Random Photos

DennisN · Aug 27, 2026

A few shots from today, all shot with smartphone...

Flowers in the city (and a note about the colors below*)

City street scene with a red-brick building on the left, a teal Cykelkompani sign, and clusters of red salvia and orange dahlias in a flower bed in the foreground.

(*) A note about the colors in the above photo:

I've noticed that photos shot with my smartphone (Samsung Galaxy A56) are quite a long shot from being natural, and I suspect it is the camera software that does some extra boosts to the colors which are over the top in my opinion. And I haven't found a way to disable that.

This beauty made my day; a lovely Vanessa cardui sitting on a flower:

A painted lady butterfly with open orange and black wings, with white spots on the wing tips, resting on an orange dahlia flower among green foliage.

Another shot of the butterfly:

Painted lady butterfly with orange, black and white wings resting on an orange dahlia in a sunlit city street with blurred shops and benches behind.

And last, my cat behind the curtain (not shot today):

Grey and cream long-haired cat lying on a windowsill behind a red curtain with a white floral pattern, looking toward the camera against a blue sky.

DaveC426913 · Aug 29, 2026

"Fly-in" and Hamilton Warplane Museum today.

Two small vintage biplanes flying against a clear blue sky: an olive-drab biplane in the upper left and a smaller red and white biplane in the lower right.

Red replica Fokker triplane with a rotary engine and wooden propeller on an airfield apron, a pilot seated in the cockpit and two ground crew in hi-vis vests nearby.

Replica Sopwith Pup biplane in olive drab with RAF roundels and the number 17, being pushed by ground crew on an apron in front of a crowd of spectators.

Dark olive and black Avro Lancaster bomber parked on an airfield apron under a clear blue sky, with roundel and code letters OP and serial KB773 visible on the fuselage.

Silver high-wing Westland Lysander monoplane with roundel and serial 416 on the wing, parked on a tarmac apron with spectators and a photographer nearby.

Two young children standing in front of a blue jet trainer aircraft with a shark-mouth painted on its nose, both waving; the jet has an open canopy and Canadian Forces markings.

jtbell · Aug 30, 2026

This lucky goose has its own set of landing lights!

White plastic goose decoy and a dark bronze-looking animal figurine beside a driveway, with a line of small purple solar path lights leading toward them over pine mulch.

Borg · Aug 30, 2026

It looks like the goose landed and the pig is getting ready for departure.

Point Conception · Aug 31, 2026

One of these Russian ladies in Jomtien looks like a Brighton (little Odessa) Beach transplant

Two people in swimwear stand on a sandy beach at the water's edge, with calm sea, a row of buoys and hazy hills in the background.

Two vintage photos of a crowded wooden boardwalk beside a beach, with brick buildings, a bar restaurant sign and a date stamp reading 6 18 93 on the upper print. Sunbathers and people walking along the boardwalk.

collinsmark · Sep 1, 2026

'Had a [realtively] busy week last week with stuff to do Wednesday through Friday. I brought the camera, of course.

Outdoor patio with an orange umbrella over a round table and chairs, a rectangular planter of pink flowers, and ornamental grasses in front of a building with a lattice screen.

Figure 1. Relaxing spot at the hospital. (Wednesday photo.)

Wednesday started with another trip to the hospital (no worries, it was a scheduled appointment thing). I found this relaxing hideaway that they have scattered about the hospital grounds (See Fig. 1.) These mini-oases can be hard to find though since most of the hospital is involved in construction somehow.

After the hospital I decided to go to Balboa Park. Interestingly, the only bus giving access to the hospital also goes right by Balboa Park, even though they are in different parts of town; no need to transfer. That's the good news. The bad news is that that bus only comes by every half-hour at most. So if you miss the bus, you're in for a bit of a wait.

Motion-blurred photo of a cyclist in a dark helmet, sunglasses, blue short-sleeve jersey and white arm warmers riding a bicycle along a paved road, with the background streaked by panning motion.

Figure 2. Cyclist on Cabrillo Bridge.

