Your R System Images - December 2023

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It's been years since I've been to the UK and your "travel" photo logs make me yearn. Maybe it's time to plan a vacation.
 
It's been years since I've been to the UK and your "travel" photo logs make me yearn. Maybe it's time to plan a vacation.
Hi Mike,

Maybe I should apply for sponsorship from the tourist board... :LOL:

(Having said that, I'd be cautious about recommending that you join us on this forthcoming weekend's trip which is looking like being a major drench-fest).

This was our first visit to Whitby Abbey and getting there early (we were the first ones through the door) helped as there was only ourselves and two other photographers there for quite a while - amusingly, we all kept politely ducking and diving to avoid getting in each other's shots! (You can spot one of them in image #5 unwittingly being used as 'man gazing in awe'). We were also very lucky that a huge party of school kids was syphoned off for a lengthy lecture.

The town and harbour are well worth a visit and both are highly recommended.

Phil
 
Some recent re-edits from various zoo visits - basically coffee time meanderings trying out different techniques and adjustments.

(s/w: Adobe Lightroom Classic/ Photoshop with Tony Kuyper TK-9 Panels, DxO Nik Collection Silver Efex and Topaz Labs Studio 2).

*** Note - we're away in 'Frank' for a few days (getting completely soaked in the final drench-fest of the year... :rolleyes: ), so no feedback from us until we return. ***

P&K


Lost in thought... (Twycross Zoo, Leicestershire, England).

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OK, OK - I take back what I said about your mother... (Chester Zoo, Chester, England).

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People watching... (Chester Zoo).

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Look, it's still a bit early - can you come back in an hour (or two)... (Chester Zoo).

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Some recent re-edits from various zoo visits - basically coffee time meanderings trying out different techniques and adjustments.

(s/w: Adobe Lightroom Classic/ Photoshop with Tony Kuyper TK-9 Panels, DxO Nik Collection Silver Efex and Topaz Labs Studio 2).

*** Note - we're away in 'Frank' for a few days (getting completely soaked in the final drench-fest of the year... :rolleyes: ), so no feedback from us until we return. ***

P&K


Lost in thought... (Twycross Zoo, Leicestershire, England).

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OK, OK - I take back what I said about your mother... (Chester Zoo, Chester, England).

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People watching... (Chester Zoo).

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Look, it's still a bit early - can you come back in an hour (or two)... (Chester Zoo).

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Nice detail.
 
Nice detail.
Hi Only RF,

Cheers - appreciated!

Two of the (many) adjustments in Silver Efex I was trying out were 'Contrast' and 'Structure', which can both produce pleasing effects with fur/ feathers etc..

Phil
 
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Yesterday our local photo club of which I am a member took pictures of kids with Santa for one of the neighborhoods within our boundaries. One of our members had already volunteered to be the photographer but several of us came to help get the backdrop and lights set up. The Santa was a nice fellow that I had a good chat with. Here are 2 shots I took while sitting nearby. First is our photographer who went over to get one shot with Santa, the second is of 2 really cute little girls; you can see the excitement in their faces upon being with Santa! Hard to believe but the lady taking the pictures is in her late 70's! We used 2 LED video lights with diffuser soft boxes on them.
 

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There's a shag (aka cormorant) eating the goldfish in our garden pond, but the little bastard is (so far) non-cooperative as a photographic subject. One of our bellbirds was shy, but at least let me get one shot...

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Female korimako/bellbird (Anthornis melanura) on flax (Phormium tenax) flower spike.

NZ flax or harakeke produces huge flower spikes every year, and lots of nectar to feed birds.
 
At the end of my afternoon walk I came upon some mallard ducks having a splash party.
 

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Yesterday our local photo club of which I am a member took pictures of kids with Santa for one of the neighborhoods within our boundaries. One of our members had already volunteered to be the photographer but several of us came to help get the backdrop and lights set up. The Santa was a nice fellow that I had a good chat with. Here are 2 shots I took while sitting nearby. First is our photographer who went over to get one shot with Santa, the second is of 2 really cute little girls; you can see the excitement in their faces upon being with Santa! Hard to believe but the lady taking the pictures is in her late 70's! We used 2 LED video lights with diffuser soft boxes on them.
Hi Chris,

The joys of Christmas personified - absolutely magical... :)

P&K
 
A couple of gets taken in Costa Rica. Brown morph of Eyelash Viper as well as a Yellow Eylelash Viper and a Red-eyed Tree Frog December 1, 2023

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Hi Art,

We're kind of hoping Santa brings us a thesaurus for Christmas, because we're starting to run out of superlatives with your wonderful images.

