Your R System Images - December 2025

[THXGEEK]

So where are all the XMAS lights??!?

Here are some from my neighborhood!

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[Chris Summers]

Last night was the photo shoot I enjoy doing the most each year. Our community photo club does this shoot every year for a local school for special needs teens and adults. They hold a dance for them and everyone lines up to see Santa, it's pretty fast paced so I have to be ready to capture perfect expressions. Santa was great, very animated and engaged well with each person he saw.

I love the innocent excitement on the faces of all who come to see Santa. Some tell him what they want for Christmas, others pull out their phones and show him their detailed lists.

I was impressed with some of the wishes they expressed, one wanted world peace, another said he just wanted everyone to be positive, one said he hoped everyone would love Jesus. One young man said he wanted an Apple watch and Santa asked how he could wear an apple on his wrist and it was good he didn't want a pineapple watch which brought a lot of laughter.

One young lady told Santa she wanted music for Christmas, and that she loved to sing. So Santa asked her to sing a song and she sat thinking. Santa suggested Felice Navidad. She sang the whole song with a duet by Santa.

For me, things like this are what Christmas is all about.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

A few of my favorites from the photo shoot:

 

[ShipleyNW]

My wife and daughter went into Seattle to watch a play yesterday. I volunteered to drive. Figured I could spend a couple of hours looking for shots while they were in the theater. I've got an R10 and I bought an RF-S 18-150 six months ago and haven't really used it much. I went to Seattle hoping to give it an honest workout.

This isn't a review of that lens. The lens was fine. It's not fast. It's not L-glass sharp. But it is small and light and unobtrusive, with a great focal-length range and makes pictures that clean up nicely in post. My main problem was with the rain. It wasn't atmospheric river rain, but it was December in the PNW rain. I got clothes for rain, so I went anyway. It made picture taking tough, but the lens held up its end.

Local holiday performers at the Center House. At least it was dry in there.

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Squid Cage

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Arena Gulls

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Golden hour in December at Seattle Center.

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[PKM-UK]

So where are all the XMAS lights??!?

Here are some from my neighborhood!

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Hi Craig,

Fantastic! A wonderful set of vibrant and creative festive images (if pushed we'd pick #6 as our absolute favourite!).

Thank you for sharing - Happy Christmas!...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

Last night was the photo shoot I enjoy doing the most each year. Our community photo club does this shoot every year for a local school for special needs teens and adults. They hold a dance for them and everyone lines up to see Santa, it's pretty fast paced so I have to be ready to capture perfect expressions. Santa was great, very animated and engaged well with each person he saw.

I love the innocent excitement on the faces of all who come to see Santa. Some tell him what they want for Christmas, others pull out their phones and show him their detailed lists.

I was impressed with some of the wishes they expressed, one wanted world peace, another said he just wanted everyone to be positive, one said he hoped everyone would love Jesus. One young man said he wanted an Apple watch and Santa asked how he could wear an apple on his wrist and it was good he didn't want a pineapple watch which brought a lot of laughter.

One young lady told Santa she wanted music for Christmas, and that she loved to sing. So Santa asked her to sing a song and she sat thinking. Santa suggested Felice Navidad. She sang the whole song with a duet by Santa.

For me, things like this are what Christmas is all about.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

A few of my favorites from the photo shoot:


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Hi Chris,

Wonderful. The joy of Christmas in its finest sense - sharing the love!

(And how on earth you got Santa to pay a visit we'll never know... ).

Thank you for sharing - Happy Christmas!...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

My wife and daughter went into Seattle to watch a play yesterday. I volunteered to drive. Figured I could spend a couple of hours looking for shots while they were in the theater. I've got an R10 and I bought an RF-S 18-150 six months ago and haven't really used it much. I went to Seattle hoping to give it an honest workout.

This isn't a review of that lens. The lens was fine. It's not fast. It's not L-glass sharp. But it is small and light and unobtrusive, with a great focal-length range and makes pictures that clean up nicely in post. My main problem was with the rain. It wasn't atmospheric river rain, but it was December in the PNW rain. I got clothes for rain, so I went anyway. It made picture taking tough, but the lens held up its end.

