Orange County, Florida
Top photos chosen by u all:
a thousand words
Made by saikiishiki
sorry, it's been awhile again! since the last post (before the xmas~y one), mukha, me and my boyfriend went on an epic journey half way across the country to see our families. that was in november though and i wanted to post pix afterward, and tell stories about the treacherous trip but i was in a state of shock and it took a long time to recover.. trust me, if you read the tales of our travels it will probably shorten your life a little. so, when i finally post some pix, beware of reading the stories! ;q (none of us got hurt or anything, so don't worry!) anyway.. also, mukha had her 4th birthday on 11~22!!! unfortunately, we celebrated by riding in the car all day :( soo, about this pic.. there is so much to say! first of all, i captured mukha doing her special ninja eye technique, (where one of her eyes is focused on me, and the other is just, well.. not ;)) she is so amazing and talented! she is so creative too! she actually helped make the texture i used on this photo! see, i rarely see grasshoppers here, and there was one sitting on the side of our house for a long time so i decided to take a pic of it. mukha was all minding her own business, but i guess she realized i was trying to take a pic of something besides her (we can not have that!) so she came over and tried to attack the grasshopper right when i was taking the pic. i was totally focusing on the grasshopper and didn't even know she was coming. she really scared me and i got this action shot of the wall's texture. it was in the same batch of pix as this one, so i decided to try it as a texture and it worked! hehe, and the reason i even took this pic of mukha to begin with is because i was setting things that i want to sell on craigslist on our table and taking pics of them, but like i said, we can't have that. the camera is for mukha only! she's so cute, she just starts slowly sneaking into the shots by first sniffing whatever i'm taking a pic of and then standing over it until she's completely in between the camera and the object. or she just lays down and poses like in the photo below. :) she does love to be on the table, though! she does it all the time but she still cracks me up every time! ♥love her!♥ i'm trying to get rid of things because we just found out our landlord hasn't paid taxes on our house for 3 years and the house is going up for auction the 7th. and after 5 years of our landlord regularly collecting rent every month, he just stopped collecting it and stopped taking care of the place. then he sent us a text message eviction threat a few months ago. .. before that we messed up our wall a little and decided to paint it and the rest of the room, but we only got some of it done when we got the text threat and decided to stop painting.. so that's why there's one cool painted wall in the pic.. i guess we'll be moving soon :( it would be so great to find a yard as amazing as the one we have now for mukha!!! and a better house! i guess that's about it, except the kimono and the bell on top of the microwave are things my mom gave me on the trip cause she didn't want them anymore.. aawe, and mukha's left ear is in action in both shots, hehe..
Y2 Day 254 - Uncluttered
Made by Ernie E - INACTIVE
EXPLORE, #16 & Explore Front Page! For Flickr Group Roulette challenge, Uncluttered. This isn't some illusion here. That is a big, red wall I'm leaning on right in the middle of downtown Orlando. It happens to be a great spot for portrait or model photography but the empty lot where this is is up for sale so I don't know how long this will stay like this. The photo might be uncluttered but this description isn't. My friend tagged me so now I have to give Nine Random Goals & Facts About Me. This wasn't easy but here you go.... 1) I am an only child to older parents. I do have a half-brother on my dad's side but I only met him once growing up and don't know anything else about my father's side of the family. 2) I'm a full-blooded Filipino but was born and raised in the U.S. My mom immigrated by normal means, my dad through the U.S. Navy. I don't observe Filipino customs which don't cast me in a good light with my relatives over there due to diametrically different Asian & Western customs. 3) Six years ago I 'lost' my mother to Alzeimer's dementia. It was a traumatic period in my life trying to take care of her with help with my aunt and it being my last semester in college. I was an emotional wreck seeing someone I've known and loved turn into someone I didn't recognize. If it wasn't for the support of some friends from my business fraternity, those times could've have easily destroyed me. It still haunts me but at least I'm comforted that she's being cared for by the family back in the Philippines. 4) I am a Pisces by astrological sign but I don't exhibit anything resembling one. Pisces are suppose to be creative and I'm creatively-challenged. I'm more of an analytical person. 5) I am a native San Franciscan but I've been living in Florida for 15 years now. My mom and I moved here because of lower cost of living and friends & family here. I haven't been back to S.F. in that time but I still call it my hometown. 6) I absolutely despise eggplant and liver. Other than that I can eat almost anything. 7) Laziness and procrastination are my prime weaknesses and they've gotten me in trouble on too many occasions. I don't know if I'll ever learn. 8) After 19 years off and on through college I finally got a Bachelors degree but getting 3 other Associates degrees along the way. That was a big monkey off my back. 9) My biggest goal for this year is to get a job. I really don't wanna be loafing off the government, I want to use my college education to make something of myself and contribute to others. Now I'm supposed to tag friends but I'm really lazy to pick out victims so anyone who'd like to take this up, be my guest!
