Random Photos

[morrobay]

 

[nsaspook]

 

[epenguin]

Some more animals...

One of my friends is a birdwatcher so I asked him for advice about good places to go to see birds.
He suggested a particular cemetery in the city which has a number of different species. He was correct .

I first visited the cemetery to have a look around without any plans to take photos, but during a short break I got an unexpected close visit, so I grabbed my camera and managed to get some shots with my manual lens:

Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) (1)
View attachment 302936

Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) (2)
View attachment 302937
(lens used: Helios 44M7 58mm)

This made me hopeful, so a couple of days later I returned to the cemetery on a sunny day and with my zoom lens mounted. I had to spend quite some time listening for bird chirping, looking for birds and then "hunting" them with the camera, but it was very, very enjoyable.

Great tit (Parus major)
- these were fairly easy to get close to, and this one got very close to me on one occasion which I was thankful for

View attachment 302938

The following two species were more tricky as they seemed very keen on keeping the distance (and that's why the photo quality is lower; I shot them at max zoom (210mm) and then cropped the photos)

European greenfinch (Chloris chloris)
- I personally don't like the bright background here, but it's animals, and this was the best shot I got of it
View attachment 302939

Common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
View attachment 302940

And during the cemetery visit I spotted another animal lurking among the graves:

Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus)
View attachment 302941
(lens used: Sony 55-210mm OSS zoom)

I will definitely return to the cemetery, and I'm thinking about bringing some food to try to get closer to some of the birds next time .

Your trouble with birds is that most of them are not good sitters, too small, nervous and twitchy. You need the large, patient type who knows how to be still.

 

[morrobay]

Just asked my massage girl,post #624,

for massage. After she says her birthday,41, and wants a glass of wine. What are you going to do.

 

[DennisN]

You need the large, patient type who knows how to be still.

Amazing photo!

 

[DennisN]

I returned to the park to shoot some flowers and bees with my macro lens, and during the shoot I got the idea of actively trying to shoot bees in flight. This was of course very challenging, but also very fun.

I set my camera to the fastest burst mode (continous shooting), which is 11 fps (frames per second)
and let it loose on the bees. The camera sounded like a small machine gun in the small park.

Only a few photos got good of course, and this was the best one:

Caught in flight

(Settings: 11 fps continuous shooting, ISO 800, 1/500s shutter speed, lens: Canon FD 50mm f/3.5 Macro)

 

[Andy Resnick]

Your trouble with birds is that most of them are not good sitters, too small, nervous and twitchy. You need the large, patient type who knows how to be still.

Wow! Is this yours? My 'birder' wife is super-mega-jealous :)

 

[epenguin]

Wow! Is this yours? My 'birder' wife is super-mega-jealous :)

Well yes, I told you the secret.

Since we got onto bird photos, I can't resist posting my luckiest photo ever. This bird (which I think is a seabird but here is on a rivulet some tens of miles inland, as they also tend to get, in Yorkshire) I saw had a fishing technique I had not known of, seems very energy-, not to mention skill-demanding. From sitting on the water it was leaping maybe a foot up into the air, somersaulting and diving beakfirst into the water. I tried to photograph it without much hope or even seeing what I was doing (was into the sun) and only time later when I had the photos on a computer screen did I see I had chanced to capture it capturing its fish!

I did already show it on the PF photo competition where it had no success, but I have been able unable to find it now, so I show another copy; also a cropped enlargement, I don't know which is best.

 

[morrobay]

 

[morrobay]

This ship got hit with every wave going through the ugly storm. Actually it's part of the Jomtien beach sand replacement project.

8<

<

 

[morrobay]

<

 

[Andy Resnick]

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, clearly showing the depleted water level:

At the top right, you can see how they had to move the boat dock.

And Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, about 100 miles away (1:1 crop):

Both images taken with Micro-Nikkor 55mm from an airplane.

 

[collinsmark]

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, clearly showing the depleted water level:

View attachment 303915

At the top right, you can see how they had to move the boat dock.

And Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, about 100 miles away (1:1 crop):

View attachment 303916

Both images taken with Micro-Nikkor 55mm from an airplane.

Yes, the low water level of Lake Mead should probably be getting more news attention than it is. This could be a really serious issue. There's a lot of people who rely on this source of water.