Local holiday performers at the Center House. At least it was dry in there.
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Squid Cage
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Arena Gulls
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Golden hour in December at Seattle Center.
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Hi Ken,

A terrific set of images to showcase your new tech (and talents!).

Thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

Regular thread readers may recall we typically visit Castleton, Derbyshire, England in December each year to wander the nearby hills, visit the Christmas Tree Festival at St. Edmunds Church in the village - and to get completely soaked (rain and/ or snow, sometimes with ice covered trails, featuring in the festive fun).

Castleton is a small village (population 642 in 2011) situated at the western end of the Hope Valley in the High Peak District of Derbyshire. It is the only place in the world where the semi-precious stone ‘Blue John’ can be found and there are various mine caverns sited around the village. The tree festival runs through November into December and showcases around 50 trees decorated by local groups, mine caverns and other businesses.

Having, basically, photographed the festival from most angles over the years, we chose to vary things this year by shooting in Monochrome profile - albeit in raw format, which is partly reflected in some of the edits.

(Montages are: R5 - Phil and R7 - Karen. Software: DxO PL Elite/ Nik Collection/ FilmPack, Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels and Topaz Labs Studio).

Happy Christmas to all forum members!

Phil and Karen


It's beginning to look a lot like...

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[Plamen_11]

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[PKM-UK]

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Hi Plamen,

Beautifully captured and controlled live performance images (#2 being our favourite - superb eye catch-light).

Well done - and thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[NGauger101010]

I had a few minutes to myself on Christmas Eve, so I took in the Sunset.
A few of them were invaded by seagulls. Really Pretty!!!!

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[klaspavel]

A late afternoon view of a limestone quarry. The material for the local cement plant has been mined here for 150 years.

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[Arbarthisti]

Images from our recent return to Brodsworth Hall, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.

(The hall itself had been closed for the winter the day before our original visit, the entire area was fog bound and - of course - we got completely soaked).

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite/ ViewPoint, Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels and Topaz Labs Photo AI. Compilations are a mix of R7 - Karen and R5 - Phil).

You can find out more about Brodsworth Hall by clicking Here.

Phil and Karen

Service Announcement: We will shortly be departing on our final Frank-Fest of the year (which traditionally ends up with us getting completely soaked). We will be unable to post any feedback until after we return (and dry out). In the meantime, have lots of fun!


1. Brodsworth Hall was built between 1861 and 1863 for Charles Sabine Augustus Thellusson, whose great-grandfather Peter Thellusson, a merchant and banker, had bought the estate and the existing Georgian House in 1791.

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2. Sadly, it is believed Peter Thellusson derived a substantial part of his wealth from the utterly abhorrent transatlantic slave economy.

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3. When he died in 1797 Thellusson left what has been described as one of the most spectacularly vindictive wills in British history, leaving the bulk of his fortune in trust for as yet unborn descendants. (The ensuing protracted legal battles between family members seemed to benefit the lawyers and trustees most).

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4. The result of Peter Thellusson’s will for Brodsworth was the estate was managed and enjoyed mainly by the trustees, probably with little investment in the house, for half a century.

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5. When Charles Sabine Augustus Thellusson and his wife Georgina, eventually inherited the Thellusson fortune they commissioned an entirely new Italianate mansion to be built elsewhere on the estate between 1861 and 1863. This is the current Brodsworth Hall.

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6. By 1990 Brodsworth had fallen into disrepair and the house and gardens were given to English Heritage, with almost all of the contents of the house being bought by the National Heritage Memorial Fund and then transferred to English Heritage.

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(Sources: English Heritage, Wikipedia).

Was born just a stones thro from Brodsworth Hall, remarkable place.

 

[David Berry]

Little Corella​

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Christmas Eve, when the lawn was mown, is almost a week ago, so now when the small cockatoos search for something to eat (grass roots?) their feet are lost from view. Even during the holiday season legless birds are not what I want to photograph.

'Just fly!' No; that would have to wait until I rested my arm from holding a heavy lens! Such is life.

Fortunately, this dapper individual (corellas 'delight' in being members of raucous mobs) chose to strut across a section of the lawn that had been rather savagely shorn pre-festivities. It would have suffice as the day's best photo opportunity.

Zygodactyl feet — two toes forward; two toes back — produce a distinctive gait for parrots crossing open ground.

