Random Photos

[Borg]

Some more photos from my recent Norway cruise.

Day one at sea.

First sunset.

Bakklandet District in Trondheim.

Tromso Botanical Garden.

 

[nsaspook]

This years road-trip.

 

[Astronuc]

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]

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

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

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

Downstairs is an exhibit about golf science.

And a collection of trophies.

 

[BillTre]

 

[jtbell]

Is that a bananabill?

 

[BillTre]

Is that a bananabill?

Bill says, "yes that is a banana".

 

[jtbell]

This calls for a song...

Yes! We Have a Banana

 

[Borg]

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]

 

[nsaspook]

 

[DennisN]

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Lovely landscapes!

 

[DennisN]

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):

2. My photo taken today (2025):

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

4. A digital 1970s photo filter applied:

5. And finally, a side by side comparison:

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

 

[collinsmark]

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.

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.

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

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

 

[DennisN]

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:

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]

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:

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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]

Warning for cuteness overload...
...another mallard family, but this one has got nine small ducklings...

 

[pinball1970]

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

 

[DennisN]

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]

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.

 

[DennisN]

Four shots...

Houses...

(Lens: Meyer-Optik Lydith 30mm)


Park scene

(Lens: Meyer-Optik Lydith 30mm)


Sunflower

(Lens: Helios 44 (13 bladed))


Dipsacus

(Lens: Helios 44 (13 bladed))

 

[TensorCalculus]

Maths (my book looked so dramatic in this photo for no reason)

 

[DennisN]

It was raining this evening...
I used to avoid shooting in rain but nowadays I enjoy it, so I actually went out on purpose...

Luckily my camera is weather sealed; I don't think I would have gone out with a camera that wasn't weather sealed since it was pouring down...

A pretty wet camera afterwards :

 

[collinsmark]

It was raining this evening...
I used to avoid shooting in rain but nowadays I enjoy it, so I actually went out on purpose...


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Luckily my camera is weather sealed; I don't think I would have gone out with a camera that wasn't weather sealed since it was pouring down...

A pretty wet camera afterwards :

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Nice photos!

Yes, rain presents wonderful photographic opportunities. There's of course the reflections and the puddles (more reflections), specular highlights everywhere, and then there's also the umbrellas people are using, which by themselves can turn an otherwise mundane image into a powerful one.

My laziness got in the way last rainy season, so I didn't get the camera out. That's bad on me. (It's dry season here, now.) I need to work on and and practice no-hands/limited-hands umbrella holding techniques.

 

[pinball1970]

In Hertfordshire today, hopefully get some images later on.

 

[jtbell]

For about 20 years, our college sponsored a chapter of the Confucius Institute, which provided instructors from China who taught Chinese classes here. In December 2019 they went home as usual for the holiday break. Then the Covid pandemic began, and they did not return.

At some later time, the college ended its relationship with the Institute. The statue that they donated is still here, but the pedestal next to it no longer bears the plaque that commemorated its installation.

 

[collinsmark]

I took the rangefinder out with me yesterday while running some errands. 'Managed to snap off a couple of pics. Both images are with the Leica Summilux-M 50mm ASPH, wide open at f/1.4.

Figure 1. "Backlit flowers across the street in the parking lot near the vacant store, study #1"

Figure 2. "'Figured @PeterDonis might get a kick out of this one."

 

[jtbell]

Back in October I posted a photo of a neighbor's house after they tried to remove a tree that had fallen on its back side during tropical storm Helene.

https://www.physicsforums.com/posts/7126216/

Now, one can see the back of the house from a nearby cross street, revealing the extent of the damage:

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Update: the house sold recently. Even though the hole had grown bigger during the past six months, the new owner apparently decided it was nevertheless worth repairing, instead of demolishing and rebuilding completely. The work began this week.

 

[pinball1970]

Welwyn Garden City.

 

[pinball1970]

 

[pinball1970]

 

[pinball1970]

 

[berkeman]

What is the difference between the lighter photos and the darker ones with more contrast? Different exposures or post-processing?

 

[pinball1970]

What is the difference between the lighter photos and the darker ones with more contrast? Different exposures or post-processing?

Besides my position to the sun I have options to adjust the image once taken, brightness, contrast, white level, saturation, sharpness etc.