That, and some other disheartening news lately has pushed me to indulge in some of my escapist tendencies and start another playthough of Fallout: New Vegas, of which Lake Mead plays a pretty prominent role.

[Post edited by a Mentor]

 

[pinball1970]

What is that?

 

[collinsmark]

What is that?

Fallout: New Vegas is an old video game. I've played it several times before, but it's worth replaying.

If you were asking about the thing on the right side of the picture, that's Veronica, who happens to be wearing power armor, and just happens to be hanging around Congresswoman Ilhan Omar at the moment. If it helps, here's another picture with maybe a little better perspective.

US House Representative Ilhan Omar next to power armor wearing Veronica, standing near the edge of Lake Mead (Fallout: New Vegas).

 

[morrobay]

They would not be a match for Wonder Woman

<

 

[epenguin]

Yes, the low water level of Lake Mead should probably be getting more news attention than it is. This could be a really serious issue. There's a lot of people who rely on this source of water.

That, and some other disheartening news lately has pushed me to indulge in some of my escapist tendencies and start another playthough of Fallout: New Vegas, of which Lake Mead plays a pretty prominent role.

For this playthough, I'm playing as Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. The playthough is not over yet, but it's looking like she'll side with the NCR in an effort to bring democracy and the rule of law to New Vegas.

View attachment 303945
US House Representative Ilhan Omar at the edge of Lake Mead (Fallout: New Vegas).

Sorry, an inexpert, vague and oldish (~20 y ago) memory, but I remember a talk in which it was said that the preparatory studies for the Hoover dam etc. included the historic data on rainfall in the region in the then past. This expert produced data (I think from tree ring analysis) showing that during the period reached by those researches rainfall had been exceptionally high and a longer term past average was only something like 2/3 as much.
There must be someone here who knows more about this.

 

[Jodo]

View attachment 303771<

That looks like amazing airbrush work!

 

[morrobay]

That looks like amazing airbrush work!

All natural taken with 0PPO A12 phone. As are photos of same Thai lady: posts #654, #624, #600 above. There is a lot of variation in the natural light here. Pattaya/Naklua/Jomtien. And if your referring to her good muscle tone. She is an up country farm girl. *** Just noticed you were referring to bus photo

 

[pinball1970]

Trying to make most of the day. It's Webb day despite attempts to hijack it. Anyway walking around town, seething a bit, hoping I don't get into an argument on PF then I bumped into this. Bearing in mind recent discussions on Abiogenesis and the TOE.

 

[morrobay]

"Hoping I don't get into an argument on PF" Could have fooled me : Creation on a science forum ?

 

[pinball1970]

"Hoping I don't get into an argument on PF" Could have fooled me : Creation on a science forum ?

I thought it was funny as today is such a huge day for Science. Those guys were in my town, never seen them before.
I asked for permission to post it here. Tongue in cheek.
The argument worry was the Webb thing. It's ok now.

 

[BillTre]

I thought it was funny as today is such a huge day for Science. Those guys were in my town, never seen them before.
I asked for permission to post it here. Tongue in cheek.

This where an emoji could be useful:

 

[pinball1970]

This where an emoji could be useful:

Never doing it Bill. The guys were actually very nice.
I asked if I could take an image and post it on a science forum called physics forums.
They said yes and told me they were very pro Science.
I thanked them.

 

[Ibix]

Those guys were in my town, never seen them before.

Really? They used to be all over the place down here (London/Kent), then they disappeared since COVID, and they're starting to appear again now.

 

[pinball1970]

Really? They used to be all over the place down here (London/Kent), then they disappeared since COVID, and they're starting to appear again now.

Yes. Hyde Cheshire. Never seen them before.
One lady used to come to my apartment regularly for talks and tea when I lived in Stockport.
Usually Sunday morning.

 

[Ibix]

Yes.

Maybe we were a trial area or something. Haven't had any come to the door in years so maybe they're trying to get the mountain to come to them, as it were.

 

[pinball1970]

Really? They used to be all over the place down here (London/Kent), then they disappeared since COVID, and they're starting to appear again now.

In Manchester a lot yes. I always prickle at the headline, 'was life created.'
I usually talk to them. Not today though. Nick Lane has published a new book, should be a good reference.