Absolutely stunning work once again - thank you for sharing... :)

P&K
 
There's a shag (aka cormorant) eating the goldfish in our garden pond, but the little bastard is (so far) non-cooperative as a photographic subject. One of our bellbirds was shy, but at least let me get one shot...

View attachment 22991
Female korimako/bellbird (Anthornis melanura) on flax (Phormium tenax) flower spike.

NZ flax or harakeke produces huge flower spikes every year, and lots of nectar to feed birds.
Hi Gareth,

Your description of the cormorant was a little unhelpful to Phil (who made the mistake of reading it while eating his breakfast egg and bacon muffin)... :LOL:

Hopefully your patience will overcome this subject's reticence and we'll get to see the cause of all the trouble eventually - but in the meantime, what a little cutie you captured so beautifully. Such intense eyes.

Thank you for sharing (and for making us both giggle!)... :)

P&K
 
We’re back from another thoroughly soggy Frank-Fest - this time in Castleton, in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England, with named storms Elin and Fergus helping to make it all the more memorable (the first featuring several hours of alarming train wreck level gales which thundered down the Hope Valley before crashing through the campsite, leaving tree debris and flooded roads in their wake. Happy days... :cool:).

As we continue to dry out, here are a few images from our recent visit to Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. (Note the numerous 'rain'bows... :rolleyes:).

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PhotoLab Elite/ ViewPoint and Adobe Lightroom Classic/ Photoshop with TK-9 Panels).

You can find out more about the history of Scarborough Castle by clicking Here.

Phil and Karen


1. Scarborough Castle stands on a huge promontory and was founded by William le Gros, Count of Aumâle, created Earl of York by King Stephen in 1138. In 1159 King Henry II began to rebuild the castle while establishing a new town beneath its walls. The great tower, seen here, was built between 1159 and 1169.

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2. Hello. With its own anchorage, Scarborough has long been an important gateway to north-east England and was subject to attacks by Vikings, medieval barons, Tudor rebels and a Parliamentary army during an epic English Civil War siege.

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3. The 16-acre site is thought to have been habited for nearly 3,000 years, including being home to Iron Age and Bronze Age settlements and a Roman Signal Station.

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4. Nearby can be found the grave of Anne Brontë who was an English novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family. She lived most of her life with her family at the parish of Haworth on the Yorkshire moors. She died on May 28, 1849 in Scarborough while visiting the town to try to recover from serious illness, which had struck her the previous winter.

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5. And now for something completely different - back in town, some excerpts of the Blands Cliff Murals. This regeneration project involved local artists who painted the walls in various stages between 2001 and 2004.

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6. The tiles on the walls were decorated by children aged 4 to 7 at Scarborough’s Friarage after school club.

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(Sources: English Heritage and Wikipedia).
 
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Got the bastard... (sorry Phil ;))


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I'm not an expert on the shags of New Zealand, but I think this is probably our most common species, the little shag or kawaupaka (Microcarbo melanoleucos). I think she may have eaten most of the small goldfish in our pond - there were lots of them - but the big fish, of which there were about a dozen, are probably too big for her to eat.
 
As we continue to dry out, here are a few images from our recent visit to Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. (Note the numerous 'rain'bows... :rolleyes:).

I hope the drying out goes well. Postcards of Scarborough (some great images there!) reminds me of the Michael Chapman song: https://youtu.be/lYaxmki2bT4
 
Got the bastard... (sorry Phil ;))


View attachment 23033View attachment 23034

I'm not an expert on the shags of New Zealand, but I think this is probably our most common species, the little shag or kawaupaka (Microcarbo melanoleucos). I think she may have eaten most of the small goldfish in our pond - there were lots of them - but the big fish, of which there were about a dozen, are probably too big for her to eat.
Hi Gareth,

Excellent - well done indeed!