Two of the Balboa Park museums I wanted to visit that Wednesday were closed for the day. So I decided to get an early lunch instead. I had a tuna melt and fries. It was tasty.

Panning shot of a man in a light blue shirt and dark trousers walking briskly past a planter hedge and a blue bin, with the background smeared by motion blur.

Figure 3. Man briskly walking in Banker's Hill neighborhood.

After lunch I decided that a nap was more tempting than a visit to some other museum that was open that day. So I trekked down to Banker's Hill to catch the bus that brought me to the area (besides Balboa Park and the hospital, it also gets me a little closer to home). Evidence suggests that I just missed the bus; I waited for nearly a half-hour. Good thing I had the camera (see Fig. 3).

That wraps it up for Wednesday.

Thursday was my weekly protest thing, which usually gets me up and out of the house. Here are some random, non-protest related pictures from Thursday:

Motion-blurred photo of a red light rail train passing a platform, with a blurred pedestrian in jeans in the foreground and a green-roofed station canopy overhead.

Figure 4.

Blurred photo taken from a moving vehicle of a cream-colored building with a domed tower, surrounded by green trees under a blue sky with wispy clouds.

Figure 5.

Heavily blurred photo taken with camera movement, showing green trees, a pale concrete pillar under a bridge, dry grass and a grey path, with streaks of colour radiating outward.

Figure 6. "Under the overpass."

Motion-blurred photo of a woman in black sitting on a metal bench at a covered platform, with a blurred blue pickup truck and fence passing behind her.

Figure 7.

Motion-blurred street photo of a man in a white shirt and tan shorts walking away, with a woman at left and a child in a green shirt covering his face beneath stone arches.

Figure 8. "Boy wearing baseball cap on face."

Figure 9.

More to come. ...

collinsmark · Sep 1, 2026

... Continued from a previous post. (We're still on Thursday, btw.)

Low-angle view of a beige stone-clad office building with rows of tall reflective windows, overhead tram wires, a street lamp, a green tree on the left, and a traffic signal with a no-parking sign in the foreground.

Figure 10.

Low-angle view of a cream stone office building with rows of green-framed windows, beside a taller glass tower with a sloped top; a green tree and parked cars sit on the street below.

Figure 11.

Glass office tower facade reflecting neighboring buildings and blue sky with clouds, with a row of parked cars, green trees and a brick building in the foreground.

Figure 12.

Figure 13. My reflection is fairly prominent in this one, front and center, if you look for it.

Downtown view of a tall tan-clad office tower with grid windows on the left, a glass residential high-rise with balconies in the centre, and a brown-roofed brick building with arched windows among green trees in front.

Figure 14.

That wraps it up for Thursday. Now onto Friday.

Friday starts at the hospital again (like before, this was a planned appointment thing, not an emergency). I'll be taking trips to the hospital more than once a week on average for months to come.

Black-and-white photo of a concrete building with a rooftop of pipes and ducts, a flagpole, and a patio umbrella beside a stairway; two cylindrical liquid storage tanks sit behind a fenced enclosure with a 'NO PARKING' sign.

Figure 15. Welcome to your friendly, neighborhood hospital and chemical refinery. Okay, it's not a chemical refinery. I just made that up. But it kinda looks like one though with all the construction going on.

Rooftop with grey insulated pipes and conduits running along metal supports toward a multi-storey concrete building, with a blue sky and a blue construction fence beyond.

Figure 16. We probably shouldn't take for granted all the engineering that goes into building and maintaining a hospital. With all the oxygen ports, nitrogen ports, cryogenic stuff, negative pressure and/or positive pressure rooms and hallways, there's just all sorts of ducts, tubes, pipes and such involved. Oh, look! a poor UPS van seems to have gotten engulfed in the construction chaos hole.

Large white block letters reading SHARP set in a planter bed in front of a glass hospital building under construction, with a red crane and scaffolding behind, and an orange road work ahead sign.

Figure 17. Even the hospital's main entrance is under construction and not accessible. I've been entering and exiting either through a side entrance or from a different building via underground passageways.

