Random Photos

DennisN · Jun 29, 2025

collinsmark said:

TLRs were very popular and pretty common during the middle (maybe early middle) 20th century.

Borg said:

In a museum in Scotland.

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On the topic of old cameras I saw a fun video recently where many old cameras were shown...
...it has also become a bit fashionable among some people to shoot film again, which is mentioned in the clip.

What it’s like to inherit 2000 CAMERAS (Mathieu Stern)

pinball1970 · Jun 30, 2025

Armed forces day outside Manchester central library. Fairly low key, a few stalls, bikes, kit, ball castle for kids and a stage where a young lady sang some show tunes.

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The Midland hotel behind is quite famous.

Outdoor display on a city street of a towed artillery gun with its long barrel raised, beside a green military truck, with uniformed soldiers standing behind metal crowd barriers and brick buildings and trees behind them.

Outdoor public square with people seated on wooden benches in front of a stone building with tall columns, a stage with a screen on the left, and a poster reading Armed Forces Day, Saturday 28 June.

Andy Resnick · Jun 30, 2025

Algr said:

Lions are growing like yellow roses on the wind.

OMG that takes me back. I still listen to my copy of this on "The Digital Domain- a Demonstration"

pinball1970 · Jun 30, 2025

Just finishing off Sat.

Two men in RAF-style blazers and berets stand behind a light blue Royal Air Forces Association table selling small items, with red telephone boxes behind them.

Three soldiers in multicam uniforms stand before a black recruitment gazebo beside a tall banner reading The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment Recruiting Now, with a 4th Battalion banner on the left showing a soldier with a rifle.

Three people standing outdoors on a city pavement in front of military vehicles and camouflage-covered tables; the two on either side wear gold chains of office and a man in the centre wears a dark polo shirt and camouflage trousers.

Military field kit laid out on paving: a camouflage rucksack with a rolled grey sleeping mat, a webbing harness with a clipboard label reading Webbing, a machine gun on a tripod, and sandbags behind.

Display of military kit on a paved ground: a rifle with a scope mounted on a wooden stand, camouflage webbing and a rolled sleeping mat behind it, and a warning sign reading DO NOT TOUCH THE WEAPONS UNLESS TOLD TO DO SO, AS PRESS-UPS OFTEN OFFEND.

@berkeman you ever ride one of these?

Black Indian Scout motorcycle parked on paving with chrome exhaust pipes, a black leather saddlebag and a jacket draped over the handlebars, a green and red helmet hanging on the seat, and red telephone boxes behind.

This looks fun

Green BMW motorcycle with a three-wheel sidecar trike conversion, a teddy bear on the rear seat, parked under a canopy with a poppy decal on the side.

pinball1970 · Jun 30, 2025

The biker guys just looked like, bikers! They just lacked long hair. The original biker clubs were from WW2 troops after the war?

Anyway, more my thing. She had no spots, no back drops just a mike and monitor. Big voice though and the crowd and army guys appreciated her.

Outdoor stage with black backdrop and a banner reading ARMED FORCES DAY THE BIG THANK YOU, a woman singing at a microphone, metal crowd barriers in front, and two people in the lower right photographing with a phone.

A blonde woman in a patterned dress sings into a microphone on an outdoor stage, one hand raised, with stage monitor speakers in front and a large screen behind her.

This looks very 1980s, Tama did a finish like this.

pinball1970 · Jun 30, 2025

Everyone wanted to speak to this fella. I kept the gas mask in.

An older man with white hair, a beard and medals on his blazer is handed a small brown leather wallet by a man in a blue T-shirt, while a uniformed officer in a tan jacket and red-banded beret watches. Red tent behind reads 1st RE, a gas mask sits on a camouflage-covered table to the right.

berkeman · Jun 30, 2025

pinball1970 said:

@berkeman you ever ride one of these?

That's more the style that @Mark44 rides.

Rive · Jun 30, 2025

Rive said:

Just back from a marvelous trip to Tatra mountains

We went back, of course (and packed the charger for the cam, this time...)

Deep blue alpine lake nestled at the foot of green, forested mountain slopes with rocky peaks under a partly cloudy blue sky; a small building sits on the far shore.

Backlit mountain ridge with jagged peaks silhouetted against a bright sun and blue sky with scattered white clouds.