A wonderful looking creature (well, unless you're a small goldfish... 🫣) but quite tricky to capture - shyness aside - given the dynamic range involved here.

Thank you for sharing... :)

P&K
 
I hope the drying out goes well. Postcards of Scarborough (some great images there!) reminds me of the Michael Chapman song: https://youtu.be/lYaxmki2bT4
Hi Gareth,

The drying out is progressing extremely well thank you (we're very well practised!). You're right, that tune sits very nicely with the ambience of our walk into and around Scarborough - it was a day when, wherever we looked, there was a rainbow forming (thankfully, we only got completely soaked once).

We also saw a huge and scintillating double rainbow at Caslteton, where - sadly - we got to experience several meaningful and prolonged drenchings.

(We do it for the buzz... :LOL: ).

P&K
 
We’re back from another thoroughly soggy Frank-Fest - this time in Castleton, in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England, with named storms Elin and Fergus helping to make it all the more memorable (the first featuring several hours of alarming train wreck level gales which thundered down the Hope Valley before crashing through the campsite, leaving tree debris and flooded roads in their wake. Happy days... :cool:).
Hi Phil,
that's another fine set (beautiful photos) and a great history lesson as well. Thanks!
 
Hi Phil,
that's another fine set (beautiful photos) and a great history lesson as well. Thanks!
Hi Mike,

Cheers - much appreciated!

We like to include a bit of blurb as it adds context - plus, it helps to remind us what it is we've actually seen (it can get lost in the mix on the longer tours).

P&K
 
Hi Art,

We're kind of hoping Santa brings us a thesaurus for Christmas, because we're starting to run out of superlatives with your wonderful images.

Absolutely stunning work once again - thank you for sharing... :)

P&K
Much appreciated :)
 
Images from our recent visit to Whitby Abbey, Whitby, North Yorkshire, England.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PhotoLab Elite/ ViewPoint and Adobe Lightroom Classic/ Photoshop with Tony Kuyper TK-9 Panels).

You can find out more about Whitby Abbey by clicking Here.

Phil and Karen


1. The Whitby headland was settled during the late Bronze Age, after which it is thought to have been occupied by a Roman signal station, a large Anglian community and Danish Vikings.

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2. In about 1078 a monk called Reinfrid founded a monastic community at Whitby and from around 1100 a stone church and conventual buildings were built in the Romanesque style.

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3. In the 13th century the monastery church was rebuilt in the Gothic style. This was a massive undertaking, including major landscaping of the whole site.

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4. The Abbey fell victim to the dissolution of the monasteries (1536-1541) after which the abbey’s buildings and the core of its estates were bought by Sir Richard Cholmley. Ownership of the abbey ruins eventually passed to the Strickland family (descendants of the Cholmley’s).

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5. In 1914 the German High Seas Fleet shelled Whitby and struck the abbey ruins, causing considerable damage to the west front, though this was repaired.

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6. Bram Stoker arrived in Whitby, at the end of July 1890. He was working on a new story, set in Styria in Austria, with a central character called Count Wampyr. While visiting the town’s public library he found a book which mentioned a 15th-century prince called Vlad Tepes who impaled his enemies on wooden stakes. He was known as Dracula – the ‘son of the dragon’. The publication of his novel Dracula in 1897 gave Whitby a major literary association, ensuring the sinister count would forever be associated with the town.

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(Sources: English Heritage).
Cool gets!!
 
Mule Deer Buck and Bighorn Ram. EOSR6 MK2. 500 4.5L USM
Hi Jeff,

Terrific captures of two wonderful creatures - each well posed with the right degree of subject isolation and perfectly complemented by the gentle pastel shades of the backdrop in the first image and the foliage with tumbling leaves in the second. Plenty of interest here to attract and fascinate the viewer.

Thank you for sharing... :)

P&K
 
Bit of a sunset at the farm last night...


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That's a big "Norwest arch", the wave cloud so characteristic of our skies, catching the rays of the setting sun. I do like the 14-35... ;-)
 
CC on puppy spam 1250 shutter speed to slow? Would have been sharper at 2000? took a test shot looked ok so went with it. Puppys hard to phtograph actually for a begginer
 
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