Pistil Power!
Made by iTail ~ Steve Page - Sabbatical
View LARGE or ORIGINAL for detail if you have time! Front Page Explore #1: Camera Finder - Thank You All! 7,181 + Views! The pistil , one of the four basic parts of a flower , the central structure around which are arranged the stamens, the petals, and the sepals. The pistil is usually called the female reproductive organ of a flowering plant, although the actual reproductive structures are microscopic. The pistil has a bulbous base (the ovary) containing the ovules, which develop into seeds after fertilization of egg cell(s) in the ovule. A pistil is composed of one or more highly modified leaves (carpels), each containing one or more ovules. A flower may have one or more simple pistils, each a separate organ, or, in higher orders, a compound pistil, formed of several fused carpels. Usually, there is above the ovary a stalk (the style) bearing on its tip the stigma, where the pollen grains land and germinate (see pollination ). The stigma is often sticky or hairy, to retain the pollen. Evolutionary relationships can often be inferred from the location of the ovary in relation to the other parts of the flower. If the stamens, petals, and sepals are attached beneath the ovary, the flower is hypogynous and the ovary is superior; if they are attached above, the ovary is inferior and the flower epigynous; if the ovary is located in a receptacle at the outer edges of which are attached the other flower parts, it is called superior or half-inferior and the flower perigynous. A flower that has one or more pistils but no stamens (or nonfunctional ones) is called pistillate, or female, as distinguished from a staminate, or male, flower, in which the pistil is nonfunctional or absent. Encyclopedia.com PERUVIAN LILY [G] Alstroemeria ligtu (pink with brown streaks) Alstroemeriaceae, Alstroemeria Family (or Amaryllidaceae, Amaryllis Family) Spirit: Assists meditation on celestial realities, connecting with one's own understanding of higher archangelic realms. Opens the veil between illusory 3D experiences and celestial manifestations beyond; useful for scientists, stargazers, astronomers to restimulate spiritual wonder: the Universe is an expression of divine Grace. Enhances opening to the ecstasy of the moment; opens the mind to incorporate higher realities, cosmic grandeur and spaciousness. Flower Essences
incredible girl resting
Made by saikiishiki
mukha is constantly doing incredible things, but there are 4 extraordinary things she has done recently that i never want to forget. i had to write them down, thought i would share them! about a month ago:. we were playing and she hit my lip really hard with her head. it stunned me and i turned away from her to stabilize. when i turned back around, she looked at me gently and curiously and sniffed towards my lip, then she dropped her toy and gave me a kiss on my hurt lip! it hurt when she did it, but she definitely made the pain go away because i started laughing and being so amazed at how awesome she is! thank you for kissing my booboo mukha! about a week after that:. sometimes she likes to sit by the fence and spy on things in the yard next door. one day she was doing this for about 10 minutes while i was leaning against the trampoline talking to my mom on the phone. suddenly, she turned around and lightly trotted straight over to me, jumped up gently and gave me a kiss right on the lips and then left! it was so deliberate! thank you for being such a lovebug! about a week ago:. it was evening and the sky was pale and dull. usually, at this time, the treetops are bright orange from the sun setting, but they weren't. everything was bla. we were playing when she stopped and looked at the sky. i was trying to get her attention back to playing again. she looked at me and looked back at the same area in the sky, as if to say 'look!' so i turned and saw a flock of flaming orange geese flying low in the sky. their color was so intense and the only color in the sky. they looked huge. it was so beautiful. thank you mukha chan for showing that to me! the day after that:. we were playing in the backyard, she was running back to me with her ball and i was jumping up and down clapping and cheering her on. when she got to me, i was still jumping and she ran under me while i was airborne and she took my legs out and i totally landed on the ground on my side! it was hilarious! it didn't hurt at all, which is really amazing. it happened in such slow motion. i jumped up in a vertical line and landed in a horizontal line. i laughed for the rest of the day about it! thank you mukha for making me laugh so much and not hurting me!