Calm alpine lake reflecting sunlight, with steep, forested mountain slopes and a jagged rocky peak rising behind it under a partly cloudy sky.

Rive said:

- take mountains seriously. ...the rescue helicopters made trips up the mountains a few times a day

Mountains are not just somewhat bigger hills. We've witnessed this right on our first hiking day: as far as we know, he just overestimated himself - fortunately nothing worse. And there was another similar case for the chopper that day... And we could hear them working every day while we were there...

A dark military-style helicopter with a single rotor flies above a deep blue mountain lake, with steep green forested slopes and rocky scree around it.

Dark green rescue helicopter with the letters SAR on its side hovering over a mountain valley, with a rescuer in a yellow suit suspended beneath it on a cable above a deep blue lake.

More will follow, just takes some time to process everything properly :doh:

DennisN · Jun 30, 2025

Rive said:

We went back, of course

Darn, you got really, really nice scenery there!
Really nice colors, contrast, details and water; did you use your CPL filter there, I wonder? (I guess you did)

DennisN · Jun 30, 2025

A short mallard story...

"Human put corn on a small ledge, should I try it?"

Close-up of a mallard duck's head and bill peeking over the edge of a grey rock, with several yellow corn kernels scattered on the rock surface.

"Yes, I'll try it."

A female mallard duck with mottled brown plumage and a dark olive-yellow bill bends its head down to eat yellow corn kernels scattered on a grey granite rock ledge.

"Human seems friendly so I'll jump out of the water and get myself a real meal..."
(The mallard actually frightened me when she got up; she did it quite noisily when my back was turned against her

.)

A mallard duck with its head bent down eating yellow corn kernels from a white rectangular dish set on a grey stone ledge beside water.

I think I found a new friend here.

A brown female mallard duck with orange feet standing on a gray rock beside green grass, in sunlight.

"Meet my kids too, they're pretty cute."

Close-up of a young mallard duckling with dark brown and cream fuzzy down, swimming on rippled water among green reeds.

How is it possible that a creature can be this cute?

Close-up of a fluffy mallard duckling with dark brown down and a pale cheek swimming among green water grass on a pond.

(Gear: Sony A7R + Helios 44 + CPL filter)

Borg · Jul 1, 2025

Some more photos from my recent Norway cruise.

Day one at sea.

Offshore wind farm on calm blue sea under a hazy sky, with a row of white three-blade turbines on yellow-based towers receding into the distance.

First sunset.

Silhouetted cargo ship on calm sea at sunset, with a large orange sun low in a hazy sky.

Bakklandet District in Trondheim.

Colourful wooden waterfront buildings in red, orange, yellow and grey line a river under a cloudy sky, reflected in the still water, with a church spire in the background.

Tromso Botanical Garden.

Hillside covered with orange, yellow and white poppy-like flowers among green grass, with grey rocks and a grey-green shrub at left.

nsaspook · Jul 1, 2025

This years road-trip.

Deep blue volcanic crater lake with steep rocky cliffs and a conical peak across the water, mirrored on the still surface, with snow patches and pine trees on the near shore.

Deep blue caldera lake with a forested island and steep rocky cliffs with patches of snow along the far rim, framed by evergreen trees in the foreground under a clear sky.

Two-lane road with a white edge line and yellow center line running toward a range of snow-capped mountains under a partly cloudy blue sky, with a grassy meadow and a car ahead.

A man in a checked shirt and khaki trousers stands on a paved plaza under a wooden roof, with a geyser plume rising in the background above a crowd of visitors.

Coin-operated binoculars on a stand in the foreground, with a geyser plume rising behind a crowd of people on a paved viewing area beneath a wooden shelter.

Geyser erupting through a circular viewfinder, with a column of white steam and spray rising above a pale, cracked mineral terrace in front of a forested hillside.

Photo of a flat, pale grey thermal area with shallow pools of water, many tall bare dead tree trunks standing without branches, and green conifer forest and blue sky behind.

Wide view of a geothermal basin with white mineral-crusted ground, shallow pools of water, and a plume of steam rising in front of a line of evergreen trees; visitors walk on a wooden boardwalk at right.

Two young women stand on a paved road shoulder in front of a tall cliff with a waterfall, next to a Van Accessible parking sign and a handicap parking sign.

