Take a picture once a day, whether you need to or not

[apocrypha]

Really like the hang glider one and the pano, very nice!

[Merusk]

Very nice indeed.  I need to borrow my sister's D90 and see if the fine blurriness is my camera or my lens. It's bothering me more and more the more of everyone elses' work I see.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Those are awesome looking, Moses!  I love the pano. 

[Paelos]

I liked the bunny. Very Easter.

[K9]

To your credit I can't really see the processing; some fantastic photos, thanks.

[Sand]

I liked the bunny. Very Easter.

Me too! 

[Mosesandstick]

Thanks guys! Makes the several days work of retouching worth it!


2009-09 Peak District - 20090910 - 057 by Aled Moses, on Flickr

[Merusk]

Did some gardening today, including removing some brick edging around my garden at the walk to set it properly this time.  I was trying to push one paver up against the sidewalk and was getting some resistance that didn't feel like dirt.  I'm glad I didn't push too hard or I'd have killed these two bug-eating lovelies who now reside in my hostas.

[JWIV]

Love the second shot.  Awesome work in getting it straight on.

Slowly trying to get back to using my camera more often, so had some fun with it while walking around the kids section at the Maryland Zoo.   It then decided to start raining, so we cut our trip a bit short. 

[Sand]

The second picture of the frog is screaming out for someone to add some text/comment to it.

The picture of the duck...wow...what species is that? I dont think Ive ever seen one so golden in color its beautiful.

Im a point and shoot guy by nature. I wish I had more time to learn about proper photography or at least the basics. You guys do some awesome stuff.

[Merusk]

Thanks guys.  I was pretty happy the 2nd Toad sat there for a while and let me get the shot.  The red-brown one hopped off as soon as I moved to do something similar with him.

[Sky]

My camera sucks and I'm at home without access to editing tools, so...meh. Anyway, here's one of my new apple trees, ready to be planted if it ever stops raining.

[JWIV]

Took pictures of things that were not my children today.  World may soon end.

Obligatory shot of Fifi at the AVAM Kinetic Sculpture Race

AVAM Kinetic Sculpture Race 2011 by jwiv, on Flickr

This brain was AWESOME

AVAM Kinetic Sculpture Race 2011 by jwiv, on Flickr

The Platypus was also rad, and these guys crushed the water course in it.


AVAM Kinetic Sculpture Race 2011 by jwiv, on Flickr

[IainC]

I went to the Burg Hohenzollern yesterday which is the ancestral castle of the Kings of Prussia. The castle isn't lived in but it has been restored in the 19th century after significant earthquake damage. Unfortunately photography isn't allowed indoors so I couldn't get shots of the glorious galleries and chambers however I got some nice pictures of the outside and one of the chapels.

Family Chapel

P1020375 by Iain Compton, on Flickr

Statues of the last German Emperors

P1020385 by Iain Compton, on Flickr

Schwabian Alps from the curtain wall

P1020387 by Iain Compton, on Flickr

Twisty stairs

P1020364 by Iain Compton, on Flickr

I have some issues with light balancing in these. The interior chapel shots particularly are way too dark but if I tweak the levels in Irfanview then, at the point where the brightness is acceptable, there is too much graininess and noise. I took the photos on the longest exposure my camera will handle but they are still too dark.

[JWIV]

I have some issues with light balancing in these. The interior chapel shots particularly are way too dark but if I tweak the levels in Irfanview then, at the point where the brightness is acceptable, there is too much graininess and noise. I took the photos on the longest exposure my camera will handle but they are still too dark.

It might be a bit too dark, but I do love that you caught some of the stained glass filtered light upon the statue in the family chapel. 

[Strazos]

Yeah, those interior shots are hell. Perhaps I should dig out some of my 2005 shots of the Vatican or something. Too bad my camera was sort of shit.

[apocrypha]

Yeah cameras just can't cope with the range of light levels that our eyes & brain can, and probably never well either! You've done a good job there though, really like that first one.

[JWIV]

Took another walk around the Zoo this morning (memberships are great things sometimes).



Maryland Zoo - May 8 2011 by jwiv, on Flickr


Maryland Zoo - May 8 2011 by jwiv, on Flickr

[Mosesandstick]

Capybara?

[JWIV]

Capybara?

Nothing quite that fancy.   Just plain ole prairie dogs.

[Sky]

Goddamned varmints.

[JWIV]

Goddamned varmints.

They were absolutely adorable rodents though!

[Merusk]

Took another walk around the Zoo this morning (memberships are great things sometimes).

Great pics and I agree. Zoo Membership for the whole family is $95 and it's the best value I've ever gotten for entertainment.

[Sand]

Can anyone explain the weird rule every old place in the world seems to have enacted of not taking pictures from inside their particular old place?
Is there any truth to the stated reason for such rules, that the flash light is going to do untold damage to the stone walls which have been standing for hundreds or thousands of years?
Or is it simply all a lie in a blatant attempt to sell more picture books in the gift shop?

[MahrinSkel]

It started out as a way to protect old paintings and tapestries, which could be damaged by flashes (especially the old-fashioned flashbulbs, which put out UV).  Then it became a way of exerting copyright on the paintings, by not allowing unauthorized photos (the paintings can't be copyrighted, but the photos can be).  Now, it's just a rule everything that has pretensions of being a "Museum" has, even if they're not sure why.

--Dave

[Strazos]

Truth. There was a museum in Florence that did not allow pictures, but the folks at the Louvre didn't seem to mind, even with the Mona Lisa.

[Merusk]

I've always heard it was because of concern about the damage from ultra-intense and UV light. (Even intense normal light x 1mil+ flashes a year will do damage to some pigments.)

The Mona Lisa either doesn't have those pigments or they have it behind some special glass that makes it not a concern.  Well, that or it's a fake and they know it. 

[Samwise]

When I went to the Louvre (which admittedly was something like eight years ago now), the Mona Lisa did have some sort of heavy-duty protection over it as well as a "no flash photography" notice that most of the other boorish Americans happily ignored.

[Strazos]

Yeah, it was in a huge enclosure...but no signs around.

[JWIV]

Beautiful day for baseball!


Orioles vs Nationals May 21 2011 by jwiv, on Flickr

[Strazos]

Are either of those teams any good this year? We've been contemplating a Nationals' game, but we're probably going to have to strategically pick a day where they're actually playing someone good.

[JWIV]

I ended up going to another game today, and given that I was sitting in the Upper Deck, was really happy to get this shot.  It would have been better if I got the Ump with the arm extending in the final GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE gesture, but at least I got a bit of the wind-up leading to it.   The shot itself is the Nationals Manager - Riggleman about to get thrown out of the game after the FIRST PLAY due to arguing about his leadoff man being outside the batters box while bunting.


Orioles vs Nationals May 22 by jwiv, on Flickr

[Samwise]

A rare picture of my sister in which she isn't hiding her face.  I really like how the height of the room and the big painting make her look even shorter than she actually is.

[Sky]

Stuff from the weekend. Got my second honeycrisp tree fenced in and got a start on the woodpile. Didn't get a lot done because it was hot and humid as hell, when it wasn't deluging thunderstorms.

[MuffinMan]

I'm voting for you to become the Official Honeycrisp Supplier of f13.