Infidel
Made by danny.hammontree
Although it was raining most of the day, the United for Peace and Justice Anti-war rally at Lake Eola in Orlando, Florida, had a really good turnout. There were many speakers at the event, maybe too many, but the testimony given by Iraqi war veteran Clifton Hicks made it all worth it, as his accounts of what happened during his deployment in Iraq moved many to tears. As the march started, the skies opened up and a deluge of rain came down. The marchers moved through the streets undeterred, and at about a mile into the march, came upon a small group of pro-war protesters that call themselves the Gathering of Eagles. These self proclaimed “real Americans” yelled hateful phrases and gave the old middle finger salute to everyone as they walked by. This conflict was pretty much over before it started, because the ratio of anti-war protesters to pro-war protesters was so great. What: United for Peace and Justice Anti-war National Mobilization When: October 27th 2007 Where: Orlando, Florida at Lake Eola Photo also viewable at deviantART Speakers Include: Michael Albert - activist, author of Remembering Tomorrow: From SDS to Life After Capitalism & founder of Z-Magazine Lucas Benitez - Coalition of Immokalee Workers Debra Booth - AFL-CIO & Central Florida Labor Council Congresswoman Corrine Brown Scott Camil - Veteran for Peace Michael Canney - Green Party of Florida, Co-Chair Matt De Vlieger - SDS @ UCF (M.C. of the day) Denise Diaz - Central Florida Jobs with Justice Senator Mike Gravel - Anti-war Candidate for President '08 Clifton Hicks - Iraq veteran against the war (IVAW) Jesse Kern - Veterans for Peace (Korean War Veteran) Omar Masri - Speaker from UFPJ Steering Committee Peg McIntire (97yo) - Grandparents for Peace, St. Augustine David Rucker - Metropolitan Democratic Black Caucus & former President of the Orange County NAACP Bruce Wright - St. Pete for Peace Lydia Vickers - CodePink
my bloody new couch!
Made by saikiishiki
literally.. well, except for the 'new' part.. it's actually a dumpster couch, but it is new to us! see, our friends that live a few blocks away from us were outside doing yard work when their neighbor's just put this couch out on the curb. i guess everyone can agree that our futon is the most uncomfortable thing in the universe to sit on so they called and asked if we wanted them to grab it and bring it over. the only thing that appeared to be wrong with it was it was missing the middle cushion. but then they went over and asked them if they had it and they actually did! after our friends brought the couch over they said that their neighbor's little girl kept the cushion because she loved the couch so much and didn't want to get rid of it, so she kept a piece of it! she even hugged the couch goodbye when they took it! so sad! :( the couch was in great condition, no blemishes of any kind. but naturally, it didn't stay that way after being in our house for only a few hours. earlier in the day i discovered mukha's hand was bleeding! but it stopped, so i thought it was ok. then, randomly that night it started bleeding again and she jumped right up on the couch, of course. then we doctored her paw up a bit and cleaned up the couch (not really, we just made the stains bigger..). but then a few hours later it happened again, only worse, because she walked on every single cushion!! so now we have all these blood stains all over the couch! they're actually not that bad, because i kept cleaning it every few hours the next day. they're not that noticeable, but they still need to be cleaned more. that night we doctored her paw some more and it was totally healed the next morning! and no more incidents so far! ps~ that hand that's pointing towards the camera is the one that did all the damage! one of her fingers looked like it was cut with glass.. i'm so glad it healed so fast, i thought we were going to have to get stitches or super glue or whatever.
Hibiscus La Bokeh!
