Random Photos

[pinball1970]

A Sunday walk into Hyde, i have been eyeing this church up for a while but should have focused on the bridge.

The sun was always too bright for this shot, 5pm in October is just about right.

 

[AlexB23]

A Sunday walk into Hyde, i have been eyeing this church up for a while but should have focused on the bridge.

View attachment 352243

The sun was always too bright for this shot, 5pm in October is just about right.
View attachment 352244

Both the church and bridge are beautiful. I guess we can say that architecture bridges the gap between science, engineering and art. ;)

 

[DaveC426913]

We've all seen sunbeams but how often do you see a shadowbeam?
Out sailing yesterday heading East with the sun low in the West. Passed under this contrail and caught this beam of shadow.

 

[AlexB23]

We've all seen sunbeams but how often do you see a shadowbeam?
Out sailing yesterday heading East with the sun low in the West. Passed under this contrail and caught this beam of shadow.
View attachment 352261

I have only seen this phenomenon a few times in my life. This blows me away. :) Beautiful contrails and shadows here.

 

[berkeman]

What is wrong with this picture? Yikes.

 

[AlexB23]

What is wrong with this picture? Yikes.

View attachment 352304

Looks like a fire hazard if you ask me, and looks AI generated.

 

[jtbell]

What is wrong with this picture? Yikes.

View attachment 352304

The ceiling beams look oddly placed, to my eyes.

 

[morrobay]

I sure like the railroad ties table

 

[DaveC426913]

The ceiling beams look oddly placed, to my eyes.

I put that down to a wide angle shot which tends to distort 90 degree angles.

 

[jtbell]

Another stop on my road trip in August: the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal at Williamsport, Maryland. It operated from 1831 to 1924, and is now a national historical park that parallels the Potomac River from Washington DC to Cumberland, Maryland.

The steel bridge in front of the highway bridge is a former railroad lift-bridge. It's permanently fixed in its raised position, and serves as a pedestrian bridge.

An aqueduct carries the canal across Conococheague Creek which flows into the Potomac River a short distance downstream to the left.

(skip to the next post in this series)

 

[AlexB23]

Another stop on my road trip in August: the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal at Williamsport, Maryland. It operated from 1831 to 1924, and is now a national historical park that parallels the Potomac River from Washington DC to Cumberland, Maryland.

View attachment 352313

The steel bridge in front of the highway bridge is a former railroad lift-bridge. It's permanently fixed in its raised position, and serves as a pedestrian bridge.

View attachment 352312

An aqueduct carries the canal across Conococheague Creek which flows into the Potomac River a short distance downstream to the left.

View attachment 352311
View attachment 352310

Nice landmarks, brother. I wish the Midwest had more stuff like this.

 

[jtbell]

I wish the Midwest had more stuff like this.

There's the Ohio and Erie Canal, not the whole thing unfortunately.

 

[AlexB23]

There's the Ohio and Erie Canal, not the whole thing unfortunately.

Wisconsin sadly has none of these landmarks.

 

[jtbell]

On the way back to my car in Williamsport, I passed a hill with some cannons on top.

"Hmmm... Civil War, I bet." Yep!

You can see part of the highway bridge over the Potomac, which also passes over the canal in my previous post.

(skip ahead to the next post in this series)

 

[jtbell]

During the storm nearly three weeks ago, one of our neighbors had a tree come down behind their house. It ended up resting against the roof and the back wall. It wasn't noticeable from the street, except for the upturned roots which were visible behind the right side of the house.

A tree-removal crew finally arrived a couple of days ago, with the following result.

A large part of the roof and back wall on the left side collapsed. I haven't been back there to see the gory details. The occupants are now staying somewhere else.

 

[Borek]

I had to fully open to 2.8, so plenty of distortion on the edges, and slightly out of focus (setting focus in the dark is challenging), other than that reasonably good.

 

[jtbell]

We've been invaded by the Canadian Air Force!

 

[DaveC426913]

(setting focus in the dark is challenging)

?
Set focus to infinity.

Nice pic tho.

 

[Ibix]

Fog in the river valley, so the far side sits above the clouds. There's an industrial estate there, though, not a city with gorgeous blondes who admire Spock for his intellect.

Terrible photo, sorry. It was taken on my phone at maximum zoom over the heads of some workmen who were looking at me a bit suspiciously instead of wondering if I might be photographing something behind them.

 

[Swamp Thing]

It's all a matter of perspective...

 

[jack action]

We've been invaded by the Canadian Air Force!

View attachment 352413

Our breeding ground is 2 blocks away from my house:

Not my picture but this is an old railway that has been converted to a cycle path that follows the edge of a lake (yellow line south of the lake in the image below). More cycle paths have been added around and across the lake and some geese stay there all summer to raise their young and then fly away in autumn. On any day, you are always stuck maneuvering around these birds at one place or another when biking there.