 

[Oldman too]

They said yes and told me they were very pro Science.

I have a lot of thoughts on their statement... I'm PMing you a link that you might find interesting. While I do think it would be "post-able" here, it does run the risk of offending certain religious .org's, so better safe than sorry.

 

[Jodo]

 

[Jodo]

Ny new number one guitar, an Epiphone 1959 LP Standard. Plays and sounds amazing, for $1150 you have a quality guitar. I personally think Gibson is overpriced. They are fantastic instruments for sure, but considering you're paying atleast $3000 Canadian for a standard guitar, Epiphone is a really bang for your buck choice. That being said, I would spend an eons worth of wages to get my hands on a Jimmy Page LP..

Epiphones are indeed very good quality. My first guitar, given to me by my uncle when I was 7, was an epiphone excellent 12 acoustic ( I believe it was a 1970 model ).
People would always reply after I showed them what was in the box " Your uncle give that to you?!? He really loves you! "
I think he paid near $1000 for it back then.

Congrats on your latest axe purchase!

Note - as I near retirement my wrists are getting to sore to play much now. I probably will be Ebaying a few guitars in the next few years ( I collected guitars through the 80's before I got married ).

1967 Gibson SG decent condition - I paid 300 for it in 1978. I could eBay that now for $10K no problem.
1969 Stratocaster
1971 Strat with 1969 neck and wiring/pickups
1977 Gibson LP Custom
1979 Strat highly modified with a Floyd Rose whammy and locking nut
1988 Charvel 475 Custom Deluxe - my fav axe. It is an extension of my left arm.

I have a 1970 Martin D25 that will be creamated with me when I die.

 

[DennisN]

1967 Gibson SG decent condition - I paid 300 for it in 1978. I could eBay that now for $10K no problem.
1969 Stratocaster
1971 Strat with 1969 neck and wiring/pickups
1977 Gibson LP Custom
1979 Strat highly modified with a Floyd Rose whammy and locking nut
1988 Charvel 475 Custom Deluxe - my fav axe. It is an extension of my left arm.

I have a 1970 Martin D25 that will be creamated with me when I die.

Very nice! Do you have any photos of them? It would be fun to see what they look like.

I've got a 1976 Stratocaster (US) and also a Fender Super Reverb amp (1980s, if I remember correctly).

One of my friends who I also played in a band with became a guitar collector (and guitar effects collector too) in the 1990s. It's actually thanks to him I've got my nice Strat and Fender amp.

I've also got an Epiphone Les Paul, by the way. It's lovely.

 

[Mondayman]

I've also got an Epihone Les Paul, by the way. It's lovely.

I bought an Epiphone 59 Les Paul when it came out, it's been my number one since then. I replaced the Burstbucker pickups with a pair of Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates. It sounds great and plays amazing, I really like the fat neck.

 

[Mondayman]

1967 Gibson SG decent condition - I paid 300 for it in 1978. I could eBay that now for $10K no problem.
1969 Stratocaster
1971 Strat with 1969 neck and wiring/pickups
1977 Gibson LP Custom
1979 Strat highly modified with a Floyd Rose whammy and locking nut
1988 Charvel 475 Custom Deluxe - my fav axe. It is an extension of my left arm.

I am sincerely jealous, what a good collection of guitars. That Charvel must be a beauty to play.

 

[pinball1970]

Very nice! Do you have any photos of them? It would be fun to see what they look like.

I've got a 1976 Stratocaster (US) and also a Fender Super Reverb amp (1980s, if I remember correctly).

One of my friends who I also played in a band with became a guitar collector (and guitar effects collector too) in the 1990s. It's actually thanks to him I've got my nice Strat and Fender amp.

I've also got an Epiphone Les Paul, by the way. It's lovely.

Some lovely guitars I these posts.

I bought a Jackson during Covid, I am not a good lead player by any stretch so as long as it stays in tune (relatively) I am happy.

I’m a chord guy.

My friend tried to sell me his flying V, it looks cool as hell but try playing the damn thing sat down, it just keeps sliding off your leg!

