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:

"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:

The same lighthouse from another angle, with surroundings:

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

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

morrobay · 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.

Ibix · Nov 10, 2022

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

morrobay · Nov 11, 2022

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

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:

DennisN · Nov 13, 2022

Spider web no 1:

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

morrobay · Nov 13, 2022

Cattails from a swamp in back beach area

DennisN · Nov 15, 2022

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

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

BillTre · Nov 16, 2022

Lucky shot:

morrobay · Nov 18, 2022

Amazing photo ^ BilTre

BillTre · Nov 18, 2022

morrobay said:

Amazing photo ^ BilTre

From the internet.

DennisN · Nov 18, 2022

Three windows on a church:

DennisN · Nov 18, 2022

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

morrobay · Nov 20, 2022

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)

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!

morrobay · Nov 26, 2022

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

morrobay · Nov 26, 2022

morrobay · Nov 28, 2022

Balmy Jomtien beach before the rain.

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?

morrobay · 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.

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:

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.

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.

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):