Random Photos

[Point Conception]

 

[Point Conception]

Pharmacist

 

[DennisN]

I remember I once took a photo of an ice cube for one of the PF photo contests, and while doing that I discovered that with right lighting it can actually be quite fun and creative to photograph ice cubes.

I've also been thinking about trying to do some creative things with water drops and soap bubbles, and the effects I'm going for are the reflections and light diffraction.

Some close-ups of ice cubes taken today with an extension tube between the camera and lens:

Three ice cubes:

One ice cube:
(I really don't know what the yellow strokes in this photo are, I don't remember seeing them in/on the cube itself. Maybe it's some kind of weird light effect or something. )

Another ice cube with a little rainbow present:

Disclaimer: No entropy was lost during the experiments.

 

[StevieTNZ]

Random photo, a rather sexy picture of Donald J Trump:

 

[berkeman]

Random photo, a rather sexy picture of Donald J Trump:
View attachment 292080

That was the time he raised up through the sunroof of the presidential Suburban vehicle while they were doing 65 mph down the turnpike. His Secret Service bodyguards were not amused, I've heard.

 

[DennisN]

Another autumn photo taken this morning:
(using my quite affordable Meike 35mm f/1.4 lens, which I really like. It's very fast (gathers a lot of light), which is great for low light photography)

 

[dlgoff]

I thought about putting this photo in my Beauty of old electrical and measuring things, etc. thread as it's beautiful to me, but since it isn't electrical and doesn't measure anything I'll put it here. My father was in the US Marine Corps stationed in the Philippines during WW2. This was his uniform:

View attachment 273934

Since yesterday was the Historical birthday for the US Marine Corps, I thought I'd post these photos of my dads Marine Corps bayonet:

 

[berkeman]

Respect! (from a fellow military brat)

 

[dlgoff]

Respect! (from a fellow military brat)

Semper Fidelis

 

[BillTre]

Here are some pictures of a romanesco (a human derived, cultivated plant related to broccoli and coliflower) that I recently bought.
I find them interesting because of their fractal-like shapes, (self-similar at several size scales). In real life (as opposed to math-world), fractals have their limits due to the minimal size of their components (cells making patterns in a developmental field in this case). I read somewhere that romanescos can have 7 levels (or whatever its called) of fractal structure. This one has 5 that I could see.

The biology of how this happens has been worked out:
NY Times article
Science article
both paywalled.
Basically the meristem (growing part) keeps growing. A flower bud initiates a whorl. The flowering of each potential bud is blocked by mutations, but remain in the pre-flowering patterning state. Each bud in a whorl than can initiate a new whorl of buds, while can repeat the pattern until biological limitations of the plant stop the process.

Here a side view (partly dissected):

These are all from one plant stem.
The main stem (holding it all together) would be the first (largest or highest) level.
Each of the big branches in the picture would be the second level (also arranged in whorls), underlying the largest cones.
The smaller cones on these large cones are the third level.
Each of those cones have whorls (fourth level) .
A few of these have grown large enough to have their own whorls of little cones (fifth level).

This to me is one of those cases of the more you know about something, the more deeply you can appreciate it.

 

[rsk]

I love those romanesco things, I remember the first time I saw one, they are breathtakingly beautiful.
Broccoli isn't high on my list of favourite things to eat but I buy those when I see them just because they're so amazing to look at.

Then eat them smothered in cheese sauce, of course.

 

[jtbell]

Here's another fall colors picture, from Main Street in downtown Greenville SC yesterday:

Several weeks ago I showed you this street while it was still green.

 

[dlgoff]

Here's another fall colors picture, from Main Street in downtown Greenville SC yesterday:

View attachment 292335

Several weeks ago I showed you this street while it was still green.

What a beautiful state you live in JT.

 

[BadgerBadger92]

Click on it for it not to be so blurry.

 

[berkeman]

Click on it for it not to be so blurry.

The use of BW effects is clearly artistic, but can you say what kind of themes you look for in your photography?

 

[BadgerBadger92]

The use of BW effects is clearly artistic, but can you say what kind of themes you look for in your photography?

