Random Photos

DennisN · Nov 7, 2022

I've just finished servicing one of my lenses, and I'm glad I have a gorgeous subject nearby to test it on:

Close-up photo of a fluffy orange and white cat lying on a floral patterned cloth, looking directly at the camera with half-closed eyes.

"Beware of what you write on internet.
She sees you. She monitors you.
She can come and "kill you with kindness."" :)

DennisN · Nov 9, 2022

Lighthouse time...

Lighthouse no 1:

Night photo of a tall lighthouse with white and red horizontal bands and a glowing lantern room at the top, lit against a dark sky with street lights and buildings nearby.

The same lighthouse from another angle, with surroundings:

Night view of a red-and-white striped lighthouse beside a harbour, with city buildings lit behind it and their lights reflected in the water.

Lighthouse no 2 (taken from quite a distance, ca 500m):

Small white lighthouse with a lit lantern room on a stone pier at night, reflected in dark water with a warm glow across the surface.

Lenses used: Canon nFD 50mm f/1.4 (photos 1 & 2) and Sony 55-210mm (photo 3).

Point Conception · Nov 9, 2022

Beautiful clear lighthouse photos @DennisN I take it that first two photo are a lighthouse that is for looks ? Because it does not look like an area , like a point, where a lighthouse would be required.

Photo of a faded Honorable Discharge certificate from the Armed Forces of the United States of America, United States Coast Guard, on a patterned rug. Name and date fields are blacked out.

Ibix · Nov 10, 2022

On the lighthouse theme, here's the oldest one still in existence:

Low-angle view of the Tower of Hercules, a tall stone lighthouse with square windows, backlit by the sun against a clear blue sky, on a granite base.

Point Conception · Nov 11, 2022

Lighthouse, South end/point Pattaya bay. Looking North and South West

Tan concrete lighthouse with white chevron bands and a glazed lantern room on a paved waterfront promenade, with a city skyline and hazy sea behind it.

Tan rendered lighthouse with two white chevron stripes and a glazed lantern room on top, standing by the sea on a stone-edged paved promenade with metal railings.

DennisN · Nov 11, 2022

morrobay said:

I take it that first two photo are a lighthouse that is for looks ?

It's an old lighthouse built in 1822 (a historical landmark here). The second one is too, it was built in 1878. The city has expanded quite a bit to the north, so back then I think they were both located at the northernmost part of the harbor.

pinball1970 · Nov 11, 2022

DennisN said:

A red leaf:

View attachment 316775
(Lens: Helios 44M7, this time on a full frame camera (Sony A7R))

You captured that velvet effect again. Very nice.

DennisN · Nov 12, 2022

Ibix said:

On the lighthouse theme, here's the oldest one still in existence:

morrobay said:

Lighthouse, South end/point Pattaya bay.

There is something particularly compelling about lighthouses, I think. They're cool, very useful, often beautiful, and there's also something quite poetic about them as they are guides to distant travellers.

pinball1970 said:

You captured that velvet effect again. Very nice.

Thanks! I have to give some credit to Mother Nature. When I was shooting I took a closer look on these leaves, and they were visibly darker along the veins, which I suppose adds to the "3D effect".

DennisN · Nov 13, 2022

I played poker with my dad yesterday. The poor guy lost a lot in this round.

A nice straight:

Five playing cards fanned on a metal tray: ace of diamonds, king of spades, queen of spades, jack of diamonds, and ten, ten, ten of hearts, with red and yellow poker chips behind.

DennisN · Nov 13, 2022

Spider web no 1:

Photo of a spider web glistening with droplets, backlit by a lamp in the upper left against a dark background, with a bright vertical edge on the right.

Spider web no 2 & 3:
(Two competing spiders I wonder? Or maybe one overachieving spider? :) )

Large orb spider web strung in a dark space, lit from above by a ceiling lamp so the silk strands glow against the black background.

Point Conception · Nov 13, 2022

Cattails from a swamp in back beach area

Tall cattail stalks with brown seed heads arranged in a yellow ceramic vase with a wavy pattern, standing on a tiled floor by a window.