 

[jtbell]

And you have to clean your tires regularly, right?

 

[gmax137]

You guys do know they're "Canada Geese," not "Canadian," right?

I was sure I read that they were named after/by an ornithologist John Canada. But today I can't seem to find that again. More googling...

https://www.answers.com/birds/How_did_Canada_geese_get_their_name

There is an urban legend that a man named John Canada was the taxidermist who first identified and classified the Canada Goose from the North. He decided to name the bird after himself, hence the name Canada Goose.
To begin with, a "taxidermist" mounts the skins of animals. If the man was a biologist who classified new animal species, he would be a "taxonomist".
However, no record of a John Canada exists in either profession.
The first recorded use of the name, 'Canada goose' appeared in 1772 in Carl Linnaeus' 8th-century work, Systema Naturae.
James Audubon called it the Canada goose in 1836.

I like the taxidermist vs taxonomist angle!

 

[nsaspook]

 

[berkeman]

Must be low frequency, with all those 'scope probe ground clips dangling...

 

[jack action]

And you have to clean your tires regularly, right?

You can usually weave through it! It is really big too: it looks like somebody didn't pick up after their dog.

On the northeast side of the lake, there is a public park. The fresh-cut grass is perfect for them to feed themselves. It becomes a minefield. They put barriers all along the lake banks to prevent them from coming from the lake. As shown below, it only works partially. (Who knew that a 40-cm-high barrier couldn't stop flying birds?) I know they also used trained buzzards in the past.

 

[nsaspook]

Must be low frequency, with all those 'scope probe ground clips dangling...

The motor drive and control signals have difference reference points that should not be connected (some times accidentally with ground clips). The TEK scope is isolated from utility common/ground.

 

[pinball1970]

Just one image that I initially eliminated because it was too ugly. Now I think it is one of the best images, not because of my skills (limited) but just because it's there and part of our history.

I have messed with the functions on my tablet, brightness, contrast, white and black level to try and reduce the sky bleach.
Lifted saturation and 'tint' to lift the ref brick and green bushes BUT biggest adjustment? "Pop" and "sharpness."
Makes a mediocre shot look a lot better.

 

[jtbell]

Still more from my August road trip. In Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania, I visited the narrow-gauge East Broad Top Railroad. It ended commercial freight hauling in 1956, then continued as a tourist/heritage line, famous for its steam locomotives.

Unfortunately their currently-operating steam loco was in the shop for repairs, so I had to settle for diesel.

Nice views of the Pennsylvania countryside.

Here's one of their steam locos during my previous visit in 2006.

 

[jtbell]

Across the street from the East Broad Top station, and next door to the EBT shops, is the Rockhill Trolley Museum. Its collection of streetcars is mainly focused on Pennsylvania. It runs some of them on the right-of-way of a former EBT branch line, using standard gauge track instead of narrow gauge. Some track is dual-gauge to accommodate both operations.

On the day of my visit, they were alternating between a car from York PA (1924-1939):

and a car that was built for Bangor, Maine in 1922, then ran in Johnstown PA 1941-1960.

I also visited the shop where they are slowly restoring a car built in 1909 that ran on the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin until 1957. It was the leading car on the last train operated by the CA&E.

This actually has a physics connection! Most of the CA&E's right-of-way is now used by a bike/hike trail, the Illinois Prairie Path. The branch to Batavia runs next to the southwest side of what is now Fermilab. When I spent a couple of weeks with an experiment there in the early 1990s, I spent much of my down-time bicycling along that trail.

(skip to the next post in this series)

 

[DennisN]

(setting focus in the dark is challenging), other than that reasonably good.

Yes, it sure is.
One thing that can be helpful is using a Bahtinov mask.
And I've built a DIY simple version of a star focusing mask which works pretty well.
(posted on PF here)

Edit:

Maybe it's not as helpful for wide angle shots, I'm not sure at the moment.
I don't remember which focal lengths I've tried it on.
But one additional trick is to find a reasonably bright star in the sky and then "digitally zoom/magnify" the image in the viewfinder/on the screen if the camera supports it, and use a focusing mask on that star.

 

[Borek]

But one additional trick is to find a reasonably bright star in the sky and then "digitally zoom/magnify" the image in the viewfinder/on the screen if the camera supports it, and use a focusing mask on that star.

There was a full Moon on the other side of the sky, it helped with the focus (but interfered with the comet).

 

[BillTre]

 

[pinball1970]

Wow.

 

[pinball1970]

While we still have autumn leaves.

Hyde.

Oldham

 

[pinball1970]

Daisy Nook Oldham

 

[phinds]

Every few years I take a short road trip around the back roads in my area to look at the fall leaves. Some years they are spectacular, others not so much. This year, not so much. For example:

I read that this is because we had a dry fall and that affects the vibrancy of the leaves.