Made by iTail ~ Steve Page - Sabbatical
Happy HIBISCUS Bokeh Wednesday... Explored #130 4/14/09 Thanks to you all... View Stamen LARGE or ORIGINAL if you have time.. 7,950 + Views Hibiscus The Genus Hibiscus comprises plants also commonly called hibiscus and less widely known as rosemallow. The large genus of about 200–220 species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae (the mallow family, along with members like cacao, cotton, okra, baobab and durian) native to warm, temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. The genus includes both annual and perennial herbaceous plants, and woody shrubs and small trees. Description The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to lanceolate, often with a toothed or lobed margin. The flowers are large, conspicuous, trumpet-shaped, with five or more petals, ranging from white to pink, red, purple or yellow, and from 4-15 cm broad. The fruit is a dry five-lobed capsule, containing several seeds in each lobe, which are released when the capsule splits open at maturity. Uses Many species are grown for their showy flowers or used as landscape shrubs. Hibiscus is also a primary ingredient in many herbal teas. One species of Hibiscus, known as Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), is extensively used in paper making. Another, roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is used as a vegetable and to make herbal teas and jams (especially in the Caribbean). In Mexico, the drink is known as agua de Jamaica and is quite popular for its color, tanginess and mild flavor; once sugar is added, it tastes somewhat like cranberry juice. Dieters or persons with kidney problems often take it without adding sugar for its beneficial properties and as a natural diuretic. It is made by boiling the dehydrated flowers in water; once it is boiled, it is allowed to cool and drunk with ice. And the National Flower of Malaysia!! Wikipedia
morning light
Made by saikiishiki
well, afternoon light actually ;) mukha has been getting in this sunshine spot like clockwork everyday for about a month. if i wake up and see her laying here, i can tell what time it is and know i have slept too long as usual. i'm so glad she's sleeping in our room again and in our bed most of the time again! i really missed her most of the summer. see, she got this new bed a while ago and i had it in various rooms before i decided it should definitely go by the front door because that's where she stays the entire time we're gone and waits for us to come home (loooove her:)). i thought she should be as comfortable as possible while we were gone, even though we're usually at home. but then she started sleeping there every night.. and she started waking us up in the morning by barking at all the new activities happening outside the door. finally i realized i should put the bed in our room, obviously. she started sleeping there but still not in our bed :(. then, because she is just so crazy smart, on the night of the first day of fall she started sleeping in the bed again, yaaay! she usually starts out on top of the covers somewhere cozy, but every single morning when light starts to enter the room she has to get under the covers. it's so funny because she knows just where to stand and wait for me to wake up and lift the covers so she can climb in and plop down. she either stands on the floor with her hands on the side of the bed or just stands on my pillow by my face and stares down at me till i wake up. then later usually, because it's not really cold here she straightens out and lays next to me with her sweet head on the pillow by mine like a little human. this is one of my favorite feelings in the universe! she's so snuggly and mushy :)
MAAAANTAAAA!
Made by kevkev44
Yup, I can't think of any clever/cute titles for my photos. Haha. Have a magical 3 day weekend! LOL. Some quick Manta facts: Capacity: 1500 riders per hour Length: 3359' Height: 140' Drop: 113' Inversions: 4 Speed: 56 mph Duration: 2:35 Vehicle wing span: 12 feet Length of train: 72 feet, 2 inches Weight per train: 33,100 pounds when empty Wiring per train: 2,524 feet The marine life — More than 3,000 animals live in Manta’s state-of-the-art aquatic habitats, creating mesmerizing face-to-fin encounters with hundreds of rays, thousands of exotic fish and even a giant Pacific octopus. Rays — Three hundred rays can be found in Manta’s huge all-around-you aquarium, adding to the sense of total immersion in an underwater world. While there are over 400 species of rays found throughout the world, eight species are showcased at Manta. They include cownose, spotted eagle, roughtail, southern, shark ray, giant guitarfish, white blotched river ray and ocellate river rays. Did you know? - The trains on flying coasters are the most complicated and technically advanced trains of any type of roller coaster. - Manta’s trains are very efficient and built to extremely high standards. In fact, if Manta’s track were flat with no loops, twists, turns or brakes -- a single train would probably coast for nearly two miles after its initial 113-foot drop.
weimaraner party !!
Made by saikiishiki
mukha had a weimaraner party about a month ago and as you can see by her expression, she loved it! it was so much fun. there were 20 weims total including mukha, plus 1 non~weim! it was a fun day of running around the yard, jumping on the trampoline and swimming in the lake. we have a small fenced in backyard that we call our 'immediate' backyard. beyond that we have our real backyard, which is actaully 2 very large backyards~ ours and our neighbors yard fenced in together. well, we were cooking out in our immediate backyard with the fence closed so all the weimaraners wouldn't eat or knock over the food, and mostly all of the weimaraners were out playing in the big yard~ that is, if their humans were out there with them. if their people were in the immediate backyard, the poor weimaraners could not play anymore and could only stand on the fence waiting for their people to come back out or for someone to let them in so they could be back together again. it was always the case and it was soo sweet (and a little sad)! they are totally mans best friend! in the photos i got of them on the fence, you can tell which people were on this side of the fence by which weims are on the other side :) here are some picts of that and other highlights from the party.. enjoy!
