Friday Photography — You Name It

I hope you’re enjoying a good evening. I’d be interested in hearing your impressions of this photo, if you wish to offer them.

As always this is a space to hang your photos on the wall, share some fun and knowledge … and music too.

Share
up
12 users have voted.

Comments

Bollox Ref's picture

that's the last working synapse in Trump's cloudy mind.

From a couple of years ago, wandering around Sussex:

Thanks for hosting Janis.

Listening to CPE Bach's Wurttemberg Sonatas.

up
10 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

janis b's picture

@Bollox Ref

The Wurttenberg Sonatas sound soft and still lively to me. Thank you for sharing it. I'm listening to the Bob van Asperen Harpsicord version.

I love your photo. An image of something so solid and strong yet so yielding and flexible. The fence is so beautiful in its weathering.

I think the synapse photo is too attractive to be found anywhere in his mind.

up
7 users have voted.
Bollox Ref's picture

@janis b

Just struck me as an image of the detritus that is our CinC's mental state.

up
6 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

janis b's picture

@Bollox Ref

I think I know you Bollox, at least a little bit ; ).

up
5 users have voted.
dystopian's picture

@Bollox Ref Beautiful photo BR! Just the kind of thing B & W is good for. Great grain, is it oak? Any ideas how old? Sussex eh? See the Duke and Duchess? Wink

up
6 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Bollox Ref's picture

@dystopian

Just north of Kipling's house 'Batemans'.

The 1st Duke of Sussex was Queen Victoria's favourite uncle. One of George III's wayward sons. I think he 'gave her away' at her marriage to Albert.

up
4 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

WaterLily's picture

Where it was 13 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday, and 40 degrees today (rising to 50 tomorrow), this closely resembles what might currently be resting in my backyard against a backdrop of vaporizing snow.

Sad and beautiful simultaneously.

In other news, has anyone tuned into this recent Kate Bush cover by Meg Myers?

Holy crap.

up
5 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@WaterLily

I'm always happy to share the same space with you. Your impression matched a strong association I had with the image. It brought me vividly back to looking out a frosted window at twigs in the snow. That can be such a dreamy time in the NE.

What do you think of the Kate Bush cover?

up
5 users have voted.
WaterLily's picture

@janis b It's been getting a lot of airplay here, and anytime I've heard it I've thought, "Good for you, Meg, but you're not Kate -- and why is everyone playing this?!"

But now I have to admit that I'm blown over. I resisted at first because I felt Meg was trying too hard to sound like Kate ... but as it turns out, she does.

She'll never usurp the original, but I can't deny that I appreciate her interpretation.

(Any Journey fans out there? It's kind of like Arnel Pineda and Steve Perry).

@Janis, always a privilege to be in your space.

up
5 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@WaterLily

because of the obvious differences in their treatment of the song. I didn't like the Meg Myer's video, I found it too kinetic. I watched Kate Bush's official video, and felt more grounded.

up
6 users have voted.
mimi's picture

... what an image ... I wonder if the branches were angry about them having been starved of thirst.

Thanks to you. The image makes me sad. There will be better days ahead. Out of the ashes grow new plants. I have a lot of trust in nature.

Always a relief to see you here on Friday evenings, janis.

up
6 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@mimi

Your spontaneity always brings a smile to my face, even when you're not smiling about things.

[video:https://youtu.be/3GXSHRJYxTQ]

up
7 users have voted.
mimi's picture

@janis b

up
1 user has voted.
wendy davis's picture

from a volcano ash cloud?

dunno how to upload a photo for certain, but do they need to be jpgs rather than tiffs? i can try CB's patented method: copy image location, add to image thingie at the top left.

up
5 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@wendy davis

I file them as jpegs in an image library and then copy the image address to link in the photo icon.

up
4 users have voted.
Socialprogressive's picture

Interesting photo. Is that a dead spider between the flora?

I walked over to Santee Lakes Wednesday morning to try out a new lens.

American Wigeon
DSC_7959.1

Ring-necked Duck
DSC_8106.1

White Faced Ibis
DSC_8101.1

DSC_8102.1

Northern Shoveler
DSC_8180.1

Spotted Sandpiper
DSC_8159.1

up
11 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

janis b's picture

@Socialprogressive

Your images are fantastically sharp, as usual. They appear to have slightly more contrast than usual?

