some swans who can't read the signs about not feeding the fish.

[Clopin]

Where I come from feeding wildlife is heavily illegal. Are swans expected to obey to laws of men? Should we be holding swans to the same standards of behaviour as we do people? These are important questions.

Edit: And I'm not sure bylaw smiles upon instances of wanton geese slaughter either.

[Pompey Bum]

However it gets in the water is likely irrelevant to the fish

Fair enough, but don't we need to change the analogy from pigeons in a park to mice in a kitchen? The swan is not feeding the fish as people sometimes feed pigeons. The fish are merely taking what they can get.

[Lykren]

Where I come from feeding wildlife is heavily illegal. Are swans expected to obey to laws of men? Should we be holding swans to the same standards of behaviour as we do people? These are important questions.

Edit: And I'm not sure bylaw smiles upon instances of wanton geese slaughter either.

Here in California geese-slaughter is encouraged. In addition, most California swans have lawyers, so even if the murder of geese and feeding of fish were illegal acts, prosecuting them would be a Herculean task. #SwanPrivilege #EndTheSwanarchy #ReclaimThePonds

[Clopin]

Haha racist cops don't arrest white swans, it's a damn shame.

[YesNo]

Fair enough, but don't we need to change the analogy from pigeons in a park to mice in a kitchen? The swan is not feeding the fish as people sometimes feed pigeons. The fish are merely taking what they can get.

I don't understand why the swans don't peck at the fish and move them out of the way if all that is going on is getting the food wet. They don't seem to be annoyed by the fish as they are with geese or with me as I walk near them especially with their young around. They seem to be playing with the fish in some way.

I remember having some chickens and a dog. The dog had to be on a chain. The chickens were free to run around as they choose. The chickens knew just how far the chain went and when they got bored would edge across the circumference of the dog's house to get his attention. He would get up and jump at them and they would head back as if they were teenagers on a ride at an amusement park. They knew just how long the dog's chain was. I'm sure he did, too, but he probably figured he might just this one time get lucky and those birds were ticking him off.

So, I don't know. I'm willing to accept that it is just a matter of getting food wet, but then I remember those chickens.

Here's a picture of potted flowers on our patio. It was raining and I thought the blue of the umbrella protecting the camera from the rain was a nice replacement for the sky. I'm calling it "Red and Blue with Green and Rain".

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/6a7471ad-ccec-44dc-820a-7398ae004454.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/6a7471ad-ccec-44dc-820a-7398ae004454.jpg.html)

[Pompey Bum]

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/6a7471ad-ccec-44dc-820a-7398ae004454.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/6a7471ad-ccec-44dc-820a-7398ae004454.jpg.html)[/QUOTE]

Beautiful colors, YN. Very compelling illusions! :)

I doubt your hypothesis about the swan would stand up to scrutiny, although I suppose it might. We (meaning "you and I," not "science") don't really know how much of the fish the swan sees, but assuming it sees them well and understands what is going on, there is the evolutionary bottom line of whether chasing them away is worth it in terms of food saved vs energy expended. Geese would quickly eat all the bread crumbs on the water and in the box, and given sufficient numbers, violently drive the swan away. That is an existential threat to the swan. But the fish, I imagine, are more like pesky insects are to us: they don't take much, and they come right back if you chase them away. From the point of view of the swan, whose survival is a lot more precarious than ours, they are most probably not worth the energy.

Perhaps the swan is whimsically playing with the fish, although I doubt it. Lunchtime is a serious business in the evolutionary world, and whimsy, in my view, ought to be sought elsewhere. I find it interesting, by the way, that in Iain, you, and me, we have a materialist, an idealist, and a dualist, respectively. At least we've got all our bases covered. :)

[YesNo]

I am beginning to see the swan-fish as more like a human-cat or human-dog relationship, but I have no evidence for this at the moment except that the swans are not harming the fish. It could be more like the human-spider relationship.

It may be, as you mention, that the fish are hard to chase away and not worth the energy. However, I suspect the fish provide some benefit to the swans. Perhaps their presence makes the waters safer in some way for the swans. I don't know. Also having food provided is an artificial situation. In the wild, swans would not have that. I wonder how swans in the wild treat fish?

Thanks for the comment on the photo!

[Pompey Bum]

You are welcome. It has all kinds of allegorical possibilities between the cage and wall, the beauty of the blossoms (in their own fertile sea), and the blue "Heaven" above. It is a very effective picture.

See if you notice the fish pecking at the underside of the swan at all. I'd be more open to your point of view if they were cleaning the swan's parasites: there's no reason a swan can't take care of that and soften up lunch. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if the swan even knows the fish are there. Remember that birds don't have binocular vision. Even if the swan drops its beak, it is still looking to each side and not down into the water. If you've seen it twist its head to one side (as robins do when they are looking for worms), that might suggest concern about the fish. As it is, though, it's highly unlikely that the swan is playing with them, whether it knows they are there or not.

[YesNo]

I agree. It is probably the fish being opportunistic and the swan not caring. Here is an article about them: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2795488/rarer-sight-black-swan-birds-feeding-carp-hobby-nature-reserve.html

Regarding the binocular vision, I don't think fish are any better off than the swans. There is a nice picture of swan and fish right up against each other in the link above.

Here is another pigeon perspective picture. I like the white lines on the street.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/Pigeon%20Perspective%20Street%20Lines.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/Pigeon%20Perspective%20Street%20Lines.jpg.html)

[Dreamwoven]

Two yellow lines???

[Pompey Bum]

Thanks, YN. The pictures in the article are amazing (and wonderfully colored), too. I have seen birds feeding other birds beak to beak, but I assumed they were mothers feeding fledglings. Still, who knows? Nature is full of oddities.

[YesNo]

Two yellow lines???

They do look yellow, now that you mention it.