Several tall cattail plants with brown velvety seed heads on slender green stalks, set against a plain grey wall beside a patterned curtain.

DennisN · Nov 15, 2022

Me: "I'm going to open up a lens and do some servicing."
My cat: "I don't care."

Fluffy orange and white cat lying on a beige cloth beside a white desk lamp, with a black coiled cable and two round camera lens parts on the cloth.

Me: "I'm going to play with my cameras a bit."
My cat: "I don't care."

Fluffy orange and white cat lying on a white sheet of paper on a wooden table, beside a black mirrorless camera with a strap, a black camera cage rig, a tripod and another camera.

BillTre · Nov 16, 2022

Lucky shot:

Lightning bolt striking a tree in a field, with glowing orange light running down the trunk and branches under a grey, overcast sky.

Point Conception · Nov 18, 2022

Amazing photo ^ BilTre

Sunset over a city skyline in silhouette, with the sun glowing low behind dark clouds and tall buildings and trees in dark outline below.

BillTre · Nov 18, 2022

morrobay said:

Amazing photo ^ BilTre

From the internet.

DennisN · Nov 18, 2022

Three windows on a church:

Three tall, narrow stained-glass windows set in a dark wall, each with a pattern of interlocking yellow and green circles outlined in black leading and dotted with small red and blue roundels.

DennisN · Nov 18, 2022

A yellow rose (taken earlier this summer during a fine day):

Open yellow-peach rose in full bloom against a dark background, with green leaves and two closed buds around it.

Point Conception · Nov 20, 2022

Yellow bell-shaped flowers and heart-shaped green leaves on a branch overhanging a sandy beach, with waves breaking on the shore and a cloudy sky.

DennisN · Nov 24, 2022

It's grey and cold outside, so I've been inside playing a bit with macrophotography.

A small spring:
(focus stacked)

Macro photograph of a small metal compression spring with polished, reflective coils standing vertically against a black background.

Foam and soap bubbles:

Lens used: Canon nFD Macro 50mm f/3.5.

Note: I think I can do a bit better than this. There were a lot of reflections in both subjects, so I'm going to try with a CPL filter next time too see if it helps with clarity/sharpness. Regarding soap bubbles, I had completely forgotten how short-lived they can be

. I had to act really quickly when I shot them!

Point Conception · Nov 26, 2022

Jomtien beach. This time of year many Russians and Scandinavians spend several months here.

Calm sea under a partly cloudy blue sky, with a low forested hill range on the horizon and small waves washing onto a sandy beach in the foreground.

Gold and red ornate gabled temple facade with a seated golden Buddha statue in the centre, partly crossed by overhead power lines.

Point Conception · Nov 26, 2022

Low-angle photo of a tall residential high-rise tower with many balconies, rising above a lower podium building and palm trees under a blue sky with clouds.

Point Conception · Nov 28, 2022

Balmy Jomtien beach before the rain.

Sandy beach at Jomtien with gentle surf, several jet skis and small boats on calm sea, beach umbrellas and vendor stalls along the shore under a partly cloudy sky.

Sandy beach lined with coconut palms, with people walking and swimming in shallow surf, and a row of high-rise hotel buildings along the shore under a grey sky.

Sandy beach lined with palm trees, sunbathers on white lounge chairs under purple parasols, a yellow and green inflatable banana boat on calm sea, and high-rise buildings on the distant shore.

gmax137 · Nov 28, 2022

morrobay said:

Balmy Jomtien beach before the rain.

I'm surprised to see the palms so close to the waterline. Are the tides there very mild?

Point Conception · Nov 28, 2022

Physically the palms are stable close to the waterline since their roots can extent 50-100 feet from base. Also some palms have adapted to salty water by converting salt water to fresh water by reverse osmosis.