That's it for the hospital for the moment. Now off to Little Italy by bus and trolley.

To be continued. ...

collinsmark · Sep 1, 2026

... Continued from a previous post. (We're on last Friday now, on the way to San Diego's Little Italy.)

Motion-blurred photo of a building under construction, with exposed rebar columns and two workers in orange high-visibility vests and white hard hats on a concrete deck.

Figure 18. "Construction zone."

Figs. 12 and 18 might be my two favorite pics of the week.

Motion-blurred photo of a dirt construction site with a yellow grader parked on a sandy embankment, with white and red-roofed buildings and trees behind under a blue sky.

Figure 19.

After getting off the trolley, I first walked down to Waterfront Park, since I was pretty much right there, to see if any pictures availed themselves.

A woman in a blue sleeveless dress holds hands with a smiling toddler in a pink swimsuit as they wade through shallow water beside a fountain jet spray.

Figure 20.

Two tall glass-fronted residential towers with balconies rise above low-rise buildings and palm trees in a city park, under a clear blue sky.

Figure 21. View from Waterfront Park.

Then I walked back toward Little Italy proper.

Tan dog with a black collar and a black rope leash tied to a tree trunk on a city sidewalk, sitting in a grated tree pit beside a parked car.

Figure 21. I met this puppy on the way. Their owner was right inside, looking out.

Street view of a white clapboard bungalow with a green-trimmed door numbered 1802, behind a picket fence painted red, green, white and brown, with a tall orange apartment building and palm trees behind.

Figure 22.

Yellow textured stucco wall with a red door, a black-framed barred window, faux brick patches and a grey patio umbrella at right.

Figure 23. Back side of the "Princess Pub."

Now, being in Little Italy, you might think I I'd have some good Italian food for lunch. But what did I have a craving for? Fish-&-chips for some stupid reason.

And I didn't want to give my business to the Princess Pub (see Fig. 23) due to some bad blood that happened over a decade ago. But it has been over a decade. The person involved probably doesn't even work there anymore. And fish-&-chips. They did have the fish-&-chips. I sunk my head low, and held back my spite, and cowered into the pub with shame. I ordered the fish-&-chips and a glass of tap water.

For what it's worth, to be fair, the fish-&-chips were quite good, and service was very nice this time.

Black and white photo of a stucco apartment facade with recessed windows, two small balconies with planters, and downpipes, with taller mid-rise buildings behind it under a cloudy sky.

Figure 24.

And with that I decided to head home.

A small cream-coloured shaggy dog in a black and pink harness sits on the lap of a person in a teal shirt and blue shorts, who is holding a phone, inside a train carriage.

Figure 25. Met this puppy on the trolley.

berkeman · Sep 1, 2026

collinsmark said:

After getting off the trolley, I first walked down to Waterfront Park, since I was pretty much right there, to see if any pictures availed themselves.

collinsmark said:

Figure 20.

Very nice pic.

Do you ever approach folks when you take such a great picture of them and offer to e-mail it to them for free? I guess it could be awkward unless you had a website or someplace where they could download it instead of giving you their e-mail address, but I think for this picture as a parent I would love to have that in my memories list.

collinsmark · Sep 1, 2026

berkeman said:

Very nice pic.

Do you ever approach folks when you take such a great picture of them and offer to e-mail it to them for free? I guess it could be awkward unless you had a website or someplace where they could download it instead of giving you their e-mail address, but I think for this picture as a parent I would love to have that in my memories list.

Thanks.

Sometimes, yes. On several occasions I've talked with the subjects after the fact and we exchanged contact information and I sent photos via email or MMS text messages. In my camera bag I carry a pen and a small notebook for just such purposes.

Other times, no. I might just take the picture and keep going about my way.

Sometimes I ask beforehand to take some one's street portrait (or maybe a portrait of their puppy), but not always. Much of the time the moment is fleeting and there is no time to ask. Sometimes people get upset, but not everybody, and only sometimes.