[YesNo]

Here's the swan coming to get me protecting the babies (cygnets?) in the background. I took a picture and then an alternate route.


http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/8bb6a4d3-49c6-4ec9-b2a2-42d7f7d1563b.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/8bb6a4d3-49c6-4ec9-b2a2-42d7f7d1563b.jpg.html)

[Dreamwoven]

You have actually caught a very nice picture there. The swan even looks angry.

[YesNo]

Thanks! The swan looked even angrier with his wings up and walking straight toward me.

We were at the Chicago Botanic Garden today. Here are three pictures:

This one just has all that orange color shooting out over the path:

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/Orange20Flowers.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/Orange20Flowers.jpg.html)

Here's a small bird. It had a nice blue shine around its neck, but I wasn't able to capture that:

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/Bird20and20Water20and20Plants.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/Bird20and20Water20and20Plants.jpg.html)

And here are a bunch of blooms making a delicate but gaudy display:

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/Blooming20All20Over.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/Blooming20All20Over.jpg.html)

[Pompey Bum]

Here's the swan coming to get me protecting the babies (cygnets?) in the background. I took a picture and then an alternate route.


http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/8bb6a4d3-49c6-4ec9-b2a2-42d7f7d1563b.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/8bb6a4d3-49c6-4ec9-b2a2-42d7f7d1563b.jpg.html)

How nice of you to have protected the babies, YN. Did you dangle modifiers as bait. :)

I kid, I kid. Great pictures, especially the one of the orange flowers. They look like they are saying: "HEY, HEY! OVER HERE! CHECK US OUT!"

[YesNo]

Thanks! I liked that orange one as well with its lack of self-restraint.

[Dreamwoven]

Those colours of flowers are really pretty.

I took some photos of a fir tree sprouting new branches a few days ago but crashed my computer when trying to download it to my iPhoto folder, I will try again later today.

[Dreamwoven]

I haven't been able to transfer any photos from my computer to the LitNet website, but I have a link to a website of a picture in Washington State which has what I wanted: http://crawford.tardigrade.net/journal/album/horselakepollen.jpg. It shows how fast pines can grow in their early years, the new shoots are almost a doubling of the height of the young tree.

Pine is the natural cover for most of Sweden, and any land without it soon becomes covered with pine shoots. There is also a natural sequence from birch (https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Birch) to rowan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowan) and then pine. Even with clear-felling this pattern exists as the seeds are in the ground.

[YesNo]

I have been putting pictures on Photo Bucket for this site and then cut and paste the links provided there. It also allows me to reduce the size of the picture. I think Flickr would work as well. Maybe Google+. I haven't tried these.

I remember when I was young planting trees for forest companies.

[Dreamwoven]

I'm just not very good at computers. I will try that in future. Link from photobucket, thanks,YesNo!

[North Star]

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5534/18696357908_89a4c69457_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/uu8HQq)

[Dreamwoven]

What is this a blossom of, North Star?

[North Star]

What is this a blossom of, North Star?

Apple blossom from my parents' yard.

[Dreamwoven]

I thought it might have been white hawthorn blossom.

[YesNo]

Nice close-up on that blossom, North Star. The white petals seem smooth and bubbly.

[North Star]

Nice close-up on that blossom, North Star. The white petals seem smooth and bubbly.

Thanks. Here are two more:


https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/374/18933407220_66dcfd65ac_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/uR5Ekw)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/299/19178231095_f11e2416ff_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/vdHrWP)

[YesNo]

It is amazing how much detail one can get with photographs. One might be able to see the flowers better with a photograph than with the eye. Of course one is restricted to what one is focusing on.

Here's a picture I took to record my weight. The goal is 170 pounds and once I actually saw it at 167 pounds, but I didn't think of trying to get some evidence. Here I'm at 171 pounds.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/Not%20Quite%20There.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/Not%20Quite%20There.jpg.html)

[Calidore]

It is amazing how much detail one can get with photographs. One might be able to see the flowers better with a photograph than with the eye.

Since one would be looking at the photograph with the same eyes used to look at the flower, probably not. :)

Best time to weigh is first thing in the morning, before breakfast and after, um, jettisoning any ballast. See if that does the trick.

[Dreamwoven]

I didn't realise Calidore, like YesNo, is also from Chicago. I still have not uploaded my picture of a young pine tree, though I do have a photobucket account. I'll get round to it eventually. Meanwhile I hope to write a couple of book reviews: it is odd how that sub-forum is so little used! Not one published since my post there in November 2014….

[YesNo]

Since one would be looking at the photograph with the same eyes used to look at the flower, probably not. :)

Best time to weigh is first thing in the morning, before breakfast and after, um, jettisoning any ballast. See if that does the trick.

I was hoping to assign that extra pound to the ballast account. When I took the picture I thought the scale read 170 pounds, but upon blowing it up, it was 171. My eyes need a bit of fine tuning as well.

[YesNo]

I didn't realise Calidore, like YesNo, is also from Chicago. I still have not uploaded my picture of a young pine tree, though I do have a photobucket account. I'll get round to it eventually. Meanwhile I hope to write a couple of book reviews: it is odd how that sub-forum is so little used! Not one published since my post there in November 2014….

I use photobucket because I already had an account there (although I rarely use it for anything but staging photos for this site). I think flickr which is what North Star uses is better.

All the photos from my phone are automatically backed up to my Google account. Overall, I like Google best, but there may be better things out there. I've even converted spreadsheets, documents, calendar and email to Google from Microsoft.

[Ecurb]

It is amazing how much detail one can get with photographs. One might be able to see the flowers better with a photograph than with the eye. Of course one is restricted to what one is focusing on.

Here's a picture I took to record my weight. The goal is 170 pounds and once I actually saw it at 167 pounds, but I didn't think of trying to get some evidence. Here I'm at 171 pounds.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/Not%20Quite%20There.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/Not%20Quite%20There.jpg.html)

Take off your socks. They might weigh half a pound.