puppy power ♥♥♥
Made by saikiishiki
today is mukha's 5th birthday!! this photo was taken when she was 4 months old, but it reminds me of the very first time i saw her. it was so magical, really. we entered the house, turned the corner and there in the kitchen (unconfined) were 3 little 11 1/2 week old puppies sitting perfectly side by side like one entity (like this picture, x3). they were all facing me, looking up at me.. so calm and quiet, except each puppy was slightly swaying like the flame of a candle in a still room. they had such a powerful, mystical, intelligent aura, but that, of course, was also oozing the puppy sweetness.. twas truly unforgettable! i should add that there was also an adult weimaraner (one who just had babies, but not these babies, which was a bit weird, but anyway..) at the house too, and she didn't bark or come to the door either when we arrived. this weimie behaviour was so unusual to me, because i was used to always coming home to frantic weims. one who loved to shriek and jump and claw at you, and one who mostly did cartwheels :) mukha is still good today, she lays by the front door the entire time we're gone and when we come home, she usually stands up slowly and waits for you to put out your arm where she gently perches and gives kissies ! ♥♥♥
SeaWorld Orlando - Dolphin Cove
Made by anadelmann
Skipping Day 11 of our vacation trip (revisited Animal Kingdom and Epcot) and coming to Day 12 with my favorite picture of the visit to SeaWorld Orlando. It was truly wonderful to see the bottlenose dolphins of Dolphin Cove from the underwater viewing area. Windows into a different world. For this capture I particularly liked how that one girl in the centre stood out so much. Please consider to view it ... and have a wonderful week, Everyone! For those who read this far and have been to Niagara Falls: I'll be off next weekend to visit there. So if you have been there and can give me some advice on what to do (or not to do) I would really appreciate it (including links to your posted pictures). Some additional info on SeaWorld Orlando from wikipedia: SeaWorld Orlando is a theme park near Orlando, Florida. It is owned and operated by Busch Entertainment Corporation, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch, and is the subsidiary's most visited park. It's devoted to Earth's oceans and the array of life that inhabits them. In 2008, SeaWorld Orlando hosted an estimated 5.9 million guests, ranking it the seventh-most visited amusement park in the United States and #12 in the world. Below are two captures related to the Orca Show Believe
~ High Key 9 ~
Made by iTail ~ Steve Page - Sabbatical
Not long ago I did a series of High Key/Low Key studio lighting portraits featuring two different models. I posted a total of 16 images at that time and decided to quit because I knew everyone was getting tired of them, as was I... However, I had six more images I wanted to post and have decided to do it now..I hope you all will indulge me and hopefully you will enjoy seeing six more images. As a side note.. I did a little study of the comments and faves from the previous 16 images posted and it showed that 96% of the faves came from men.. I found that quite interesting, considering that my normal fave count is about a 50-50 split between men and women. I wonder if one can conclude that woman don't like faving images of other women? I think that would be fair as I'm not likely to fave an image of another man... Any thoughts or comments on the subject are welcome.. =) Click here to visit Steve Page Photography on FaceBook Click on image or hit your L key to View On Black PLEASE NO MULTI-GROUP INVITES... Thanks...
~ Low Key ~ 6
Made by iTail ~ Steve Page - Sabbatical
This image is a product of one of two studio sessions I participated in recently. One night we shot High Key and the next night we shot Low Key. I will post them with alternating styles and models. One of my good friends here on Flickr didn't know what High Key and Low Key lighting was. I wrote him a quick description that he found very helpful, so I thought I would share it here for those who might be interested. This is a quick overview... Both High Key images and Low Key images make an intensive use of contrast, but in a very different way. When approaching a shoot of a dramatic portrait, the decision of making it a High Key, Low Key or just a regular image has great impact about the mood that this picture will convey. While High Key images are considered happy and will show your subject as a tooth-paste poster; Low Key portraits are dramatic and convey a lot of atmosphere and tension. Click here to visit Steve Page Photography on FaceBook Click on image or hit your L key to View On Black
Just Look Up ~ {EXPLORED}
Made by MyronLArmour Photography
Every now and then I like to go back and look through all the images I decided not to post as my shot of the day or looked over during my 50 Strangers in 50 Days project. One night while I was out bar hopping with a couple of friends, I came across this light fixture at one of the bars. The bar is called the Peacock Room. It was not really busy that night, so I was able to walk around and admire the art on the walls and the decor of the entire bar. Stationed over the red felt pool table were these umbrellas which made up this light fixture. One of my friends, Mike, had shot a similar image a long time ago, and I thought it had a cool look. When the opportunity appeared, I knew I wanted to attempt to capture this fixture in my own way. I would not have noticed this fixture, if I had not basically just looked up. I am learning to make that a habit when it comes to finding an image to capture for the day. Press L to see Larger and in Black Edit: Thank you to everyone that viewed, commented, and/or fav'd this image. This is my first image to get EXPLORED! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! To think I almost didn't post it.