 

[morrobay]

Mocha coffee in Jomtien

 

[Mondayman]

My friend tried to sell me his flying V

They are iconic guitars but terrible to play. I personally hate the design myself. There's a reason they aren't the most popular Gibson designs.

I’m a chord guy.

What kind of tunes? Rock, country, everything?

Though they would never be considered the best acoustic players, always loved what Keith Richards and Jimmy Page did acoustically.

 

[pinball1970]

They are iconic guitars but terrible to play. I personally hate the design myself. There's a reason they aren't the most popular Gibson designs. What kind of tunes? Rock, country, everything?

Though they would never be considered the best acoustic players, always loved what Keith Richards and Jimmy Page did acoustically.

Jimi looked cool as hell with his flying V. I think that made me think about it.
It was Hendrix though so he could make anything look cool as hell.

My friend taught me some classical pieces and another friend taught me some Beatles so it went from there.
If there is a nice tune in there I will get the chords and play it. 1960s and 70s are best for pop but I like some Jazz too.
I played guitar in a cover band, Thin Lizzy Don't believe a word, Some Heart, Zombie. Nothing particularly taxing.

I learned piano so I could play my favourite tracks from the Beatles, Elton John, Kate Bush, David Bowie.

I can't do fiddly stuff on either in terms of fast runs. My fingers won't play ball.
Lady Madonna and Martha my dear, is as tricky as I get.

 

[DennisN]

My friend tried to sell me his flying V, it looks cool as hell but try playing the damn thing sat down, it just keeps sliding off your leg!

They are iconic guitars but terrible to play.

I agree. :) They can look as being quite nice to play, but no, I don't fancy the design. I don't think they are comfortable at all.

An added benefit of having a bandmate who became a guitar and effects collector is that I got to try quite a lot of different guitars (and effects), including various vintage Gibsons, Fenders, a Gretsch Country Gentleman and also some lesser known guitar brands.

And I've also tried quite a lot of different amps. Before I got my Fender Super Reverb I had a British Vox AC30 (actually not the guitar amp version, but the bass amp version). I remember I traveled to London just to get an amp on the second hand market there (and also a guitar on Denmark Street) because the prices were better in the UK compared to Sweden.

Funny thing is that nowadays I would have preferred to keep the Vox AC30 instead of switching to Fender Super Reverb. Not that the Fender amp is bad, it certainly is good, but I think I still favor the Vox sound.

Oh by the way, I'd like to mention that my latest guitar purchase was a cheap Harley Benton Cabronita copy (link). It's actually surprisingly good, I'm very pleased with the buy. It's a little bit more of an unusual type. It looks like a Telecaster, but it has a chambered body and Gretsch Filtertron-style pickups which make it sound quite different than all my other guitars.

 

[DennisN]

More experimental photography, this time some magic with the Helios 44 lens (58mm, f/2, M42)...

(I notify @Andy Resnick since you said you were interested in this before. I don't know if you can mount M42 lenses with your gear, though).

I reversed the front element of my Helios 44 lens as suggested by this video, and took it out for a ride. It was incredibly fun to shoot with it, and you can get photos with a very unique and dreamlike character.

It was unlike anything I've ever tried before. I'd say shooting with the lens like this is not primarily about image sharpness (and you will certainly NOT get any accurate reproduction of a scene, except in the absolute center in some cases). Instead it's all about feeling, "dreaminess" and weirdness in the photos.

I first went to a nearby old amusement park to try it out on plants, and when I was shooting it felt a bit like being Alice in Wonderland.

Great masterwort (Astrantia major)
- as can be seen in the photo you can get a very soft focus photo in the center with some crazy "magic" around it. But I like it.

Glowing leaves
- quite dreamlike, I think. There are a lot of purple and orange light artifacts seen here, which I've seen in photos by others using a Helios 44 with a reversed front element. I wonder if those colors come from different coatings in the lens, perhaps?

Granny's bonnet (Aquilegia) (says Google Picture search)
- a quite crazy photo with a lot of artifacts.

A pink flower in the magic garden
- another photo with swirls and artifacts

I later went to another park and shot some roses.

A red rose in the magic garden
- this is my personal favorite from the session.

A leaf with raindrops

And last, two photos which show what you typically get with a lens like this used in street photography:

All in all, it was very fun to shoot with the lens modified like this.