 

[jrmichler]

Three consecutive photos of the neighbor's house. The first photo is from 2003. That house was originally built some time before 1984, probably in the 1950's or 1960's. The previous owners never built big fires, while the new owners built a big fire in the fireplace. No surprise what started the house on fire.

So they built a log home on the original foundation. The woodburning stove got a chimney made of single wall stovepipe. Snow built up and slid in 2014, taking the chimney with it.

The next chimney was stainless steel. This one lasted until 2020. Snow took it out.

The current chimney has two guy wires and a splitter. I expect it to survive.

 

[pinball1970]

Burnsall Yorkshire

 

[pinball1970]

Bolton Abbey

 

[pinball1970]

I thought I had discovered some ancient rune from the middle ages. Probably a masonry mark.

 

[DennisN]

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Bolton Abbey

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Gosh, those photos are so much Britain!

Rolling hills, lots of green, sheep, old houses... I remember.

 

[Ibix]

Yorkshire

West Riding of Yorkshire, please (grumpy old Yorkshireman expression).

Riding is a corruption of þriðing (the first character is a thorn, a soft th like in three , and the funny d in the middle is just a d), which would be "thirding" in modern English - so there are three Ridings of Yorkshire, West, East and South. Or there were, before the Ridings were more or less abolished about forty years ago.

If you split a region in four, they would be fourthings, or farthings - hence the old quarter penny and the four divisions of the Shire in the Lord of the Rings.

 

[jtbell]

(6:30 AM) The early bird gets the worm. The early cat gets the car.

(An hour later...) Maybe the other car feels better... aaah, yes!

 

[DennisN]

A study of raindrops...

(all shot with Canon nFD 100mm f/4 Macro, some have been focus stacked)

Edit:

Oh, I forgot one thing...

I wanted to notify @Andy Resnick and others who like to do close-up photography that there are tripods where you can reverse the center column (if you didn't know about). This can be very handy when shooting close-ups of static objects. The photos above were taken with such a tripod (Benro Slim), though I didn't use a reversed center column at that time.

I recently got me a Benro Slim tripod which I am very pleased with.
It's very compact, light and versatile:

...and here with the center column reversed:

Very, very good value for money.
Available in aluminium version and and a slightly lighter carbon-fibre version.
(I got the carbon-fibre version)

I decided to get it after watching this video when I was looking for a more compact, travel-friendly tripod without spending a fortune :

I Tested Every Travel Tripod Under $100: These Are the Best (Mark Wiemels)

 

[Andy Resnick]

A study of raindrops...


I wanted to notify @Andy Resnick and others who like to do close-up photography that there are tripods where you can reverse the center column (if you didn't know about).

...and here with the center column reversed:

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Hey, that's spiffy! Thanks for the heads-up. Your raindrop photos are excellent, btw.

I have a Gitzo tripod, no center column. One thing I like about it is flexibility of leg adjustments, from opening the legs all the way to put the camera (almost) onto the ground to swinging one leg underneath, permitting vertical shooting (helpful for space station overpasses!).

Some good images (I have a slightly different model) are here:
https://www.richardpeters.co.uk/gitzo-gt5541-tripod-review/

 

[DennisN]

I have a Gitzo tripod, no center column. One thing I like about it is flexibility of leg adjustments, from opening the legs all the way to put the camera (almost) onto the ground to swinging one leg underneath, permitting vertical shooting (helpful for space station overpasses!).

Very cool! I didn't know there were tripods that could do that, actually (swinging one leg underneath).

 

[jtbell]

I've been on the road again the past few days, this time to Ohio for my 50-year college reunion.

And here we are, about 8%-10% of the class of 1975. Unfortunately none of the other 4 physics majors in my class showed up, but I was at least acquainted with a few of these people.

There were actually about a total of about 250 people at the reunion, because it was for all alumni, with special attention to the 5-year reunion classes.

 

[BillTre]

New architectural style:

 

[pinball1970]

New architectural style:

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Er...

No sex please, I'm British.

 

[BillTre]

No sex please, I'm British.

Where do the new Brits come from?
Also new buildings

 

[DennisN]

Some shots taken today (it was a lovely day):

Lush park scene...

In the woods...

A lovely looking dahlia...

...and a cool looking Lantana camara; very strange-looking flowers, I think...

(all shot with Pentacon MC 50mm f/1.8)

 

[pinball1970]

Where do the new Brits come from?
Also new buildings

Storks of course (Bill you are a trained Biologist) The buildings we build simply do not behave like that.