. : h o o d l u m : .
Made by saikiishiki
this is one of my favorite photos ever. i never developed it because it had chanhi in a hoody and some clutter beside and behind rolyn. a few weeks ago i experimented with it in the darkroom. i was going to try to take chanhi out of the pic. i discovered that this photo isn't in focus except for this one spot on the hoody :(. i wanted to practice with it anyway because i was going to try a texture on it and maybe that would help with the out of focusness. for anyone who wants to know the basic details.. first i made a print. then i made a paper negative (the same size as the print). on the paper negative i used black paint to paint out chanhi and the other distractions. then i made a positive print again from the negative and some tissue paper as the texture. heh, that sounded easy.. it took all day! lots of testing in between all that :) i took a picture of the photo. a little extra ambiance was added from inconsistent lighting and reflections on the photo. oh, and you can still see chanhi back there :) i didn't completely omit her, but i think she matches a little with the texture. she's on the right facing the left. greyghost!
Isn't he the cutest thing? (Made it to Explore – #16!)
Made by Mike Wacht Photography
Update (2011 01 10) — Pete was featured in DPShots' 30 Adorable Animal Photography Examples article. (http://dpshots.com/photo-inspiration/animal-photography.html). I'm really quite honored at the recognition. There are some really nice shots among the 30. Check it out! _______________ I entered Pete into the Humane Society's Spay Day 2010 Photo Contest. If you can, would you please stop by his page and vote for him? Votes cost $1 — a donation to the Humane Society and local organizations spaying and neutering pets. photocontest.humanesociety.org/contest.html?page=viewInd&... I was playing with a new remote flash unit. My daughter didn't want to pose, so Pete got stuck with model duty. He did a great job! But half blinded by the flashes and worn out from jumping on and off the bed, Pete laid down his sleepy head and flashed me those big, puppy-dog eyes. Flickr Explore: Feb 5, 2010, #16! Thanks, everyone!
Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)
Made by Paul Hueber
I went out to Orlando Wetlands Park yesterday with a couple of friends. The bird of the day for us was a White-tailed Kite, which was a life bird for me and is rarely seen this far north in the Florida peninsula. We also had a Gull-billed Tern there for the second winter in a row. These terns are not seen inland very often. Other notable birds seen were Limpkin, Purple Gallinules, Black-crowned Night-Herons, a male Painted Bunting and a pair of nesting Bald Eagles with at least one young bird in the nest. We saw several Sandhill Cranes wandering around the area. There are few sounds I enjoy hearing more than the prehistoric bugling of Sandhill Cranes. When a bunch of them start calling at once, it is otherworldly. This was one of the few shots I took yesterday, and was taken out the truck window with the engine running. I wasn't sure how sharp it would turn out so I pulled back on the zoom a bit to try to reduce camera shake. Charlie is here strikes again. Check out his wonderful manip of this photo.
Hogsmeade After Dark
Made by samueljustice.net
I am hoping to get prints available soon so watch this space! Follow me on twitter twitter.com/samueljustice Hogsmeade village at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is found at Universal Orlando's Island of Adventure. I wanted to get more shots of Hogsmeade at night, due to the fact no one is around and it gives such a nice perspective of the village. Unfortunately, Universal's security are very tight in this area in the evening. I don't blame them, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is Universal Orlando's baby at the moment. 3 bracketed exposures edited in Camera Raw, then brought into Photoshop CS5's HDR program, then brought into PS itself for the final touches. I have 3 bracketed exposures of the right of this image showing a snowman but aside from that the area is pretty bland and dull, I decided this was the best point of view.
'have you found where the frog is hiding yet?
Made by saikiishiki
i love this innocent polite questioning look she gives me. there is a frog that lives in our pond (located at the bottom of the pic) and she always looks for it . if she hasn't found it yet, i will go help her look for it and point it out to her when i find it. we search together for the hiding frog, but while we're searching she occasionally looks up at me with this face to see if i've found it or not. it just kills me! she's so unbelievably sweet. i've always wished i could take a picture of her looking at me like this, but never had a camera in my hands. finally i remembered to have it ready and this is the only shot i got (well, with her face actually in it, as i was shooting blindly). when she finds the frog they have the longest stare downs! she slowly inches closer and closer and the frog just sits there until they are just inches apart and finally it goes under water and swims away, or if it's outside of the pond, it leaps in. then we get to look for it all over again!