 

[Andy Resnick]

More experimental photography, this time some magic with the Helios 44 lens (58mm, f/2, M42)...

(I notify @Andy Resnick since you said you were interested in this before. I don't know if you can mount M42 lenses with your gear, though).

All in all, it was very fun to shoot with the lens modified like this.

Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[DennisN]

Animal time!
I was on my way home and stumbled over not one, but two unexpected surprises.
In the park I spotted a large bird I had never seen before, and thankfully I had my camera with me.

The very cool-looking (in my opinion) heron:

"Hunchback style":

The sharpest shot I got was this:
(though the bird was a bit in the shade here. I told it to move, but it didn't listen to me!)

And later I got lucky again! I very seldom see butterflies here, but when I was shooting some flowers a beautiful butterfly suddenly came by and landed on one of the flowers in front of me. It was far easier to shoot than bees, as this butterfly stayed on the flower for ca 30 seconds or more.

Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta):

Spreading its wings on the flower:

A little more "3D" here:

Fuelling is done. Ready to takeoff:

And last, a photo which isn't that sharp, but I thought it was cool that the eye of the butterfly can be seen here:

 

[pinball1970]

That does look like a heron. Where is @Astranut when you need him? (He is a twitcher)
The colours in the Butterfly images are stunning @DennisN

 

[DennisN]

The colours in the Butterfly images are stunning @DennisN

Thanks! Well, actually I can't take credit for the colors. The credit goes to Mother Nature and Japanese optical engineering (Canon).

 

[pinball1970]

Thanks! Well, actually I can't take credit for the colors. The credit goes to Mother Nature and Japanese optical engineering (Canon).

The next door neighbor had carp in a pond which attracted a heron. Quite a site, a large and rather majestic bird and not one you get in your garden.
He covered the pond with mesh and I was really disappointed when it stopped visiting.
I googled and all the Heron images have longer necks but your neck of the woods may be different.
The colours and body look heron like. Great pics though. Ornithology was my baby steps towards Science, I still have great affection for birds.

 

[Oldman too]

That does look like a heron.

Yes, that would be a blue Heron, they are very common here in Montuna (misspelling is intentional). While in flight the neck is stretched considerably compared to when resting, (This isn't my image, just a convenient screen shot).

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Yes, that would be a blue Heron, they are very common here in Montuna (misspelling is intentional). While in flight the neck is stretched considerably compared to when resting,

Looks more like a grey heron, common here in the UK.

 

[Oldman too]

Looks more like a grey heron, common here in the UK.

Hello @Jonathan Scott, its good to hear from you again. I hope all is well with you and the family.
I had no idea that these birds also lived in Europe until seeing @DennisN posting the photos, guess I hadn't even thought about it. I'm used to them being referred to as "blue herons", the concept of grey herons was new to me, so checking into it, this is what I discovered. When I pulled up the picture that I posted, I used the phrase, "blue heron in flight image". After reading your reply, I repeated that again but substituted grey in place of blue. These are the results.
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/blue-heron-in-flight?
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/grey-heron-in-flight?
It looks like I've gotten hung up on semantics. Obviously, by the images that come up, we're both talking about the same bird, just different labels. Its easy to see where grey and blue are both quality's involved.
Take care, Scott

 

[DennisN]

(This isn't my image, just a convenient screen shot)

That's a lovely photo, by the way.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Obviously, by the images that come up, we're both talking about the same bird, just different labels.

Not quite; the blue and grey are slightly different. In the UK (and Europe in general) we have the grey heron. In the same general family, we also have little egrets and occasional great egrets, especially in recent years. Here's a crop from a lucky (although distant) photo I took at Radipole Lake, Weymouth, a few years ago, which shows a grey heron, great egret and little egret:

I currently have a Lumix TZ200 (Travel Zoom) compact camera (called ZS200 in the USA) which is very convenient to take everywhere with me, with excellent optical zoom and a reasonable electronic viewfinder. The above picture was taken with an earlier Lumix TZ8, which was mostly good but had an autofocus mechanism that often seemed to deliberately avoid the intended subject, especially at close range, even when macro was enabled. I take photos of birds, butterflies and any other form of wildlife for later identification, and flowers mostly because I like the pretty colours!