[YesNo]

I suppose I should deduct something for the clothes. That and the ballast might get me to 170. If I took off my socks, I would probably have to clean my feet so they wouldn't gross anyone out. There goes another quarter pound.

[Calidore]

Maybe also get a haircut (if applicable).

[YesNo]

I probably could use a haircut, but otherwise I tried everyone's advice from the ballast to the socks, but it still looked to me like 170 pounds. Then I flipped the phone 180 degrees thinking the perspective might be off and got this picture:

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/No%20socks%202.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/No%20socks%202.jpg.html)

My conclusion is that I should get a digital scale.

[YesNo]

Here's a flower that was on the side of the country road we were walking along near Green Bay, Wisconsin. I thought the orange made a nice contrast with the green and black of the forest.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/Orange%20Lilies%202.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/Orange%20Lilies%202.jpg.html)

[YesNo]

Here's a picture of a tree that someone unearthed, roots and all, and then turned upside down and planted canopy first into the ground. Vines are growing up it and there is grass on the soil around the dead roots raised into the sky.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/Yes-No-Maybe/Upside%20Down%20Tree%202.jpg (http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/Upside%20Down%20Tree%202.jpg.html)

[Dreamwoven]

Great picture, YesNo.

The vines looks to me like Rowan.

[YesNo]

Thanks, Dreamwoven. It is a mystery to my anyone would do something like that to a tree, but then we do all sorts of things to trees. It sort of reminds me of a sculpture.

[Dreamwoven]

Certainly an intriguing picture...

[LadyDedlock]

I went on vacation to another island about three months ago, and here's the beach!

http://i.imgur.com/RTLggZh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/LMvRxD8.jpg

[Dreamwoven]

In the second pic you have caught the water quality beautifully.

[YesNo]

Yes, the water in the second one stands out nicely against the buildings and vegetation on the land. Perhaps it is just that I am used to seeing landscapes in the other direction, from the land out to the water.

[North Star]

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5692/20696523061_8624b60311_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/xwT6fv)

[YesNo]

That is an unusual view of water, North Star, especially what looks like the ripples from a pebble dropped into all that redness.

[Sancho]

Good day to be a dog in El Sancho's truck.

http://i971.photobucket.com/albums/ae197/mollyandbruno/65bda4d028807850659aa82e50655472_zpslzqzonsn.jpg

Text while driving!? Moi? Never!
Take snapshots and cloud-share them, well sure.

[YesNo]

That's one way to get the dogs to pose for a picture. I like the idea of taking pictures using a mirror.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Good day to be a dog in El Sancho's truck.

Text while driving!? Moi? Never!
Take snapshots and cloud-share them, well sure.

btw, are you tooling along the back roads of your new stomping grounds?

[Sancho]

btw, are you tooling along the back roads of your new stomping grounds?

Nope. I took that pic about a mile from my house in Georgia. We did manage to close on the house in Washington just last week, but we're not really moved in yet. We'll get transitioned over the next few months. It was the first short-sale we'd ever done and there were a buncha more hoops to jump through than with a regular house. It took all summer. At one point I went all Southern on them: "Why Ah say, this heyah short-sale has taken longah than Genral Grant's siege of Vicksburg!"

At any rate, right now I'm in the uncomfortable position of paying the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities on two places, which are on opposite sides of the country. Anybody wanna buy house in Georgia?

[North Star]

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5700/21493495941_12b65d4843_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/yKiMwe)

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/659/21556587371_4dd7a0ff69_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/yQT9pv)

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5708/22166546876_41c103b1ea_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zLMm7G)

[YesNo]

Nice shadows and reflections in the water. The closeup on the veins in the leaf is also unusual.

[Dreamwoven]

Sometimes the simplest motif can be captivating, like the oar in the water.

[North Star]

Nice shadows and reflections in the water. The closeup on the veins in the leaf is also unusual.
Thanks. I'll try and take 'unusual' as a compliment ;)



Sometimes the simplest motif can be captivating, like the oar in the water.
Oh, I find that simplicity - or rather, clarity - quite often makes for beauty in whatever art form.



Nice shadows and reflections in the water. The closeup on the veins in the leaf is also unusual.

Some more photos from last winter, see the whole bunch properly (larger, and sharper too) here (https://www.flickr.com/photos/janacekian/albums/72157661017750242) - including these two.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5712/22942824975_7516777666_n.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AXnYxR)

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5790/22904413402_c408545026_n.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ATZ78m)

[Dreamwoven]

In some of the photos on the website link three rainbow-like images appear. I can't imagine how these are produced, they have me flummoxed. The middle one is obviously the sun, but the other two?

[North Star]

In some of the photos on the website link three rainbow-like images appear. I can't imagine how these are produced, they have me flummoxed. The middle one is obviously the sun, but the other two?

First time I remember seeing halos like that. I think there were 22° halo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/22°_halo), Sun dogs aka parhelia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_dogs), and a light pillar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_pillar) there. Sunlight interacting with the ice crystals in the atmosphere is what produced them.

[Dreamwoven]

Thats remarkable. I must look out for these Sun dogs, we are at lat 61, and the sun is low on the horizon all day, it must be possible to see them from our position too.

[YesNo]

Both of the winter scenes are very nice, North Star. I like the white-black contrast on the light blue and purple backgrounds.

[North Star]

Thanks, YesNo

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5807/22940383936_2411d8edc7.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AXasUY)

[North Star]

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/681/22362912083_8786af99da.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/janacekian/22362912083/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/)

[North Star]

I have a feeling that we could all do with a cup of hot chocolate at the moment... and please click the links if you bother to look at the images at all

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3955/15566582989_30b595a4b8_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/janacekian/15566582989/in/photostream/lightbox/)


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7490/15574231678_a6a96fd7d5_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/janacekian/15574231678/in/photostream/lightbox/)

[YesNo]

I'm drinking tea now. I didn't realize hot chocolate was so bubbly.