View through a windshield down a multi-lane highway at sunset, with concrete median barrier on the left, evergreen trees on both sides and a rocky cliff ahead.

Astronuc · Jul 2, 2025

The book that sank on the Titanic and burned in the Blitz

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-57683638

I prefer books without bling.

A simple black and white copy is fine with me. I'm interested in the text, not fancy art.

jtbell · Jul 5, 2025

On my way home from a trip to Raleigh NC last weekend, I stopped in Pinehurst to visit the Golf Hall of Fame.

Photo of a brick walkway leading to a white two-story colonial-style clubhouse with columned porches and a flagpole, with a black sidewalk sign reading USGA Experience & World Golf Hall of Fame.

Upstairs are exhibits about the players and other golf industry people who have been admitted to the hall.

Interior of a museum gallery with a wooden floor, a bench where a woman sits, tall display pillars with lit screens, glass cases of artifacts, and large curved wall screens showing golf footage and a painted sunset landscape.

Wall of illuminated display cases with tall panels labelled with golfers' names, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Billy Casper and Gene Littler, each case holding golf clubs and memorabilia.

Artifacts include some of the original golf balls: sewn leather sacs stuffed with feathers ("featheries").

Museum display case beside a wall panel titled 'The First Golf Professional' about Allan Robertson, with select artifacts listed below, including a feather golf ball and a cigarette card.

Downstairs is an exhibit about golf science.

Exhibit wall titled "The Science of Golf" beside a curved wooden ramp with a green-and-white landscape mural, and circular panels labelled Backspin, Ball Flight, Ball Layers.

Museum display panel titled Lift and Drag with a green circular Ball Flight screen, Bernoulli's Principle diagram of airflow around a dimpled ball, and Smooth vs. Dimpled Ball diagrams showing wake and drag.

And a collection of trophies.

Three golf trophies displayed in a glass case: a gold-colored trophy on a black base at left, a polished silver trophy with a figure on its lid in the center, and a tall trophy with green and silver tones at right. A printed placard in front reads The United States Open Championship Trophy.

BillTre · Jul 5, 2025

jtbell · Jul 6, 2025

Is that a bananabill?

BillTre · Jul 6, 2025

jtbell said:

Is that a bananabill?

Bill says, "yes that is a banana".

jtbell · Jul 6, 2025

This calls for a song...

Yes! We Have a Banana

Borg · Jul 6, 2025

BillTre said:

Bill says, "yes that is a banana".

If it swam like one and and quacked like one, I'd say it was a duck.

BillTre · Jul 6, 2025

Cream-painted six-panel door set into a sloped attic wall, with a dark knob, beside a wooden cabinet with drawers and a chair.

nsaspook · Jul 10, 2025

Calm lake reflecting snow-dusted mountain peaks and green hillsides under a blue sky with white cumulus clouds, with purple wildflowers and grass along the gravel shore in the foreground.

Dense conifer forest in the foreground with snow-capped mountain peaks rising behind it under a blue sky with white cumulus clouds.

Jagged snow-dusted mountain peaks rising above a wide valley of green meadow and dark conifer stands, under a blue sky with cumulus clouds, with yellow wildflowers and sagebrush in the foreground.

Wide view of a sagebrush-covered valley with a snow-capped mountain range under a blue sky with large white clouds; a single brown animal runs across the open plain in the middle distance.

Small brown animal, likely a deer, standing on a patch of snow on a slope among conifer trees, with blue sky visible at upper left.

DennisN · Jul 10, 2025

nsaspook said:

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Lovely landscapes! :kiss:

DennisN · Jul 10, 2025

Recreation of the mill photo by @jtbell...

I went by that mill today and thought of taking a photo from what I estimated as the same angle/position (ca), and here's the result:

1. Original photo by @jtbell (from the 1970s (?), at least that's my guess):

Photo of a dark wooden windmill with a brick and timber base, a railed wooden deck and a rotating cap, set on a grassy lawn under a clear blue sky, with a small figure standing to the right.

2. My photo taken today (2025):

Dark wooden windmill with four lattice sails and a railed wooden gallery around its base, set on a stone foundation in a grassy park at dusk, with a tree on the left.