I did see a couple of trees that were quite pretty but they were always at a spot where the road was narrow/curvy and had little to no shoulder (the road in the pic above is a highway by comparison) so no pics.

Around town, on the other hand, there were a plethora of bright red trees and bushes:

and a few of varying colors

 

[DennisN]

Autumn sun (shot today):

(Gear: Sony A7R + Canon nFD 50mm f/1.4 + CPL filter)

 

[jtbell]

This maple is always the fall vanguard in our neighborhood.

 

[pinball1970]

From August.

 

[collinsmark]

Mittens update.

Mr. Mittens, my neighbor's cat, continues to pop over to visit occasionally.

Here he is looking out the window. I think he spies a bird or neighbor.

I was playing with negative space here. This image violates a couple of rules of photographic composition to the benefit of other rules. I think it still works.

Mr. Mittens making himself comfortable.

 

[collinsmark]

One day, after saying hello to Mr. Mittens, I thought I saw him go upstairs. But later, after going up to check on him, I didn't find him in his usual spot.

It turns out he had found a new spot in the secret engineering laboratory* (pronounced: la-BOAR-a-tor-ee) taking a late-morning catnap.

*(It's not actually secret. And besides an old oscilloscope and multimeter, it's not even much of a laboratory. I just call it that.)

"For what reason have you disturbed my slumber."

He looks a bit pensive here after stirring from his catnap. It turned out he just wanted me to pet him before returning to his sleep. I had already given him my "hello" affection, and I don't want to overdue it (tempting as it may be). He's not my cat after all, and I don't want him to become overly accustomed away from his real home.

But I did scratch him on his head a little and reassure him that he's a very good kitty.

 

[jtbell]

As I was driving towards downtown late Tuesday afternoon:


View attachment 350577

Most of downtown was blocked off, so I could only circle it and view the pillar of smoke from various directions. I could see that it was on the main shopping street.

When I got home, the TV stations in nearby cities were reporting that a restaurant had caught fire, and it was spreading to adjacent buildings.

Early the next morning (yesterday) I walked downtown for a closer look. Fire crews were still cleaning up. One building was completely destroyed, a restaurant where I've regularly eaten. Three adjacent buildings were severely damaged. Apparently the fire spread through the basements because of a lack of firewalls. Fortunately there were no casualties except for minor injuries among some firefighters.

View attachment 350578

The restaurant downtown that burned down nearly two months ago will re-open early next year, three doors from its former location, in the building at the right in the picture below.

The college bought this building more than 20 years ago, and moved its bookstore there to encourage students to visit downtown more. The 2008-09 recession caused the college to close the store completely, and switch to an online textbook store. Around 2020 IIRC the college opened a cafe and pub there. It suffered only smoke damage in the fire, but has not re-opened. Last week the college sold the building to the restaurant's owners. A TV report showed the college's president handing over the keys.

It's a win-win transaction. The restaurant gets a new home. The college has been in financial difficulties, and has been selling properties that aren't central to its academic mission, in order to raise cash.

 

[jtbell]

 

[jtbell]

I wonder if anyone has set up "synchronized sprinklers": all shooting in the same direction and oscillating at the same rate?

 

[berkeman]

I wonder if anyone has set up "synchronized sprinklers": all shooting in the same direction and oscillating at the same rate?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountains_of_Bellagio

 

[jtbell]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountains_of_Bellagio

Ah, Vegas of course!

 

[Borg]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountains_of_Bellagio

LOL This was my immediate thought.

 

[collinsmark]

I took a rangefinder camera to San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter last Saturday evening for some street photography.

Street photography is the art of documenting society at a particular place and time. While there is overlap with other forms of photography, such as architecture, photojournalism, and portraiture, the emphasis is different. The emphasis in street is on societal and cultural aspects. Rather than a photo focusing on a building's structure, a newsworthy event, or a particular person, street photography emphasizes how the building gets used (or doesn't), the culture at that time and place, or individualism. (But yeah, there is some overlap.)

While I'm not a huge fan of San Diego's architecture in general, there are exceptions.

I like the brick sidewalks in the Gaslamp.

Couple considering their options for the evening. Oh, by the way, this is the Saturday before Halloween, just so ya know.

Right outside Tivoli's bar. I used to live about a block away from here before moving to a different neighborhood in San Diego.

Puppies!

I like the indirection.

Continued in part II. ...

 

[collinsmark]

... Part II

The 35 mm Summilux-M produces some nice sunstars (a.k.a. diffraction spikes) off of it's iris/aperture blades.

Some days just call for salt and whiskey.

The Field (Irish pub). She was changing a bulb in the decorative string light. I was letting my feet rest with a Guinness.

Zoltar. My manual focus rangefinder felt right at home here.

Outside The Tipsy Crow.

Puppy!

Continued in Part III ...