In the case of Fig. 20, I just took the picture. I didn't approach her mainly in that case because I didn't want to get my camera wet. And even though we made friendly eye contact, she didn't motion me over to talk. So in that case, no, we never exchanged information.

Half the time though I don't even know if a picture is going to be any good until I get back home and put it on the computer. I'm in the habit of not routinely checking the photo immediately after I take it. I find the process distracting.

DennisN · Sep 2, 2026

berkeman said:

Do you ever approach folks when you take such a great picture of them and offer to e-mail it to them for free?

I've been thinking about asking @collinsmark about taking pictures of people too, that is, if he asks them before.

collinsmark said:

On several occasions I've talked with the subjects after the fact and we exchanged contact information and I sent photos via email or MMS text messages.

In my case I usually don't take portraits of people I don't know, mainly because I feel awkward doing it (except for instance if it is artists on a stage like I posted a while ago). But it has happened. Four times if I remember correctly, and I asked them before I started shooting:

* A juggler in a park who was very good at juggling
* Two skateboarders doing tricks
* A woman smoking
* A football freestyler

But to my surprise I've been asked several times to take pictures of people. It usually happens when they observe me taking photos of something else.

I think it is because they see someone using a system camera, which somehow is a bit unusual today; almost everybody has got a smartphone with camera, and I guess someone using a system camera stands out from the crowd. And it is quite seldom I see others using system cameras, but it has happened.

During the yearly festival which I posted pictures from recently, I was asked three times to take pictures of people.

I was shooting a street panorama, and a group of people suddenly asked me to take photos of them. And just after I've done it, another group asked me. And just after that, another group asked me.

It was pretty fun, and I will send photos later to some of them (we exchanged email addresses).

Point Conception · Sep 5, 2026

With Samsung Galaxy A07 5g. (Colors look true)

Clump of heliconia plants with long broad green leaves and upright flower spikes of red and yellow bracts, with pale yellow tips.

Photo of a wooden-textured sign with large blue-outlined Thai lettering and the English text "Seafood Market" in white on red, with Chinese characters in yellow below, above green shrubs and red-flowered plants.

Screenshot of a phone chat app where an AI assistant identifies a plant as Heliconia psittacorum and lists countries where it is native, including Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and northern and central Brazil.

Point Conception · Sep 5, 2026

@DennisN

Screenshot of a ChatGPT chat on a phone comparing Samsung A56 and A07 display colour tuning, with a grey user message above and a bulleted reply below.

Screenshot of a ChatGPT mobile chat showing text about changing a Samsung A56's screen mode from Vivid to Natural, with a notice that image analysis is unavailable until usage resets.

DaveC426913 · Sep 5, 2026

Point Conception said:

View attachment 374023
View attachment 374024
View attachment 374025

Was there a question anywhere in here? A reason for a ChatGPT regurgitation?

Point Conception · Sep 5, 2026

DaveC426913 said:

Was there a question anywhere in here? A reason for a ChatGPT regurgitation?

Photo of a city square with red flowers and orange dahlias in the foreground, a tall orange-brick building with a Cykelstore sign, and a bright blue sky with clouds.

Phone screenshot of a city square with flower beds of orange and red blooms in the foreground, an orange-brick apartment building and a red-brick building under a blue sky with clouds.

berkeman · Sep 5, 2026

DaveC426913 said:

Was there a question anywhere in here? A reason for a ChatGPT regurgitation?

@Point Conception -- Quoting AI is allowed in the Lounge area of PF as long as you provide attribution. However, as you can see it may not be too popular the way you are using it here now... A word to the wise.

Point Conception · Sep 5, 2026

DennisN said:

A few shots from today, all shot with smartphone...

Flowers in the city (and a note about the colors below*)
View attachment 373867

(*) A note about the colors in the above photo:

I've noticed that photos shot with my smartphone (Samsung Galaxy A56) are quite a long shot from being natural, and I suspect it is the camera software that does some extra boosts to the colors which are over the top in my opinion.

Yes this is more properly attributed: from ChatGPT

Screenshot of text reading: You can make the A56 much more natural-looking by changing: Settings → Display → Screen mode → Natural rather than Vivid.