Thanks for looking.
… David

 

[StevenAunan]

Ice cream after Christmas in Maastricht, Netherlands.

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[ShipleyNW]

'Twas a sky day on Saturday. I was hoping for overnight snow, but other than a dusting at higher elevations, no dice. We did get a thick cover of thick, variegated cloud cover (is that the right word?) that hung around for most of the morning, so I spent most of my time looking for stuff to put in front of that.

Saturday also afforded me the opportunity to take my new RF 14-35mm/4 out for its maiden voyage. I've had it for a couple of weeks now (Black Friday refurb purchase) but this weekend was the first time I had it mounted up

The day started with the sun peaking over the mountains and below the clouds, giving a glorious golden light that lasted for about 10 minutes.

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Then the sun all but disappeared above the clouds, giving this...

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[PKM-UK]

I had a few minutes to myself on Christmas Eve, so I took in the Sunset.
A few of them were invaded by seagulls. Really Pretty!!!!

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Hi Mike,

A truly glorious Christmas Eve, beautifully captured, with shots #1 and 4 being our joint favourites. (Agree about the gulls - a pleasing bonus feature!).

Thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

A late afternoon view of a limestone quarry. The material for the local cement plant has been mined here for 150 years.

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Hi Pavel,

An intriguing and strangely captivating composition - the colour palette is a wonderful combination.

Well found and caught - thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

Little Corella​

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Christmas Eve, when the lawn was mown, is almost a week ago, so now when the small cockatoos search for something to eat (grass roots?) their feet are lost from view. Even during the holiday season legless birds are not what I want to photograph.

'Just fly!' No; that would have to wait until I rested my arm from holding a heavy lens! Such is life.

Fortunately, this dapper individual (corellas 'delight' in being members of raucous mobs) chose to strut across a section of the lawn that had been rather savagely shorn pre-festivities. It would have suffice as the day's best photo opportunity.

Zygodactyl feet — two toes forward; two toes back — produce a distinctive gait for parrots crossing open ground.

Thanks for looking.
… David

Hi David,

Your patience (and aching arm) was well rewarded with this wonderful shot of a beautiful creature.

(The backstory being both fascinating and grin inducing - the perfect combination for the viewer!).

Thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

'Twas a sky day on Saturday. I was hoping for overnight snow, but other than a dusting at higher elevations, no dice. We did get a thick cover of thick, variegated cloud cover (is that the right word?) that hung around for most of the morning, so I spent most of my time looking for stuff to put in front of that.

Saturday also afforded me the opportunity to take my new RF 14-35mm/4 out for its maiden voyage. I've had it for a couple of weeks now (Black Friday refurb purchase) but this weekend was the first time I had it mounted up

The day started with the sun peaking over the mountains and below the clouds, giving a glorious golden light that lasted for about 10 minutes.

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Then the sun all but disappeared above the clouds, giving this...

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Hi Ken,

Ooh, we l-o-v-e dramatic skies combined with 'foregrounds of interest', so this set was particularly pleasing - image #1 just shading it as our favourite.

(Congratulations on your new tech, you're going to have a lot of fun with that lens - we love our RF14-35mm f/4).

Thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

Our final post for this month (and year!) features images from our visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.

(Shot raw and - creatively - processed using: DxO PL Elite/ Nik Collection, Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels and Topaz Labs Studio 2. Karen used our Sony RX10 IV on this trip after kindly donating her R7 to Phil - who was awaiting the arrival of a new R5 mkII - so you’re stuck with Phil’s images).

You can find out more about the Yorkshire Sculpture Park by clicking Here.

Phil and Karen


1. The park is situated in the grounds of Bretton Hall, an 18th-century estate which was a family home until the mid-20th century when it became Bretton Hall College. (The Colledge closed in 2007 and the Hall, now owned by Wakefield Council, is ‘awaiting refurbishment').

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2. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is the largest sculpture park in Europe.

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3. The Park was founded in 1977 by Sir Peter Murray (CBE) and features a changing, rather than permanent, exhibition programme.

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4. The Park hosts a significant collection of works, currently including pieces by Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Hemali Bhuta, Roger Hiorns, Damien Hirst, Kimsooja, Marc Quinn, Hank Willis Thomas and Erwin Wurm, and site-specific works by Andy Goldsworthy, Alfredo Jaar, David Nash, Sean Scully and James Turrell.