Two diagrams of reverse osmosis: left shows applied pressure forcing salt water through a semi-permeable membrane, leaving fresh water on the other side; right shows osmosis in a U-tube with a semi-permeable membrane.

epenguin · Nov 29, 2022

Ah, I see we have church windows as a subject, I have a few of those, I expect many of us do. No great photos but here is one with an interesting story. Or, well maybe an interesting non-story. :redface:

Stained glass window in a cathedral showing a helmet and mantling above a shield of many coats of arms, with a tall red-and-white chevron-patterned shield near the top right.

This is in the Cathedral at Ripon, Yorkshire. If you've never heard of it it's because cathedrals were built in important towns - but these may not be very important any more now. Anyway, the guide showing us round commented on the fourth pane at the bottom right. The whole looks as if it has to do with some very well-connected family, and she said the pane had to do with the Washington family. Do you notice, do you think, could it be, some people say.... she ventured.

So if I was going to post it here I thought today I had better look it up and see if I found anything about it. I found nothing about this particular one, but a certain amount about other Washington coat of arms found around about a bit all over England. Today I learned that that family had been important and powerful feudal lords. Always came out on top eh? Aristocratic bastards! Still, you can't win every time every century, and it turns out that the Washingtons were in America due to having been seriously pauperised for supporting the King! The wrong one that is.

However "despite some visual similarity there is no evidence whatsoever" to support the connection which has been many times claimed. Furthermore my guide's misinformation may itself be further garbled. GW did take a great interest in these family badges of nobility. he had them all over the place in his home at Mount Vernon, even getting them confirmed by the College of Arms in London, and displaying them on the on the livery uniforms of his servants "as this was a common practice prior to the American revolution among wealthy plantation owners". However the Washington colours are not those of the American flag, but red stars on a white field, i.e. just as in the middle of the second column on the left.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_the_Washington_family

It survives currently in the flag of Washington, DC (and also on the US Purple Heart Medal). I suppose therefore some of you knew that - I didn't till today.

Altogether this was the biggest nonstory to come my way for a certain amount of time.

pinball1970 · Nov 29, 2022

epenguin said:

Ah, I see we have church windows as a subject, I have a few of those, I expect many of us do. No great photos but here is one with an interesting story. Or, well maybe an interesting non-story.

View attachment 317890

This is in the Cathedral at Ripon, Yorkshire. If you've never heard of it it's because cathedrals were built in important towns - but these may not be very important any more now. Anyway, the guide showing us round commented on the fourth pane at the bottom right. The whole looks as if it has to do with some very well-connected family, and she said the pane had to do with the Washington family. Do you notice, do you think, could it be, some people say.... she ventured.

So if I was going to post it here I thought today I had better look it up and see if I found anything about it. I found nothing about this particular one, but a certain amount about other Washington coat of arms found around about a bit all over England. Today I learned that that family had been important and powerful feudal lords. Always came out on top eh? Aristocratic bastards! Still, you can't win every time every century, and it turns out that the Washingtons were in America due to having been seriously pauperised for supporting the King! The wrong one that is.

However "despite some visual similarity there is no evidence whatsoever" to support the connection which has been many times claimed. Furthermore my guide's misinformation may itself be further garbled. GW did take a great interest in these family badges of nobility. he had them all over the place in his home at Mount Vernon, even getting them confirmed by the College of Arms in London, and displaying them on the on the livery uniforms of his servants "as this was a common practice prior to the American revolution among wealthy plantation owners". However the Washington colours are not those of the American flag, but red stars on a white field, i.e. just as in the middle of the second column on the left.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_the_Washington_family

It survives currently in the flag of Washington, DC (and also on the US Purple Heart Medal). I suppose therefore some of you knew that - I didn't till today.

Altogether this was the biggest nonstory to come my way for a certain amount of time.

I never went to Rippon but I should have done. York Minster stained glass windows are spectacular. I have photos from the 70s taken on a school visit somewhere. Quality not very good.

epenguin · Nov 30, 2022

pinball1970 said:

I never went to Rippon but I should have done. York Minster stained glass windows are spectacular. I have photos from the 70s taken on a school visit somewhere. Quality not very good.

