October Sunrise by Chris Snowden Having had two hours sleep our…

October Sunrise by Chris Snowden Having had two hours sleep our one month old daughter would not go back to sleep so at 6.30am we got in our car and took her for a drive. 15 minutes later we watched the sunrise together.

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dramatic sky (GX200) by * Yumi * I love shooting the sky with…

dramatic sky (GX200) by * Yumi * I love shooting the sky with Rocoh GX200. It’s sometimes better than DSLR (previous one)
GX200で空を撮ると、ときどきすごくきれいな写真が撮れる。抜けがよくてクリアな写真が撮れるところがお気に入り。ちなみに1つ前のはほぼ同じ場所をKiss Xで撮ったものです。時間はちょっと違うけど。 http://flic.kr/p/76PER1

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Awosting Falls by gimmeocean Awosting Falls is located in…

Awosting Falls by gimmeocean Awosting Falls is located in Minnewaska State Park Preserve. I spent hours hiking through here back in August. Can’t wait to get back!

From the nysparks.com website: Minnewaska State Park Preserve is situated on the dramatic Shawangunk Mountain ridge, which rises more than 2,000 feet above sea level and is surrounded by rugged, rocky terrain.

The park features numerous waterfalls, three crystalline sky lakes, dense hardwood forests, incising sheer cliffs and ledges opening to beautiful views, clear streams cut into valleys, world-class rock climbing and 35 miles of carriageways and 25 miles of footpaths on which to bike, walk, hike and simply enjoy.

And, all this within an hour and a half drive from New York City. See more at: http://ift.tt/1MfTrOf

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by Ray-1981 http://flic.kr/p/a86sfQ

Clouds over a Spring Preston Marina Sunset by Tony Worrall Foto …

Clouds over a Spring Preston Marina Sunset by Tony Worrall Foto http://flic.kr/p/7Y4jzf

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Changing Weather by Kevin Rodde Photography …

Changing Weather by Kevin Rodde Photography http://flic.kr/p/aN7hur

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Red Sky Sunset by Edmond Terakopian Red Sky Sunset over west…

Red Sky Sunset by Edmond Terakopian Red Sky Sunset over west London. August 30, 2013. Photo: Edmond Terakopian http://flic.kr/p/fETuZV

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Peripheral Vision by jasontheaker One of the most rewarding joys…

Peripheral Vision by jasontheaker One of the most rewarding joys of landscape photography for me is way it catalyzes calming, almost elementally humbling feelings. When in such locations as this shot, (Flambrough head at low tide) I feel profoundly immersed in nature and genuinely emotionally centred. It just feels ‘so right’ on many different levels. (Sorry to sound a bit like a new age eco warier so early in this post, but even the most emotionally hard street photographers amongst you, should just try at least once placing yourself in such environments to see how it feels…)

Anyway, not only does this environment help me feel calm and centred, but the very act of photographing it, offers the added caveat of immense exhilaration. Putting oneself into this dynamic environment, at dusk, at the very edge of acceptable safety, dodging waves, wading just that bit too far out and second guessing the incoming tide, has the stimulating ability to sharpen the mind. Let’s not forget dealing with the anxious feelings knowing that you’re mobile is out of signal and any form of human insurance left hours ago. Let’s not stress either, about the long slippery walk over wet seaweed encrusted rocks back to the car in the dark, (unless of course you slip within the tidal range), but your most probably going to end up alive in the morning.

But just reflecting for a moment, I’m sure that I wouldn’t make the considerably arduous effort and experience the feelings of excitement and anxiety associated with pushing oneself to the edge of acceptable risk, if I wasn’t doing it for a photographic reason. In part, it’s the very risk taking itself that inspires the deep humbling feelings of connectivity with the natural surroundings. I wouldn’t be doing this, (or experiencing what I am) if it were not for the fact that I am attempting to record the feeling photographically. Yes I could connect with my inner calma and tune my sharks in other ways and do yoga overlooking a setting sun to really connect with the oneness of nature, (believe me I’ve seen people doing it) but I wouldn’t be pushing myself towards feeling this unique type of exhilaration. It would be a little strange to be there at dusk sometimes a little too deep in choppy seas, really observing the natural rhythms of nature without having a reason for looking. The desire to seek out this in our environment, even with camera gear strapped to my back, has actually helped catalyse a deeper feel a oneness with the environment. It’s as close to a meditation experience I can admit to here in public. Anyway as I said, there are many reasons for my photographic obsessing, but in part anyway this exhilaration is often overlooked as one of those justifications.

Now turning to this shot in greater depth, the range of subtle colours generated in this location amazed me. Flambrough is fundamentally white chalk cliffs and this does wondrous things to the reflected and refracted light, especially in the water. Light just bounces around, even when there isn’t much around, creating much more depth and range of colours. With this particular evening the sunset didn’t really materialise, (shame as the previous evening there was a speculator dramatic light show but for the sake of my marriage, I only saw it through my peripheral vision) but in a gritted teeth mature way, I’m kind of glad that I ended up here on this evening. It offered me the opportunity to appreciate the subtler more calming experiences. Something that as I get older I’m enjoying much more, who knows I may even put the camera on timed release next time and adopt the lotus position to record my tree hugging development.http://flic.kr/p/6zo9PU

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The Sunset That Never Happened by Extra Medium Yesterday I was…

The Sunset That Never Happened by Extra Medium Yesterday I was treated to a wonderful visit from one of the most sincere people on the planet. Doug was in the area on a family vacation for Spring Break. Well, I shouldn’t say that. They were in the same state as me, but still 80+ miles away to the south. He was nice enough to come up yesterday, through the traffic of LA and let me use/touch/feel some of his awesome equipment. He has quite the collection and is ready for just about any wedding, sunset, barn, kid or anything else. He set up his Alien Bee, let me play with his Singh-Ray filters, his D300 and everything else. He even tried to explain his calculus-like method for photo processing. I used to consider myself somewhat smart, but his technique of layers, multiple-sharpening, and RAW conversions had my head spinning like a broken bobble-head toy.

We finished our meetup with a trek down to the beach in hopes of a cloud-inspired dramatic sunset. We didn’t get it. The wind from earlier in the day blew away our dramatic sunset, but with some crafty techniques, filters, tripods and a splash or 3 from the Pacific, we were blessed with a few good shots. I know his will blow mine away, but it was fun nonetheless.

As we were leaving the beach, in the darkness I saw a long rock moving on the beach. It was inching up the sand like a worm. Coming closer I realized it was a Sea Lion. Not sure if it was hurt, sad, hungry, cold or just bored, but it was very friendly, slithering where ever we went. If I didn’t have a phobia of wild animals, I would have pet him or perhaps tried to sand wrestle him, but instead called Animal Control who eventually told me this behavior was normal, for upto half a day.

I have my weekend free from photographic obligations, so I think I’m going to take advantage of that, and cut my kids hair. Maybe I’ll have a cocktail before I begin.

NOT HDR. I did bracket 3 shots and then manually blended them. I think it has a more realistic look. I was also using a Cokin GND filter for the sky, but don’t think it did much at this point.http://flic.kr/p/6aPY5m

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Close to the Edge by Heavens Gate (John) Beachy Head Sussex…

Close to the Edge by Heaven`s Gate (John) Beachy Head, Sussex, England.
This is England’s most famous suicide location, the spectacular 500ft high chalk cliffs in the south downs national park.http://flic.kr/p/xn4zWE

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