I liked this one as well in your recent set: https://www.flickr.com/photos/janacekian/15302101762/in/photostream/lightbox/

[Dreamwoven]

Definitely looks odd!

[North Star]

I'm drinking tea now. I didn't realize hot chocolate was so bubbly.

I liked this one as well in your recent set: https://www.flickr.com/photos/janacekian/15302101762/in/photostream/lightbox/

It's not that bubbly really, but it sure looks more exciting. I wish I remembered how I managed to make it so bubbly...

Thanks.


Definitely looks odd!

Referring to the flower image, I assume. I'll take that as a compliment. ;)

[Dreamwoven]

No it was the bubbly-ness of hot chocolate, I was surprised at. But the other pics of your flickr links were also very interesting. I was amazed at how very simple things like rain on a window could look so strange, or the eye of a perch in a refraction.

[North Star]

No it was the bubbly-ness of hot chocolate, I was surprised at. But the other pics of your flickr links were also very interesting. I was amazed at how very simple things like rain on a window could look so strange, or the eye of a perch in a refraction.

Okay. Well, I must have mixed the chocolate rather well with a spoon (and had a lot of chocolate powder in the water) - to make it bubbly, and the lighting and enlargement help to make the bubbles look so prominent. The diameter of the cup the chocolate is in is 8 cm (3.15").

Thank you. Well I do like Atget (and Man Ray), and try to adhere to Minor White's advice One should not only photograph things for what they are but for what else they are. :)

[Dreamwoven]

In a way, that is the art of good photography, seeing things from a different perspective and capturing the moment with a picture.

[North Star]

In a way, that is the art of good photography, seeing things from a different perspective and capturing the moment with a picture.

That is certainly an important part of photography, although there is lots of good photography that doesn't fit the description.

[North Star]

Studies in Snow I & II

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/603/23037851936_7eb3994f4c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/janacekian/23037851936/in/photostream/lightbox/)

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5776/23077854712_48f4588e29.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/janacekian/23077854712/in/photostream/lightbox/)

[YesNo]

Are those footprints that were later filled in or just a drifting process? I liked the spiral in the top one.

[Dreamwoven]

A good illustration of simplicity making the picture.

[North Star]

Are those footprints that were later filled in or just a drifting process? I liked the spiral in the top one.

Some human activity has shaped the snowscapes, as far as I recall.


A good illustration of simplicity making the picture.
Thanks. Simplicity in that the of patterns and shapes have uniformity, certainly. Now, try to recreate the photographs more closely than you could a portrait, for instance. . . (the photos are from last winter)

[North Star]

Click the link on the image to see properly, as always.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/661/22757085749_813150a897_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AEY1Kp)

[tailor STATELY]

Beautiful photo. Mirrored events like these often remind me of Rorschach images. For instance w/my head tilted to left I can see a whiskered creature with its eyes closed.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[YesNo]

The reflection is so precise and the water so still, it almost doesn't seem real.

[North Star]

Thank you both. Yes, those ripples on bottom right aside, the water is indeed extremely still.


https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5707/23174444696_1091c30a9c_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/BiR62j)

[North Star]

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5783/22621173474_77460454a6_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AsXqLj)

[YesNo]

I find the background circles of color interesting in these last two.

[Dreamwoven]

But what are those colours? They appear in the first image as well, though even more fuzzy, perhaps because they are under water?

[North Star]

Just light sources (sun, slivers of sky through the trees) which are out of focus.

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, in both pictures the greenery in focus throws the background out of focus. Quite mesmeric!

[North Star]

Yes, in both pictures the greenery in focus throws the background out of focus. Quite mesmeric!
Thanks!

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5633/22881757247_6b7087971a_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ARYZeZ)

[North Star]

A view from Koli, in Northern Karelia, Finland

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5771/22914735519_52f1cc99d2_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AUU1wT)

[North Star]

Taken today. As always, click the image to see it properly.

https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/130063825/m%3D900/c75cdd9bae8ff6f746f9b72e8194fadd (https://500px.com/photo/130063825/frozen-lake-kuopio-by-karlo-kuula)

[YesNo]

I see you are using 500px now. Are you switching from flickr?

[Dreamwoven]

The view from Northern Karelia is very much like the views I get from home at 61 North - wonderful layered effect in midwinter when the sun is so low on the horizon. he streak of sunlight below the clouds and shining on a patch of ground.

[North Star]

I see you are using 500px now. Are you switching from flickr?
I've used both for a long time, although 500px much more inactively as while the site is more pleasing aesthetically, the algorithms are designed in a way that makes it impossible to get your photographs seen by more than fifty people or so unless you already have hundreds or thousands of followers.
I post more on Flickr, and will eventually post that there too.

[North Star]

Click the link to see properly, as always.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5835/22676540814_9f4b504f1e_z.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/janacekian/22676540814/in/photostream/lightbox/)

[Dreamwoven]

Very atmospheric, North Star! The two roughly triangular projections in the sky, one above the other, is where they meet at the bottom of the dark cloud. Is that where the sun is? In the bottom part there are traces of the rainbow-effect. The islands also show a lot of detail, especially of the yellow birch trees.

[North Star]

Very atmospheric, North Star! The two roughly triangular projections in the sky, one above the other, is where they meet at the bottom of the dark cloud. Is that where the sun is? In the bottom part there are traces of the rainbow-effect. The islands also show a lot of detail, especially of the yellow birch trees.
Thanks, Dreamwoven.

I think the sun is behind the camera, though. ;)

[North Star]

Another view of Lake Pielinen from Koli

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/677/22695682834_b03dbe757d_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AzxiNs)

[YesNo]

Nice view of the showers from the clouds.

[North Star]

Nice view of the showers from the clouds.
Thanks.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/23246397271_eb8d5f528c_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/BqcS1X)

[Dreamwoven]

I am still puzzled by the photo 11-25-2015, 06:40 PM. You say it cannot be the sun, as that is behind you, but could it be the moon?