Andy Resnick · Sep 6, 2026

Airshow in Cleveland this weekend: all shots w/ Nikon Z7 + Nikkor 800/8, 1/2000s, auto ISO, some of these are crops. I used a monopod instead of the usual tripod, for reasons.

Golden Knights:

Photo of a white and orange twin-engine airplane in flight against a clear blue sky, with a parachutist trailing pink smoke descending above its tail.

Several skydivers in a star formation against a clear blue sky, trailing pink-tinged smoke streams from their formation, photographed from below at a distance.

And the Blue Angels- I got a few "action shots" of the pilots in their cockpits and one when the pilot was directly overhead:

Four blue and yellow jet aircraft in close formation flying against a blue sky with clouds, viewed from below.

Underside view of a dark blue U.S. Navy jet aircraft with yellow "U.S. NAVY" lettering on both wings, photographed against a clear blue sky.

[he had fired his afterburners so it was really freaking loud. Like, the-ground-was-actually-shaking loud.]

Close-up of a dark blue Blue Angels jet's nose and canopy against a pale sky, with the gold script 'Blue Angels' and a gold crest on the fuselage, and the pilot visible in the cockpit.

Close crop of a dark blue and gold Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet in flight, with a pilot visible in the cockpit. Gold text on the fuselage reads "Maj Scott Laux" and "Blue Angels".

Close-up of a dark blue jet's canopy with a gold stripe along the fuselage and gold lettering reading "Blue Angels"; two pilots in helmets sit in the tandem cockpit under a clear blue sky.

DennisN · Sep 7, 2026

Point Conception said:

Yes this is more properly attributed: from ChatGPT

Thanks @Point Conception , I will check it out!

DennisN · Sep 7, 2026

A couple of autumn shots taken yesterday:

Close-up of a dark burgundy daylily bloom with thin pale stamens, beside green flower buds on a stem, against a blurred green background.

Green spiky seed pods hanging from a bare branch with brown autumn leaves, against a blurred green background.

Close-up photo of a branch of horse chestnut leaves with palmate leaflets, mostly green with reddish-brown blotches and browning edges, against a blurred dark green background.

Close-up of a yellow dahlia with pink-tipped petals and a yellow centre, beside red tubular flowers and green foliage in soft focus.

Photo of a green maple-like leaf with orange-brown speckled patches, backlit against blurred green foliage, attached to a thin twig.

(all shot with the lovely Meyer-Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8)

BillTre · Sep 10, 2026

Photo of a black Volkswagen Beetle balanced on top of an upside-down white Beetle on a cobblestone street in front of a stone wall and steps.

berkeman · Sep 10, 2026

@BillTre where is that from?

BillTre · Sep 10, 2026

berkeman said:

@BillTre where is that from?

Bluesky post I think, with some comment about German porn being weird.

berkeman · Sep 10, 2026

Okay, whatever.

Just remember that it's best to include attribution so we don't get in trouble for trademark violation. Even in a thread like this one, it's best to always include an attribution link. Thanks.

Janus · Sep 11, 2026

A local garden had a specimen of this rare blooming Bamboo plant, and we took advantage of seeing this "once in a lifetime" event in person.

Photo of a black sign in a garden, titled Black Bamboo, describing black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) that is blooming behind it, a rare event occurring about once every 120 years.

Photo of a tall bamboo clump in a garden, its arching canes thickly covered in dense, drooping pale tan flower spikelets, with dark conifers and green shrubs behind it.

BillTre · Sep 12, 2026

Cartoon coyote in a bathrobe looks tired while closing window blinds, with the caption: Just saw some people my age jogging, and it motivated me to get up and shut the blinds.

collinsmark · Sep 14, 2026

Pics from the archive. These are from last June (2026).

I didn't post them immediately because when I returned from the trip I was busy with a lot of medical stuff.

Aerial photo of a desert canyon system with a narrow, winding gorge cutting through layered red and tan rock plateaus, with distant mesas on the horizon.

Figure 1. Another Grand Canyon pic, taken from the plane, on the way (June 2026).