3. Cropped down to approximately the same composition as the original photo:

Dark wooden windmill with a black tower, white-framed windows, a railed wooden gallery around its stone base, and a lattice-framed sail set against a clear blue sky.

4. A digital 1970s photo filter applied:

Wooden windmill with four lattice sails and a dark tapered body with small pale windows, standing on a stone base with a white railing around a balcony, against a clear blue sky.

5. And finally, a side by side comparison:

Side-by-side comparison of two photos of a dark windmill with white railed gallery and stone base; left is a faded, older-looking film-style shot, right is a sharper modern photo from a similar angle.

(Lens used: Meyer-Optik Lydith 30mm f/3.5)

collinsmark · Jul 10, 2025

Mr. Mittens (My neighbor's cat) stopped by today for an impromptu nap. I got the (rangefinder) camera out before he fell asleep. Instead of using the 50 mm lens, which is arguably the better choice for portraits, I used the 35 mm Summilux just to mix things up a bit.

Tabby cat with yellow-green eyes sits on a sunlit windowsill, looking toward the camera with whiskers spread, its front paws tucked and one hind leg stretched out in the foreground.

Figure 1. Mr. Mittens showing his concentration. (Natural light.)

Here's Mr. Mittens doing that cute thing he does (Fig. 1), that thing with the telekinesis where my skull is uncontrollably forced to the floor such that I bow and show respect and reverence for his eminent graciousness.

'Just kidding; he doesn't force me. I do it voluntarily. Whatever's good for the Mhittens.

Tabby cat with green-gold eyes lying in a sunlit window, looking directly at the camera with whiskers spread.

Figure 2. Mr. Mittens before nap. (Natural light.)

Seriously though, Mr. Mittens was in pretty good spirits (Fig. 2).

DennisN · Jul 11, 2025

I just saw this ad for a Hasselblad Space Camera 553 ELS.
Only 18 of them were made, intended to be used on the space shuttle missions.

Two photos:

Hasselblad Space Camera 553 ELS, a medium-format camera with a black body and a large lens, against a black background, with a Photographica Auction Sweden watermark.

And the price?
Well, let's say it is expensive. I mean, really. Like really, really.

The price is 700 000 kr (Swedish kronor), which is about $73 200.

BillTre · Jul 11, 2025

DennisN said:

I just saw this ad for a Hasselblad Space Camera 553 ELS.
Only 18 of them were made, intended to be used on the space shuttle missions.

Two photos:

View attachment 363103

View attachment 363104

And the price?
Well, let's say it is expensive. I mean, really. Like really, really.

The price is 700 000 kr (Swedish kronor), which is about $73 200.

Only one lens?
Some astronaut lost one somehow, yes?

DennisN · Jul 11, 2025

Warning for cuteness overload...

...another mallard family, but this one has got nine small ducklings...

A female mallard duck stands on a rock by a pond with nine fluffy brown ducklings scattered across the grass and rocks around her.

A female mallard duck sits on grass beside a rock, with several fluffy brown and yellow ducklings tucked under and beside her.

pinball1970 · Jul 13, 2025

Central Library been busy last few weeks with different events. A music cafe erected outside for the Oasis concerts.

Framed painting of a man in dark sunglasses against red and blue brushstrokes, mounted on a plywood wall covered in handwritten signatures, beside a black metal cafe table and chairs.

Dome-shaped sculpture made of dozens of acoustic guitars mounted on metal frames, standing on a paved plaza in front of a stone building with arched doorways.

Large yellow guitar sculpture with a black neck and a circular portrait of a man in the body, standing on green turf under a clear-roofed outdoor canopy.

DennisN · Jul 13, 2025

pinball1970 said:

Central Library been busy last few weeks with different events. A music cafe erected outside for the Oasis concerts.

Vinyl record tables... very cool and clever idea.

pinball1970 · Jul 13, 2025

DennisN said:

Vinyl record tables... very cool and clever idea.

I had jerk chicken at that table and did not notice the design till I was going through the images, it was 30C!
The guy on the guitar is Tony Wilson who guided Manchester music in the 1980s. I thought he was an 4ss and the music was rubbish, Joy Division, Happy Mondays, Factory records and the Hacienda.
He probably hated Deep Purple and Yes.
Part of our history though whichever way you look at it.

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