The Photographers thread: Show us your stuff!!

[Xichado]

Just another lovely sunset in London Town 

[KC]

^ Except for the time of day, this could be ...

Earth has not any thing to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!

[Matt]

Gorgeous shot!

[AKA23]

Very nice photo, Xichado!

[Jed Cooper]

Walking In Malden

Sunday, September 20, 2020

After my brief hangover passed me by, I went for a walk Sunday afternoon.  It was beautiful out.  As I approach the baseball diamond on the corner of Bryant and Cross Streets, I?m instantly transported back in time to my junior high years at Lincoln School, which used to be only feet away until it was demolished. 

The sight of the grass and the clouds are beautiful as I continue to the walking path, seating area and school markers.  Passing them I see flowers at the corner of Cross and Henry Streets, where, in 2015 I lived for 20 months. 

Funny where life leads you, whether you choose the path or not.  2015 was not a move by choice but 2020 is.  I don?t plan on being where I just located to forever.  It?s a gamble, a roll of the dice I had to take because my instinct and gut told me it was the right thing to do, and the right time.
































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[Matt]

This week, Mars is as close to us as it will be for 15 years -- and during a full moon it is quite a sight. Check it out tonight, if you can. It actually looks a lot closer to the moon than this zoomed in image makes it appear.

[Christopher]

This is the first I've heard about Mars being visible. I did notice the moon, of course, when I was out a little bit ago.

And that photo is great!

[Jed Cooper]

Nothing spectacular, just inspired to write down the first thoughts that came to me that morning.

God, January 9, 2021

I look out the window this morning and bear witness to God?s presence.  It?s in the wind, gently breezing through the trees.  It?s in the little squirrel I see scurry by.  It?s on the ground with all of His creations.  It?s in the beautiful blue sky as I cherish memories of Ma and Dad, Uncle Fred, Uncle Johnny, my grandparents and friend, Mike Sormanti.  I am humbled and happy, and thank God for another day.









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[Matt]

I posted some pictures from West Virginia's New River Gorge a few years back when I visited. This is one of the most gorgeous places I've ever been. I noticed that this area is our nation's newest designated National Park!



https://www.washingtonian.com/2021/01/15/theres-a-stunning-new-national-park-and-its-just-a-few-hours-from-dc/

Driving just beyond this toward PA, I stopped to get this pic:



This was taken before I got my Nikon (all around better camera and lenses). So, I needed a little extra photoshopping to make these pics pop. I'm always concerned I over-photoshop, and try not to go too overboard. Lately one of my biggest pet peeves are overly photoshopped images that enlarge the moon or just really distort the subject in some way where it's more art than photo. I just try to get each image to look as beautiful in a shot as it is in person.

[AKA23]

You are a gifted photographer, Matt. This looks like a beautiful place!

[Matt]

Under 6" of snow and it's still coming down. This is my backyard Cardinal. He's quite a sight with a snowy backdrop.

[Matt]

[KC]

Oh my, Matt! You need to make Christmas cards from those. I'll buy them!

[Matt]

Oh my, Matt! You need to make Christmas cards from those. I'll buy them!

  Awwww, thanks.

Cardinals are skittish creatures, and very territorial. I had a Cardinal for several years that would peck at my back sliding glass door every day, seeing his reflection and thinking it was another Cardinal in his yard. Then, on Christmas morning 2019, he suicide bombed one of my back windows. I ran out there hoping he was okay, but his neck was broken. My heart was broken. I knew that bird. So a few months ago, I decided I wanted another cardinal, and started filling a feeder in the back yard, and then after a few weeks, finally, this one appeared. He only showed up once a week or so, and I didn't know enough about Cardinals to realize I had the wrong feeder, and the wrong seed. They like flat feeders or eating off the ground. So I bought a flat feeder, filled it up, and within a few hours, he was here. I fill it a couple of times a day now, and he is here all day now. He doesn't like me or my camera and I have to shoot through windows because he won't come near the feeder if the sliding doors are open. If he sees me (and he always does manage to see me) he flies off. He's been a challenge to both attract and to photograph, so these photos are particularly fulfilling. His wife comes by in the morning. She's as skittish as he is, so I've gotten only average photos of her, but I'm sure I won't give up until I have one I'm happy with.

[KC]

Maybe with time you'll get Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal to do this ... 

https://twitter.com/lorifaithnyc/status/1362151914436231168

[Matt]

Maybe with time you'll get Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal to do this ... 

https://twitter.com/lorifaithnyc/status/1362151914436231168

Wow, city birds are much more used to people than my country birds. Mine require at least a 20 to 30 foot buffer zone, and no open doors or windows.

Here's the wife -- our snow is melting, so this is probably as good a picture as I'll be getting of her:

[Matt]

[KC]

I want a sweater that color! (top picture).

What bird is that? The other guys too, for that matter.

[AKA23]

Amazing photos, buddy. Love those action shots of the bird in flight.

[Matt]

Amazing photos, buddy. Love those action shots of the bird in flight.

Thanks! I keep trying to get action shots, but having to use a long zoom, my lens is slow, so most action shots come out blurry. (You can get fast lenses in long zooms, but they're in the $2,500+ range - usually for pros and sports photographers. The difference in the more expensive lenses is the amount of light that comes into the lens. The more light that can come in, the faster the shutter speed can be, and the quicker the action without blur. If I were to try to increase the shutter speed with my setup, the photos would come out dark.) So, that's another thing I'm actually kind of enjoying -- the challenge of getting these shots with the equipment I have. It's rewarding when you get a good shot.

I want a sweater that color! (top picture).

What bird is that? The other guys too, for that matter.

These are Common Grackles, in the Blackbird family. I've had crows/blackbirds, but had not seen these guys until feeding to attract the cardinals. These are the undesirables, or bird society's own "basket of deplorables". These are the birds farmers lose their livelihoods over: the #1 thief of corn and crops in the U.S. If we grew anything in my area, my neighbors would seriously take me to task for attracting these. What's crazy is that when they come in, they come in by the dozen. So at any given time, mostly in the afternoon, I can look outside now and see a Hitchcockian scene in the trees, a few on every branch. 

While the birds fighting are both Common Grackles, the more blue one seems to be Purple Grackle. Sometimes I wonder about colorblind ornithologists, since I also have Purple Finchs which are a red hue:




What I like about the fight shot is the little guy sitting there like "I don't see anything" as the seed goes flying around him.