[North Star]

I am still puzzled by the photo 11-25-2015, 06:40 PM. You say it cannot be the sun, as that is behind you, but could it be the moon?


Very atmospheric, North Star! The two roughly triangular projections in the sky, one above the other, is where they meet at the bottom of the dark cloud. Is that where the sun is? In the bottom part there are traces of the rainbow-effect. The islands also show a lot of detail, especially of the yellow birch trees.

Oh, I'm sure that the light effects are caused by the sun and the rain clouds. I would think that the sun is in the direction of the left side of the triangle, as that appears to be a beam of sunlight coming through the clouds.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Catching up, wonderful images North Star, particularly the richness of green speckled with yellow in post 3403 just above.

[Dreamwoven]

Catching up, wonderful images North Star, particularly the richness of green speckled with yellow in post 3403 just above.

You get a lot of that effect in northern Scandinavia, its very beautiful, especially in parts of the north that have a high proportion of silver birch trees: Betula pendula (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_pendula).

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

I was this close >< to mentioning birch in my post, thanks.
The yellow of the birch against the green blanketing the hills above, conjures up similar vistas in northern New Mexico, Colorado and many other parts of the Rockies with the yellow Aspen against the coniferous.

[North Star]

Catching up, wonderful images North Star, particularly the richness of green speckled with yellow in post 3403 just above.
Thank you, Gilliatt.

I was this close >< to mentioning birch in my post, thanks.
The yellow of the birch against the green blanketing the hills above, conjures up similar vistas in northern New Mexico, Colorado and many other parts of the Rockies with the yellow Aspen against the coniferous.
So I have seen in photographs - understandably, aspens get a lot of attention from American nature photographers.

The weather was wonderful from a week ago to Tuesday - then it went back up above freezing, and all is just a dark slush again. Thank heavens I managed to visit this pond on Tuesday for some photos, one of which I shared already before.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/629/23243718122_975b0ae31e_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/BpY8AJ)

[North Star]

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5773/23259649632_92b2ea7021_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/BrnMtW)

[Dreamwoven]

I will leave YesNo to comment. The ice here looks like the ice in my home village, probably the same as it is in Finland.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Thank you, Gilliatt.

So I have seen in photographs - understandably, aspens get a lot of attention from American nature photographers.

The weather was wonderful from a week ago to Tuesday - then it went back up above freezing, and all is just a dark slush again. Thank heavens I managed to visit this pond on Tuesday for some photos, one of which I shared already before.



Regarding your two most recent images, I favor post 3410 with the added strata of the white snow(?) just creeping in at the top.
Are those lights on the distant shore creating the vertical rods of reflection?


Speaking of trees, I just now stepped out to collect a few leaves from our yard.

Top row L-R: Eastern Redbud, Red Oak, Post Oak and Ash
Bottom row L-R: American Elm, Cedar Elm, Hackberry (still a little early will turn vibrant yellow) and Hawthorne.


http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae114/tabuka1/Elements%20of%20Nature/6ec5bdf8-bdb7-4255-95ef-542d8e33df6c_zpsc5wsxy8k.jpg (http://s963.photobucket.com/user/tabuka1/media/Elements%20of%20Nature/6ec5bdf8-bdb7-4255-95ef-542d8e33df6c_zpsc5wsxy8k.jpg.html)

[Dreamwoven]

Nice collection, Gilliatt. We don't have such a variety in Northern Sweden. Its too late now but next autumn I will try to put together my own collection.

[YesNo]

I find the vertical lights most interesting in your recent ones, North Star.

Setting those leaves out against the floor of the deck was an interesting way to arrange them, Gilliatt Gurgle. I could have identified those in the top row, but not the four in the bottom row.

[North Star]

I will leave YesNo to comment. The ice here looks like the ice in my home village, probably the same as it is in Finland.
Yes, ice is ice.

Regarding your two most recent images, I favor post 3410 with the added strata of the white snow(?) just creeping in at the top.
Are those lights on the distant shore creating the vertical rods of reflection?

I find the vertical lights most interesting in your recent ones, North Star.
Those are reflections of birch trees on the other side of the pond.


Speaking of trees, I just now stepped out to collect a few leaves from our yard.

Top row L-R: Eastern Redbud, Red Oak, Post Oak and Ash
Bottom row L-R: American Elm, Cedar Elm, Hackberry (still a little early will turn vibrant yellow) and Hawthorne.
A nice variety. Trees seen around here (in the wild) include Pine, Birch, Spruce, Rowan, Maple, Alder, European Bird Cherry, Eurasian Aspen.

[qimissung]

Your pictures are beautiful, North Star! I think I especially love the one of the frozen lake.

Love your leaves, Gilliatt. I recognize them, but not by name. I, too, am a lover of leaves.

[North Star]

Your pictures are beautiful, North Star! I think I especially love the one of the frozen lake.

Thank you, qimissung. ... Which of the two? ;)

(if it's leafs you want, you don't have to leaf too far back among my photos to see them)

[Dreamwoven]

Its amazing what you can collect. There is a very engaging short story being put together in another thread by FREI, called The Snowflake Collector (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?82625-The-Snowflake-Collector).

[North Star]

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5720/22766405923_1dc2b49838_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AFMMj4)

[North Star]

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/715/22795465643_b0874ece28_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AJmHKH)

[YesNo]

I like the sparkles in the blue of the water.

I have been trying to make sense out of the differences in the experiences of a view of the water itself and a photo of the water and to relate these in terms of "magical realism" that was mentioned in a separate thread or Freud's "oceanic view" mentioned in another thread.

One difference is the border. There is none in the view of the water itself. The other is the detail. There is more in the photo than what we are aware of when looking at the water. I think the photo can pick up information that we might not be able to see directly, but I am not sure.

[North Star]

Didn't notice your post before, YesNo.