I look for whatever gives me a certain emotion or thought. The point of this picture is that it feels like the trains are sucking you into the baggage, and gives you a feeling of being moved.

 

[BadgerBadger92]

The use of BW effects is clearly artistic, but can you say what kind of themes you look for in your photography?

Here is another. The point of the first one is feelings of fear and sadness. Once again, click on it. The point of the second one here is that it’s supposed to make you feel the pain of the ghetto.

 

[berkeman]

The point of the first one is feelings of fear and sadness.

Why do you say that? The ghost/corpse-like thing under the white sheet does evoke a bit of fear and alarm in me, but to be honest, I don't understand the photograph very well. What is the context? A medical classroom maybe?

 

[BadgerBadger92]

Why do you say that? The ghost/corpse-like thing under the white sheet does evoke a bit of fear and alarm in me, but to be honest, I don't understand the photograph very well. What is the context? A medical classroom maybe?

It’s just a classroom. The context is to make you feel something.

 

[berkeman]

What's the dead body under the sheet?

 

[BadgerBadger92]

What's the dead body under the sheet?

It’s just a mannequin. You don’t have to like it.

 

[berkeman]

Why is there a mannequin in a random classroom? Art has to have an underlying reason, IMO.

One of my best artistic pics was of a 4 year old little girl face to face with a half size skeleton at a medical supply store. Classic.

 

[BadgerBadger92]

Why is there a mannequin in a random classroom? Art has to have an underlying reason, IMO.

One of my best artistic pics was of a 4 year old little girl face to face with a half size skeleton at a medical supply store. Classic.

The reason is to provoke emotion. Look up art on Wikipedia. It’s supposed to provoke emotion and thoughts. Take these shots for example. They don’t have much of an underlying reason except to provoke feeling. You may know this one by Dali. The feelings in this one is comedy. The second one is discomfort because of them sitting in such a high place.

 

[BadgerBadger92]

Why is there a mannequin in a random classroom? Art has to have an underlying reason, IMO.

One of my best artistic pics was of a 4 year old little girl face to face with a half size skeleton at a medical supply store. Classic.

Here is a nice article to help clear things up.

“Art is a highly diverse range of human activities engaged in creating visual, auditory, or performed artifacts— artworks—that express the author’s imaginative or technical skill, and are intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power”

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/what-is-art/

 

[dlgoff]

Art has to have an underlying reason, IMO.

+1

 

[BadgerBadger92]

The reason is to provoke emotion. Look up art on Wikipedia. It’s supposed to provoke emotion and thoughts. Take these shots for example. They don’t have much of an underlying reason except to provoke feeling. You may know this one by Dali. The feelings in this one is comedy. The second one is discomfort because of them sitting in such a high place.

A good example also is the work of Ansel Adams. He didn’t have a theme except to strike feelings in the viewer and he is considered one of the greatest photographers who ever lived. Then you also have Robert Frank (who happens to be my favorite) who has some photographs with underlying themes like this first one or ones without like the second one. Art is mainly about how it strikes the viewer. You can have a theme with it, but it’s not totally necessary.

 

[BadgerBadger92]

Also, take the “Mona Lisa” by DaVinci for example. There is no underlying theme except to create feelings of calmness and discomfort at the same time. (Which I find incredible)

(Not to mention just about all of the photographs here have no theme. There are still some great work though.)

Also you need to consider Picasso, Pollock, Van Gough and numerous other painters and photographers. Most of their works have no theme.

Here is a great film about Pollocks life if you’re interested!

 

[Point Conception]

I just put this 1.74 meter by 2.36 meter wall piece up. As soon as I saw it hanging in the distance at this large Tuesday and Friday under the tent market in Pattaya, Thailand - good emotion. 300 baht ,about $9.

 

[dlgoff]

Since my daughter is into aircraft, I show here some images of the Witchita, Kansas Boeing plant that I visited when I was about 11 or 12 years old (it was sold years ago, I understand):

The image quality isn't that good however.

Here's the first image after a little enhancement:

 

[DennisN]

The Moon behind trees (taken earlier in April this year).
I had completely forgot I've tried this, and discovered it when I went through my non-processed photos.