Empty rows of black leather airport gate seats in the foreground, facing a glass wall with a white jet parked outside at the gate; two silhouetted travelers and an escalator to the jet bridge are visible.

Figure 2. Denver International Airport, June 2026.

Wide view down a bank of escalators in a station, with three escalators side by side descending toward the viewer's end and a blue geometric wall above; a person walks on the upper landing and another stands at the lower right.

Figure 3. Denver International Airport, June 2026.

Self-portrait of a man photographing himself in a restaurant mirror, holding a compact camera to his face, with the reflected dining room, chairs and pink sign behind him.

Figure 4. Self portrait. Denver International Airport, June 2026.

Figure 5. Mourning dove (zenaida macroura). June 2026.

Old weathered wooden farm wagon with a light blue-grey paint, a wooden bed, and curved metal bows, parked on grass under a large leafy tree.

Figure 6. Wagon near the Florence Mill in Omaha.

Male northern cardinal with bright red plumage and black face mask perched on a branch among green leaves, facing right.

Figure 7. Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). June 2026.

To be continued. ...

collinsmark · Sep 14, 2026

... Continued from a previous post.

Rural pasture on a sunny day: a wooden-post wire fence in the foreground, tall green grass, three tall leafy trees and a bare dead tree on the right, and a metal farm gate in the field beyond.

Figure 8.

White water tower with the blue lettering "ENNINGTON" partly visible on its bulbous tank, set above green trees and grass under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Figure 9.

Dark bird in flight, seen head-on with wings spread wide, against a blurred green background of foliage.

Figure 10. I think this is a female, common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula). I think. June 2026.

Close-up of two people standing on a concrete sidewalk: one wears white embroidered cowboy boots under a yellow floral skirt, the other wears jeans and maroon low-top canvas sneakers.

Figure 11. Footwear in Nebraska (color version).

White Craftsman-style house with a dormer and gabled roof, behind a front garden of wildflowers and tall grass, with a wooden fence and mature trees around it.

Figure 12. Vote.

A common grackle with iridescent blue-black head and dark grey-brown body perched on a bare tree branch, leaning forward and looking down, against a blurred green background.

Figure 13. Common grackle, male (Quiscalus quiscula). June 2026.

To be continued. ...

collinsmark · Sep 14, 2026

... Continued from a previous post.

Gray catbird perched on a diagonal branch against a blurred green background, with a dark cap, pale grey body and long dark tail.

Figure 14. Gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis). June 2026. This is the first sighting of a catbird for me.

A grey and white tabby cat with blue eyes sits behind a glass window in a dark frame, looking toward the viewer, with a blurred backyard and swimming pool visible beyond it.

Figure 15. An actual cat (June 2026).

A smiling woman in sunglasses and a dark top reclines on a blue cushioned sofa, holding up a phone that shows a photo of a cat; a man's hairy leg and hand holding a can are in the foreground.

Figure 16. My sister showing an image of a cat (June 2026).

Gray catbird perched side-on on a bare branch, head turned back over its shoulder, set against a blurred green foliage background.

Figure 17. Gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis). June 2026.

Large two-story stone house with a gabled roof and tall windows on a grassy rise, with a metal outbuilding behind it, under a sky of large cumulus clouds, behind a dark wooden post-and-rail fence.

Figure 18.

American robin with dark gray-black head, orange-red breast, and gray wings, perched on a diagonal grey branch against a blurred green background.

Figure 19. American robin (Turdus migratorius). June 2026.

Late-day rural landscape: a green field with rows of cut crop stubble curving across the foreground, a red tractor with a person at the wheel on the left, trees at the edges, and a blue sky with scattered white clouds.

Figure 20. Tractor in Nebraska (color version). June 2026.

There may be more pics from this trip that I'll post later, but this is it for the time being.

berkeman · Sep 14, 2026

collinsmark said:

Figure 2. Denver International Airport, June 2026.

Very nice composition! I like the intertwined geometries and how you can even see the reflection of the white plane in the glossy seat covers.

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