I agree that photographs can record much more detail than we generally notice when glancing at the scenery, and often things that photographer who looks much more carefully doesn't see. Here's the whole bunch at Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/janacekian/albums/72157659408336073).

__________________________________________________ _______________

From autumn:

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5743/23520134915_b451f6cc2a_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/BQoQFv)

[YesNo]

The ice is an unusual theme. Of your recent sets of photos, my favorite one is this:


https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5783/22621173474_77460454a6_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AsXqLj)

What I like are the large colored circles of light in the background.

[North Star]

The ice is an unusual theme. Of your recent sets of photos, my favorite one is this:

What I like are the large colored circles of light in the background.

Unusual? Perhaps. That's a good thing, I think.

Thanks. Yeah, you get that with light coming through smallish slits from ahead and with larger aperture, i.e. a shallow depth of field (i.e., when things fall out of focus rapidly).

[Dreamwoven]

The other day we were driving along the large lake by our village and I noticed the iced-over area was at the edges where the water was shallower, last in the deepest middle of the lake. I had never thought of it before. Its obvious when you stop to think about it, deep water takes longer to freeze.

This is the north end of the lake in summer: http://www.ockelbo.se/Invanare/Bygga-bo-och-miljo/Boplats-Ockelbo/Smahustomter/NO-Bysjon/

[North Star]

The other day we were driving along the large lake by our village and I noticed the iced-over area was at the edges where the water was shallower, last in the deepest middle of the lake. I had never thought of it before. Its obvious when you stop to think about it, deep water takes longer to freeze.

This is the north end of the lake in summer

Yes, the edges of the body of water will freeze (and melt) first, as demonstrated by Ansel Adams with this photograph.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WoaV5FPTppU/TbwueY2EL0I/AAAAAAAABcg/h_V13gXrQtM/s1600/Ansel%2BAdams%2B-%2BFrozen%2BLake%2Band%2BCliffs%252C%2BKaweah%2BGa p%252C%2BSierra%2BNevada%252C%2BCalifornia%252C%2B 1932.jpg

[North Star]

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/638/22915347074_bba1a8b87f_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AUX9jW)

[North Star]

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/714/23611968271_27489f7de3_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/BYvvxe)

[YesNo]

Yes, the edges of the body of water will freeze (and melt) first, as demonstrated by Ansel Adams with this photograph.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WoaV5FPTppU/TbwueY2EL0I/AAAAAAAABcg/h_V13gXrQtM/s1600/Ansel%2BAdams%2B-%2BFrozen%2BLake%2Band%2BCliffs%252C%2BKaweah%2BGa p%252C%2BSierra%2BNevada%252C%2BCalifornia%252C%2B 1932.jpg

This one by Adams has an interesting contrast between the top portion which seemed sharper and the lower softer watery part. In the middle to the left was that snow (I assume) which offered a transition.

[Pensive]

Simply love the very beautiful and artistic additions to this thread.
I could share some photos from my recent trip. I was in Vilnius and Poznan. Took night buses to both places and explored the old town during the day time. I liked the colourful architecture in the old towns and christmas celebrations adding to the beauty of place and people. It felt like in the middle of a fairytale, or a dream, making it even more so as I was partly sleepwalking having night buses (not always the most convenient place to sleep) and day walks! :D
*includes a selfie taken by myself enjoying really tasty dairy icecream in Vilnius old town*

[Dreamwoven]

Pensive, these are beautiful pictures of Vilnius and Poznan! I had no idea...

[YesNo]

Nice pictures, Pensive. It is the first time I heard of these places.

[Dreamwoven]

Vilnius is in Lithuania and Poznan is in Poland. But like YesNo, I was not aware that they were such old beautiful towns.

[Snowqueen]

Very nice pictures Pensy. Thanks for sharing.

Here are some random photos...

I took the first one when I was going for work. It's the surrounding area of a village called Gola (in KPK).

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv183/SheherBano5/gola.jpg (http://s682.photobucket.com/user/SheherBano5/media/gola.jpg.html)


http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv183/SheherBano5/df.jpg (http://s682.photobucket.com/user/SheherBano5/media/df.jpg.html)

My uncle's pet resting in our small garden.

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv183/SheherBano5/bacha.jpg (http://s682.photobucket.com/user/SheherBano5/media/bacha.jpg.html)

[Dreamwoven]

Snowqueen: Gola in Croatia (KPK). Nice cat, by the way.

[YesNo]

I liked the dragonfly (or whatever it is).

[North Star]

Nice photos from Vilnius and Poznan, Pensive. I've visited Tallinn (many many times) and Riga but never Vilnius.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1472/23631398533_a1a03a6102_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/C1e6tK)

[YesNo]

I liked the roundness of the out-of-focus vase with the piece inside and the sharply in-focus parts of the plant.

[North Star]

Cheers, YesNo.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1443/23644590803_8139272919_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/C2oH5F)

[North Star]

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1677/24273428406_92c1f99b44_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/CYXEAj)

[Dreamwoven]

Thats really weird, I can't even guess what it is...

[North Star]

The same glass vase as above.

[Dreamwoven]

Doesn't look like it...But you must be right.

[North Star]

And again the same vase with that flower inside as seen in the first and third images on this page.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1526/23686368153_1f62195377_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/C65Q2P)

[YesNo]

I like that speck of light the stem is pointing to in the water. It reminds me of a jigsaw puzzle piece.

[North Star]

It does look a bit like that. There is no water in the vase, though.

[bounty]

hi everyone---am hoping this will be a good place to ask. im engaged in a project where I am looking to put both colored borders around a photo, and captions with a photo. the captions wouldn't go on the photo proper but outside the photo, along the sides or top/bottom.

I have irfanview, and have gotten some success with it, but ultimately I don't think its going to suit my purposes.