I especially like the ring-necked duck photo - how the middle duck in a diagonal line with the other two is so sharply isolated.

up
7 users have voted.
Socialprogressive's picture

@janis b
I'm not sure why they appear to have more contrast. I don't know if different lenses make a difference in contrast. I'll have to look into that.

up
3 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

janis b's picture

@Socialprogressive

up
0 users have voted.
Roy Blakeley's picture

@janis b In general single focal length lenses give higher contrast then zooms because they have fewer elements and, consequently, less light scattering. However, contrast is affected by a lot of things like lens coatings, internal baffling, refractive indices of the glass elements used, aspherical elements, etc.

up
1 user has voted.
janis b's picture

@Roy Blakeley

I've photographed forever almost, but still quite deficiently knowledgable in the workings of lenses and other photographic mysteries.

up
0 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@Socialprogressive

found that way on my table.

up
4 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@janis b

up
5 users have voted.
dystopian's picture

@Socialprogressive GREAT bird pix SP! Beautiful stuff. Waterfowl are great subjects, especially since at many places in cities wild stuff gets tame for the winter at park ponds and lakes. It does not sit around like that in the breeding season. Great work man!

up
6 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Socialprogressive's picture

@dystopian @dystopian

up
3 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

wendy davis's picture

it's a crap photo, but i love it, being that foxes had been trapped out of our canyon and hadn't come back until five years or so ago. she's an immature variant on a red fox, and one day her (i assume, sibling) came to eat the black oil sunflower seeds the rowdy magpies toss out of the feeder.

on edit: tried thrice, no dice. ah well, she is beautiful! good full moon night to all,
wd

up
7 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@wendy davis

i'd love to see her. Stupid magpie for ignoring the black sesame seeds. Maybe they don't even notice anything black coloured.

up
5 users have voted.
dystopian's picture

Hi all,

I got the spider right off, could be that 'Common Spiders of N.A.' on my desk ... The rest looks like some herbage poking through fog or smoke. I hope that is not what it looks like outside!

And now for something completely different...
Much of inland south Texas (interior of coastal prairies/plains) is commonly called 'the brush country'. It is Tamaulipan thorn-scrub habitat. Many Mexican species reach the northern limit of their range in south Texas. There are over a dozen species for which south Texas is the only place in the U.S. to see them. The north end of the brush country is just north of Hwy 90, which runs CA to FL of course. Went the 20 miles south into it for a wee bit o birding last weekend. Everything you see there is through branches, sticks, twigs, and such.

This is a Long-billed Thrasher, similar the eastern N.A.'s Brown Thrasher but a south Texas specialty.
lbt010520a.jpg

This is a Harris's Hawk. They range west to AZ and recently even CA rarely.
harshk010520b.jpg

This is an Olive Sparrow, a subtropical sparrow that reaches south Texas.
olvsprw010520a.jpg

This is a Green Jay flying away.
grnjay010520b.jpg

Green Jay is IMHO one of the fanciest birds found in America. Bright colors in dappled sun can act as a sort of camouflage.
grnjay010520c.jpg

Hope all are doing well, and you still have some resolutions to break!

up
9 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

janis b's picture

@dystopian

Ironically, and fortunately, the sky is more clear than it's been in weeks.

I never knew before, that there was such a bird as the green jay, beautiful colour! Glad your birding was so rewarding.

up
4 users have voted.
Socialprogressive's picture

@dystopian
I love getting to see critters that I don't get to see here.

up
4 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

edg's picture

It's mistletoe berries on the left and pieces of tumbleweed branch on the right. At least that's my Arizona interpretation.

up
2 users have voted.
dystopian's picture

@edg It's Mistletoe and Mesquite - I presume you are referring to the Harris's Hawk pic. A lot of south Texas does somewhat resemble southern AZ. Lusher, and denser of vegetation I'd say from the additional rainfall, but that Sonoran desert after the monsoons gets pretty lush too. The Chihuahuan Desert is the next one east of Sonoran, and Tamaulipan thorn-scrub is the next habitat east of the Chihuahuan Desert (ignoring the montane habitats).

up
1 user has voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

janis b's picture

@dystopian

mistletoe and mesquite and montane. I so appreciate your knowledge of and enhancement of nature. It always leaves me with a greater, more life-affirming sensation.

up
1 user has voted.
janis b's picture

@edg

They are actually samples of two different varieties of NZ trees, one native and one endemic, photographed through glass.