Ah yes, York Minster, a glory. My photos too not very good, just to give an idea. You can easily find better on the web no doubt.

Interior view looking up at a Gothic stone vault with a circular fan-vaulted ceiling painted in red, green and gold patterns, flanked by tall lancet windows with stained glass and tracery.

Close-up of Gothic stained glass tracery in a cathedral window, with red, blue and yellow panes forming pointed trefoil and quatrefoil shapes around a central lancet.

Stained glass rose window with a central shield-shaped panel of red, blue and yellow glass, surrounded by a ring of medallions and smaller lobed panels with white and red foliage.

Vertical leaded stained glass panel with a central figure in blue, red and green glass, surrounded by fragmented clear and grey glass pieces, with roundels at top and bottom.

I missed something not looking up Ripon yesterday - which is that this it year celebrated its 1,325th year! That its crypt, still in use, is the oldest building of any English Cathedral. It was the home base of St. Winifred. Winifred was the person who triumphed at the Synod of Whitby (AD 633-4), much reported as key event in every history of the time (and of which the tourist will also hear much). It was the event that decided whether England follow the doctrines, disciplines, liturgy etc. brought from Rome directly, or else the traditions developed in relative isolation in Ireland and brought to England by missionaries from there. About the biggest issue from all accounts was the date to celebrate Easter! Everything was decided in favour of the Roman tendency.

This key stage in the Christianisation of England is almost topical. Today results of the national census were published showing the proportion of people in England who identify as Christian has fallen for the first time to below half. Whatever that means. About which discussion immediately started. It has occurred to me however that maybe even in the age of faith not everybody took everything over-seriously, and perhaps some of them have tried to tell us.

Close-up of a stone corbel carving on a Gothic building: a bearded man with a hat, a crowned figure, and a curly-haired man with his finger at his mouth, looking upward, beneath ribbed vaulting.

Stone corbels carved as human heads on a Gothic arch, with the rightmost figure's mouth open and hand raised to its cheek, under ribbed vaulting.

Jonathan Scott · Nov 30, 2022

epenguin said:

celebrated its 13,250 year

Er, 1350 years.

epenguin · Nov 30, 2022

Jonathan Scott said:

Er, 1350 years.

Yes thank you, not 13,250, obviously a typo - I would not have put a date before Creation.

DennisN · Dec 1, 2022

epenguin said:

Ah, I see we have church windows as a subject, I have a few of those, I expect many of us do.

More on the church theme...

A couple of photos from a tour I did with a couple of friends in Europe in 2004, where we visited a lot of historical places.

(I checked the info in the files and they were taken with a Canon PowerShot A310 compact camera (3.2 MP), a quite early digital camera

. Poor focus on some of the shots too, regretfully, but anyway.)

The Metz Cathedral (in France):

Interior of a Gothic church apse with tall stained glass windows in red, blue, green and orange, an altar with candlesticks and a cross, and a wrought-iron railing in the foreground.

Tall Gothic cathedral window of pointed arches with multicolored stained glass, topped by three small rose windows with red, blue and green petals, set against a dark wall.

The Trier Cathedral (in Germany):

Entrance:

Romanesque cathedral portal with a carved tympanum above a dark green double door, flanked by standing stone figures on pedestals and columns on both sides.

The baroque west choir ceiling (which was amazing):

Ornate white stucco ceiling of a dome, decorated with figures, scrolls and panels in relief against a dark blue background, with a radiating sunburst at the centre.

The ceiling from another angle:

Interior of a Gothic-Romanesque cathedral nave with a richly decorated apse dome, a marble altar with a wooden crucifix, and visitors below.

Another beautiful place in the church:

Ornate baroque church interior with dark marble columns and a carved stone frame of cherubs and figures around a central window; below, a gilded grille door.

And the cool church organ:

Church organ viewed from below, with clusters of grey metal pipes of varying lengths arranged in towers and a white lace-patterned cloth draped beneath, set against stone vaulted arches.

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