I wonder if anyone can recommend a free image editing program with the above features? I can give more information about the captioning---in some cases, it might only be a few words, in others, it might run the entire length of a page.

in irfanview, when I add commentary to the sides, it seems to run the width of the entire screen, as opposed to a few words, and then the next line below, a few words, and the next line below, etc. (it could be my lack of familiarity with the program though.) putting commentary on the bottom is easier, but sometimes I want to write more than what space will allow.

[North Star]

IrfanView is handy for the borders, but the captions I'd do with Paint, or possibly Word (or similar programs on Mac if you use it) if you're printing the things, although I cannot say how much the photo quality suffers from printing through that sort of software.

[bounty]

thanks north star...

no mac for me. wont be printing.

so far as I can tell, paint only allows me to put captions into the photo, not on the outside of it. am not seeing how word would work without hundreds of copy and pasting and formatting. part of the persnicketiness of it all is, some of the images are such that they need to be enlarged in order to read them (they are almost all newspaper scans)

[Dreamwoven]

Never heard of irfanview, Some form of viewer according to their home page...

[Calidore]

Irfanview is a Swiss army knife program that I've been using for years. I've heard lots of good things about the freeware program paint.net. If you don't mind a learning curve, there's Gimp. Finally, I believe Adobe has made freely available an older version of Photoshop; check their site.

[bounty]

thank you calidore---I cant imagine the learning curve no matter which one of those suggestions I look into, would be too steep. borders and captioning, I think, are pretty straight forward.

[North Star]

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1665/24103041570_ef6293a57e_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/CHUowf)

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Enjoying all the pics North Star, my long dormant photography itch is coming back.

[North Star]

Excellent, Gilliatt, and thank you.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1633/23810085413_533aed30aa_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Ch1US2)

[YesNo]

Your photos are making normal sights more interesting because of the way they are arranged, North Star. The viewer doesn't even have to recognize the actual objects being photographed to find them attractive. We seem to miss most of the world around us when we look at it. The photos remind us that there is more there.

[North Star]

Your photos are making normal sights more interesting because of the way they are arranged, North Star. The viewer doesn't even have to recognize the actual objects being photographed to find them attractive. We seem to miss most of the world around us when we look at it. The photos remind us that there is more there.
Thank you very much, YesNo. You touch on an important part of what I try to achieve with my photographs.

[Dreamwoven]

I have never got into photography. I had a box camera in the 1950s and now have a very outdated Casio EX-Z80, digital but I don't know how to take advantages of its potential. Pity because my interest in astronomy could also do with a decent camera, though I am too old to start to develop a completely new skill. I've thought about it a lot recently. What kind of camera have you got?

[North Star]

I have a Nikon D7100, Dreamwoven. You will find plenty of information online, of variable quality, on what cameras are best for astophotography, e.g. here http://soggyastronomer.com/the-best-dslr-cameras-for-astrophotography/



https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1528/24089244529_20e605e849_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/CGFF9e)

[Dreamwoven]

The micro landscape of fresh snow in your last photo North Star, is very nice.

I want my camera to be good for more than just traditional astronomy, I use it for family pictures, too. Also for capturing the beautiful skies which are particularly attractive up here in Central Sweden at about 61 N. Great sunrises and sunsets especially, (you may have some of where you live in Finland). I saw one picture (early in this thread) taken in Sweden of a noctilucent cloud. I am in the process of trying to view the entire thread which was started in 2006 (!). But now I see there are other threads in the same category on pictures of all sorts. So I give up on that huge job.:)

[North Star]

Thanks. Well any camera that does astronomy photography ought to be able to do family pictures and landscape. You want good resolution and low noise with higher ISOs for the astronomy and family photos in particular (at least if you're shooting children or just fleeting moments and not group portraits), and they of course help with landscape as well. A couple of things that you should decide first are a) how much money do you want to invest in the camera (and possibly lenses) and b) how large can the camera be? That should help narrowing it down. I also recommend going to a store and trying the cameras out there for how they feel, and what kind of range from wide angle to telephoto the cameras / lenses have.


https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1571/24369445922_b39b243ea6_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/D8rMfJ)

[Dreamwoven]

Thats a good starting point, North Star. First I will take some pictures with my Casio Exilim Ex-Z80 using the zoom function to get a sharper image, but I suspect that the camera takes lousy pics at a distance. This will take me a while to do. I will let you know the result, and if possible post them here.

[qimissung]

I like your pictures, too, North Star. These snowy ones are interesting. I love the odd shapes snow makes, and you've captured that odd, elusive quality very well. They look like little snails almost.

[North Star]

Thanks, qimissung.

[North Star]

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1614/24205447210_9dd0aa6d6e_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/CSXf9J)

[Dreamwoven]

I've abandoned my attempt to take photos and load them up to photobucket, I realise my old camera is just not up to it. I'm going to have to buy a new camera at some point.

Your last picture immediately struck me as a line of 4 soldiers, with their pikes sticking out of the snow. Opposite is a lookout post on the defensive line.

[North Star]

Hm, I can see how you got there.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1704/24151092459_d35fbdc267_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/CN9EnR)

[Dreamwoven]

Now that the snow has started to shrink, I can see many of these just in our back yard. My wife tells me that they are birch trees sprouting through the snow. I had not connected them to your photos, but now I see that is what they are.

[North Star]

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1572/24320387509_054e70b6b9_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/D47kU2)

[tonywalt]

9704

Complex on the beach, sunset, Cayman Islands

[tonywalt]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/15939419@N03/24573893366/in/dateposted-public/

[Tyrion Cheddar]

This am a picture I took with my phone behind the royal palace in Stockholm several years ago.

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9705&d=1454095515

[North Star]

Nice, Tyrion. Hey, I was there too several years ago. Strange how I didn't recognize you...

[Tyrion Cheddar]

Nice, Tyrion. Hey, I was there too several years ago. Strange how I didn't recognize you...

I was the cannon standing in front of the guard. Or maybe I was the balls.