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5. Across its 48-year history, the Park has worked with over 1,000 artists from more than 40 countries.

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6. The Park was named Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2014 and awarded the 2023 Visitor Attraction of the Year and Cultural Award in the Yorkshire Post Tourism Awards.

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(Sources: Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wikipedia).

 

[StevenAunan]

Outside the Christmas Market in Maastricht, Netherlands. I think this image deserves a better treatment than a simple crop. I'll have to think about it...

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[PKM-UK]

Outside the Christmas Market in Maastricht, Netherlands. I think this image deserves a better treatment than a simple crop. I'll have to think about it...

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Hi Steven,

Well seen and caught. As you observe, an image which - though of interest in its own right - certainly gets you thinking about the creative possibilities...

Thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[StevenAunan]

2Be Bar, home of the Beer Wall, Bruges, Belgium. The Orval Trappist beer is expensive but worth every Euro.

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[PKM-UK]

2Be Bar, home of the Beer Wall, Brussels, Belgium. The Orval Trappist beer is expensive but worth every Euro.

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Hi Steven,

Wonderful!

Of course, we're now aching to go and grab a beer - be it ever so humble (relatively).

Thank you for sharing - and 'Cheers!'...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

Ice cream after Christmas in Maastricht, Netherlands.

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Hi Steven,

While showing Karen through the thread this evening (during a break in the darts) I realised I’d somehow leapfrogged your post in my earlier catch-up session… So, with apologies, a wonderfully imaginative shot showing a different reflection of street life. Top drawer creativity.

Very well seen and captured - thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[dgphoto8]

A few photos to finish the year. The first is an HDR B&W photo of the Veterans War Memorial on top of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts.

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The next is a photo from our fall foliage trip, where I was able to capture the setting moon over a mountain ridge.

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An immature horned lark that entertained me while we were in Vermont. My wife was off photographing foliage across the field and two of these birds landed near me and were feeding in the field. They got so accustomed to me that they started moving too close for my 800 mm lens, so I had to keep moving back.

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This is what my wife was doing while I was taking bird photos:

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Wishing everyone a happy new year!

 

[PKM-UK]

A few photos to finish the year. The first is an HDR B&W photo of the Veterans War Memorial on top of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts.
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The next is a photo from our fall foliage trip, where I was able to capture the setting moon over a mountain ridge.
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An immature horned lark that entertained me while we were in Vermont. My wife was off photographing foliage across the field and two of these birds landed near me and were feeding in the field. They got so accustomed to me that they started moving too close for my 800 mm lens, so I had to keep moving back.
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This is what my wife was doing while I was taking bird photos:
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Wishing everyone a happy new year!

Hi Don,

A truly wonderful set of images - punchy B&W, detail rich wildlife, and scintillating landscapes - but that spellbinding moon shot is our absolute favourite!

Well done all round - and thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[MikeCMG]

Huron Basin and the Lowry Theatre at Salford Quays, which is the modern gentrification of the old Manchester Docks. The docks and the Ship Canal fuelled the Industrial Revolution, when Manchester was a major port.

This is my first attempt at nightime pictures with long exposure.

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[PKM-UK]

Huron Basin and the Lowry Theatre at Salford Quays, which is the modern gentrification of the old Manchester Docks. The docks and the Ship Canal fuelled the Industrial Revolution, when Manchester was a major port.

This is my first attempt at nightime pictures with long exposure.

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Hi Mike,

Looks like you had a lot of fun - great compositions all, with wonderful leading lines, colours and reflections.

A fine way to wrap up the month - and year - thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

*** R System Images - December *** Thread Closed…

Another terrific collection of inspirational R System images this month (and year!) - posted from people all around the world and viewed by people all around the world, with an amazing - and humbling - 73,000 views this year (only 72,000 were by us! ). We’ve really enjoyed them (though we can’t always comment on each and every image due to ‘life stuff’ - of which there has been a great deal this year and an avalanche is lined up for next year). A HUGE ‘thank you’ to all of the contributors and commentators - your time and talents are appreciated!

You can continue to post any comments here (well, until the thread gets locked), but the January thread is now open for all new images (including any additional December material).

Phil and Karen