What, no cactus or kitty photos!

up
1 user has voted.
wendy davis's picture

what's your password? 'no, that's not an email address'; we'll email you so you an change your password.' waited an hour, finally posted it in a free wordpress site i keep for overflow things... i'll see if this works crap as the photo is:

seems it worked. ; ) she's under the window now again... not her sibling, though.

Immature Red Fox Variant

up
3 users have voted.
dystopian's picture

@wendy davis Glad to see you got it going! That looks like a Gray Fox. I don't know where you are but they are found across much of N.A. except northern plains and Rockies. I know Red Fox has a 'black' phase variant that is rare, but I am not aware of a Red Fox that looks like this. I am reasonably certain this is a Gray Fox. My wife and I have had some around a couple places we lived. They got pretty tame, and would scavange our mulch pile. Love your pic! Thanks for your perseverance!

up
1 user has voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

wendy davis's picture

@dystopian

and bony knees for tree-climbing. nor do greys have bushy tails. i assure you this is a red variant (although immature). we have greys as well, and reds are considered to be an 'invasive species' to some.

i will say mr.wd and i argue about it, but...he's wrong! ; ) glad you liked her pic.

up
1 user has voted.
dystopian's picture

@wendy davis Red vs. Gray Fox ID can be tricky, but there are a few diagnostic characters which should be the focus of a correct identification.

Key field ID characters of Red Fox include black legs and a white tail tip. Another is a longer more pointed like snout, very doglike in appearance. Gray Fox has a shorter snout creating a more cat like face and appearance. Red Fox is the long legged one, Gray Fox legs are much shorter. Its curved claws are what allow it to climb trees. Gray Fox tail is equally bushy as Red Fox tail, none consider this an ID character.

Here are some links showing these distinguishing characters.
https://emammal.si.edu/north-carolinas-candid-critters/blog/confusing-ca...

===
https://www.pgc.pa.gov/Education/WildlifeNotesIndex/pages/foxes.aspx

The red fox has long, reddish-orange fur slightly darkened on the back, black ears, legs and feet, and a long, bushy, white-tipped tail. The gray fox has a grizzled gray coat, somewhat coarser than the reds, with buff-colored underfur. The gray's tail also is long and bushy, with a black streak running down its length and a black tip. The red fox typically has a white tail tip, no matter the color phase or shade of red fur (which also varies slightly in individual animals).
===

good photos of the two here: note Red Fox has mostly black legs and white tail tip.

https://www.cheltenhamtownship.org/files/documents/document1460334230619...

The one sure way to tell them apart is the white tip of a Red Fox's tail
====

This one mentions Gray Fox has SHORTER LEGS, not longer, than Red Fox which is correct.
https://www.mass.gov/service-details/learn-about-foxes

They (Red Fox) are recognized by their reddish coat and black “leg-stockings.”

The gray fox appears smaller than the red fox, but the shorter legs and stockier body are deceptive. Compared to the red fox, the gray fox has a shorter muzzle and shorter ears, as well as oval pupils.
==========

https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Sierra-Nevada-Red-Fox/Ident...

Sierra Nevada Red Fox Identification Red Fox, Gray Fox, or Coyote?
Red Fox
photo of Sierra Nevada red fox with arrows pointing at ears and tail tip
photo of running Sierra Nevada red fox with arrows pointing at ears and tail tip

Tail tip: WHITE
Tail length: LONG (nearly body length)
Back of ear: BLACK
Body color varies

Gray Fox
photo of gray fox with arrows pointing at ears and tail tip
Tail tip: BLACK
Tail length: LONG (nearly body length)
Back of ear: ORANGE
Back and tail generally silvery gray

with love,
dystopian

up
0 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

janis b's picture

@wendy davis

I’m so glad you succeeded, and that you have fox visiting you.

I have a special fondness for juvenile fox. Most nights at bedtime (for years), my former husband would tell our daughter ‘little girl fox’ stories. They were full of playfulness and mischief, and always entertaining.

Fortunately for all the lambs here, NZ has no foxes.

Have a warm and cosy weekend, wendy and md.

up
1 user has voted.