[Lemonade]

9707
9708

Elephant skeleton in Natural History Museum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

[tonywalt]

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/672/23836567741_ad4ee71411_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/CjmD8T)esso gas station in cayman islands edward hopper exposure compostion (https://flic.kr/p/CjmD8T) by Tony Walton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/15939419@N03/), on Flickr

[tonywalt]

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8874/17189981399_07a3fb12a0_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sc29zD)vodka rum gin (https://flic.kr/p/sc29zD) by Tony Walton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/15939419@N03/), on Flickr

A photo of my freezer

[YesNo]

Those elephant skeletons remind me of the skeleton of Sue in the Field Museum in Chicago, Lemonade. I'll have to see if I can find the pictures I took of that one.

That's an interesting perspective of a freezer, tonywalt. I would have never thought of taking such a picture. Also I am surprised at how deep the blue is of the gas station machines.

[tonywalt]

Those elephant skeletons remind me of the skeleton of Sue in the Field Museum in Chicago, Lemonade. I'll have to see if I can find the pictures I took of that one.

That's an interesting perspective of a freezer, tonywalt. I would have never thought of taking such a picture. Also I am surprised at how deep the blue is of the gas station machines.

Freezers are interesting. Yes, I was surprised by the blue also, then again, it's brand new.

[Tyrion Cheddar]

What y'all doing in the Cayman Islands, tony? Or were you born there? And how about some pictures of hidden off-shore bank accounts. :-0

[tonywalt]

What y'all doing in the Cayman Islands, tony? Or were you born there? And how about some pictures of hidden off-shore bank accounts. :-0

What I'm doing right now is sitting by the pool having a glass of wine. What are y'all doing? (Yes, I'm Caymanian, born here)

[tonywalt]

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5498/9705594668_821b3e8b04_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/fMDHa7)Zenaida Dove (https://flic.kr/p/fMDHa7) by Tony Walton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/15939419@N03/), on Flickr

A Dove, Grand Cayman

[tonywalt]

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5728/21018663455_d0953b30a7_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/y2m9ne)PIER WITH SEAWEED IN GRAND CAYMAN CAYMAN ISLANDS BEACH CARIBBEAN (https://flic.kr/p/y2m9ne) by Tony Walton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/15939419@N03/), on Flickr

A pier, with Sargassum seaweed (as in Sargasso Sea). There's alot of it this time of the year.

[tonywalt]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7725/17079979440_40decd5b45_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/s2imQ9)PITBULL IN BODDEN TOWN GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS (https://flic.kr/p/s2imQ9) by Tony Walton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/15939419@N03/), on Flickr

A dog by a sign, in Grand Cayman.

[tonywalt]

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1500/24573893366_e46b99d667_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DrvCmE)pier in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean sea ocean beach (https://flic.kr/p/DrvCmE) by Tony Walton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/15939419@N03/), on Flickr

A pier in the Cayman Islands

[tonywalt]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6924244561_300dbffe3e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/bxSyEV)Cayman Barn Owl (https://flic.kr/p/bxSyEV) by Tony Walton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/15939419@N03/), on Flickr

A Cayman Barn Owl

[Dreamwoven]

Tonywalt, Nice pictures of beach and storm clouds on the horizon, and the colours of the barn owl are well brought out.

[tonywalt]

Tonywalt, Nice pictures of beach and storm clouds on the horizon, and the colours of the barn owl are well brought out.

Thanks. I love owls, beaches and storms:)

[tonywalt]

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1640/24222381271_589b9cfdee_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/CUs34i)beach martial arts cayman islands caribbean sky sunset light nikon (https://flic.kr/p/CUs34i) by Tony Walton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/15939419@N03/), on Flickr

Someone doing kicks on the beach in the cayman islands, at sunset.

[YesNo]

Nice sunset with that guy in the air.

[qimissung]

Your pictures are gorgeous, Tony. Is there anything you can't do, lol?

[tonywalt]

Your pictures are gorgeous, Tony. Is there anything you can't do, lol?

I can't find my iphone, at the moment.

[tonywalt]

Nice sunset with that guy in the air.

Thanks, he's a great jumper and has excellent dreads.

[qimissung]

I can't find my iphone, at the moment.
And you're funny, too. :)

[Tyrion Cheddar]

Beautiful pics, Tony, though I still want to know about the secret offshore accounts. I just read that the Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory, does that mean you speak with a British accent, or is there a different, island accent?

[tonywalt]

Beautiful pics, Tony, though I still want to know about the secret offshore accounts. I just read that the Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory, does that mean you speak with a British accent, or is there a different, island accent?

I speak with a mid-atlantic accent. I'm not familiar with secret accounts, sorry can't help you.

You sound southern. Do you have moonshine? NASCAR? Good 'ole boys? The South has always intrigued me, Faulkner, George Wallace etc..

[Tyrion Cheddar]

I speak with a mid-atlantic accent. I'm not familiar with secret accounts, sorry can't help you.

You sound southern. Do you have moonshine? NASCAR? Good 'ole boys? The South has always intrigued me, Faulkner, George Wallace etc..

That's interesting. I ain't never, not never had no one say I sound southern. :-0 No, I'm a Yankee. Do you mean that most honkies who live in the Cayman Islands speak with a mid-Atlantic accent? The secret offshore accounts thing probably doesn't exist anymore, but as you probably know that Cayman Islands was traditionally where gangsters and politicians (insert joke about there being no difference between them) hid their ill-gotten gains. Nowadays it's probably in the form of some crypto-currency living on a hard drive in some occult data haven, in the back of a pork rinds factory in Little Rock.

[tonywalt]

Gapstow Bridge, Central Park, New York

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1656/24726107631_2077ef286d_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DEXLmx)Gapstow bridge, central park new york city (https://flic.kr/p/DEXLmx) by Tony Walton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/15939419@N03/), on Flickr

[Dreamwoven]

Beautiful Autumn colours!

[North Star]

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1480/24809987075_a58c3b02b1_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DNnEMR)